Natural Sugar and Artificial sugar.
darthlaw
Posts: 3 Member
Hi,
I seem to go over my target on sugar each day, purely from skimmed milk and a couple of apples.
Should I really be bothered about these natural sugars as I understand that they don't have the same detrimental effect as sugars in fizzy drinks, sweets, etc.
I seem to go over my target on sugar each day, purely from skimmed milk and a couple of apples.
Should I really be bothered about these natural sugars as I understand that they don't have the same detrimental effect as sugars in fizzy drinks, sweets, etc.
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Replies
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Hi,
I seem to go over my target on sugar each day, purely from skimmed milk and a couple of apples.
Should I really be bothered about these natural sugars as I understand that they don't have the same detrimental effect as sugars in fizzy drinks, sweets, etc.
Might want to do a tad more researching to the subject0 -
Where does the sugar in your fizzy drinks, sweets, etc. originate from?
Sugar cane or sugar beet perhaps?0 -
There may be differences between natural sugar and processed sugar but not enough to matter. Just because it comes in a natural form doesn't mean you can eat as much as you want. With the natural form you at least get some fiber and nutrients to go along with the sugar.
Check out the YouTube video Sugar: The Bitter Truth
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FitnessTim wrote: »There may be differences between natural sugar and processed sugar but not enough to matter. Just because it comes in a natural form doesn't mean you can eat as much as you want. With the natural form you at least get some fiber and nutrients to go along with the sugar.
Check out the YouTube video Sugar: The Bitter Truth
There we go, someone linking to the quack lustig0 -
Must admit, I'd ignored Lustig because everyone else seems to contradict his opinions. They also break down the difference between fructose and sucrose whereas he doesn't.
Effectively I was asking if the fruit in my muesli, yoghurt and two apples per day was bad as it was over 85% of my daily sugar target.
I appreciate the suggestion to research more but as with the contradicting views I was asking if someone on here knew what to believe and what not to.
Bad first venture into this forum i suppose.0 -
This content has been removed.
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Must admit, I'd ignored Lustig because everyone else seems to contradict his opinions. They also break down the difference between fructose and sucrose whereas he doesn't.
Effectively I was asking if the fruit in my muesli, yoghurt and two apples per day was bad as it was over 85% of my daily sugar target.
I appreciate the suggestion to research more but as with the contradicting views I was asking if someone on here knew what to believe and what not to.
Bad first venture into this forum i suppose.
Eat a varied, nutrient dense diet. Don't worry about sugar intake in the context of such a diet0 -
There are a million and one sugar threads on here. If you suffer from insomnia worth searching for them.
On one side people who believe quacks, dodgy internet blogs and alarmist magazine articles and have a tenuous understanding of biology and digestion. Also a lot of projection around their particular illness/condition or lack of self-control over foods they enjoy.
On the other side people who see sugar (in all its many forms) as simply a subset of carbs. Neither good nor bad, simply part of food and just one component of your overall diet.
Personally I don't track it - irrelevant to me. Prefer to track fibre.0 -
OK, thanks guys.
Calorie deficit is fine in fact everything is at reasonable levels, just sugar was high due to a couple of pieces of fruit.
Never hurts to get (reliable) opinions.0 -
Even though it isnt supposed to matter - I still say that eating most of your sugar through fruits & veggies ends up being different than just sucking down tablespoon after tablespoon of table sugar. I know the "science" doesnt back that feeling.... but Im sticking with it. 0
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OK, thanks guys.
Calorie deficit is fine in fact everything is at reasonable levels, just sugar was high due to a couple of pieces of fruit.
Never hurts to get (reliable) opinions.
You are good. Don't worry about it.
One issue is that the MFP sugar limit can be really low for all sugar if someone eats a decent amount of fruit and dairy or even veggies (well within the recommended amounts). Some people seem to have the old 24 g limit, which should be ignored--it's not correct. Others have the 15% of total calories, which isn't bad if your calorie limit isn't too low (it's fine for me now), but can be crazy low if you are at 1200. I can usually hit 45 grams with just veggies, dairy, and fruit, and I don't tend to eat huge amounts of dairy and fruit--about half of that comes from veggies.
