Natural Sugars

moonfire628
moonfire628 Posts: 56
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone. I typically do not consume foods with ADDED sugars but we all know natural foods contain, well, natural sugars. How much sugar from fruits/vegetables/etc. is safe to consume per day without adding too much weight? Again, all my sugar intake comes from natural foods so my diary is always in the red for sugar intake and it makes me nervous. I'd like to adjust the amount to account for natural foods but I don't know what I should set it to? Thanks! :)

Replies

  • kaseyr1505
    kaseyr1505 Posts: 624 Member
    Weight loss is calories in < calories out. Sugar (even added sugar), fat, protein, carbs or whatever will not cause you to gain weight , unless you eat more than you are burning.
  • Biggirllittledreams
    Biggirllittledreams Posts: 306 Member
    Weight = calories in, versus calories out. Not sugar consumed.
  • JoeCampbell85
    JoeCampbell85 Posts: 140
    No amount of sugar, natural or added, will make you gain weight. Added sugar has been linked to metabolic disorders and cancer risk but they are not going to make you gain weight. Being in a calorie excess is the only thing that will make you gain weight.

    That being said, enjoy your natural sugars. Don't worry about limiting them. Most come from fruits and vegetables that are loaded with fiber that drastically reduce glycemic load. There is absolutely zero reason to limit natural sugars beyond medical reason. Of course, your diet shouldn't be nothing but fruit because you need protein/fat/nutrients from other sources but there is nothing inherently evil about natural sugars.
  • BeginningAgainMay14
    BeginningAgainMay14 Posts: 97 Member
    Hi everyone. I typically do not consume foods with ADDED sugars but we all know natural foods contain, well, natural sugars. How much sugar from fruits/vegetables/etc. is safe to consume per day without adding too much weight? Again, all my sugar intake comes from natural foods so my diary is always in the red for sugar intake and it makes me nervous. I'd like to adjust the amount to account for natural foods but I don't know what I should set it to? Thanks! :)

    As the above posters said, it's not going to affect your weight.

    Personally, and whether you feel comfortable with this or not is up to you, I took sugar off of my metrics that I monitor because I get it almost exclusively from fruits and I just don't worry about sugar from fruit. I eat something with added sugar about twice a month, so tracking it isn't really useful.
  • BeckyMBisMe
    BeckyMBisMe Posts: 215 Member
    Do you have a medical condition that requires you to count your sugar intake? You can always just delete it from your menu calculator under your food diary settings. Why let it stress you out by seeing it if you don't need too?
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Arguably for most people refined sugars, be they added or natural, are the least satiating per unit calorie of any macro. Although technically true that eating lots of sugat while staying in caloric deficit will result in weight loss I would argue that a diet high in sugars eould make maintaining a caloric deficit more difficult than it needs to be.

    That said whether that sugar comes from an apple or a high fructose corn syrup soda doesn't really matter for weight loss.
  • JoeCampbell85
    JoeCampbell85 Posts: 140
    Arguably for most people refined sugars, be they added or natural, are the least satiating per unit calorie of any macro. Although technically true that eating lots of sugat while staying in caloric deficit will result in weight loss I would argue that a diet high in sugars eould make maintaining a caloric deficit more difficult than it needs to be.

    That said whether that sugar comes from an apple or a high fructose corn syrup soda doesn't really matter for weight loss.

    I find that this is mostly true. Though, grabbing a medium nectarine with 63 calories, 11 sugars, 15 carbs, 2 fiber is usually enough to take the curb off hunger between meals for me. Low calories, satisfies my sweet tooth, low glycemic load, and curbs hunger.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Do you have a medical condition that requires you to count your sugar intake? You can always just delete it from your menu calculator under your food diary settings. Why let it stress you out by seeing it if you don't need too?

    This. The reason MFP displays sugar is for diabetics, the reason it displays sodium is for those with high blood pressure. If you have neither condition you can safely ignore those indicators.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Arguably for most people refined sugars, be they added or natural, are the least satiating per unit calorie of any macro. Although technically true that eating lots of sugat while staying in caloric deficit will result in weight loss I would argue that a diet high in sugars eould make maintaining a caloric deficit more difficult than it needs to be.

    That said whether that sugar comes from an apple or a high fructose corn syrup soda doesn't really matter for weight loss.

    I find that this is mostly true. Though, grabbing a medium nectarine with 63 calories, 11 sugars, 15 carbs, 2 fiber is usually enough to take the curb off hunger between meals for me.

    Well yeah fruit is more nutritious and has more fiber so is more satiating but I meant if focusing just on sugar content it doesn't matter.
  • mayfrayy
    mayfrayy Posts: 198 Member
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17507345
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Hide the sugar. If you track carbs, you already track sugar. No need to double dip.
  • moonfire628
    moonfire628 Posts: 56
    Yeah, my blood sugar has spiked recently out of nowhere and my doctor said the numbers are almost pre-diabetic. Type 2 diabetes is in my family (contrary to popular belief Type 2 CAN be hereditary) so I'm trying to watch my sugar intake. I know eating sugar alone won't affect my weight, I worded that incorrectly in my original question, but I am trying to watch how much sugar I am eating per day. I just wanted to know what a good average number would be to account for all the fruits and grains I'm eating. Right now it's set to 50g but one serving of natural applesauce is already 10g sooo.... lol
  • sandryc
    sandryc Posts: 33
    I have to watch my blood sugar so this has been a concern for me.

    You can talk to your Dr about the natural sugars but most diabetic/pre=diabetic diets are focused on glycemic index. So not the amount of sugar, but how does it impact your blood sugar. It can depend on the fruit. Berries, cherries, grapefruit, apples, pears, apricots, peaches and pears are some low glycemic index fruits. Melons, mangos, pineapples are some examples of moderate-high glycemic index fruits. But even those are nothing like just having a candy bar or a few slices of white bread. I just combine eating any of those with a little protein or extra fiber.
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    Yeah, my blood sugar has spiked recently out of nowhere and my doctor said the numbers are almost pre-diabetic. Type 2 diabetes is in my family (contrary to popular belief Type 2 CAN be hereditary) so I'm trying to watch my sugar intake. I know eating sugar alone won't affect my weight, I worded that incorrectly in my original question, but I am trying to watch how much sugar I am eating per day. I just wanted to know what a good average number would be to account for all the fruits and grains I'm eating. Right now it's set to 50g but one serving of natural applesauce is already 10g sooo.... lol

    Have you looked in to "south beach diet"? not really promoting any type of "diet" but I think some concepts make sense for people prone to diabetes...
  • moonfire628
    moonfire628 Posts: 56
    Thanks, but I'm not interested in sort of "diet" other than non-GMO/organic clean-eating. I appreciate the input!

    Thanks everyone for your comments. It makes me feel better about my sugars. :)
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    Thanks, but I'm not interested in sort of "diet" other than non-GMO/organic clean-eating. I appreciate the input!

    Thanks everyone for your comments. It makes me feel better about my sugars. :)

    I guess the word "diet" may throw you off...in fact, it's more a way of eating...I learned a lot from their method and have incorporated it into my life style~

    good luck~

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