Sugar in Fruit

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mroberts3333
mroberts3333 Posts: 2
in Food and Nutrition
I just started myfitnesspal today and am shocked to see that I have already gone over my sugar allotment with just a banana and grapes. My goal for sugar is 25. If I'm supposed to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, how can I possibly do that and maintain my sugar goal?

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  • 27jynx11
    27jynx11 Posts: 16
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    Natural sugar in fruits and veg are fine. I regularly go over my sugar amount by at least 50g I eat a lot of fruit. I don't eat or drink anything with refined sugar ( Sweets, fizzy drinks, etc) so I just ignore the sugar count.
  • mroberts3333
    mroberts3333 Posts: 2
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    Thanks for your reply! :)
  • Mslmesq
    Mslmesq Posts: 1,001 Member
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    Natural sugar in fruits and veg are fine. I regularly go over my sugar amount by at least 50g I eat a lot of fruit. I don't eat or drink anything with refined sugar ( Sweets, fizzy drinks, etc) so I just ignore the sugar count.

    ^ this. And I changed my diary to show fiber, not sugar. I do not have diabetes or any other medical condition where I worry about getting sugar from fruit. And the few times I eat sugar in sweets, which isn't that often cause I have more of a salty or spicy tooth than a sweet tooth, I don't worry about that either.

    Now, I do have to watch myself with salt and fried foods cause I could go to town on a big bag of salted potato chips like nothing else. :wink:
  • lavendy17
    lavendy17 Posts: 309 Member
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    I have the same issue. I eat so healthy but just from fruits and veggies I eat triple the allotted sugar. I am reading on the subject and mostly what I find is that the 25 grams is probably (I can't say for sure I am still looking for hard evidence) talking about added sugar. So for me, I look at my calendar and count sugar from added sources - from bread, from the sugar added to yogurts (fruit toppings), from candy (I'm human too).
    I also stopped eating pre-made oatmeal which has added sugar, I just put cinnamon and salt. I buy PB with no sugar and eat it plain. I try to eat 2 servings of fruit a day a but that's really hard. I'd rather eat too much fruit than freak about it and have something worse instead.
  • over_oxers
    over_oxers Posts: 47 Member
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    I also was freaking out about the amount of sugar I was consuming even though I steer clear of sweets and refined sugar. I'm trying to restrict my carbs and therefor do more veggies and less fruit. I don't think I could love without bananas though! I try to eat my carbs in the morning so I have all day to burn them off. I don't worry about my sugar as long as its from fruits and vegetables. I do look at my carbs and try to meet my macros for fat and protein.
  • WhoDat5o4
    WhoDat5o4 Posts: 50 Member
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    I've had trainers tell me to watch my fruit intake, which I ignored for years. Fruit is good for you, it won't make you fat! Which is true_ unless you eat it (or anything else for that matter) in excess. After trolling the diaries of a few women with my dream physique I realized how much more sugar I was consuming than they do, so I made some adjustments and substituted fruits for veggies (I still eat some fruit, but not a lot) as well as almond milk instead of skim and in just a few days i'm already seeing positive change. Just my two cents, may not be for everyone.
  • rudarbe
    rudarbe Posts: 164 Member
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    Sugar is still sugar, regardless of the food it comes from. One's view might be clouded because of how society and media portrays fruits. Although it is recommended that Americans incorporate fruits in their diet, one should watch what type of fruit they eat. Some fruits range from 1g to 15g of sugar per serving. This does not mean you should neglect fruits . It contains important micronutrients to support our bodily functions, as well as dietary fiber. With that said, fruits are a healthier choice because of its density in calories compared to soda, candy, and other sweets, but don't be tricked into thinking you can eat as much as you want without any consequence from its sugars. Good luck :) !!
  • helpfit101
    helpfit101 Posts: 347 Member
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    Fruit sugar is better for you than refined sugar, but still try not to overdo it. Like someone said it is still sugar. Try eating more tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, cucumbers things like that.
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,821 Member
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    Right, fruits AND vegetables. When it comes to calories, you can't beat vegetables. Our problem is always balance, and portions.
  • lucyricky2
    lucyricky2 Posts: 437 Member
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    I really watch my sugars. If i have fruit it is in the am so i can burn it off but don't eat as much as i used to. Since I have limited my sugar intake i have lost weight. i was shocked too so I have changed my eating habits alot
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Sugar is irrelevant. You track carbs, sugar is just a carb, no need to track it twice.

