sugar, dang!

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carolynmittens
carolynmittens Posts: 344
in Food and Nutrition
so i recently noticed i could change what settings appear in my food diary, like the protein, carbs, sodium, sugar, etc. so i recently made sugar visible and geez, i go over on my sugar every single day! even the day a couple weeks ago when i was sick and all i had all day was some orange juice, chicken broth and soymilk! i guess today i wouldn't have gone over so much if i didn't have that huge chai latte from starbucks. but they gave me a free coupon, i just had to use it :) but yeah on non-starbucks days i totally go over on my sugar all the time anyway. do you think this is a problem? even on days when i eat absolutely no added sugar i'll still go over, from fruit and stuff like that. i know i haven't been logging my food so much recently but i'm still eating the same amount of fruit and smoothies and sugary veggies like carrots and sweet potatoes so i'm sure i'm still going over all the time. is this abnormal or something, should i try to seriously cut back on fruit and vanilla soymilk, etc or is this not as bad as it seems?

Replies

  • PhoenixFire975
    PhoenixFire975 Posts: 70
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    It might not be as bad if your sugars come from a healthy source. However, you could try fruits that are low in sugar like raspberries or strawberries and cut out things like starbucks. It could be easier to try to make your own lattes and smoothies (and less expensive). Plus, this way you know what goes into your food.
  • lildazey
    lildazey Posts: 86 Member
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    I go over on sugar every day also. I think as long as you are eating healthy sugars, it's not so bad. Depending how far over you go of course! :)
  • Losing2Live69
    Losing2Live69 Posts: 743 Member
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    I only pay attention to total net carbs. Also, when a food has fiber, your body only absorbs the net carbs....so if a whole wheat tortilla has 7 grams of carbs and 2 grams of fiber, only the five gets absorbed. This is how my diabetic counselor has told me to figure it any way. Also, stay away from refined sugars and juices...they are loaded. Sugars from fruits and whole grains, dried beans, etc. are healthier. Just my two cents. :happy:
  • heidisbeeman
    heidisbeeman Posts: 18
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    First - thank you!!! I did not know that the food diary settings could be modified like that. What a huge help that will be!!

    Second - The numbers given are just a guideline, but if you are way over or under on anything you should probably take a look at where it is coming from and make some changes. From what I understand too much sugar, whether natural or refined, is not good for you (so sad - :sad: - I too have a hard time with this category).
  • khrys1
    khrys1 Posts: 444 Member
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    I just added sugar to my diary as well, and was completely depressed that after a day of only eating healthy food, I was WAY over my sugar just from fruit. I decided to keep the sugar count on there just to see, but pay more attention to the "bad" sugars (like from candy bars or cake, my weakness), and figure if I've eaten "good" sugar, I'm ok!
  • glittergirlchristine
    glittergirlchristine Posts: 1
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    Thanks for the tip! I just joined about 4 weeks ago and I love this sight, I didn't realize you could you could track your daily sugar intake-
  • JeaniceBean
    JeaniceBean Posts: 4
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    I noticed this morning that just my oatmeal (whole oats, not instant) with 1/4 raisins put me over for the entire day...in the first meal of the day!! No more raisins in my oatmeal. Boo.

    Thanks for the tip on the diary too...I only saw this on my iPhone app...couldn't find it on the other one. I'll look again! :)

    Cheers!
  • Nigel99
    Nigel99 Posts: 498 Member
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    Initially, I tracked sugar. It was obvious pretty fast that eating any fruit quickly pushed me over my limit. If I counted the amount of refined sugar I was taking in, however, I was almost always breaking even or coming in under the goal. That is the trick - just work on keeping the added sugar to a minimum.

    I swapped that category for something else, but I have continued to limit my sugar as best I can. Processed foods, and frozen entrees/snacks can have lots of added sugar. If you see a reduced fat or lean frozen entree, you can almost surely bet it has more sugar or more sodium than the regular version of the entree.
  • Flacachica
    Flacachica Posts: 328 Member
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    I go over on sugar every day also. I think as long as you are eating healthy sugars, it's not so bad. Depending how far over you go of course! :)

    I agree with her... I too go over my sugar every damn day and finally just told myself that if it's natural sugar it's ok. I'm not putting or adding sugar to anything. Food just has a lot of sugar. No wonder I'm fat! LOL. We can do it!
  • rondahruby
    rondahruby Posts: 8 Member
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    I am following the hypothesis that the carbs that cause insulin rise cause one to be in fat storing mode. (Gary Taubes - Why we get fat). I'm trying hard to get no sugar at all right now, and to keep net carbs down to 20-25. Its amazing the results. Have lost 7 lbs in 3 weeks without being hungry. The protein turns off the hunger, and then you don't miss the carbs. When I tried this approach in my younger years, I kept getting sick. Today they know that ill feeling was due to lack of salt when you drop all the refined carbs from your diet. So I drink a couple of cups of broth and it really made the difference.
  • missygail
    missygail Posts: 30 Member
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    Sugar can be bad if you're pre-diabetic. You might try substituting your sugar with stevia. It's a natural sweetener, There are no calories in Stevia and it's better for you than the other sweetener substitutes. There's a brand that I get from the grocery store which is stevia plus pure cane sugar. I put it in my coffee in the mornings. I have a big sweet tooth, I'm sure that my sugar would be way up if I had it displayed.

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