sugar in fruit

pjb58
pjb58 Posts: 100 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Do you consider natural (fruit) sugar or are you interested only in the sugar from processed food?
It is all lumped together on the food chart, but there is such a huge difference.
Typically I discount the sugar from fruits but want input from MFP users.
So, what do you think?
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Replies

  • uconnwinsnc
    uconnwinsnc Posts: 1,054 Member
    I don't even track sugar because I don't eat a lot of it normally. The only thing that bothers me about sugar is too much gives me a royal stomach ache.
  • MBrothers22
    MBrothers22 Posts: 323 Member
    If you have medical reasons to care then be careful. If not, I don't think it really matters
  • tonyamt2
    tonyamt2 Posts: 16 Member
    I am on slow carb and I count sugar from fruit as well. I guess it depends on what plan you are following. I am only allowed fruit on my one cheat day. I have learned that if I eat any sugar, I crave more of it.
  • pjb58
    pjb58 Posts: 100 Member
    Sorry I guess I should have provided the why.
    My concern is reducing the flabby stomach.
    My weight is good, I lift weights for toning, but the flabby stomach is an issue.
  • pjb58
    pjb58 Posts: 100 Member
    WOW! If I couldn't eat fruit I'd be in trouble.
  • Maddyhomeier
    Maddyhomeier Posts: 1
    My aunt is a certified dietition and I was curious about the same thing so I asked her and she said that no natural sugars in fruit and veggies should NOT count toward your daily intake unless you are a diabetic or someone with a health problem regarding sugar.
  • xenu01
    xenu01 Posts: 117 Member
    Sugar is sugar, unfortunately. However, I really and truly believe that natural sugars are much better for you.

    Anyway, it's good to do things in moderation, and it's always better to eat whole fruits than juice.

    Here is a list of some low-glycemic fruits:
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/272829-low-sugar-fruits-vegetables/

    Pears, grapefruits, plums, cantelopes and blueberries are all excellent low-sugar fruits.
  • YamaMaya1
    YamaMaya1 Posts: 49 Member
    fruit isn't just sugar, it is fibre as well as vitamins and antioxidants. I don't worry about it, as long as I'm within my calorie target for the day.
  • rebeccaisafish
    rebeccaisafish Posts: 87 Member
    Sugar is sugar no matter where its from.
  • Valrotha
    Valrotha Posts: 294 Member
    Seems like there are a handful of posts per day on this topic. I think I need to type the following up on MS Word and just copy and paste.

    In short, fructose from fruit IS sugar, HOWEVER, fruit also contains fiber which offsets the negative impact of sugar on your system. So, as long as you don't go overboard you should be fine. Focus on your calorie goals and don't sweat eating fruit. It's ok. :)
  • CindyMarcuzAdams
    CindyMarcuzAdams Posts: 4,007 Member
    I agree that sugar is sugar but there is a difference the way you consume it. Eating an apple or orange you are getting vit c and fiber along with other goodness can not compare to a fried donut dipped in white sugar . If you are going for the sweetness you may as well have something good for you...
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    The sugars are the same, chemically. Fructose and sucrose are structurally the same chemical whether you eat them in fruit or eat them in something else (like ice cream or cookies, or table sugar).
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Sugar is sugar, unfortunately. However, I really and truly believe that natural sugars are much better for you.

    Anyway, it's good to do things in moderation, and it's always better to eat whole fruits than juice.

    Here is a list of some low-glycemic fruits:
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/272829-low-sugar-fruits-vegetables/

    Pears, grapefruits, plums, cantelopes and blueberries are all excellent low-sugar fruits.

    Natural sugars are better than what? What is a 'natural' sugar?
  • fgodfrey56
    fgodfrey56 Posts: 24 Member
    fruit isn't just sugar, it is fibre as well as vitamins and antioxidants. I don't worry about it, as long as I'm within my calorie target for the day.
    Lol. Fruit isn't sugar? You can't be serious.

    What do you think happens to carbs at the end of process?

