Sugars?

TROUBLE2 · January 2009

Ok so I was training for a sprint Tri. in May, I could not get my running times down it seemed like i hit a wall, and I was unable to improve. I read that nutrition could be the key to improving my performance, After speaking to a ntritionist, we decided to do a blood test.

my results were not that great, my Triglycerides were off the chart and prevented the lab from getting my LDL- Cholesterol. My HDL was good at 45 could stand to be a little higher but non-the-less its good

my question is this, what is a safe amount for sugar intake per day? every label i read has sugar in it, and part ofmy problem is I was eating 4-5 servings of fruit a day, and 2-3 of those servings were grapes. I guess too much of a good thing could be bad for your health. not mentioning the big bowl of sugar smacks i used to eat for breakfast...

I now have done my research and see that 3 servings of vegetables and only 2 servings of fruits a day, and I know now to STAY AWAY from fruit juices, which i did not do until now.

I am not diabetic yet but if i continue to go down the dietary path i am on, I will be. I would like to avoid that door if at all possible.

But my question is how many grams of sugar are acceptable for intake for a healthy balanced diet?

does anyone have a link to information that has this or good reading/ research material?
Thank you all for your input in advance

TROUBLE2 · January 2009

Ok so I was training for a sprint Tri. in May, I could not get my running times down it seemed like i hit a wall, and I was unable to improve. I read that nutrition could be the key to improving my performance, After speaking to a ntritionist, we decided to do a blood test.

my results were not that great, my Triglycerides were off the chart and prevented the lab from getting my LDL- Cholesterol. My HDL was good at 45 could stand to be a little higher but non-the-less its good

my question is this, what is a safe amount for sugar intake per day? every label i read has sugar in it, and part ofmy problem is I was eating 4-5 servings of fruit a day, and 2-3 of those servings were grapes. I guess too much of a good thing could be bad for your health. not mentioning the big bowl of sugar smacks i used to eat for breakfast...

I now have done my research and see that 3 servings of vegetables and only 2 servings of fruits a day, and I know now to STAY AWAY from fruit juices, which i did not do until now.

I am not diabetic yet but if i continue to go down the dietary path i am on, I will be. I would like to avoid that door if at all possible.

But my question is how many grams of sugar are acceptable for intake for a healthy balanced diet?

does anyone have a link to information that has this or good reading/ research material?
Thank you all for your input in advance

IUChelle423 · January 2009

I have trouble with sugar too - like you, mostly due to fruit (already had a cup of grapes today). I track my sugar on my food diary. To track yours, go to "Settings" and then "Food Diary Settings". There are up to 6 things you can track (the automatic ones are Calories, Carbs, Protein and Fat, but I also track calcium and sugar). Once it's on your food diary, you will see how much you should have (WARNING - it's a bit of a shock).

libbyssoup7 · January 2009

http://www.annecollins.com/diet_news/sugar-intake.htm

I've found this little bit of help online. Let me know if this helps.

TROUBLE2 · January 2009

Thanks!

the links help and YES it does track your sugars and has the maximum daily intake...

after seeing my triglycerides value nothing surprises me about nutrition anymore. i did not realize that I was taking in that much sugar every day, just a glass of juice is huge in sugars.

its amazing what we did not know about what we eat.

thanks to all that posted something!

libbyssoup7 · January 2009

I'm shocked at how many sugars I intake in a day. I am really trying to lessen them but my suggested goal on here is a little more than half of a recommended amount of sugars! I use all my sugars up by the time I'm done with breakfast and my first snack of the day! Man, this is gonna be a challenging grocery trip!

coronalime · January 2009

the sugars found in fruit is digested a little differently than added sugars, they occur naturally (not to say you wouldn't need to limit these as well though). Carrots and some other starchy veggies are high in sugar too.

The problem with sugar is that there is natural sugar, and the sugar that is added to foods. And every body metabolizes sugar differently. I believe the average is not to go over 40-50 grams per day, however I dont think that includes natural sugar. I think you can consume as much natural sugar as you want in the relm of eating per serving..For instance you cannot eat grapes all day. You can only eat the 2-3 servings of a fruit in a days time..and of course you cant drink processed juices since they add sugar...You can however juice up your own OJ at home..per serving that is

But some people cant eat 40 grams of sugar...Their bodies may metabolize slower or store sugar at a greater rate then someone else..Therefore that person should consume 25 grams per day or 30 grams per day.. In fact you technically could consume no added sugar and if you ate your 2-3 servings of fruit and all your veggies you would get your quanitity you needed naturally anyways..but who can stay away from all processed foods??

