Fruit Sugar

Morning,

I am trying to eat a lot more fruits and vegetables and eat a loss less meat - since doing this, I have found I go over my sugar allowance every day by a substantial amount because of the fruit.

Is this something I should be worried about as its only natural sugar?

Thanks

Replies

  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    "natural" sugar is still sugar, so it isn't like it doesn't count just because you got it from an apple.

    However, unless you have a reason to be concerned with tracking sugar, like diabetes or something, then going over on sugar is no big deal. As long as you are keeping a caloric deficit you will lose weight no matter how much sugar you eat.
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
    Your body has no real way of discerning the difference between 'fruit sugar' and others. Barring a specific medical issue, don't worry about sugar at all.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    edited October 2014
    Looking at your diary it isn't really "fruit" that's doing it - over 1/3 of the sugar one days was from some "vitamin water" (see below) and anothe rlarge contribution from a fruit soya yoghurt which I guess is also laced with sugar.

    Dragonfruit flavoured Vitamin Water Ingredients :-

    Spring Water, Fructose, Sugar, Citric Acid, Vitamins (C, Niacin, E, Pantothenic Acid, B6, Folic Acid), Sweetener (Steviol Glycosides), Mineral Salt (Ferric Pyrophosphate), Colour (Anthocyanins), Natural Flavourings
  • Dawmelvan
    Dawmelvan Posts: 133 Member
    Fruits and Veggies are so good for you! I go over every day on sugar because of fruit and I ignore it because I know I"m eating well. Think of all the nutrition you're getting!
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    yarwell wrote: »
    Looking at your diary it isn't really "fruit" that's doing it - over 1/3 of the sugar one days was from some "vitamin water" (see below) and anothe rlarge contribution from a fruit soya yoghurt which I guess is also laced with sugar.

    Dragonfruit flavoured Vitamin Water Ingredients :-

    Spring Water, Fructose, Sugar, Citric Acid, Vitamins (C, Niacin, E, Pantothenic Acid, B6, Folic Acid), Sweetener (Steviol Glycosides), Mineral Salt (Ferric Pyrophosphate), Colour (Anthocyanins), Natural Flavourings

    This for sure
  • Local_Atlantis
    Local_Atlantis Posts: 262 Member
    GauchoMark wrote: »
    "natural" sugar is still sugar, so it isn't like it doesn't count just because you got it from an apple.

    However, unless you have a reason to be concerned with tracking sugar, like diabetes or something, then going over on sugar is no big deal. As long as you are keeping a caloric deficit you will lose weight no matter how much sugar you eat.

    This is so good to know!! I was worried because I go over on sugars all the bloody time! So happy to read this. :smiley: Thank you!

  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    Fruits are not bad, unless you have a disorder/disease that requires carb/sugar management. I stopped tracking it because it was driving me nuts to be "over", even when the sugar was coming from grapes or an apple.

    Echoing above as well. Gotta watch out for those flavored waters though! They're mostly sugar water. Better off drinking a real glass with some fruit slices infused in it!
  • funchords
    funchords Posts: 413 Member
    It bothers me that I can't flag a post for being helpful or insightful -- well done, yarwell!

    For others lured here by the headline -- if you're not sensitive to sugar, it's hard to eat too much sugar per ounce/gram of whole fruits (exception: dried fruits and maybe grapes). Eating too much fruit sugar will make it harder to balance your calories toward the proteins and fats column.

    However, refined sugars are very dense -- a lot of calories for their light weight -- and when eaten to excess can cause short-term unwanted mental and physiological changes (a sugar high, an unusually blood-sugar spike) and long-term changes such as diabetes and lipid reactions.
  • trinatrina1984
    trinatrina1984 Posts: 1,018 Member
    I've just changed my calorie tracker so I see fibre instead of sugar - problem fixed :)
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    Your body has no real way of discerning the difference between 'fruit sugar' and others. Barring a specific medical issue, don't worry about sugar at all.
    THIS!

    All sugar is sugar - whether from a fruit or from candy! IT don't matter, your body treats it the same.

    Unless you got tha diiiiaabeeettuuus, you're good to go!

    Now excuse me while I go finish my tub of candy for breakfast!


  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Ask your doctor.

    Mine approved all the fruit I want to eat. :)
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Why are we reducing protein??
  • LexieDouglas92
    LexieDouglas92 Posts: 20 Member
    Thank you so much for getting back to me = all good to know! yes Vitamin water was a massive shock once I had finished it, but if you look at the past week has mostly been dates/grapes etc. but thanks for all the advice
  • funchords
    funchords Posts: 413 Member
    edited October 2014
    No, not all sugar is treated the same. There is evidence that fructose (a sugar in fruit but also a prominent sugar in High Fructose Corn Syrup as well as prominent in table sugar) is metabolized differently, converting more quickly to fat than expected.

    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/does-fructose-make-you-fatter/

    Again, the small amount of sugar in a whole fruit is not concerning for most people. It's the high concentration of sugar in processed foods, baked products, syrups, and etc. that create for high-sugar meals and out-of-balance diets.
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
    Morning,

    I am trying to eat a lot more fruits and vegetables and eat a loss less meat - since doing this, I have found I go over my sugar allowance every day by a substantial amount because of the fruit.