    And for the record, refined sugar and sugar in fruit are the EXACT SAME CHEMICALS. The body doesn't treat them any differently.
  • sdreed25
    sdreed25 Posts: 208 Member
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    Fruit sugar is better for you than refined sugar, but still try not to overdo it. Like someone said it is still sugar. Try eating more tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, cucumbers things like that.

    This ^^ Sugar is still sugar. Someone once told me that in your "5-a-day" you should be eating 9 veggies and only one fruit as fruit is natures sweetshop. I know this makes 10 as that was the nutritionists point, it should be 10 a day not 5. I was very skeptical of this for many months and carries on ignore MFP going over on sugar due to fruit. When I saw the light and switched to 1 fruit a day and under the MFP goal on sugar the results were awesome (for me).

    Just my 2c/2p
  • athene_circe
    athene_circe Posts: 34 Member
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    Someone told me once that no one ever got fat from eating too many fruits & vegetables. True words! Especially if indulging in fruit keeps your sweet tooth sated so you don't binge on refined sugar and processed foods. I've lost almost 50 pounds in 7 months and I go over 50g of sugar every day because I have fruit with practically every meal. Don't let it mess with your head. :smile:
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
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    I don't even track my sugar. If you're tracking carbs why track sugar unless you're diabetic?
  • helpfit101
    helpfit101 Posts: 347 Member
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    Somebody said sugar is just a carb so no need to count it twice. Well some sugars do affect insulin levels in your blood. And insulin affects how / when you burn fat or use human growth hormone for muscle growth. I think sugar intake is heavily associated with risk of getting diabetes.

    Now fructose is a sugar from fruit and doesn't cause insulin spikes as I understand it. It's broken down in your liver and not in your stomach and it's released more gradually than glucose. However, fruits also have glucose in them. So that's why you shouldn't eat too many. Basically table sugar and fruit sugar are only slightly different so I'll agree that not eating too many fruits is probably a good idea.

    If you're looking to "just" lose weight though just counting carbs is fine. For overall health eat some fruits but not too much.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Somebody said sugar is just a carb so no need to count it twice. Well some sugars do affect insulin levels in your blood. And insulin affects how / when you burn fat or use human growth hormone for muscle growth. I think sugar intake is heavily associated with risk of getting diabetes.

    Now fructose is a sugar from fruit and doesn't cause insulin spikes as I understand it. It's broken down in your liver and not in your stomach and it's released more gradually than glucose. However, fruits also have glucose in them. So that's why you shouldn't eat too many. Basically table sugar and fruit sugar are only slightly different so I'll agree that not eating too many fruits is probably a good idea.

    If you're looking to "just" lose weight though just counting carbs is fine. For overall health eat some fruits but not too much.
    Unless you have a medical condition, insulin doesn't matter. Protein also spikes insulin just like sugar, just like carbs. Problems with insulin and carbs (not just sugar) are a SYMPTOM of diabetes, not the cause. Type I is a genetic condition, and Type II is caused by excessive fat in the blood stream interfering with insulin receptors (which is why losing weight inproves Type II Diabetes in most people.)
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
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    I don't even look at my sugar intake most days. I try to eat real foods that my grandmother born in 1898 would recognize and avoid heavily processed foods. I eat fruit if I want it, but usually apples with peanut or sun butter or blueberries. I eat salad and lots of it because it's good for me and I like it. I'm losing the weight I need to lose for now and I have other food allergies that are WAY more important for my health than sugar.
  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
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    I stopped tracking my sugar intake because I have the same problem! I'm also struggling to get enough potassium, so I don't want to cut down on my fruit intake! However, I have been paying a lot of attention to added sugars in baked and packaged goods to minimize those.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
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    I honestly don't eat much in the way of sweets, though I do have some ice cream every day, and eat a donut or Pop Tart every few days, and there is a little sugar in some of the cereals that I occasionally eat. I do eat plenty of fruit though and drink milk, so I removed sugar from my settings as I don't have any reason to track it.

    Honestly, all you need to track in respect to sugar is your carbs along with protein, fats, and fiber. If you're satisfying your macro and fiber needs and coming under calories, then sugar isn't crowding anything else out and it doesn't matter.

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