Sugar

mycrazyturtles
mycrazyturtles Posts: 96
edited September 23 in Food and Nutrition
So for my sugar intake it recommends I stay under 40. I'm finding that impossible. Every article I have read says you can have more than that. Does anyone know how much I should have each day?
Thanks so much

Replies

  • chrish1981
    chrish1981 Posts: 156
    Thank God, because I was just going to make a post about sugar.

    I don't understand: Today, for example: I have eaten 1.5 cups of Cheerios with 1/2 a banana and 3/8 cup of almond milk, and a small fruit salad of peach, banana, and a little whipped cream.

    I'm already over my sugar for the day.

    Seriously?? What am I supposed to eat for the rest of the day? Broth?

    LOL. I figure I can't do it all; I can't go low'-cal, low-carb./sugar, low-sodium, AND low fat all at once, or I'd freaking starve!

    I'm doing what I can, cutting back a lot, staying under my cals, and I'm five lbs in the negative.

    I wouldn't stress about it.
  • Sherri71
    Sherri71 Posts: 208 Member
    I am having the same problem! I go over on sugar every day, especially on days when I eat healthy and have a lot of fruit. I am curious to see how others lower their sugar intake.
  • chrish1981
    chrish1981 Posts: 156
    I am having the same problem! I go over on sugar every day, especially on days when I eat healthy and have a lot of fruit. I am curious to see how others lower their sugar intake.

    I know!!

    I always heard "Fruit is so healthy for you."

    But now suddenly, it's "Don't have too much fruit or you'll eat too much sugar."

    I don't get it!
  • rose1617
    rose1617 Posts: 469 Member
    I think the general consensus you'll find is that you only count processed sugars.
    Fruit is ok to go over on. So subtract the fruit sugars from your sugar count and find out if you're still under. If you are, then you're probably ok. If not, then you went over on processed sugars which isn't good.
  • HotSouthernMess
    HotSouthernMess Posts: 474 Member
    same here. every day i am under in my cals, carbs, and fat but over on my protein. today i added sugar monitor to my diary and ive eaten a cup of special k cereal with 1% milk and a cup of coffee with 1 tbsp of flavored creamer and im negative 6 in my sugar. im not gonna stress over it too much for now.
  • sportsqueen32
    sportsqueen32 Posts: 115
    The natural sugars in fruits and veggies is fine. It's the processed sugars that you should worry about. I eat a lot of sugar free snacks, but most days I go over on my sugars as well. They have sugar free cookies by murrays that are good and sugar free jello pudding cups as well. If you are adding syrup to pancakes, get a sugar free syrup. Use splenda or truvia. I cook with a lot of the sugar free preserves as well.
    Don't stress on the sugars as much as the sodium. That's the real devil.
  • poustotah
    poustotah Posts: 1,121 Member
    Cutting back on sugar is really important when you're leaning out. Before I got pregnant, I kept my sugar under 20. Now I'm pregnant and I keep it below 40 because I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes during my last pregnancy and don't want to go there again. If you keep experimenting and checking your food labels, you start to see how to cut it back. For instance, the banana is one of the worst sugar wise. So I cut it out. I eat berries instead. I no longer have sugar in my coffee, I use organic stevia. The protein powder I use has like 2g of sugar in it. I don't eat yogurts with tons of sugar in them. A typical day for me might look like this:

    Breakfast:
    Whole grain waffle w/ sugar free syrup.
    1 Egg and 2 egg whites scrambled.
    Coffee w/ cream

    Snack:
    Pure Protein Bar

    Lunch:
    Berry smoothie (1/2 serving) w/ protein powder

    Snack:
    Whole grain toast w/ natural peanut butter

    Dinner:
    4 oz brahamian grouper w/ steamed broccoli and whole grain rice

    Snack:
    4 oz Carrot juice and 4 oz greek yogurt.

    That would keep my sugar right around 18 and my protein up around 130-ish
  • chrish1981
    chrish1981 Posts: 156
    The natural sugars in fruits and veggies is fine. It's the processed sugars that you should worry about. I eat a lot of sugar free snacks, but most days I go over on my sugars as well. They have sugar free cookies by murrays that are good and sugar free jello pudding cups as well. If you are adding syrup to pancakes, get a sugar free syrup. Use splenda or truvia. I cook with a lot of the sugar free preserves as well.
    Don't stress on the sugars as much as the sodium. That's the real devil.

    Truvia is AWESOME! I just discovered it and love it.