I learned alot when I came really close to gestational diabetes..I have diabetes in the family and PCOS so I am very prone to Type 2 which of course could turn to Type 1. I also notice a difference when I weigh differenlty on how sugar effects me. The bigger I am the higher my sugar levels are per day in my blood..i guess my extra fat absorbs more sugar..not sure on that one its just my own observation with my little sugar monitor..

Also the more fiber you eat the better! Fiber helps slow sugar absorption down. Just again stay within the serving size and limits per day

SHBoss1673 · January 2009

OK as before I'll preface this by saying that I post very rarely, but I know quite a bit about this since after my bloodwork about 16 months ago showed elevated levels of triglycerides, low HDL, and High LDL.

So here is the breakdown. I went through a lot of resources, and talked to a lot of qualified "experts" on the topic. Most were clueless, but a few really knew what they were talking about.

1st, and foremost, fruit won't significantly raise your triglycerides. Fruit JUICE will, but not fruit, unless you gorge yourself (see below as to why fruit isn't that bad). See, it's all about how fast you're body breaks down the food. Fruit juice breaks down almost instantly, sending lots and lots of sugar right into the bloodstream. Other things that breakdown really fast are, simple carbs, and Saturated fats (Like that sugary cereal). These all contribute. Physical factors to watch out for are: Smoking, lethargy (lack of exercise), and large meals.

There are 2 reasons why fruit isn't that bad, the first, is that the type of sugar (fructose) that fruit has isn't processed directly by the body, it first needs to be broken down into two components, sucrose (common table sugar), and glycogen. This process takes time in the body, and naturally regulates the amount of sucrose being released into the blood stream.
The other reason is realted to above, fruit contains fiber, fiber is a natural aid to digestion in that the body needs to release the nutritional components from the fiber before it can break down those components. This further slows down digestion, giving your body time to assimilate the nutrients and use them for what they were meant, instead of releasing a burst into the blood. that's why fruit Juice isn't all that great, the fiber is removed, it is a faster breakdown of the sugar.

That's why you get a sugar rush from snickers, but you don't if you say... ate 3 apples at a time. Similar volumes of sugar, but the apples would take 6 to 7 times as long to digest.

Hope this helps.

libbyssoup7 · January 2009

wow! This is alot of information. I am getting alot of help from this topic, thanks.

LeanLioness · January 2009

OK as before I'll preface this by saying that I post very rarely, but I know quite a bit about this since after my bloodwork about 16 months ago showed elevated levels of triglycerides, low HDL, and High LDL.

So here is the breakdown. I went through a lot of resources, and talked to a lot of qualified "experts" on the topic. Most were clueless, but a few really knew what they were talking about.

1st, and foremost, fruit won't significantly raise your triglycerides. Fruit JUICE will, but not fruit, unless you gorge yourself (see below as to why fruit isn't that bad). See, it's all about how fast you're body breaks down the food. Fruit juice breaks down almost instantly, sending lots and lots of sugar right into the bloodstream. Other things that breakdown really fast are, simple carbs, and Saturated fats (Like that sugary cereal). These all contribute. Physical factors to watch out for are: Smoking, lethargy (lack of exercise), and large meals.

There are 2 reasons why fruit isn't that bad, the first, is that the type of sugar (fructose) that fruit has isn't processed directly by the body, it first needs to be broken down into two components, sucrose (common table sugar), and glycogen. This process takes time in the body, and naturally regulates the amount of sucrose being released into the blood stream.
The other reason is realted to above, fruit contains fiber, fiber is a natural aid to digestion in that the body needs to release the nutritional components from the fiber before it can break down those components. This further slows down digestion, giving your body time to assimilate the nutrients and use them for what they were meant, instead of releasing a burst into the blood. that's why fruit Juice isn't all that great, the fiber is removed, it is a faster breakdown of the sugar.

That's why you get a sugar rush from snickers, but you don't if you say... ate 3 apples at a time. Similar volumes of sugar, but the apples would take 6 to 7 times as long to digest.

Hope this helps.

Please reference where you got your information.

The human body does not know the difference between fructose, sucrose, pectin, High Fructose Corn Syrup, etc.........................Sugar is sugar.

Fruit itself will cause the triglycerides to raise dramatically. My diabetic endocrinologist and the Nutritionist I see both have me on very little fruit. I can only have 3 servings a week and the serving has to be the size of a kiwi or smaller. That is not very much fruit at all. My triglycerides are about 4 or 5 times the amount they should be.

