How Much Sugar Is Healthy?

sensitivefool
sensitivefool Posts: 343 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been cutting back on sugar and breads and salt for the past 5 days and I feel amazing. I have so much energy, I'm smiling more, etc. I noticed that I only had 8 g of it yesterday, which seems a little too low to me. Should I perhaps have a goal around 60g from fruits etc? Or is keeping it as low as possible the healthiest choice?

Replies

  • justisroyster
    justisroyster Posts: 40 Member
    Try to only eat things with natural sugars and not added sugar. Ex. Fruits are natural, sweet cereal is added sugar.
  • sensitivefool
    sensitivefool Posts: 343 Member
    So the goal isn't so important, just the source?
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
    It's not really about the sugar. It's about getting proper nutrition outside the sugar. If once you've fitted in all your other nutritional needs you have room for some sugar there is really no need to abstain. Some people will rail against processed sugar. But it is far less harmful than they would have you believe. It's just REALLY easy to blow through your calorie limit with carbs in general of which sugar is one. And then you end up full of sugar and carbs and still hungry because you didn't eat anything with proteins fats or micro nutrients in it.

    As a good rule of thumb i try and stick to mfp's carb allowance for me. If eating extra sugar OR carbs would have me go over that then it's too much carbs. But I don't really sweat going over the sugar limit even by a decent amount. As long as I get enough fiber.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    I've been cutting back on sugar and breads for the past 5 day's and I feel amazing. I have so much energy, I'm smiling more, etc. I noticed that I only had 8 g of it yesterday, which seems a little too low to me. Should I perhaps have a goal around 60g from fruits etc? Or is keeping it as low as possible the healthiest choice?

    Keeping sugar as low as possible is certainly a healthy choice. Is it the only health choice, that depends on you and your life style.

    Sugar is not essential in our diets, but is in most carbs we eat and basically the body breaks all the carbs we eat into sugar (glucose) anyway in order for the body to utilize it as fuel.

    Simple sugar in itself offers very little back to us apart from that source of energy, which we can get from else where and at better value. It gives us no micro nutrients (vitamins & minerals) and if we are looking to lose weight it is the most convenient and efficient way to reduce our calorie intake so we are in a deficit.

    There is nothing wrong with eating sugar, it does get over hyped a bit, but in reality sugar is just a neutral food, its not bad and it's not good.

    Personally to keep my calorie intake in control I get most of my carbs from veg with a little fruit.

    If I feel I have eaten few enough calories for the day I may have a chocolate bar if I feel like it.

    Don't stress to much about it.

    Focus on hitting your protein target, get your micro nutrients and if you've got calories left and want to fill them with sugary food then do it. Log it and enjoy it.
  • sensitivefool
    sensitivefool Posts: 343 Member
    Alright, so basically avoid sugar when possible and look for nutrients. Don't even worry about how low it is... And too high is merely when it ups my calories big time?
  • daisylenora
    daisylenora Posts: 21 Member
    everything in moderation. If you're worried about it that much, just stick to sources with natural sugar in them.
  • littlekitty3
    littlekitty3 Posts: 265 Member
    Sugar from whole foods like fruit digest differently than the sugar found in processed foods. So eat as much fruit as you want.
  • FrenchMob
    FrenchMob Posts: 1,167 Member
    Sugar from whole foods like fruit digest differently than the sugar found in processed foods. So eat as much fruit as you want.
    Bad advice. There's absolutely nothing you can "eat as much as you want" that can't turn into a problem.
  • TrainingToBePerfect
    TrainingToBePerfect Posts: 1,418 Member
    I love my sugar, well I did. So for me I just cut out anything with sugar over 2 ! I don't eat anything with sugars over two, although I do eat fruit in moderation :)
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
    Honestly there's no hard and fast rule about it. Healthy eating kind of requires input from you nobody here can tell you how to fit healthy eating into your lifestyle and habits. There is nothing particularly evil about sugar. Except when you binge on it and don't get good nutrition. You know what I'm gonna have when I get back from the gym today? An Irn Bru Ice cream bar. 120calories of almost pure sugar and a little fat. This habit has not stopped me from losing weight. BUT that's because I stop at one bar fit it within my calories and otherwise eat healthily thought the day. I may also get some more sugar in from milk and fruit and all that. But it won't break the carb bank to have my god damn ice cream xD
  • Tonia1
    Tonia1 Posts: 3 Member
    Lol. I have fit in my "damn ice cream bar" too...as long I have the room in my plan.
  • sensitivefool
    sensitivefool Posts: 343 Member
    Lol, ice cream sounds so good right now. :P
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    Sugar from whole foods like fruit digest differently than the sugar found in processed foods. So eat as much fruit as you want.

