Too much vitamins and sugar :(

Saliha97
Saliha97 Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone. I am new here and I love it, but there's just one thing that bothers me. On my daily nutrition I'm always getting too much vitamin A and C and sugar in. But I hardly eat any actual sugar. I eat lots of fruits, veggies and a tbsp of honey a day.

Is this bad? Will it affect my body negatively? What exactly CAN happen?

Thanks for the help

Sal

Replies

  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    If you have problems with your blood sugar (ie. insulin resistant) then too much sugar will affect you negatively. Are you diabetic? Too much of anything isn't good for you... if you don't have problems with your blood sugar, then I (as a non-medical professional...) wouldn't worry too much. When you say "actual sugar" though, I know you're thinking of refined sugar but the sugar in fruits, veggies, honey, etc. is ACTUAL sugar. It may be "natural," but your body still processes it in the same way. Personally, I don't worry about going over on sugar if it's from fruit since the fruit itself has other benefits even if my body is processing the sugar in the same way as a candy bar. But it's still sugar.
  • Beckaroo94
    Beckaroo94 Posts: 66
    don't worry about vitamin C, I think you can eat as much of that as you want and your body processes it. Not sure about the others though
  • clambert1273
    clambert1273 Posts: 840 Member
    unless you are diabetic - don't track the sugar... I am sure I eat a ton of it and it doesn't affect me (but I am not prone sugar issues and my levels are perfect)

    I track just my sodium and I think iron (since I have a Vit D and iron deficiency)
  • p4ulmiller
    p4ulmiller Posts: 588 Member
    Don't demonise fruit. Sugar is a natural substance that your body needs to function.

    If you are new to weight loss, just focus on your calories for the first few weeks before worrying about macronutrients.
  • Saliha97
    Saliha97 Posts: 9
    Thanks so much you guys. I actually didn't know that my body processes all sugars in the same way. I'm not diabetic but it's in my genes so I am prone.

    My question is just this... if all sugars get processed the same way, then is it pointless to replace normal sugar with natural sugar substitutes? Like I use dates in my smoothies instead of sugar. And I add dates to my baked goods instead of sugar. Also, I use a tsp of honey sometimes over my fruit or in my tea. Is this completely pointless then? Should I just have used normal sugar? :(
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    My question is just this... if all sugars get processed the same way, then is it pointless to replace normal sugar with natural sugar substitutes? Like I use dates in my smoothies instead of sugar. And I add dates to my baked goods instead of sugar. Also, I use a tsp of honey sometimes over my fruit or in my tea. Is this completely pointless then? Should I just have used normal sugar? :(

    yes that is pointless, the natural sugar in a packet (grown in sugar beet or cane in a field) is sucrose which is a combined glucose & fructose molecule. Dates have glucose and fructose in a similar 1:1 ratio and honey is mainly fructose.

    Some people believe the different metabolic path of fructose is a problem (Lustig et al) but metabolically dates and white sugar have the same profile.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    If it's from fruits and veg I wouldn't worry too much unless you're under specific doctor's orders to avoid. The sugars in fruits are not as bad because they come with soluble fiber, which slows down the absorption of the sugar and keeps your insulin from spiking. Fruit juice, however, is often just as bad as sugar because all the natural fiber has been removed so the sugar is quickly absorbed. In addition, fruit juices are often "fortified" with extra sugar, which you don't need.

    ETA: I agree with the poster above. Dates and honey act just like table sugar. Fresh, whole fruits with fiber are a different story. The fiber slows sugar absorption and so you won't get the huge insulin spike that you get with more refined or concentrated sugars.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    way too much vitamin A is toxic, but it's almost impossible to get that from food (as opposed to overdosing on vitamin pills) unless you're eating insect larvae or bears liver (I think other carnivores liver can be toxic too). Also, it's only the retinol (animal) form of vitamin A that's toxic in excess, the beta-carotine form (which is in red/orange/yellow veggies) is fine so I think you don't need to worry about that. Pregnant women should avoid liver.

    vitamin C isn't toxic although ridiculously high doses can give you diarrhoea

    Also bear in mind that the RDAs of vitamins are often based on the lowest dose needed to prevent deficiency, rather than the optimal amount for good health, so being over on vitamins is generally a good thing. Some are toxic in excess but it's really difficult to get a toxic dose from normal food. Overdose is nearly always the result of taking too many vitamin pills (but there have been some notable cases caused by eating bears liver).

    sugar isn't good in excess but if it's mostly coming from whole fruits and there's no medical issue then really I wouldn't worry about it. Also MFP sets sugar quite low, personally I don't monitor sugar, I monitor carbs as a whole. If you're eating the right amount of carbs along with balanced macros generally and hitting your calorie goals then it's all being burned off anyway. If you're diabetic or pre-diabetic, then yes you should be more careful of simple sugars and careful about getting the right kinds of carbs, but if you're not and you're within your calorie targets then there's not really anything to worry about.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    The sugars in fruits are not as bad because they come with soluble fiber, which slows down the absorption of the sugar and keeps your insulin from spiking.

    The insulin response is not absent with fruits, see below, though attenuated by fibre, rate of digestion and how fast you can eat the fruit. Equally the sugars in "processed food" is accompanied by fats, fibre, protein etc which also affect the response.

    Fruit sugar doesn't get a free pass in my book. Whether sugars are an issue in general is a separate debate, in obese people they probably are but less so in healthy weight young active people.

    fruitresponse.png
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    If you have no health issues don't worry about it
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    If you're eating the right amount of carbs along with balanced macros generally and hitting your calorie goals then it's all being burned off anyway. If you're diabetic or pre-diabetic, then yes you should be more careful of simple sugars and careful about getting the right kinds of carbs, but if you're not and you're within your calorie targets then there's not really anything to worry about.

    This. There is no need to micromanage ever little detail to lose fat and be healthy. Hit your calorie targets. Hit your macros.
  • Saliha97
    Saliha97 Posts: 9
    Thank you. This has been really helpful to me. So how much sugar should I be consuming a day? And will you please give me some examples? Thanks so much.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    when tracking I aim for 40% carbs, 30% protein 30% fat. You can adjust the percentages in the custom goals section. I don't measure sugar separately from other carbs.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    I don't measure sugar separately from other carbs.
    This. Unless you have some kind of health problem like diabetes, it is unnecessary to track sugar separately.
  • MaggiMoonwytch
    MaggiMoonwytch Posts: 12 Member
    I have type 2 diabetes but it's still okay for me to eat fruit. Loads of things have sugar in but your body processes granulated sugar and sweeteners made from fruit in a different way. If it worries you too much try reading up on the Glycaemic Load. It explains it all really well and is actually a very good way to lose weight if you have blood sugar issues.

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