Sugars... FUSTRATED!!

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sandram82
sandram82 Posts: 615 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok, Since I have started on MFP I have been changing one thing at a time and not overdueing things to cause myself to have a system overload!! LOL
I finally got calories, and sodium on track.. now for sugars.. I always seem to go over on this one.. not from junk food.. not from sugar in coffee.. but fruits, fiber 1 bars... and so on.. can anyone tell me how them seem to stay on track here.. what am I missing!!!!!!

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  • MakingAChoice
    MakingAChoice Posts: 481 Member
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    This is where the MFP tool is deceiving. Sugars from fruits are fine, they are actually the kind of sugars you want. The ones you want to focus on getting out of your diet are the products with refined sugar added to it and high fructose corn syrup. I quite tracking the sugar column because of the lack of truth to it. If you get most all your sugars from fruits and go over, you will be good to go. If the red number bugs you like it does me, then just remove it from your tracking. Assuming you are sure that is the only place you are getting the bulk of your sugars.
  • sandram82
    sandram82 Posts: 615 Member
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    Any tips on how to make sure there refined sugars or not.. I love fruit juice in my fruit smoothies.. but again that sugar number got to me... is that a sugar thats ok??
  • AndyBee
    AndyBee Posts: 171 Member
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    It would be fabulous if they added a Glycemic Index category rather than just "sugars." I saw this in the suggestion forum, so hopefully they'll take that to heart.
  • MakingAChoice
    MakingAChoice Posts: 481 Member
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    Fruit juice is bad unless you squeeze it yourself. The reason fruit is OK is due to the fiber that comes with the pulp of the fruit. It does not make your GI skyrocket like refined sugars do. So you do not get that big insulin spike that kick starts fat storage. When I do a smoothie I toss in whole fruits, not just the juice. Oranges are kind of tough to put in a smoothie as the skin of a bit bulky and tough to puree. I use a lot of banana, strawberry, kiwi and pears. If you like peanut butter you can shake it up with a teaspoon of that in your drink too.
  • MakingAChoice
    MakingAChoice Posts: 481 Member
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    It would be fabulous if they added a Glycemic Index category rather than just "sugars." I saw this in the suggestion forum, so hopefully they'll take that to heart.

    That would certainly be a much better way to track 'sugars'.
  • silveryflutterby
    silveryflutterby Posts: 335
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    unless the juice says 100% juice, it probably has a lot of added sugar. i have even heard that fresh fruit is better than 100% fruit juice for some reason. maybe it has something to do with stuff like skin and stuff that has other nutrients to balance it out. if i make a smoothie, I just use frozen fruits with no sugar added and skim milk. i also read that you really just need to watch out for added sugars...so you don't have to count sugars in fruits, veggies, or milk. added sugar hides in a lot of stuff, though. I usually go over, but mine is mostly from natural sugars so i don't let it bother me. I still track so that i can see where it's coming from and make sure I'm not getting very much added sugar. i mean, if you have a piece of fruit and a serving of milk, you are pretty much over if you count those...and you are supposed to eat fruit according to the pyramid...
  • sandram82
    sandram82 Posts: 615 Member
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    So the sugars in Fiber 1 bars are probably no good either!
  • skinnymom10
    skinnymom10 Posts: 18
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    Hello, I have some great advice for you as far as the sugar column. I joined MFP last January and went on a low sugar diet of 15 g's of sugar or less per day. I know that seems like an impossible task but it really is not that difficult. I can help you with it!!! I I decided that I would cut out sugar from fruits as well as refined and processed sugars. I do not eat fruit much. I do however eat a lot of vegetables. Occasionally I eat blueberries because they are so high in fiber and they are a superfood. I eat broccoli a bunch. It is my favorite vegetable. A great source of fiber are lentils. They have more fiber than a fiber one bar and a whole bunch less sugar for even 2 servings. I have recently started started a meal replacement called Shakeology. It has over 70 fruits and veggies, it only has 9 grams of sugar and it is the best drink ever. I drink it for breakfast and it still allows me to stay under my sugar goals each day.

    Let me know if you need more information about this Shakeology drink or questions about sugars and carbs. I would love to talk with you more about your fitness and or nutritional goals.