    Smells like mom-science!
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  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    Sugar from whole foods like fruit digest differently than the sugar found in processed foods. So eat as much fruit as you want.
    Bad advice. There's absolutely nothing you can "eat as much as you want" that can't turn into a problem.

    I must disagree with your statement - and I'll be fair I'm only nit picking at your choice of words.

    I eat low carb high fat as a diet. I do not log my food and I can eat as much as I want of the foods I want. I would say that before when I was eating a higher level of carbs my want threshold would have caused a problem.

    The key word is want.

    It's true however there is absolutely nothing you an eat unlimited amounts of that can't turn into a problem.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Honestly there's no hard and fast rule about it. Healthy eating kind of requires input from you nobody here can tell you how to fit healthy eating into your lifestyle and habits. There is nothing particularly evil about sugar. Except when you binge on it and don't get good nutrition. You know what I'm gonna have when I get back from the gym today? An Irn Bru Ice cream bar. 120calories of almost pure sugar and a little fat. This habit has not stopped me from losing weight. BUT that's because I stop at one bar fit it within my calories and otherwise eat healthily thought the day. I may also get some more sugar in from milk and fruit and all that. But it won't break the carb bank to have my god damn ice cream xD

    This.

    You have to figure out what works best for you. How you feel after 5 days isn't necessarily the best test. Personally, I do better just aiming for a healthy diet and not making unnecessary rules about what foods are off limits, but people vary. There's no need to eat a certain amount of sugar so if keeping it low makes it easier to cut calories, go for it. I don't eat that much fruit in the winter (I do in the summer), so when I first started mine was low, although nowhere near 5 since I eat carrots and other veggies with it and dairy). But as I went on and raised my calories some I added more sugar back in just because I was eating more stuff and felt just as good. The danger is getting caught up in the idea that you must avoid foods that are really fine in moderation and then feeling needlessly bad if you want or eat something, or getting too restrictive for your own needs, whatever they may be.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,430 MFP Moderator
    OP, total diet is much more important than a particular portion. I eat about 120g of sugar a day but I hit my macronutrient and micronutrient goals daily (this includes added and natural sugars). But keep in mind, you need to eat according to your lifestyle and your fitness routine. For example, if I eat less than 200g of carbs a day, my exercise routine suffers from it. My body needs carbs and sugars to actively work in proper fashion. My wife on the other hand, has a few medical conditions and carbs/sugar/gluten all work against her. If you don't have a medical condition and you meet your goals, I wouldn't stress sugar. The exception is if you are not reaching your other goals.
  • brainsndbeauty
    brainsndbeauty Posts: 29 Member
    i go over on my sugar every day off of foods that I'd least expect like watermelon and catelopes
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I don't really worry about it....I don't have any medical conditions that warrant worrying about it and I don't consume sugar in excess....I don't suck down sodas all day long and snack on cakes and doughnuts and such...I eat this kind of things very occasionally. I take in around 100 grams per day, mostly from fruit and veg. I'm also very active and I'm sure my body could handle more with my activity level.

    Sugar is just a subset of carbohydrates. Carbs aren't inherently evil...in fact, if you're active, they are the rocket fuel that helps you crush it. Manage your macros, don't micromanage your micros unless you have a valid reason for doing so.

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