So if you are on a lower limit and eat fruit and dairy I'd say focus more on overall calories, carbs, and fiber. If you are within the first two and hit the third you aren't eating too many sugary sweets, most likely. Or just ignore the limit/track something else and exercise common sense. It's not hard to see if your diet is mostly nutritious foods with some extras for fun or if it is, instead, largely indulgent foods and not much in the way of nutrient dense foods (like fruits and veggies). Among other things, you wouldn't be hitting other targets, like protein and fiber.0 -
Even though it isnt supposed to matter - I still say that eating most of your sugar through fruits & veggies ends up being different than just sucking down tablespoon after tablespoon of table sugar. I know the "science" doesnt back that feeling.... but Im sticking with it.
I think the point is that overall diet matters more than specific amounts of sugar. Distinguishing between an apple and a rhubarb sauce with a bit of sugar added (or oatmeal with the same) makes no sense, and neither does demonizing a bit of sugar in coffee (although I dislike that, ick), or some ice cream within your calories and as part of an overall balanced, nutrition-rich diet.
But if you get away from the focus on sugar and focus on what foods add, of course apples are different from and add more nutritionally (well, on average, there are exceptions) than, say, a cookie. The cookie still might be worth including because it tastes good and will make you happier with your overall way of eating so that you can stick with it or won't blow it later or just because there's nothing wrong with pleasure and tasty foods. And it might contribute calories and carbs that help you meet goals or replenish you after a workout on occasion too. But this has nothing to do with the difference between the sugar in the cookie and that in the apple (as I've mentioned, the apple likely has more sugar--the cookie has more calories due to its other ingredients, largely butter, also flour).0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »OK, thanks guys.
Calorie deficit is fine in fact everything is at reasonable levels, just sugar was high due to a couple of pieces of fruit.
Never hurts to get (reliable) opinions.
You are good. Don't worry about it.
One issue is that the MFP sugar limit can be really low for all sugar if someone eats a decent amount of fruit and dairy or even veggies (well within the recommended amounts). Some people seem to have the old 24 g limit, which should be ignored--it's not correct. Others have the 15% of total calories, which isn't bad if your calorie limit isn't too low (it's fine for me now), but can be crazy low if you are at 1200. I can usually hit 45 grams with just veggies, dairy, and fruit, and I don't tend to eat huge amounts of dairy and fruit--about half of that comes from veggies.
So if you are on a lower limit and eat fruit and dairy I'd say focus more on overall calories, carbs, and fiber. If you are within the first two and hit the third you aren't eating too many sugary sweets, most likely. Or just ignore the limit/track something else and exercise common sense. It's not hard to see if your diet is mostly nutritious foods with some extras for fun or if it is, instead, largely indulgent foods and not much in the way of nutrient dense foods (like fruits and veggies). Among other things, you wouldn't be hitting other targets, like protein and fiber.
And to add to this, most of the recommendations I've seen are to limit "added sugar" and I think that is what the MFP goal is based on. However, there is no way to parse out added sugar currently as there is no separation either in the database or on food labels.
I believe the new FDA required labeling will have added sugar as a separate category, but those don't roll out for another year or two. And who knows how long it will take for MFP to update the possible categories in the food diaries.0 -
wouldn't worry about it at all0
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I wouldn't worry about it. I've actually stopped tracking my "sugar" intake since I would go over it every day. I've consistently lost weight every week for two months now.0
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And to add to this, most of the recommendations I've seen are to limit "added sugar" and I think that is what the MFP goal is based on. However, there is no way to parse out added sugar currently as there is no separation either in the database or on food labels.
MFP's 15% of calories goal is total sugars from all sources. It should be 45g at 1200 cals so that should be enough for anyone to eat two portions of fruit with room to spare.
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And to add to this, most of the recommendations I've seen are to limit "added sugar" and I think that is what the MFP goal is based on. However, there is no way to parse out added sugar currently as there is no separation either in the database or on food labels.
MFP's 15% of calories goal is total sugars from all sources. It should be 45g at 1200 cals so that should be enough for anyone to eat two portions of fruit with room to spare.