    Hope to talk to you soon,
    shelia
  • MakingAChoice
    MakingAChoice Posts: 481 Member
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    So the sugars in Fiber 1 bars are probably no good either!

    Yeah after looking at the ingredient list they are pretty high in sugars. I would not eat those if you a looking to reduce refined sugars. There are better bars out there, but there are not a lot when it comes to bars. I would look more at protein type bars and look for ones that have 5g of sugar or less. I found some ok ones at Trader Joe's, their store brand bars, but even those are more of an emergency stash thing, not a daily thing.
  • MakingAChoice
    MakingAChoice Posts: 481 Member
    Options
    Hello, I have some great advice for you as far as the sugar column. I joined MFP last January and went on a low sugar diet of 15 g's of sugar or less per day. I know that seems like an impossible task but it really is not that difficult. I can help you with it!!! I I decided that I would cut out sugar from fruits as well as refined and processed sugars. I do not eat fruit much. I do however eat a lot of vegetables. Occasionally I eat blueberries because they are so high in fiber and they are a superfood. I eat broccoli a bunch. It is my favorite vegetable. A great source of fiber are lentils. They have more fiber than a fiber one bar and a whole bunch less sugar for even 2 servings. I have recently started started a meal replacement called Shakeology. It has over 70 fruits and veggies, it only has 9 grams of sugar and it is the best drink ever. I drink it for breakfast and it still allows me to stay under my sugar goals each day.

    Let me know if you need more information about this Shakeology drink or questions about sugars and carbs. I would love to talk with you more about your fitness and or nutritional goals.

    Hope to talk to you soon,
    shelia

    This biggest problem I see with this is is it not supportable for a lifetime. That is unless you plan on drinking those shakes the rest of your life? I would lean toward a more realistic and life supportable approach.
  • sandram82
    sandram82 Posts: 615 Member
    Options
    Hello, I have some great advice for you as far as the sugar column. I joined MFP last January and went on a low sugar diet of 15 g's of sugar or less per day. I know that seems like an impossible task but it really is not that difficult. I can help you with it!!! I I decided that I would cut out sugar from fruits as well as refined and processed sugars. I do not eat fruit much. I do however eat a lot of vegetables. Occasionally I eat blueberries because they are so high in fiber and they are a superfood. I eat broccoli a bunch. It is my favorite vegetable. A great source of fiber are lentils. They have more fiber than a fiber one bar and a whole bunch less sugar for even 2 servings. I have recently started started a meal replacement called Shakeology. It has over 70 fruits and veggies, it only has 9 grams of sugar and it is the best drink ever. I drink it for breakfast and it still allows me to stay under my sugar goals each day.

    Let me know if you need more information about this Shakeology drink or questions about sugars and carbs. I would love to talk with you more about your fitness and or nutritional goals.

    Hope to talk to you soon,
    shelia

    This biggest problem I see with this is is it not supportable for a lifetime. That is unless you plan on drinking those shakes the rest of your life? I would lean toward a more realistic and life supportable approach.

    This is true.. I want it in my lifestyle change.. not temporary.. and I don't plan on drinking shakes forever.. Thanks for all the tips
  • calliope_music
    calliope_music Posts: 1,242 Member
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    to be honest, i ignore it and focus more on overall carbs.
  • datchick
    datchick Posts: 13
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    Well, I have had a similar problem. I loved to drink OJ I was drinking two to three cartons a week. I was getting 2640 extra calories a week and. too much sugar. I was more worried about the calories. But, I had to let my OJ go. Cut the fruit juices. Cut sugars where you can.
  • sandram82
    sandram82 Posts: 615 Member
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    Well, I have had a similar problem. I loved to drink OJ I was drinking two to three cartons a week. I was getting 2640 extra calories a week and. too much sugar. I was more worried about the calories. But, I had to let my OJ go. Cut the fruit juices. Cut sugars where you can.

    Haha You thing thats bad.. I use to drink about 7 cups of coffee and at 315 cals each A DAY!!!!.. it was day 1 on MFP I changed that!! LOL
    I was getting about 2200 cals in coffee a day.. now 30 cals a cup.. about 90 a day!

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