Sugars & carbs from fruit
fleurk126
Posts: 43 Member
Hi all!
So yes, I know sugar is bad as is a diet which is too high in carbs, but how bad is the sugar from fruit exactly? I eat a lot of fruit a) because I enjoy it and b) I think it's good for me. Am I wrong here? Should I be cutting DOWN on fruit?
So yes, I know sugar is bad as is a diet which is too high in carbs, but how bad is the sugar from fruit exactly? I eat a lot of fruit a) because I enjoy it and b) I think it's good for me. Am I wrong here? Should I be cutting DOWN on fruit?
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No. Track your sugar by all means but don't compromise on foods high in fibre like fruit and veg.0
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So why does my fruit intake always make me go over my MFP sugar allowance?0
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MFP's sugar goal is really low when you consider the sugars that come from fruit. I could have a cup of grapes and a cup and a half of blueberries and be at least 10g over my sugar goal before counting in sugar from veggies and other fruits/sweets.
Sugar that occurs naturally, such as in milk, fruits, and vegetables, are seen as the "lesser evil" of the two sugars (the USDA is planning on changing the nutrition facts panel in order to differentiate between natural and added sugars). The foods that contain a ton of natural sugars also contain a ton of vitamins and fiber that help promote general health and satiety, while foods that contain a ton of added sugars (think of an apple versus a coke) typically contain a ton of empty calories with no nutritional value. Personally, I ignore MFP's sugar recommendation and follow the World Health Organization's recommendation to eat less than 10% of my total calories from added sugar.0 -
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Thanks abatonfan! Appreciate the reassurance!0
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I don't think you get fat by eating a couple pieces of fruit a day. I think most people underestimate the sugar they eat when they eat fruit. I know someone who probably eats about 5 cups of fruit a day, they are over weight. A 2 quart container of fruit for breakfast. It is just too much sugar for your body to process.0
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Unless you have diabetes, then you should watch your fruit intake. Yes it has sugar, but it's also good for you. No one ever got fat from eating fruit.0
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roxielu0422 wrote: »Unless you have diabetes, then you should watch your fruit intake. Yes it has sugar, but it's also good for you. No one ever got fat from eating fruit.
I did. Yes, it's a lot harder to create a calorie surplus from eating fruit, but it is possible. I would typically eat a 3-cup bowl of grapes (300 calories) as a snack and would then go grab some potato chips, because I was still hungry. I got fat, because I ate more calories than what my body burned per day. Any food that causes a person to eat above their maintenance calories, whether from an apple or a Big Mac, will cause that person to gain weight.
Sugar is not the devil. Even diabetics don't exclusively need to monitor their sugar intake but instead have to monitor their carbohydrate intake. All carbs consumed -excluding fiber and sugar alcohols- are broken down into glucose and can cause blood sugar "spikes". It's not just sugar that spikes blood glucose levels.0 -
I typically eat 400-500 calories of fruit per day. Try putting a banana in the mix instead of all grapes. They are quite filling. Nobody regularly eats 3 bananas at a sitting.roxielu0422 wrote: »Unless you have diabetes, then you should watch your fruit intake. Yes it has sugar, but it's also good for you. No one ever got fat from eating fruit.
I did. Yes, it's a lot harder to create a calorie surplus from eating fruit, but it is possible. I would typically eat a 3-cup bowl of grapes (300 calories) as a snack
I think we found the real problem. Potato chips are notorious for making you crave more, not satisfying your hunger. It's trivially easy to wolf down a 6 oz bag and find yourself 840 calories in the hole.and would then go grab some potato chips, because I was still hungry.
Technically it's not any one food, it's all the food you eat together. Consuming calorie dense foods that leave you wanting more and don't fill you up make it very difficult to stick to the calorie deficit you need to lose weight. That's why most diet advice will first and foremost recommend you ditch or severely limit those foods: (chips, shakes & smoothies, cookies & cakes, restaurant portions)I got fat, because I ate more calories than what my body burned per day. Any food that causes a person to eat above their maintenance calories, whether from an apple or a Big Mac, will cause that person to gain weight.
