Why I am cutting back on sugar

Well.....since you asked...

I've lost 30 lbs since the end of January of this year.

And almost every day, I have gone OVER my "sugar goal" - usually WAY over, by as much as double...or more. Some of it is what's naturally occurring, but most of it is added sugar in foods I eat....




Sugar is not the cause of obesity. Eating too many calories is.

SideSteel wrote: »

FitnessTim wrote: »

In moderate amounts, sugar is relatively harmless. So what is a moderate, or safe amount of sugar? The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that an adult consume less than 10% of their calorie intake or about 25 grams. To put it in perspective, below are a few foods and their sugar content:

Coke, 12 oz can = 25 grams
Yoplait Original Yogurt 6 oz = 26 grams
Orange juice raw 12 oz = 31 grams
Ragu Marinara Sauce 1/2 cup = 12 grams
Fruit Loops 1 cup = 12 grams
Wonder Bread small 2 slices = 4 grams
Cliff Bar 1 serving = 22 grams
Grapes 3.5 oz serving = 15 grams

The recommendation is not for all sugar, it's for "added sugar". The specific concerns regarding sugar are primarily due to how sugar intake influences total energy intake and how sugar intake can push other needed nutrients off the table if it occupies too great a portion of the diet.

Can we trust the recommendation of the World Health Organization? Despite it being an internationally respected organization, I won't blindly follow the recommendation of any one group or person. I did some research and purposefully tried to find any evidence the counters the recommendation. While it was easy to find people on discussion boards who will still argue for sugar, I have yet to find a single nutrition authority who will claim that sugar is safe to consume in the quantities that people typically consume.

I think it's wise to research on your own but the big exception here is whether or not you (I mean "you" in a general sense here so I am not directing this statement at you specifically) understand how to differentiate between alarmist blog posts and actual research and if you DO, are you able to look at the collection of available evidence and evaluate where it points rather than looking at a single study.

I'm not going into the science behind why sugar is bad. Just search on the web, "Is sugar bad" and read for yourself. The main problem is that sugar appears to be the main cause of obesity.

Just searching the web isn't sufficient for reasons stated in my previous paragraph. Sugar is not the "main cause of obesity" but it's certainly a contributing factor. The only thing we can say with relative certainty is that people are consuming too many calories and/or moving too little and it's likely a combination of both given that (at least in the US) calorie intake has risen and activity has dropped.

A good question to ask would be "why is that happening?". Sugar is probably a portion of that in that it's easy to overconsume calories if you're eating relatively high amounts of sugar.

But you can't really point at a singular factor as being the cause of obesity. It's a multifactorial issue.

I was under the assumption that we needed some sugar in our diets, but I have yet to find any recommendation for a minimum amount. There are people who suffer from hypoglycemia that can experience blood sugar emergencies and need to consume sugar quickly, but as for the average person, I don't know.

Your body converts carbohydrates to glucose. And when you don't consume carbohydrates or you consume very little carbohydrates you can convert non carbohydrates to glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis.

You probably don't need to consume any ADDED sugar in your diet, but this brings about an important point that I believe to be true: Whether or not something is "necessary" shouldn't be a deciding factor on whether or not we should consume it. Carbohydrates are non essential but it's foolish to entirely eliminate them.

To be clear, I don't intend to cut out sugar completely so my interest in minimum amounts is purely academic. I won't go completely sugar-free because, as the WHO recommendation suggest, I believe a moderate amounts of sugar is safe. I will avoid foods with added sugars as much as possible. By tracking in MyFitnessPal, I want to keep my sugar intake between 12 and 25g.

Some may consider this extreme but it is the average person's diet that is really extreme. The average person's intake of sugar is double the recommended maximum amount.

What is your take on sugar? Is it something you try to restrict or do you just concern yourself with calories.

I think that "most" people probably would benefit by reducing the added sugar in their diet. When I say "most" people I'm largely referring to people who are not fitness conscious and who are eating a rather poor diet in total.

But I also think that sugar is largely demonized in the media as being this cocaine like addictive substance that is going to give you all kinds of diseases, and I think that's taking things too far.

Regarding your sugar intake goals, I think that's very low and I would take a guess that your going to have to restrict your diet a great deal, and that's probably not going to be good for long term adherence. I'd also add that you should differentiate between added sugar so that you're not eliminating nutrient dense things like fruit from your diet for fear of sugar.

