Question about Sugars
redwards555
Posts: 17 Member
I have been making smoothies and drinking them for breakfast, and sometimes dinner and they are putting me way above my allotted amount of sugar for the day. Is this cause for trouble, or should I not worry about it? The smoothies I am making are fruits and veggies with either coconut water or unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk. Sometimes I will add a little real maple syrup if I want a little sweetness. TYIA
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Replies
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Not something I would worry about, personally. I ignore the sugar number here, because all of mine comes from fruit and I'm not going to limit my fruit to meet a magical (and somewhat arbitrary, given that it's all sources) number.0
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Trouble in what sense?
Insulin spikes? Yes.
Calories? Perhaps.
A lot of sugar isn't a problem if you're about to run a marathon, though.
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if you are in a calorie deficit then you don't need to worry about it...
OR
unless you have a medical condition that makes you sensitive to sugar then you should be concerned; if not, carry on ....0 -
Unfortunately what you seem to have done is replaced 1-2 meals with a high sugar meal replacement. When you eat a regular meal, it usually has multiple elements that are different. What you're kind of doing is like eating a plate of fruit for a meal. So yea, I would call that a problem. Are you hitting your other macros? Are you getting enough protein? Complex carbs?
Maybe look for other smoothie recipes that incorporate more protein and fat.0 -
If you're overweight or over 50 (or both, like me), then you have a good chance of being insulin resistant even if you haven't been diagnosed. Carb control is probably a Good Thing for a LOT of people.0
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Oh, good. It's the LOL guy again.
The spikes after protein intake aren't generally as high as with carbs, and there are different metabolic pathways involved. You can get fat eating anything in excess, but if you want to become insulin resistant and more prone to CHD, then excess carbs are the quickest way to get there.0 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »Not something I would worry about, personally. I ignore the sugar number here, because all of mine comes from fruit and I'm not going to limit my fruit to meet a magical (and somewhat arbitrary, given that it's all sources) number.
This.
Also a lot of people recommend switching sugar for fiber and then watching overall carbs. I think that's a better proxy if you just want to help monitor whether you are getting a balanced diet.0 -
ok, I am overweight- I need to lose a good amount. I am not diabetic either. I just want to make I'm not going to add weight instead of lose it with all this sugar that comes from fruits and veggies! I'm NOT replacing everything I eat with a smoothie. I eat plenty of protein (chicken, almonds, quinoa, etc.) I just started with the smoothies for breakfast- its better then not eating anything, and if I can get my fruits and veggies that way, then so be it! If I am in a rush in the evening, I can make a smoothie, and that is also better then not eating anything because of time... I am assuming this is correct?
I am just starting with this, so it will take time for me to figure everything out. Encouragement and advice can go much further then telling someone they are doing it wrong.
thank you all for your advice so far, this is great.0 -
redwards555 wrote: »I just want to make I'm not going to add weight instead of lose it with all this sugar that comes from fruits and veggies!
Nothing wrong with smoothies. I'm kind of anti juicing, because you remove the fiber, but smoothies include it. I like a hot breakfast (and have the luxury to have one), but if I was time crunched I could totally see having a smoothie. It's a good way to incorporate fruits and veggies into breakfast.
The only thing I'd watch for if you are sometimes doing them for dinner too is that you are getting a good balance--enough protein and fat--since smoothies can be carb heavy depending on what you put in them. Some also find drinking calories less filling. I'd be fine with it at breakfast, probably, but mentally have a problem with it for dinner, but that's an individual thing so it just depends on what works for you.
To your actual question, going over the sugar limit won't affect weight loss at all. The calories affect weight loss, the rest is to help you work through how to create a nutritious balanced diet that might be more satiating. MFP does not distinguish between added sugar and inherent sugars (in fruit, veggies, and dairy), and as such its limit is really low. The WHO recommends no more than 25 grams of added sugar, but that's not counting all the sugar from fruit and dairy. I'd say don't worry about it or if you want to monitor your diet overall think in terms of carbs and fiber, as that will make sure you aren't eating sugary treats at the expense of fruits and veggies or whole grains and legumes or the like (assuming you didn't already know if that was so, as I think you would).
SOME people feel more satiated on low carb, even to the extent of cutting fruit, and some apparently have blood sugar or insulin issues that are extreme enough to make fruit an issue, but I know that I've never found that including fruit in my diet was a negative or caused any ill effects, and I've lost weight just fine even though I'm sure I was over my sugar limit all the time in the summer (I eat lots of fruit in the summer).0 -
As long as you are in a calorie deficit, you will lose weight.redwards555 wrote: »ok, I am overweight- I need to lose a good amount. I am not diabetic either. I just want to make I'm not going to add weight instead of lose it with all this sugar that comes from fruits and veggies! I'm NOT replacing everything I eat with a smoothie. I eat plenty of protein (chicken, almonds, quinoa, etc.) I just started with the smoothies for breakfast- its better then not eating anything, and if I can get my fruits and veggies that way, then so be it! If I am in a rush in the evening, I can make a smoothie, and that is also better then not eating anything because of time... I am assuming this is correct?