Quite true.Sugar is not the devil. Even diabetics don't exclusively need to monitor their sugar intake but instead have to monitor their carbohydrate intake. All carbs consumed -excluding fiber and sugar alcohols- are broken down into glucose and can cause blood sugar "spikes". It's not just sugar that spikes blood glucose levels.
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Sugar is sugar is sugar. Your body does not know the difference.
I will gain weight if I eat more than one serving of fruit a day. Healthy people with normal metabolisms do not need to be that strict.0 -
I never tracked sugar and would regularly eat half to entire pints of ice cream before bed, commonly exceeding my sugar goal by hilarious amounts and lost 53 lbs and reduced my body fat from 35%+ to 17%. So, no...sugar will not stop weight loss.
Calorie surplus, that will stop weight loss..
I think it's important to find balance in your diet but unless you have a medical condition, ignore sugar. Especially if it's fruit. Come on. Vitamins, minerals and fiber isn't evil, right?
No foods are good or bad. It's how these foods fit into our diet that makes them that way.
As long as you're meeting your bodies nutrient needs, there's nothing inherently wrong with any foods. Make sure you're getting a good balance of protein, fat, fiber and micronutrients and don't worry about where sugar falls. Work on satiety and keeping a moderate deficit.
Don't sweat trivial things like sugar.0 -
It is always the fruit.
(I really wanted to use the trollface in a post. Yay! I finally can!)
Personally, fruit doesn't have that much satiety for me, so I was either eating it in huge portions or needing to eat other stuff with it in order to feel full. In the end, I was at a calorie surplus and gained weight. I still eat fruit now, but I typically eat less of it (hate to see how badly my blood sugar will spike after eating three cups of grapes alone) and pair it with fat and protein in order to feel full.0 -
The sugar in fruit isn't quite the same as sugar in a doughnut.
The fruit has fiber that is lacking in the doughnut.
The sugar in fruit is also at a lot lower calorie per ounce when compared to the doughnut.
A apple and a doughnut may be the same size/weight but the apple will be 65 calories and the doughnut could easily be over 200.
So I suggest you eat your fill on fruit without guilt.
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HealthyFit23 wrote: »I don't think you get fat by eating a couple pieces of fruit a day.
Agreed. I think you get fat by eating too many calories. Besides, I have lost weight eating a couple pieces of fruit a day (sometimes).I think most people underestimate the sugar they eat when they eat fruit.
Hunh? I think most people not on MFP don't think about the sugar they eat when they eat fruit. People on MFP who care (and thus track sugar) know. I know, but don't care.I know someone who probably eats about 5 cups of fruit a day, they are over weight.
I know someone who probably eats about 5 cups of fruit a day and is not overweight. Both people probably eat other things too, is my guess. Of course, 5 cups of fruit could be lots of calories, but whether that's excessive depends on what else the person eats and that person's calorie limit.A 2 quart container of fruit for breakfast. It is just too much sugar for your body to process.
Why?
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HealthyFit23 wrote: »I don't think you get fat by eating a couple pieces of fruit a day. I think most people underestimate the sugar they eat when they eat fruit. I know someone who probably eats about 5 cups of fruit a day, they are over weight. A 2 quart container of fruit for breakfast. It is just too much sugar for your body to process.
Well if your body didn't process it it wouldn't be stored as fat either, would it?
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roxielu0422 wrote: »Unless you have diabetes, then you should watch your fruit intake. Yes it has sugar, but it's also good for you. No one ever got fat from eating fruit.
*raises hand* I did. Eating roughly 3000 calories of bananas a day, only bananas. Stupid stupid me. If you put yourself in a calorie surplus, you gain weight, no matter the source.
OP, fruit is wonderful, make it fit into your calorie goal and enjoy it.0 -
When I first started here, I freaked out when I got that sugar warning, purely from the fruit I ate. But I refuse to cut it out, I eat it everyday! So I just ignore the sugar warnings now. My hubby worked with a guy who practically ate fruit for breakfast lunch and dinner, he was bean pole skinny0
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beemerphile1 wrote: »The sugar in fruit isn't quite the same as sugar in a doughnut.
The fruit has fiber that is lacking in the doughnut.