This is awesome. +1000.

Refined sugars are the ones we should avoid wherever we can. They do us no favours. MFP measures all sugar on your diary - natural and refined. They do not separate healthy sugars found in fruit from white sugar you add in you coffee or found in your breads and sauces and really any processed food.

The food companies have it down to a science on how much salt, sugar and fat is needed to be added to food and how to make us addicted to it.

There is an excellent book on this. Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss
It really if anything opened my mind on what is put in our grocery bought foods and helps me make more informed decisions.

I have lost 8 lbs just from modifying what I eat since January thanks to this book. I am not perfect and still slip up, but it is more of an emotional battle for me now.

FitnessTim wrote: »

In moderate amounts, sugar is relatively harmless. So what is a moderate, or safe amount of sugar? The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that an adult consume less than 10% of their calorie intake or about 25 grams.

You don't say this, but the WHO recommendation of 25 grams applies to "free" sugars--not veggies, fruit, or dairy sugars (other than sugars in fruit juice).

The WHO also explains its reasoning as follows:

Free sugars contribute to the overall energy density of diets. Ensuring energy balance is critical to maintaining healthy body weight and ensuring optimal nutrient intake.

There is increasing concern that consumption of free sugars, particularly in the form of sugar-sweetened beverages, may result in both reduced intake of foods containing more nutritionally adequate calories and an increase in total caloric intake, leading to an unhealthy diet, weight gain and increased risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

Significantly, this is about total calories, and the nutrient density of the foods consumed overall, NOT some special toxic role of sugar. It's also worth noting that many or most of the calories in many higher "free sugar" products (like a baked good) are from fat (butter, for example) or non sugar processed carbs (flour). So I tend to see the focus on sugar as somewhat misplaced.

As for what I do personally:

(1) I don't drink sugary beverages, including fruit juice. This is easy for me, since I never really did, but I am generally in agreement with the WHO that these beverages tend to increase calories consumed for many without being satisfying, and thus without reducing calories consumed in other foods.

(2) I limit my consumption of sweets (which is really what this is talking about). Not dramatically, but under 25 seems perfectly reasonable to me, although I don't worry if I go over one day and under on another. For me the number seems less significant than the role in overall diet, so rather than worry about the numbers I worry about getting adequate protein, fiber, veggies and fruit, quality starches, so on, just generally a healthy diet. And then if I also want to have a serving of ice cream, it doesn't bust my sugar limit OR change the overall nutrient density of my diet at all.

(3) I don't overstress about it--I think that's not helpful either.

(4) I don't have to worry much about other possible sources of "added sugar" because I eat very little of the types of processed foods that have it. On rare occasion (including yesterday) I will find it convenient to get some flavored yogurt, but I usually like yogurt plain with fruit added by me. I do eat protein bars and powder which sometimes have a few grams of sugar (I don't care about fake sugar, personally). There's a bit in one thing or another, like a minimal amount in smoked salmon, but on the whole I try to eat from whole foods and make my own pasta sauce and dressing, etc., so it's not an issue. (My reasoning for this isn't actually about sugar--it's something I've generally done.)

(5) When I add sugar to a rhubarb or cranberry sauce or when someone else adds it to oatmeal (I don't care for sugar in oatmeal), I think it's basically the same as sugar in fruit--it's a small amount added to something nutrient dense--so I personally wouldn't worry about this any more than fruit. IMO, to do so is assuming there's something "bad" about added sugar that the WHO reasoning does not support.

As for tracking in MFP, it includes intrinsic sugar and I've found I can easily hit 45 grams with just fruit, veggies, and dairy, and I don't really eat huge amounts of fruit (the USDA would probably recommend more). I do eat lots of veggies and some root vegetables, like beets and sweet potatoes, that also have sugar. So for me a limit lower than MFP's 15% of calories (which is high enough given my current calorie level) for ALL sugars seems unnecessary and rather than worrying about the actual number I just like to make sure I'm not fooling myself about the added sugar I eat on occasion. (So far I've been completely aware without the need for tracking when that's been out of whack.)

It's 10% but with a further recommendation of 5%, I think. 5% is 25 grams given a calorie limit of 2000, which is obviously not applicable to MANY (it is for me, but I'm a 5'3, 45 year old woman).

