Daily Sugars?

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Raychel_xoxo
Raychel_xoxo Posts: 51
in Food and Nutrition
So, the other day as I was entering in my food around lunchtime, I noticed it was telling me I was over my sugar intake for the day already. The only thing I ate with any significant amount of sugar that day was 1 cup of red grapes. That 1 cup put me at like, 90% of my sugars for the day. I'm really confused...how am I supposed to have a decent intake of fruits a day if it's too high for my sugars for the day? It doesn't make much sense to me.

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  • Edestiny7
    Edestiny7 Posts: 730 Member
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    I wouldn't worry about the natural sugar from fruit. It is the added sugar that you should limit.
  • Raychel_xoxo
    Raychel_xoxo Posts: 51
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    how do i monitor the difference on here then? it all ends up grouped together, ya know?
  • bopper
    bopper Posts: 352 Member
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    That is frustrating. I am watching my sugar intake too and I feel that it is the processed refined sugar we should be watching. Fruit has lots of natural sugar in it, so being that I am no expert either, I would say watch the refined sugar. Does that make any sense?
  • Amarillo_NDN
    Amarillo_NDN Posts: 1,018 Member
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    10 grapes have 7.59 G of sugar. Although most will tell you natural sugar is ok, it is still something you have to watch if you have blood sugar problems.

    "
    While it is true this natural sugar tends to be sweeter than refined sugars, it is important to note that fruit sugar is no less dangerous for people who are diabetic or current diagnosed as being in a pre-diabetic state. Fructose will still cause blood sugar levels to peak. In some people, the rapid increase in levels is even more pronounced than with refined sugars. For this reason, it is important for people attempting to control diabetes with diet to monitor closely the amount of fruit sugar that is ingested during the course of the day. Using an up-to-date glycemic index will make it easier to monitor the amount of fructose absorbed from different fruits and vegetables.
    "
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    how do i monitor the difference on here then? it all ends up grouped together, ya know?

    Unfortunately food packaging doesn't have to differentiate between added sugars and natural sugars. If you're getting all your sugar from plain dairy (milk/cheese - be wary of more processed dairy like yogurt) and fruit, then you should be okay, as long as you're eating reasonable portions of fruit and dairy each day (I stick to 1-3 servings of each, at the most). You just have to learn to read the ingredients. If they add sugar to something, they have to list it. I try to buy as little as possible with added sugars. Here is a list of added sugar names to watch out for:

    brown sugar
    corn sweetener
    corn syrup
    dextrose
    fructose
    fruit juice concentrates
    glucose
    high-fructose corn syrup
    honey
    invert sugar
    lactose
    maltose
    malt syrup
    molasses
    raw sugar
    sucrose
    sugar
    syrup

    (From http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/discretionary_calories_sugars.html )
  • gogospice
    gogospice Posts: 185 Member
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    I'm always over on my daily sugar! I'm over at breakfast after eating a bowl of fruit after my workout. I just make sure that I watch the other foods I eat during the day, and keep them low in sugar. I think thats fine seeing as how fruit has natural sugar. Its working for me!
  • Raychel_xoxo
    Raychel_xoxo Posts: 51
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    thank you everyone!
  • jazzy020106
    jazzy020106 Posts: 485 Member
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    This is very helpful for me as well! I stopped eating my 3 fruits a day because it was putting me over in sugar.. but now i see that if most of my sugar is coming from fruit then i shouldnt worry about it =]
  • nikhil_c8
    nikhil_c8 Posts: 100 Member
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    Just to Check.

    How much is your Daily Consumption of Sugar (All Sugars)

    Mine is Usually Close to 90-100 (wih 50% Coming from Fruit)
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    One other thing to consider, is if you're worried about the effects of fruit on your blood sugar, try to stick to low-Glycemic Index (GI) fruits. These WON'T spike your blood sugar the same way that higher GI fruits will. The higher the GI, the faster it affects your blood sugar.

    Low GI = 55 or less
    Medium GI = 56 - 69
    High GI = 70 or more

    Food w/GI value next to it:

    Cherries 22
    Grapefruit 25
    Prunes 29
    Apricots, dried 30
    Apple 38
    Peach, canned in juice 38
    Pear, fresh 38
    Plum 39
    Strawberries 40
    Orange, Navel 42
    Peach, fresh 42
    Pear, canned 43
    Grapes 46
    Mango 51
    Banana 52
    Fruit Cocktail 55
    Papaya 56
    Raisins 56
    Apricots, fresh 57
    Kiwi 58
    Figs, dried 61
    Apricots, canned 64
    Cantaloupe 65
    Pineapple, fresh 66
    Watermelon 72
    Dates 103

    http://www.the-gi-diet.org/lowgifoods/
    http://www.lowglycemicdiet.com/fruitsgi.html
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    Just to Check.

    How much is your Daily Consumption of Sugar (All Sugars)

    Mine is Usually Close to 90-100 (wih 50% Coming from Fruit)

    Mine is usually 45-50, rarely over 75. On a normal day, almost all of that comes from fruit and dairy. Some comes from sweeter veggies like baby carrots. I don't eat much added sugar at all.
  • rachelc96
    rachelc96 Posts: 34
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    Finally, somebody with the same problem! Everyday, no matter what I eat, I am always over on my sugar by 10-15 grams! It bothers me a lot because I'm trying to limit sugar as much as I can and it still doesn't matter. I think that going over on your sugar intake with fruit or healthy things is okay because it's not going to harm you in the long run. I wouldn't go crazy with fruit, because it is a good amount of sugar, but it does provide vitamins and fiber, so just eat it in moderation during the day.
    By the way, I found out recently that milk has 12 grams of sugar a cup so watch your yogurt and milk intake too...weight loss takes some serious will power (:
  • jasonweinberg
    jasonweinberg Posts: 270
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    this debate is endless. i am not a nutritionist, but from my experience if you are trying to lose weight sugar is sugar. by really clamping down on your sugar intake (added or "natural), it helps your body to burn stored fats. with sugars available it slows the process of fat-burning. certainly, none of us intend to be in "weight-loss mode" for ever. many of us on here are already in maintenance mode. if you are taking a vitamin with vitamin c and getting your fiber elsewhere, you can eat very limited fruit for the time period when you trying to lose weight and while you might miss it, you won't really suffer nutritionally from the lack of it. my recommendation is don't ignore natural sugars when calculating your sugars.
  • Bermudabarbie
    Bermudabarbie Posts: 568 Member
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    I tend to agree with Jason. Follow the program suggested by MFP as closely as possible. It works.
  • jasonweinberg
    jasonweinberg Posts: 270
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    btw my current average sugar intake is about 15 grams a day.
  • Raychel_xoxo
    Raychel_xoxo Posts: 51
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    Gahhh...thats really a shame =/
    I guess I'll have to get used to my 1 cup of grapes or less a day from now on... :(
  • jasonweinberg
    jasonweinberg Posts: 270
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    not forever. just until you lose the weight you want to lose. the sugar matters not just because of the calories, but because simple sugars and carbs can interfere with the fat-burning process.

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