The sugar in fruit is also at a lot lower calorie per ounce when compared to the doughnut.
A apple and a doughnut may be the same size/weight but the apple will be 65 calories and the doughnut could easily be over 200.
So I suggest you eat your fill on fruit without guilt.
The sugar is the same...sugar is sugar. Fiber doesn't change the biological properties of sugar. The doughnut has more calories because it may have more sugar than the apple...and it also has a lot of dietary fat. Yes, the apple has more micro-nutrients and would therefore be considered a more healthful food item...but sugar is sugar.
Also, do not confuse caloric density with nutritional value. An avocado is very calorie dense...and packed with micro-nutrients.0 -
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People don't get fat by eating apples and raspberries. Eat as much fruit and vegetables and whatever else you want so long as:
1. You are within your calorie goal
2. A medical professional hasn't prescribed a low sugar diet for you
Sugar doesn't make people fat. Excess calories do. You can eat fruit, doughnuts, cake, celery, whatever, and you won't get fat if you don't go over your calorie limit for the day. That said, when you eat doughnuts and cake, they're very energy dense and not filling, so you won't be full even after eating a quarter of your day's allowance with just those.
Just remember, there's no such thing as a bad food, just a bad diet.0 -
beemerphile1 wrote: »The sugar in fruit isn't quite the same as sugar in a doughnut.
The fruit has fiber that is lacking in the doughnut.
The sugar in fruit is also at a lot lower calorie per ounce when compared to the doughnut.
A apple and a doughnut may be the same size/weight but the apple will be 65 calories and the doughnut could easily be over 200.
So I suggest you eat your fill on fruit without guilt.
Well that didn't take long for someone to bring up a donut. What's with people? Did everyone that became obese eat so many donuts that now they think they are the most evil creation ever? It's such a lame comparison every time I see it. I have yet to see a valid donut comparison because no one is comparing donuts to donuts.
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In because I never get tired of posting my picture of skull-shaped sugar "cubes".
She ate the potato chips because she was still hungry after eating the bowl of grapes, not the other way around. You'd hate to see me eat. All the "bad" foods are satiating for me while "good" foods just make me sad and hungry.peter56765 wrote: »
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I know it is controversial but I'm following the Atkins induction and am seeing sustainable weight loss (no more than 2 pounds/week) by avoiding all sugar. Because I have to limit my net carbs to 20, I avoid fruits 3 days a week. I think I have a super sensitivity to sweet fruit like banana and it interfered with my ability to lose weight. I do this for abt three day (Sunday Monday and Friday) and have a banana smoothie on days I exercise intensely (Tuesday Wednesday Thursday and Saturday). I think avoiding any sugar whether natural or not helps my body reset.0
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beemerphile1 wrote: »The sugar in fruit is also at a lot lower calorie per ounce when compared to the doughnut.
Nope, the sugar in both is approximately 4 calories per gram.
The majority of calories in a donut, depending on the type, are probably from flour and especially fat.
In fact, I just pulled up the facts for a Dunkin Donut chocolate frosted donut, and compared it with a pretty normal-sized apple (170 grams) and found the following:
Sugar: donut=13 grams, apple=18 grams
Calories: donut-270, apple=88
Fat: donut=15 grams, apple=0
Protein: donut=3 grams, apple=0
Fiber: donut=1 gram, apple=4 grams
So it is certainly true (as we all knew) that a donut is more calories per oz than an apple, but it is NOT true that the sugar in the donut is somehow more caloric than that in the apple.
Of course, I somehow magically managed to get fat without caring about donuts, let alone eating them 24/7 as some here seem to think we all want to do.
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Thanks everyone for the support, advice and reassurance to someone new to this and freaking out at exceeding my sugar intake every day.0
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I'll say this, in my experience, setting a lower sugar target and making sure fresh fruit accounts for the majority of that does bring good results. My rate of loss since I started this is a lot faster than the expected 1lb per 3500kcal.
Also, some people seem to find themselves less hungry on a calorie deficit if they try to reduce high sugar low fibre foods as well as high GI carbs. I include myself in that.
But we are all different and I am sure some on here have lost weight while regularly indulging in sugary treats within their calorie deficit!
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