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Also, if you look at the reasoning, it shouldn't be one size fits all. Someone doing lots of endurance exercise might need more sugar, and the WHO hasn't said that's bad (assuming adequate dental hygiene, of course). It's more about the general population, not someone who is already quite thoughtful about his or her diet.

That's my issue is the one size fits all. Hell, I did a bike ride Saturday morning and had 175 grams of added sugar in 4 hours during that race. I was also burning 600-700 calories per hour at that point.

I'm currently limiting my intake of everything in appropriate ratios to meet my goals/nutritional needs.

I sometimes go over sugar, but I get a lot of natural sugar from plain dairy and vegetables.

One of the issues with your post, OP was that some of the sugar in the products you listed was from natural sources (tomatoes, lactose in the yogurt), and the WHO recommendations are for added sugars.

I don't have too much to add to the discussion, because Side Steel said everything best that I'd like to say, particularly in terms of general population vs. health conscious eaters.

Oh, except this. I got 20 grams of sugar one day... almost half my daily allowance from MFP... from cauliflower. I consumed no added "free" sugars that day and ended up over my goals.

Bottom line? You do you, I'll do me. I'm not overly worried about me and my small serving of evening gelato.

FitnessTim wrote: »

In terms of the effect on the body, is a calorie from sugar the same as a calorie from protein or complex carbs.

No, but a calorie from fat isn't the same as a calorie from protein either.

mamapeach910 wrote: »

I'm currently limiting my intake of everything in appropriate ratios to meet my goals/nutritional needs.

I sometimes go over sugar, but I get a lot of natural sugar from plain dairy and vegetables.

One of the issues with your post, OP was that some of the sugar in the products you listed was from natural sources (tomatoes, lactose in the yogurt), and the WHO recommendations are for added sugars.

I don't have too much to add to the discussion, because Side Steel said everything best that I'd like to say, particularly in terms of general population vs. health conscious eaters.

Oh, except this. I got 20 grams of sugar one day... almost half my daily allowance from MFP... from cauliflower. I consumed no added "free" sugars that day and ended up over my goals.

Bottom line? You do you, I'll do me. I'm not overly worried about me and my small serving of evening gelato.

What makes all of this even more complicated is most store bought pasta sauces, yogurts etc. have both naturally occurring sugars AND added sugars...

RGv2 wrote: »

kristalasimpson wrote: »

Refined sugars are the ones we should avoid wherever we can. They do us no favours. MFP measures all sugar on your diary - natural and refined. They do not separate healthy sugars found in fruit from white sugar you add in you coffee or found in your breads and sauces and really any processed food.

The food companies have it down to a science on how much salt, sugar and fat is needed to be added to food and how to make us addicted to it.

There is an excellent book on this. Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss
It really if anything opened my mind on what is put in our grocery bought foods and helps me make more informed decisions.

I have lost 8 lbs just from modifying what I eat since January thanks to this book. I am not perfect and still slip up, but it is more of an emotional battle for me now.

You know why, right? It's because sugar is sugar....whether in a candy bar, bread, or an apple. You may want to scroll back up and read side steel's post.

Yes. I read it originally and he specifically mentions added sugar as did I. Sugar is not sugar. The type you eat determines how your body responds to it.

Refined sugars have a fast rate of metabolism, lack of healthy nutrients and inability to make you feel full. The refining process has eliminated all of the fiber and plant nutrients. Refined sugar is quickly broken down into glucose and fructose and can create spikes in insulin and blood sugar levels. Sounds great, but if you are just sitting on your couch or at your desk, and not using that surge of energy, your body "could" turn it into fat. Fructose is metabolized in your liver and is absorbed at once, increasing fat cell production and workload on your liver. The quick digestion of refined sugar prevents fullness leaving many feeling hungry and going back for more.

Fruit aside from being rich in antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals, is an excellent source of fiber. That fiber determines what happens to fruit sugars in your body and how quickly they are broken down in your gastrointestinal tract. Unlike refined sugar, fiber in fruit expands in your gut, making you feel full. Fiber is why fruit sugars are not as dangerous as refined sugar as it prevents the sugars from being rapidly broken down and stored.

I'm not amazing ....I just eat less than 1350 calories per day. If that's amazing to you...then...wow. lol