    I'm always over on sodium, too, so I guess I'm doubly-screwed. :-)
  • ashleyplus3
    ashleyplus3 Posts: 284 Member
    Uhhhh yea, I just took that sugar counter thingie off my report! I go way over and I DON'T eat a lot of processed food or sugars. I just had oatmeal w/ 1/2 banana, 1 tbsp brown sugar and pecans for breakfast and I only had 2 points left for my sugar - crazy!
  • jessieinblue
    jessieinblue Posts: 287 Member
    As others have said, it depends on what kind of sugars you're eating. Natural sugars from fruit, veggies, whole grains and milk generally aren't cause for worry. I did sneak a peek at your food diary though, and a lot of your problem is added sugars from things like kids' yogurt, fruit packed in syrup, brownies and sweetened cereals. You should cut back on those foods to lower your sugar intake.
  • helenamonks
    helenamonks Posts: 176
    I havent found that I'm having a real hard time with sugar, but I also don't count anything I take in as a fruit, (except regular carbs). I do find that I'm not really eating a lot of sweet things beside fruit..

    I avoid artificial sweetners like the plague. Its suuuper bad for you, because your body doesnt know how to process it. If you need something sweet, your better off going a little over on sugar than taking in artificial sweetener.
  • babdole
    babdole Posts: 2
    Count the calories not the sugar unlessyou are diabetic....example (1 apple and 1 small bag of mini cookies) may have the same g's of sugar but NOT the same caloric measurement. Can anyone confirm this rationale?
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    Don't totally disregard sugar from fruits. Yes, it's healthier, but it's still sugar and should be eaten in moderation. People on a restricted calorie diet don't need to be eating 3, 4 servings of fruit a day... 1-2 should be more than enough. Think of it this way - if you're eating less food overall, you should be eating less fruit, too.

    Cut out as much processed food as you can and that will help with the sugar (as well as with salt!).
  • NanBar
    NanBar Posts: 283 Member
    First off I am not sure I understand...many of you are saying you do not count the sugar from fruit? Why not? Is it calorie free? Does it not affect your weight loss. There are different types of carbs and sugars, but they ALL should be counted as such.

    If you are having a breakfast that is so high in sugar that you are over your sugar for the day- then it is time to tweak your diet and start reading labels. The goal is to stay under or as close as possible to the nutritional guidelines set out for you. Which means making changes.

    Some of these changes might be, adding complex carbs to your breakfast and staying away from so much fruit, for example, having a bowl of oatmeal (not the quick sugary kind) but real oatmeal- sweetened with some honey and a piece of fresh fruit. You will be getting good carbs for long lasting fuel, protein, and a bit of sugar for fast fuel. Or add some egg whites in the morning and some mozzarella cheese and make a small omelet or a Hungry Girl egg cup.

    It really is just best to stay away from REFINED sugars and processed foods as much as possible- they are empty calories. It is great to eat fruit but eat it in moderation throughout the day.

    Balance is the key- and learning to eat correctly is a process, changes won't come all at once but as you move along toward your goals. :-)
  • sneakers71
    sneakers71 Posts: 106
    sugar is my problem too. I hadn't been tracking it on here until just the other day and WOW what an eye opener! No wonder my body is staying "soft". I have tried different sweeteners but they ALL give me horrible headaches. My goal is awareness and cutting back. I admire those of you who can just quit the sugars - I don't like many foods in general and sugar is my pleasure.
  • jessieinblue
    jessieinblue Posts: 287 Member
    Where did anyone claim that fruit is calorie free?
  • NanBar
    NanBar Posts: 283 Member
    I never stated that anyone stated that. I said I do not understand why someone wouldn't "count" the sugars that are in it.


    Where did anyone claim that fruit is calorie free?
  • jessieinblue
    jessieinblue Posts: 287 Member
    Obviously, people shouldn't eat five pounds of grapes in one sitting, especially not in the winter, but I believe that as long as one is staying within calorie goals and there are no particular sensitivities, raw vegetable and raw fruit intake should not be strictly limited. These foods are as natural and healthy as it gets, and the nutritional benefit of eating a variety of fruits is superb.

    I understand that people may disagree with me. That's fine.
  • lindajay3
    lindajay3 Posts: 144 Member
    sugar is my problem too. I hadn't been tracking it on here until just the other day and WOW what an eye opener! No wonder my body is staying "soft". I have tried different sweeteners but they ALL give me horrible headaches. My goal is awareness and cutting back. I admire those of you who can just quit the sugars - I don't like many foods in general and sugar is my pleasure.



    I try not to use sweeteners, ither. Journaling my food intake everyday is really a great way to see how much sugar I'm really using when I make my cup of coffee in the morning. Would love to say I take my coffee black, but I don't think I can do it
  • LauraKB
    LauraKB Posts: 26 Member
    I have a fage greek yogurt with honey and that alone puts me over the limit for sugar. I use truvia in my coffee and no other refined sugars... It's always over!

    I'm trying to eat as natural (fruits and veggies - raw whenever possible) and lean... nothing boxed or processed other than some deli meat in my lunch.

    I think the key is where it's coming from and try to keep the numbers down... when you can!
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