sugar intake

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SebraGagnon2015
SebraGagnon2015 Posts: 1 Member
in Food and Nutrition
The american heart association recommends about 25 grams per day of sugar. Why is the amount on here saying its ok to go to 74 grams?

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  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited July 2015
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    The AHA is talking about added sugars. The goal here (15% of calories) is for ALL sugars.

    To elaborate, this is what the AHA says:
    Although sugars are not harmful to the body, our bodies don’t need sugars to function properly. Added sugars contribute additional calories and zero nutrients to food.

    My note: quite often the calories in such foods aren't actually from sugar, though. I analyzed my chocolate chip cookie recipe, and significantly more of the calories are from butter than sugar. One cookie has less sugar than an average apple, also.
    Over the past 30 years, Americans have steadily consumed more and more added sugars in their diets, which has contributed to the obesity epidemic. Reducing the amount of added sugars we eat cuts calories and can help you improve your heart health and control your weight.

    The American Heart Association recommends limiting the amount of added sugars you consume to no more than half of your daily discretionary calorie allowance. For most American women, this is no more than 100 calories per day and no more than 150 calories per day for men (or about 6 teaspoons per day for women and 9 teaspoons per day for men).

    The best way to watch added sugars if you want to is simply using common sense and not making sweet treats a huge part of your calories overall, or of course limiting non diet soda or the like. If you aren't sure how much you are consuming it can be interesting to look and see where sugars are coming from.
  • sunnybunny5us
    sunnybunny5us Posts: 18 Member
    edited July 2015
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    You've got to be kidding? The sugar level on here is way low. I go on the red before lunch most days? If I weren't trying to eat clean I'd eat 10X that amount (candy habit) But mine says 51 not 74 At least that's what it is right now today - apparently it changes with activity so that will be something I may focus on as well as cutting down
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    sunnybunny5us wrote: »
    You've got to be kidding? The sugar level on here is way low.

    It's 15% of calories. So for someone on 1200 it's 45 grams (which I agree is quite low, especially if someone enjoys fruit). At OP's 1975 or so calories (based on the 74 g limit) it's a lot higher.
  • pmm3437
    pmm3437 Posts: 529 Member
    edited July 2015
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    "The AHA's new guidelines don't include sugar found naturally in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, or milk. By "added sugars," the AHA means sugars that you add to food yourself, and also to sugars and syrups used to make foods or drinks." .... - http://www.webmd.com/diet/20090824/heart-group-limit-added-sugars-diet

    IE refined sugar sources that are added in order to increase sweetness and make the foodstuff more palatable ( as a sweetener ).

    Sugar and alcohol micros tracked and recommended by MFP are total dietary ( ie carb subtypes ), not what you are associating them with.
  • sunnybunny5us
    sunnybunny5us Posts: 18 Member
    edited July 2015
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    So what should it be if you eat a lot of fruit? Awhile back when I was being real good and logging in every day for a long time so I was eating better I was eating a lot of fruit and staying within my calories (1200) got easier , but the sugar was still way in the red. It would be closer on days I worked out a lot but always in the red. Is there a way to adjust it? and what would someone who eats a lot of fruit adjust it to?
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    I'd just switch to tracking fiber.

    The reasoning is that sugar is counted in carbs anyway, and counting sugar separately is simply a really rough and not particularly effective way to make sure that you aren't getting most of your carbs from lower nutrient/higher sugar options (as with many of the foods with lots of added sugar). If you track fiber and both stay within carbs and meet or exceed your fiber goals, that's probably a better way of doing that same thing.

    Or just look at the sources of your sugar and see if they are generally nutrient dense foods like fruits, vegetables, dairy, etc., with added sugar in moderate amounts.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    sunnybunny5us wrote: »
    So what should it be if you eat a lot of fruit?

    Use custom goals and set it to what you want.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10197460/sugar-faq-june-2015/

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