Too much sugar from fruit ?

natalie1872
natalie1872 Posts: 53
edited September 23 in Food and Nutrition
Im having trouble staying within the recomended sugar level.
If I eat fruit, like today a banana and an apple Im over the limit.
Any suggestions?

Replies

  • GraemeSkinner
    GraemeSkinner Posts: 19 Member
    personally I wouldn't worry too much about sugar from fruit. It's all natural sugar and is good for you to an extent. But if your wanting to cut down you should aim to get the majority of your 5 a day from vegetables.

    Its the refined sugar which is the bad stuff for you!
    Weight Loss groups sometimes allow you to eat as much "free" foods as you like, like apples and bananas and other fruits, with the exception of avocado.... (but who eats them, they are yuck!)

    :)

    G
  • jessieleah
    jessieleah Posts: 204 Member
    ^ lol at the avocado statement! I don't like them either. :(

    Yeah, I'd been worrying about this too, but I've heard a few people say sugars from fruit don't really "count", so I've decided not to worry about it too much.
  • mercymercyme
    mercymercyme Posts: 36 Member
    Hey Natalie

    Thanks for raising this point because i was worrying about that myself. I love pears and i'm always over the sugar limit. Nice to read all the answers.
  • oneof9
    oneof9 Posts: 106 Member
    The reason They don't count sugar from fruit is because the body can process it fast then refined sugar. I still count it as far as calories but not for the sugar.
    Hey I love avocados. There is nothing like have guacamole and watching a game.
  • danniwhit
    danniwhit Posts: 63 Member
    I just recently started tracking my sugar and I have been over every day. I have a green smoothie every morning with a lot of veggies and usually about 1/2 c blueberries, 1/2 cup grapes, 1 apple and sometimes more fruit (to counteract the taste of the 2 -3 cups of leafy greens). I was not super concerned about it since they are natural fruits, and I just watch any other sugar intake that I get.

    I love avocados too and not just in guac! I like to slice them and have it on a veggie sandwich.
  • kimwig
    kimwig Posts: 164
    The reason They don't count sugar from fruit is because the body can process it fast then refined sugar. I still count it as far as calories but not for the sugar.
    Hey I love avocados. There is nothing like have guacamole and watching a game.
    Surely that comment on refined sugar is incorrect.

    Sugars in fruit and veggies (and I exclude juices) are more difficult for the body to get to, as the digest system has to break down the fruit / veggie to extract the sugars so they can be used.

    Refined sugars are a problem because they can be taken into the blood stream directly, rapidly raise blood sugar level and cause various problems.

    I avoid refined sugar (like the plague).

    But agree on avocado, they are lovely. A ripe avocado with tomato in a salad - yummy, even if it is high in fat it is good fat, not animal fat.
  • leofink
    leofink Posts: 13 Member
    I've never looked at any of the other nutrients than calories. I am actually to a point now where I probably should be looking more closely at my macro nutrient breakdown.

    However, something people need to watch out for is garbage advice about fruits and vegetables. I have heard people say that they don't eat carrots because of their sugar content. Really?!?

    Carrots weren't my problem 90 lbs. ago, I can promise you that.

    The more whole, non-processed foods you can add to your diet while taking away anything that IS processed is only a good thing. Get those calories from as many fruits and veggies as you like. Just make sure to stay within your calories, and everything should be fine.

    Nuts and avocados (which ROCK) and the like are sources of good fat, which means they are calorically dense, which means that you should eat them sparingly. But you can have a little bit of that every day.

    Try this experiment to see the difference in how sugary something tastes. Before you have eaten anything else in the day, eat an apple. Notice how sweet it is. Take a couple of bites. Then eat a piece of candy. Hershey kiss, piece of cake... whatever. Now take a bite of that same apple. It will seem bland and lifeless. It's those high-fructose corn syrup and sugar-infused processed foods that rob us of the enjoyment of fruits, which just have a hint of sweetness.