    Is this something I should be worried about as its only natural sugar?

    Thanks

    Speak with your doctor, know one knows better than him.

    Not sure why you would want to reduce your protein... Do you find your hungry all the time? that's because your not eating enough protein.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    OP - sugar is sugar ..does not matter where it comes from. I would suggest not tracking it at all. As long as you are in a calorie deficit you will lose weight. So focus on being in your calorie and macro goals for the day, and not so much about sugar.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    funchords wrote: »
    No, not all sugar is treated the same. There is evidence that fructose (a sugar in fruit but also the sugar in High Fructose Corn Syrup) is metabolized differently, converting more quickly to fat than expected.

    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/does-fructose-make-you-fatter/

    Again, the small amount of sugar in a whole fruit is not concerning for most people. It's the high concentration of sugar in processed foods, baked products, syrups, and etc. that create for high-sugar meals and out-of-balance diets.

    a NY times blog is hardly a definitive source....
  • LexieDouglas92
    LexieDouglas92 Posts: 20 Member
    Morning,

    I am trying to eat a lot more fruits and vegetables and eat a loss less meat - since doing this, I have found I go over my sugar allowance every day by a substantial amount because of the fruit.

    Is this something I should be worried about as its only natural sugar?

    Thanks

    Speak with your doctor, know one knows better than him.

    Not sure why you would want to reduce your protein... Do you find your hungry all the time? that's because your not eating enough protein.


    Hi, I am trying to cut down meat not for a health point of view but for other reasons :)
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    funchords wrote: »
    No, not all sugar is treated the same. There is evidence that fructose (a sugar in fruit but also the sugar in High Fructose Corn Syrup) is metabolized differently, converting more quickly to fat than expected.

    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/does-fructose-make-you-fatter/

    Huge sample size

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2546703/


  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member

    Hi, I am trying to cut down meat not for a health point of view but for other reasons :)

    When in a deficit, its pretty important to get protein to help maintain muscle mass. If you don't eat meat there are tons of other ways to get it.
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
    Acg67 wrote: »
    funchords wrote: »
    No, not all sugar is treated the same. There is evidence that fructose (a sugar in fruit but also the sugar in High Fructose Corn Syrup) is metabolized differently, converting more quickly to fat than expected.

    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/does-fructose-make-you-fatter/

    Huge sample size

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2546703/

    Six whole subjects. Huge indeed.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    Sarcasm is a great thing! Acg67's posts typically have it!

    I will point out that fruit sugar (aka fructose) IS processed differently. However, the evidence that it is going to make you fatter is not really there. Here is a good summary from an interesting article:

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/an-objective-comparison-of-chocolate-milk-and-surge-recovery/
    Carbohydrate

    Surge has dextrose (synonymous with glucose) as its sole carbohydrate source, while chocolate milk has an even mix of sucrose (in the form of either sucrose or high-fructose corn syrup) and lactose. While it’s common to assume that dextrose is superior to sucrose for postexercise glycogen resynthesis, research doesn’t necessarily agree. A trial by Bowtell et al showed a glucose polymer to synthesize more glycogen by the 2-hr mark postworkout [14]. However, two other trials whose postexercise observation periods were 4 and 6 hours respectively saw no significant difference in glycogen storage between sucrose and glucose [15,16].

    Perhaps the most overlooked advantage of a fructose-containing carbohydrate source (sucrose is 50% fructose) is that it supports liver glycogen better than a glucose-only source, as in the case of Surge. A little-known fact is that hepatic glycogenolysis (liver glycogen use) occurs to a significant degree during exercise, and the magnitude of glycogenolysis is intensity-dependent [17]. Illustrating the potential superiority of sucrose over glucose, Casey et al saw no difference in muscle glycogen resynthesis 4 hrs postexercise [15]. However, there was more liver glycogen resynthesis in the sucrose group, and this correlated with a slightly greater exercise capacity.

    One of the potential concerns of consuming a large amount of sucrose instead of glucose is how the 50% fructose content in sucrose might be metabolized from a lipogenic standpoint. Answering this question directly, McDevitt saw no difference in de novo lipogenesis (conversion to fat) between the massive overfeeding of either glucose or sucrose at 135g above maintenance needs [18]. Another potential concern is the use of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in chocolate milk. The common fear of HFCS being some sort of special agent that undermines health is simply not grounded in science. HFCS is virtually identical to sucrose both in chemical structure and metabolic effect [19]. Independent researcher John White eloquently clarified HFCS misconceptions in a recent review, which I’ll quote [20].

    “Although examples of pure fructose causing metabolic upset at high concentrations abound, especially when fed as the sole carbohydrate source, there is no evidence that the common fructose-glucose sweeteners do the same. Thus, studies using extreme carbohydrate diets may be useful for probing biochemical pathways, but they have no relevance to the human diet or to current consumption. I conclude that the HFCS-obesity hypothesis is supported neither in the United States nor worldwide.”
  • angelamb1970
    angelamb1970 Posts: 123 Member
    I have found it much more useful to check the Glycemic load of foods and beverages than going strictly by sugar grams here at MFP. Proteins, fiber and fats help to balance the rate insulin releases into your bloodstream.