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Oh, good. It's the LOL guy again.
The spikes after protein intake aren't generally as high as with carbs, and there are different metabolic pathways involved. You can get fat eating anything in excess, but if you want to become insulin resistant and more prone to CHD, then excess carbs are the quickest way to get there.
Actually they are and you're the one who stated; "Trouble in what sense?
Insulin spikes? Yes."
I'd also love to see your evidence that carbs make you more prone to CHD. inb4epidemiologicalstudieslol0 -
Oh, good. It's the LOL guy again.
The spikes after protein intake aren't generally as high as with carbs, and there are different metabolic pathways involved. You can get fat eating anything in excess, but if you want to become insulin resistant and more prone to CHD, then excess carbs are the quickest way to get there.
This has to do with the liver again, doesn't it? I'm still trying to sort this out because along with fructose, I heard a lecturer say that too much branched chain amino acids can cause issues with the liver, too.
But not enough info has gone into my thick skull for me to understand that yet. I have no idea if I'm getting too much protein for my slight muscle mass and relatively sedentary life from my low carb diet and it bothers me. I want my liver to last me a very long time.0 -
Agreed -- as long as you're in a calorie deficit, you're doing great.
The potential problem with being overweight and asking your body to deal with a large surge of carbs is somewhat subtle (and still unsettled science), but very interesting to me.
The carbs quickly become sugar in your blood. Insulin signals your body to store all of that excess sugar as fat. Adipose tissue can become "full." That level of fullness is different for all of us -- you don't have to be obese to suffer this problem. When adipocytes are full, that leads to fat storage in muscle tissue and organ tissue. That seems to lead to lots of problems down the road.
Bottom line: if your body doesn't need to store sugar as fat, you're fine (e.g., deficit eating). And if your body does need to store it, and there's plenty of room to store it, you're probably also fine.0 -
Agreed -- as long as you're in a calorie deficit, you're doing great.
The potential problem with being overweight and asking your body to deal with a large surge of carbs is somewhat subtle (and still unsettled science), but very interesting to me.
The carbs quickly become sugar in your blood. Insulin signals your body to store all of that excess sugar as fat. Adipose tissue can become "full." That level of fullness is different for all of us -- you don't have to be obese to suffer this problem. When adipocytes are full, that leads to fat storage in muscle tissue and organ tissue. That seems to lead to lots of problems down the road.
Bottom line: if your body doesn't need to store sugar as fat, you're fine (e.g., deficit eating). And if your body does need to store it, and there's plenty of room to store it, you're probably also fine.
Cause DNL is so common and such an efficient process0 -
This is great! Thanks to everyone for the insight, I am learning tons!0
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To keep it simple ....... Try to keep a balanced diet. Watch your macros. I go over my sugar almost everyday and it all comes from fruit (I have two pieces a day) and yogurt. Keep a watch on your added sugars and don't consistently stay way high on your sugars. I have learned that I can sweeten my smoothies with frozen banana slices. If you let them get really ripe they are sweeter. When they are very spotted and almost brown, you can slice them and lay them out on a plate or cookie sheet. Put them in the freezer over night and them in a ziplock after they a frozen. They are super sweet and easy to handle when frozen that way. Then, I can add some slices to my smoothies with some kale, yogurt, any veggies I can think of. I also sometimes add protein powder and psyllium husk especially if I am replacing a meal.0
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Also, try putting cinnamon on anything and everything you can. It helps your body to metabolize sugars more efficiently.0
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redwards555 wrote: »Encouragement and advice can go much further then telling someone they are doing it wrong.
If you think people in this thread were anything other than helpful and polite to you, then you have some surprises coming re: these forums
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redwards555 wrote: »ok, I am overweight- I need to lose a good amount. I am not diabetic either. I just want to make I'm not going to add weight instead of lose it with all this sugar that comes from fruits and veggies! I'm NOT replacing everything I eat with a smoothie. I eat plenty of protein (chicken, almonds, quinoa, etc.) I just started with the smoothies for breakfast- its better then not eating anything, and if I can get my fruits and veggies that way, then so be it! If I am in a rush in the evening, I can make a smoothie, and that is also better then not eating anything because of time... I am assuming this is correct?
