How can I lower my sugar intake????

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cindaboo1
cindaboo1 Posts: 150 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm trying to keep my sugar intake in "Check" but man it is HARD!!!! There is sugar in like, EVERYTHING!!!! Even in things that aren't sweet. But today as I was logging my breakfast, I noticed how much sugar the raisins that I put in my oatmeal had!! I was like, "are you kidding me?!" Soooo, I'm just looking for suggestions and tips on low sugar options, I hate to use alot of artificial sweeteners because I hear those aren't the best for you either. HELP! :noway:
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  • denise980
    denise980 Posts: 296
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    The best articial sweetener to have is either Splenda or Truvia. They are basically natural and won't affect you negatively.


    When you add the raisins to your oatmeal, make it be half of what the serving size says on the lable. That's what I tend to do.
  • MaryBeth1989
    MaryBeth1989 Posts: 44
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    Bump!
  • heyitsmekatie
    heyitsmekatie Posts: 544 Member
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    i will start with a disclaimer... i am no doctor or nutritionist. in my opinion, not all sugars are created equal. i don't think there's anything wrong with the sugar that is naturally occurring in fruits and vegetables. what i try to watch, not always successfully, are the added sugars. also, i disagree with the comment that splenda is a safe sugar substitute. it's derived from sugar, but it is not a natural product.

    edited to add link to a site that explains what splenda is really about: http://www.truthaboutsplenda.com/index.html
  • kmunis
    kmunis Posts: 48 Member
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    It is hard based on what MFP sets your daily sugar at. Personally I don't worry as much about that number as I do the overall calories. I love bananas and eat one everday and that's logs as 19 grams. I do try to keep it as low as I can, but I do go over almost half my days and i'm still losing so I'm not obsessing about it.

    But if you really want to keep the sugar down, switch to more veggies than fruit, esp dried fruit like raisins and watch the sauces and dressings you're using. Try egg whites instead of cereal or oatmeal for breakfast - no sugar and very low calories.
  • amycal
    amycal Posts: 646 Member
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    Actually stevia, raw honey and agave nectar are the best sugar substitutes to use. I get this from several sources including a local doctor who is an expert in functional medicine.

    It is hard - I totally struggle with this and I rarely eat any baked good except last week when I made cookies. I am all ready over 50 grams today because I had half a banana in my protei shake, an apple this am for snack and a kefir drink (it has 20 g of sugar some it from the dairy but some from the added sugars).

    If you do need something for a sweet/ chocolate craving dark cocoa is the best. I use Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa powder for a lot of things and it has negligible sugar in it. I try not to worry as much about naturally occuring sugar as in the apple, banana and milks as I do about added sugars.

    I would love any tips anyone else has!
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
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    Pay attention to the source of the sugar. Sugar from fruits is not bad. Processed sugar is less desirable, and you want to limit it. MFP does not distinguish between the two, so you'll need to keep an eye on it yourself. For most people, monitoring sugar isn't that helpful - you can get the info you need just by watching carbs.
  • sabcooke
    sabcooke Posts: 82 Member
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    yeah my sugar is always over but I don't fret too much as most of it is coming from natural sugar in fruit and veg.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
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    You don't have to count the natural sugars. I only count added sugars and yes it is still hard some days and I'm set at 30g. I have to look at labels and find items that are low in sugar. Most spaghetti sauces had added sugar. My jar of Prego had 12g!! And not all of that is natural. I found Muir Glen Organic. 3g of sugar and they taste better.

    You do have to be careful about dried fruit, fruit juices, etc. They are like concentrated fruit (you can gain eating too much fruit). My oatmeal (just plain old-fashioned oats) have 3g and they are natural.

    I have gotten better at it. Sunday I had a total of 9g of added sugar! It takes time and a lot of label and ingredients reading.
  • amyoliver85
    amyoliver85 Posts: 353 Member
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    Look at the nutrition of everything you eat before you eat it.

    Remember, that even while natural sugars in fruits may be "not as bad" as refined sugars they are still SIMPLE sugars and you need to avoid them. Make fruit be your "treat" instead of chocolate or chips. Or only have one or the other. Don't have BOTH chocolate and fruit in one day. Or choose fruits that are not as sugary.