It might depend on dairy consumption and the rest of the dietary make up, though. I'm an ovo-lacto vegetarian, and you already know I managed to exceed that limit simply by eating plain Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and a whole whack of various non-starchy veggies.
Since the OP said he was also drinking milk, I could see where fruit and milk and vegetables could be causing an issue.
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you changed your name ? Yes, veg*ans have more issues but you seem to live within the limit most of the time.0
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Yeah, I found out there was another mamapeach. I also wanted a simpler name that didn't have numbers in it.0
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I love apples and could easily eat 10 a day (i actually have done that many times). I've cut down to max 1 a day though. I feel guilty if I have more than that. It has so much sugar, with little fiber. I've always gotten mixed reviews about natural sugar, so I just consider it bad to have too much of, but still better than added sugar. Have no idea what's right or not, but better safe than sorry. Plus I honestly don't think apples are worth the calories. They're more of a treat. Raspberries are a lot better in terms of getting the most nutrition for the least calories0
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Hi,
I seem to go over my target on sugar each day, purely from skimmed milk and a couple of apples.
Should I really be bothered about these natural sugars as I understand that they don't have the same detrimental effect as sugars in fizzy drinks, sweets, etc.
How do you feel? When I go over MFP's sugar budget, which is not often, I have had too much sugar...for me. From what I've read, I am more sensitive to sugar than a lot of posters here. I can eat apples, but I can't drink apple juice cuz it gives me a sugar high and then a crash. Can't handle carrot juice either.
I looked back at my sugar consumption over the last 60 days, looked at the two highest sugar days, looked at my food diary, and sure enough, remember feeling sugar-sick those days.
The majority of the time, I am under my sugar budget, have lots of energy, and no food cravings.
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Fructose has to be broken down in the liver. As we all know, the liver can break the laws of thermodynamics, which is why fructose might be a concern.0
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I'm in the same boat as you, OP! I eat a lot of fruit and go over my sugar almost every day, even eating 1200 calories/day maximally. I eat fruit salad and yogurt as a meal pretty commonly.
Personally, I've been losing weight steadily but have only been tracking consistently for a month or so. My understanding is that fruit is a good choice because it has a lot of fiber and other vitamins, and that added sugar isn't so great because it's usually empty calories - not much that's filling or nutrient-rich. Also, I've personally found that if I stay away from sweet desserts I develop a distaste for them, which makes it easier to make low calorie food choices.
As someone on a lowish calorie diet, I do find that sometimes eating more fruit stops me from getting close to my protein macros, and I definitely have to make room in my diet for more protein-rich foods by eating less fruit than I'd like.0 -
Must admit, I'd ignored Lustig because everyone else seems to contradict his opinions. They also break down the difference between fructose and sucrose whereas he doesn't.
Well, I have no idea if it makes any difference as far as weight loss is concerned, but fructose is harder for some people (those with IBS) to digest than sucrose. But sucrose tends not to come with a lot of nutrition.0 -
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Must admit, I'd ignored Lustig because everyone else seems to contradict his opinions. They also break down the difference between fructose and sucrose whereas he doesn't.
Well, I have no idea if it makes any difference as far as weight loss is concerned, but fructose is harder for some people (those with IBS) to digest than sucrose. But sucrose tends not to come with a lot of nutrition.
I never knew this - but it could well be one of the reasons my IBS has hit a sticking point with my recent jump back on the bandwagon... I'll try swapping for more veg now. Thanks for the insight
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krystinashah wrote: »Must admit, I'd ignored Lustig because everyone else seems to contradict his opinions. They also break down the difference between fructose and sucrose whereas he doesn't.
Well, I have no idea if it makes any difference as far as weight loss is concerned, but fructose is harder for some people (those with IBS) to digest than sucrose. But sucrose tends not to come with a lot of nutrition.
I never knew this - but it could well be one of the reasons my IBS has hit a sticking point with my recent jump back on the bandwagon... I'll try swapping for more veg now. Thanks for the insight
Oh hey, glad if it was useful! I followed an elimination diet (imperfectly, but well enough to figure out that fructans and a few other things are triggers. Check out "low-FODMAP diet for ibs" on goole (and / or this http://www.aboutibs.org/site/treatment/low-fodmap-diet/ )0 -
Presumably!0
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