    You left out the word "just." not speaking for the other person, but the point being fruit includes fiber vs. a donut. Don't be so down on fruit. All things in moderation.
  • perseverance14
    perseverance14 Posts: 1,364 Member
    Even in low carb diets fiber counts against carb totals, so if you eat a low carb fruit to begin with and then count the fiber against the carb total (for example, this morning I had 20 grams of blackberries, 2 grams of carbs, 1 gram of fiber = 1 gram of carbs), I also had 73 grams of strawberries, with 6 grams of carbs and 1 of fiber, which is net 5, so for all the berries I had 6 grams of carbs...there were more carbs than that (8) in my cottage cheese.

    I watch added sugars, that doesn't mean I would eat tons of fruit, but I tend not to worry about eating fruit.
  • crys39
    crys39 Posts: 40 Member
    When you eat food that contains fructose (sugars from fruit), you don't need to digest the fructose before your intestine can absorb it.
    The intestines can absorb monosaccharides (fructose which is made of a single sugar unit), but can't absorb disaccharides (such as sucrose which is made of two sugar units) or larger carbohydrates.
    Your body breaks down sucrose into two monosaccharides -- fructose and glucose -- using a digestive enzyme called sucrase.
    Your cells use sucrose similar to how they use fructose -- particularly because sucrose contains 50 percent fructose.
    Cells can burn fructose for energy, or can convert it to fat and store it.

    One difference between sucrose and fructose is that sucrose contains glucose. This means sucrose triggers insulin release. Insulin is a hormone that the pancreas releases that tells cells to take up glucose from the blood. Fructose consumption triggers a much less significant insulin release.

    Take the info above as you will but personally, I'd rather have a fruit than something processed and smothered in table sugar. Just my 2 cents...
  • crys39
    crys39 Posts: 40 Member
    I agree that sugar is sugar but there is a difference the way you consume it. Eating an apple or orange you are getting vit c and fiber along with other goodness can not compare to a fried donut dipped in white sugar . If you are going for the sweetness you may as well have something good for you...
    Why? Why not make room for both in the day?
    And how are ice cream or cookies bad for you if eaten in moderation?

    I don't think anything is bad for you once eaten in moderation. The problem lies where if an individual has one cookie and then goes totally off-track and eats the rest of the cookies in the package. Everyone has to know themselves... lol, I for one love me some ice-cream and cookies way too much so I'd prefer to stay away from it and just have a sweet fruit or something.
  • Mykaelous
    Mykaelous Posts: 231 Member
    I don't really care about my sugar intake, I am normally below my RDA. I do tend to prioritize sugary foods before I workout. So for example I ate 150g of grapes 20 min ago(22g of sugar, 100 calories). Took my Pre-workout right now, and will be performing the P90x Ab ripper X workout in 10 minutes followed by an hour and a half of cardio. I find that foods high in sugar simply aren't that filling, but they do give me a sugar high for 30-60 min.

    The only people that should really be concerned(as long as you are under your calorie goal and meeting your macros) are individuals with medical conditions.
  • Peaceandwater
    Peaceandwater Posts: 23 Member
    I try my best to make sure that the ONLY sugar I am consuming is from 1 or 2 pieces of whole, fresh fruit per day (mainly within breakfast like a smoothie) or the sugar that is found in many veggies like carrots, beets etc. Usually, eating sugary foods causes me to crave more but with fresh fruit I have not noticed this. I read recently (sorry I forget where) that the high sugar content in fresh fruit can be balanced out in part with the fiber and water present. Meaning the fiber and water present in the fruit helps flush the sugar through your digestive system quicker so you do not digest every gram. I'm not sure if it is true or not but Ill believe it for now !
  • inskydiamonds
    inskydiamonds Posts: 2,519 Member
    fruit isn't just sugar, it is fibre as well as vitamins and antioxidants. I don't worry about it, as long as I'm within my calorie target for the day.
    Lol. Fruit isn't sugar? You can't be serious.

    What do you think happens to carbs at the end of process?

    You conveniently missed a part of what you were quoting: "fruit isn't JUST sugar," not "fruit isn't sugar."