    So enjoy your fruits. They are awesome!
  • kimwig
    kimwig Posts: 164
    I've never looked at any of the other nutrients than calories. I am actually to a point now where I probably should be looking more closely at my macro nutrient breakdown.

    However, something people need to watch out for is garbage advice about fruits and vegetables. I have heard people say that they don't eat carrots because of their sugar content. Really?!?

    Carrots weren't my problem 90 lbs. ago, I can promise you that.

    The more whole, non-processed foods you can add to your diet while taking away anything that IS processed is only a good thing. Get those calories from as many fruits and veggies as you like. Just make sure to stay within your calories, and everything should be fine.

    Nuts and avocados (which ROCK) and the like are sources of good fat, which means they are calorically dense, which means that you should eat them sparingly. But you can have a little bit of that every day.

    Try this experiment to see the difference in how sugary something tastes. Before you have eaten anything else in the day, eat an apple. Notice how sweet it is. Take a couple of bites. Then eat a piece of candy. Hershey kiss, piece of cake... whatever. Now take a bite of that same apple. It will seem bland and lifeless. It's those high-fructose corn syrup and sugar-infused processed foods that rob us of the enjoyment of fruits, which just have a hint of sweetness.

    So enjoy your fruits. They are awesome!
    So true. When you are off refined sugars fruit can take your breath away with it's sweetness
  • AVOCADO HATERS UNITE!

    I can't stand them.

    beside the point. I don't count fresh fruit in my sugar. I just ignore it. I just try and cut back on as much added sugar as possible.
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
    The reason They don't count sugar from fruit is because the body can process it fast then refined sugar. I still count it as far as calories but not for the sugar.
    Hey I love avocados. There is nothing like have guacamole and watching a game.
    Surely that comment on refined sugar is incorrect.

    Sugars in fruit and veggies (and I exclude juices) are more difficult for the body to get to, as the digest system has to break down the fruit / veggie to extract the sugars so they can be used.

    Refined sugars are a problem because they can be taken into the blood stream directly, rapidly raise blood sugar level and cause various problems.

    I avoid refined sugar (like the plague).

    But agree on avocado, they are lovely. A ripe avocado with tomato in a salad - yummy, even if it is high in fat it is good fat, not animal fat.

    It is refined sugar that spikes the blood sugar faster. The body only uses glucose, so all other sugars have to be converted to glucose before it can be sent to the blood stream, muscles, etc. Refined sugar, HFCS, etc. are a mix of fructose and glucose. Table sugar is 50% fructose and 50% glucose. HFCS is either 42% fructose and 58% glucose or 55% fructose and 45% glucose. Either way, the glucose in them can be sent straight to the bloodstream as soon as it is extracted from the food. The fructose portion has to be further "digested" to convert it to glucose before it can be sent out to the rest of the body, so fructose takes longer to enter the bloodstream and raise blood sugar. It's not much extra time because fructose is still a simple sugar, but it is longer the glucose. The sugar in fruits and vegetables is all fructose, so they don't spike the blood sugar as fast as refined sugars. Also, the fruits have more fiber and starch which have to also be converted to glucose if they can even be extracted, and their digestion helps slow the process of spiking blood sugar too. Anytime you mix simple sugars with complex carbohydrates, proteins, or fats, you slow their digestion and uptake to the blood stream. So, if you must consume refined carbs, do it with something else to lessen the blood sugar response. Oh, and that's not even looking at the added benefit of vitamins and minerals that you are getting in that fruit that you don't get from added refined sugars. Since MFP doesn't split natural sugars from added sugars, I don't bother tracking it on here.
  • Wow....avocado haters and lovers alike...we all agree fruit sugars are no problem.
    Thanks so much for all the info. I will take the sugar counter off my reports as I am not having much if any refined sugar.
    I totally agree that fruit is much sweeter now that Im off sugar.
    Definatly plan on adding in the smoothy filled with vegies to my diet. (thats a great way to increase vegie intake)
    Thanks again
    Natalie.
    P.S. Im all for the avo, I love them!!
This discussion has been closed.