    Fruits that mold easily, like strawberries, grapes (raisins), pineapple and similar fruits have a lot of sugar. So eat something different.
  • sarglava
    sarglava Posts: 206 Member
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    I've had a hard time with sugars as well. I love fruits and fruits have sugar. I had an apple once... a big on... 25 grams of sugar!! That was nearly my whole days worth (on mfp.) So I've decided that fruit sugars won't count (they will be logged, but ignored). I think the issue is added sugars such as splenda and stevia (which I prefer) and others like it. -- You can also note that dried fruits like raisins and cranberries will have way more sugar than you realize. Maybe try slicing up an apple or banana into your oatmeal to cut down sugar but still keep your sweet fruit. Also fruit juices are loaded with sugar (still natural sugar)... so if you want to drink fruit juice cut it with some water to keep that sugar down. Good luck!
  • MakingAChoice
    MakingAChoice Posts: 481 Member
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    Refined sugars are what you need to worry about. Naturally occurring sugars in fruits are fine to eat, but will make the sugar column look horrible - lol. I am not sure if raisins have sugar added to them or not, check the ingredients list. If you see sugar or HFS in the ingredients list, avoid it and/or choose a better alternative like natural fruits.
  • sasstacular
    sasstacular Posts: 6
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    Stevia is a great sugar substitute. I personally like the brand NuNaturals because it doesn't have the aftertaste. For fruit, eat berries and try to stay away from the fruits higher in sugar. READ LABELS. If sugar is in the top of the ingredient list - don't even bother. Remember that it might not say "sugar" on the label. It might say "brown rice syrup" or something instead but it is still sugar. I also suggest eating eggs - great source of (healthy) fat and protein.

    The book "Why We Get Fat" by Gary Taubs is an EXCELLENT read. He talks about sugar/carbs in his book.
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
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    Refined sugars are what you need to worry about. Naturally occurring sugars in fruits are fine to eat, but will make the sugar column look horrible - lol. I am not sure if raisins have sugar added to them or not, check the ingredients list. If you see sugar or HFS in the ingredients list, avoid it and/or choose a better alternative like natural fruits.

    Plain raisins don't (typically) have sugar added - they are naturally high in sugar. Grapes are very high in natural sugar, and that sugar is concentrated when the fruit is dehydrated. It's something you don't want to pig out on, but not something to banish, IMO.
  • carolinegeorgia
    carolinegeorgia Posts: 157
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    I go over my sugar more then I would like but it's mainly from fruit so I'm guessing that's not so bad!
  • dalscruf
    dalscruf Posts: 30 Member
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    I've been having this same problem. I've only been tracking for a week and I've finally got everything in check for the most part except sugar. By the time I finish breakfast, i'm already way over my limit. I'm a workaholic so I don't have much time to actually prepare meals and I'm also picky and don't like alot of different things but I think I'm going to start giving myself a little more extra time in the morning to have something other than cereal for breakfast.
  • cindaboo1
    cindaboo1 Posts: 150 Member
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    Wow thanks alot guys!!! Alot of good advice and suggestions I appreciate it MUCH!!!! I will be trying yall's advice and see how it goes!!! :wink:
  • navvs15
    navvs15 Posts: 165
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    it's derived from sugar, but it is not a natural product.

    edited to add link to a site that explains what splenda is really about: http://www.truthaboutsplenda.com/index.html


    I checked out that URL you provided. One of the things mentioned by you and the "Truth About Splenda" is stating that Splenda isn't a natural sugar. But on every Splenda container, wrapper, box, etc I've seen, the company never claims to be derived from a "natural sugar". I also checked out their webpage and couldn't find any mention of it being a natural sugar either.

    Just curious if they ever made such a claim. :ohwell:
  • rmhand
    rmhand Posts: 1,067 Member
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    i have issues with sugar too. milk has sugar and fruits have tones of sugar even right off the branch. I think the goal is a little unrealistic. I tried going for low sugar/reduced calorie snack and found they have "sugar alcohol" which can cause bloating and puffyness. Right I'm trying to lose weight and ur making me puffy. lol. I just stick to natural sugars not refined processesed ones. also aspertame and sucralose give me headaches so I avoid those too. plain water for me very little "crystal light" type things.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
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    it's derived from sugar, but it is not a natural product.

    edited to add link to a site that explains what splenda is really about: http://www.truthaboutsplenda.com/index.html


    I checked out that URL you provided. One of the things mentioned by you and the "Truth About Splenda" is stating that Splenda isn't a natural sugar. But on every Splenda container, wrapper, box, etc I've seen, the company never claims to be derived from a "natural sugar". I also checked out their webpage and couldn't find any mention of it being a natural sugar either.

    Just curious if they ever made such a claim. :ohwell:

    Splenda is a corn derivative and considered to be an "artificial sweetener".

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucralose
  • jaycab1
    jaycab1 Posts: 5
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    Bump!

    Thanks

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