    -Edit. I see this was already addressed.
  • cwoyto123
    cwoyto123 Posts: 308
    I eat 400g+ sugar a day

    Keeps the doctor away.
  • shaynepoole
    shaynepoole Posts: 493 Member
    I watch sugars because I am diabetic (and now happily insulin and medication free) who has to watch sugar intake, which does include fruit - that being said, I'd rather get my sugar from fruit than other products. Do I occasionally go over? sure (I really like my fruit :smile: )
  • socalkay
    socalkay Posts: 746 Member
    My understanding is that sugar delivered to your body without fiber (refined sugars or even fructose in juice) cause a rapid increase of blood glucose that triggers the body to release a rush of the hormone insulin. A large surge of insulin will leave you feeling tired, hungry, craving more sugar and also lowers the speed at which the body burns fat.

    The fiber in fruit causes a steady rise of blood glucose, which only results in a small and gentle rise in insulin. Small increases in insulin keep you feeling full, energized for hours and encourages the body to burn fat.

    Foods high in fiber take longer to digest and help you feel satisfied by triggering natural appetite suppressors.

    I love fresh fruit smoothies!
  • Emmaa233
    Emmaa233 Posts: 12
    No. Fruits aren't bad for weightloss. They're infact good for weightloss. Too much of any type of food will cause you to gain weight, but eating fruit as part of a healthy diet is a good thing. Fruits contain many vitamins that you don't get in any other foods and contain little calories. Some fruits such as blueberries and pomegranate contain antioxidants which boost weigh lost. Just be careful of eating too much because although the sugar in fruit is natural sugar, any amount of sugar is bad in large quantities. But seriously, carry on eating fruit!
  • xenu01
    xenu01 Posts: 117 Member
    .
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
    Do you consider natural (fruit) sugar or are you interested only in the sugar from processed food?
    It is all lumped together on the food chart, but there is such a huge difference.
    Typically I discount the sugar from fruits but want input from MFP users.
    So, what do you think?

    No!!!, only wagon hoppers love no sugar diets and will tell you how much they don't know about sugar so fast!!! Hate this fad right now.
  • BrieFit18
    BrieFit18 Posts: 35 Member
    I never count the sugar in fruit because I eat so much of it haha. I eat tons of fruit and it has never negatively affected me so I just go with that :)
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    I eat fruit. I also eat ice cream and cookies. And I don't watch sugar because there is zero reason for me to. I have no medical reason to do so and that is the only reason you should. I do watch sodium because I have a medical reason for that (to see at what level may impact a medical condition I have). But if I didn't, I wouldn't watch that either.
  • shellypaints
    shellypaints Posts: 49 Member
    Sorry I guess I should have provided the why.
    My concern is reducing the flabby stomach.
    My weight is good, I lift weights for toning, but the flabby stomach is an issue.

    A flabby stomach could be because of a couple of things...

    a) the skin is stretched out from either pregnancy or weight gain and no longer has the elasticity to be taut - usually needs to be surgically fixed

    b) The muscles aren't being exercised correctly - IOW you need to be doing specific exercises for the abs

    c) hernia

    I don't know of anyone who has successfully fixed a flabby stomach by reducing sugar, carbs, doing a cleanse, or any of a number of "solutions" that don't address one of the above.
  • reacher14
    reacher14 Posts: 8 Member
    Google Robert Lustig

    ► 89:37► 89:37
    www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM
    31 Jul 2009 - Uploaded by University of California Television (UCTV)
    Watch "The Skinny on Obesity" with Dr. Lustig: http://www.uctv.tv/skinny-on- obesity Robert H ...
    Sugar is present in fruit and vegetables, and it is not a problem if you are eating the whole fruit.
    it is the added sugar in foods that causes the problem - when fat is removed from some foods a form of sugar has to be added to give it flavour, it is also found in a multitude of every day foods - from baked beans, tomatoe ketchup, weetabix , flow fat yogurts etc so you need to read the label.
    We ditched all the added sugar, eat only fruit veg and foods with no added sugar weight we both lost weight me I dropped from 85kg to 79kg my partner who eat a lot of low fat yogurt dropped from 95 to 82 kg by just cutting foods out with added sugar , switched to full fat everything - makes you wonder.
    Watch Robert's lecture then you will know how it all hangs together

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