    Minimizing insulin spikes throughout your life can aid in type 2 diabetes prevention later in life. Most whole fruits and most vegetables are just fine GL wise, so no need to heavily restrict those items.

    Juices and dried fruits are concentrated, and should be limited. Example to make 12 ounces of orange juice it takes 6 medium oranges. That is a ton of sugar, and you have removed almost all of the fiber. Not many people could or would eat 6 oranges in a sitting, but its easy to drink.
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
    GauchoMark wrote: »
    Sarcasm is a great thing! Acg67's posts typically have it!

    I will point out that fruit sugar (aka fructose) IS processed differently. However, the evidence that it is going to make you fatter is not really there. Here is a good summary from an interesting article:

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/an-objective-comparison-of-chocolate-milk-and-surge-recovery/
    Carbohydrate

    Surge has dextrose (synonymous with glucose) as its sole carbohydrate source, while chocolate milk has an even mix of sucrose (in the form of either sucrose or high-fructose corn syrup) and lactose. While it’s common to assume that dextrose is superior to sucrose for postexercise glycogen resynthesis, research doesn’t necessarily agree. A trial by Bowtell et al showed a glucose polymer to synthesize more glycogen by the 2-hr mark postworkout [14]. However, two other trials whose postexercise observation periods were 4 and 6 hours respectively saw no significant difference in glycogen storage between sucrose and glucose [15,16].

    Perhaps the most overlooked advantage of a fructose-containing carbohydrate source (sucrose is 50% fructose) is that it supports liver glycogen better than a glucose-only source, as in the case of Surge. A little-known fact is that hepatic glycogenolysis (liver glycogen use) occurs to a significant degree during exercise, and the magnitude of glycogenolysis is intensity-dependent [17]. Illustrating the potential superiority of sucrose over glucose, Casey et al saw no difference in muscle glycogen resynthesis 4 hrs postexercise [15]. However, there was more liver glycogen resynthesis in the sucrose group, and this correlated with a slightly greater exercise capacity.

    One of the potential concerns of consuming a large amount of sucrose instead of glucose is how the 50% fructose content in sucrose might be metabolized from a lipogenic standpoint. Answering this question directly, McDevitt saw no difference in de novo lipogenesis (conversion to fat) between the massive overfeeding of either glucose or sucrose at 135g above maintenance needs [18]. Another potential concern is the use of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in chocolate milk. The common fear of HFCS being some sort of special agent that undermines health is simply not grounded in science. HFCS is virtually identical to sucrose both in chemical structure and metabolic effect [19]. Independent researcher John White eloquently clarified HFCS misconceptions in a recent review, which I’ll quote [20].

    “Although examples of pure fructose causing metabolic upset at high concentrations abound, especially when fed as the sole carbohydrate source, there is no evidence that the common fructose-glucose sweeteners do the same. Thus, studies using extreme carbohydrate diets may be useful for probing biochemical pathways, but they have no relevance to the human diet or to current consumption. I conclude that the HFCS-obesity hypothesis is supported neither in the United States nor worldwide.”
    I actually caught the sarcasm; I was highlighting a relevant bit for the "TL;DR" folks.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    I have found it much more useful to check the Glycemic load of foods and beverages than going strictly by sugar grams here at MFP. Proteins, fiber and fats help to balance the rate insulin releases into your bloodstream.

    Minimizing insulin spikes throughout your life can aid in type 2 diabetes prevention later in life. Most whole fruits and most vegetables are just fine GL wise, so no need to heavily restrict those items.

    Juices and dried fruits are concentrated, and should be limited. Example to make 12 ounces of orange juice it takes 6 medium oranges. That is a ton of sugar, and you have removed almost all of the fiber. Not many people could or would eat 6 oranges in a sitting, but its easy to drink.

    Should people restrict protein to minimize insulin spiking?
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
    edited October 2014
    I have found it much more useful to check the Glycemic load of foods and beverages than going strictly by sugar grams here at MFP. Proteins, fiber and fats help to balance the rate insulin releases into your bloodstream.

    Minimizing insulin spikes throughout your life can aid in type 2 diabetes prevention later in life. Most whole fruits and most vegetables are just fine GL wise, so no need to heavily restrict those items.

    Juices and dried fruits are concentrated, and should be limited. Example to make 12 ounces of orange juice it takes 6 medium oranges. That is a ton of sugar, and you have removed almost all of the fiber. Not many people could or would eat 6 oranges in a sitting, but its easy to drink.

    Relevant

    gnolls.org/1029/fat-and-glycemic-index-the-myth-of-complex-carbohydrates
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
    edited October 2014
    Never mind. Found the fix.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    edit button is in the gear in the upper right corner of your post
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Thank you so much for getting back to me = all good to know! yes Vitamin water was a massive shock once I had finished it, but if you look at the past week has mostly been dates/grapes etc.

    Not really, Yoghurt is 10g a day, then there's the brownies, the fake sausages, the sugar, the honey, the potato farls........