I am just starting with this, so it will take time for me to figure everything out. Encouragement and advice can go much further then telling someone they are doing it wrong.
thank you all for your advice so far, this is great.
As long as you are eating a rather balanced diet and enjoy the smoothies, then you are fine. Personally, I am not a fan of smoothies as they don't fill me up.
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Oh, good. It's the LOL guy again.
The spikes after protein intake aren't generally as high as with carbs
also they are also offset with glucagon, leaving blood glucose almost unchanged. Bit of a contrast with the excess glucose being shunted into storage or oxidation quickly by insulin post eating carbs.
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redwards555 wrote: »I have been making smoothies and drinking them for breakfast, and sometimes dinner and they are putting me way above my allotted amount of sugar for the day. Is this cause for trouble, or should I not worry about it? The smoothies I am making are fruits and veggies with either coconut water or unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk. Sometimes I will add a little real maple syrup if I want a little sweetness. TYIA
Unless you're getting ready to do a high intensity workout after each smoothie or not trying to lose weight, it's also not good to drink high amounts of sugar before bed, (inactivity) the majority of your total carbohydrates should be complex and primarily fiber, simple sugars become stored fat and can negate weight loss goals, it's best to keep that number around 20 grams a day. Total carbohydrates and dietary fiber on the other hand can be much higher as this is sustainable energy that keeps you feeling full and balances your blood sugar and insulin levels. You should also focus on getting enough protein in your diet, instead of so much sugar. Plus depending on the amount of fat you consume in a day, all that sugar just adds to it over time and you never truly lose weight. Hope this was helpful.0 -
it's also not good to drink high amounts of sugar before bed, (inactivity)
I think that whole "carbs before bed" thing is a bit of a myth. I've read extensively on meal timing issues of all sorts, and my personal conclusion is that it only matters from a behavioral standpoint. (Eg: good meal timing may help you be prepared to face tough choices, and help you avoid a binge or unhealthy snacking)
For me the real concern would just be "what am I not getting for all these calories I'm 'wasting' on sugar." I wouldn't demonize sugar the way some do, but I think even fruit should be eaten in moderation. If you're not eating it in moderation, then it's just a step above candy to me. There are better options.
I try to think of it always as a budget, and I know that I have to prioritize foods when I don't have an unlimited amount of calories to "spend." I know I will be fuller on less calories if I incorporate more fiber, fat and protein into my smoothie. Smoothies are fine, but you can probably build a better smoothie.
Some suggestions could be: nuts and seeds, rolled oats, cooked brown rice or quinoa, spinach, mango, avocado, nut butters, protein powder (I like plain 100% whey protein), pasteurized egg whites, etc.0 -
Oh, good. It's the LOL guy again.
The spikes after protein intake aren't generally as high as with carbs
also they are also offset with glucagon, leaving blood glucose almost unchanged. Bit of a contrast with the excess glucose being shunted into storage or oxidation quickly by insulin post eating carbs.
Does glucagon effect the whole body or possibly is it limited to I don't know the liver?
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candicemaria05 wrote: »redwards555 wrote: »I have been making smoothies and drinking them for breakfast, and sometimes dinner and they are putting me way above my allotted amount of sugar for the day. Is this cause for trouble, or should I not worry about it? The smoothies I am making are fruits and veggies with either coconut water or unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk. Sometimes I will add a little real maple syrup if I want a little sweetness. TYIA
Unless you're getting ready to do a high intensity workout after each smoothie or not trying to lose weight, it's also not good to drink high amounts of sugar before bed, (inactivity) the majority of your total carbohydrates should be complex and primarily fiber, simple sugars become stored fat and can negate weight loss goals, it's best to keep that number around 20 grams a day. Total carbohydrates and dietary fiber on the other hand can be much higher as this is sustainable energy that keeps you feeling full and balances your blood sugar and insulin levels. You should also focus on getting enough protein in your diet, instead of so much sugar. Plus depending on the amount of fat you consume in a day, all that sugar just adds to it over time and you never truly lose weight. Hope this was helpful.
So I shouldn't eat fruit which is a monosaccharide aka simple sugar but should eat cake is a polysaccharide or complex sugar?
While I am being a bit obtuse, the fact is, simple sugars do not store as fat unless you eat in a surplus. Essentially, your energy in > energy out. But at that point, over consumption of any macronutrient will cause weight gain.
And while anecdotal, I eat 2500 calories, 260 to 300g of carbs (of which 140g are sugar in some variation to include both simple and complex), and 160g of protein (so I hit 1g per lb of lean body mass) and the remainder as carbs with no weight loss issues.0
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