This article explains the different types of sugar from natural sugars present in vegetables and fruits to grains and processed sugar.........................

http://www.reducetriglycerides.com/reader_high_triglycerides_sugar_intake.htm

SHBoss1673 · January 2009

First I wanna say I screwed up one thing in my description after re-reading, but it shouldn't make much difference. fructose doesn't break down into sucrose and glycogen, it's a monosaccharide, but it is processesed differently then sucrose which is a disaccharide. This doesn't significantly change how you should think about it though. fructose still takes longer to break down, and doesn't stimulate insulin (spelled insulin wrong, that was my edit) response in the blood the way sucrose does.

I'm not sure why you said the below quote. The body does, in fact, know the difference between monosaccharides and polysaccharides. and treats them differently. I wonder if you're doctor was talking about fructose and/or high fructose corn syrup as an additive sweetener, which, I would agree, is bad news.

The human body does not know the difference between fructose, sucrose, pectin, High Fructose Corn Syrup, etc.........................Sugar is sugar.

As to sources, oh man, I have been researching this for ever. There was an article on NEJOM that I have saved at home. I'll try to find it. I'm working from memory here. Ahh, the American journal of dietary nutrition has a bunch of articles referencing fructose and Cholesterol levels. There is lots of information out there.
here are a couple I found hidden in my notes.

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/88/5/1419

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fructose#Fructose_digestion_and_absorption_in_humans

http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/2/1/5#IDASFF0F

Note that I don't say that fruit is the answer to anything, just that, unless you eat tons of it, it's not going to give you problems, not like drinking straight fruit juice would or gulping down table sugar or eating candy bars would.

keiko · January 2009

When I worked in a hospital kitchen the diabetic patients only got fruit in controlled portions. Grapes were always counted out. Banana and other fruits cut in portions. Actually all of thier foods were measured. All depending on what diet was prescribed by their dr.
This would lead me to believe that fruit does count as sugars for those that have diabetes. For those that don't eating 2-4 servings is healthy.

stephiepoo · January 2009

OK as before I'll preface this by saying that I post very rarely, but I know quite a bit about this since after my bloodwork about 16 months ago showed elevated levels of triglycerides, low HDL, and High LDL.

So here is the breakdown. I went through a lot of resources, and talked to a lot of qualified "experts" on the topic. Most were clueless, but a few really knew what they were talking about.

1st, and foremost, fruit won't significantly raise your triglycerides. Fruit JUICE will, but not fruit, unless you gorge yourself (see below as to why fruit isn't that bad). See, it's all about how fast you're body breaks down the food. Fruit juice breaks down almost instantly, sending lots and lots of sugar right into the bloodstream. Other things that breakdown really fast are, simple carbs, and Saturated fats (Like that sugary cereal). These all contribute. Physical factors to watch out for are: Smoking, lethargy (lack of exercise), and large meals.

There are 2 reasons why fruit isn't that bad, the first, is that the type of sugar (fructose) that fruit has isn't processed directly by the body, it first needs to be broken down into two components, sucrose (common table sugar), and glycogen. This process takes time in the body, and naturally regulates the amount of sucrose being released into the blood stream.
The other reason is realted to above, fruit contains fiber, fiber is a natural aid to digestion in that the body needs to release the nutritional components from the fiber before it can break down those components. This further slows down digestion, giving your body time to assimilate the nutrients and use them for what they were meant, instead of releasing a burst into the blood. that's why fruit Juice isn't all that great, the fiber is removed, it is a faster breakdown of the sugar.

That's why you get a sugar rush from snickers, but you don't if you say... ate 3 apples at a time. Similar volumes of sugar, but the apples would take 6 to 7 times as long to digest.

Hope this helps.

So drinking fruit juice is bad? Even though it says 'no added sugar' like Juicy Juice or Welch's? I can never get my daily intake of fruits so I have been drinking fruit 100% fruit juice.

AmyNVegas · January 2009

Pay attention to glycemic index too. Sugars that absorb more slowly due to high fiber or a whole grain package which breaks down more slowly will actually lower cholesterol. Try to stay away from processed sugars and eat your sugars in whole fruits so you have the fiber to help slow absorption. This will lower the amount of insulin needed to be produced eat time you eat. Cholesterol is produced when excess insulin is stored in the liver and meets up with saturated fats. Refined sugars/carbs cause a larger amount of insulin to be produced which then must be stored in the liver if it is not all used at the time. That's why a pastry and a bowl of old fashioned oats may have the same carb count overall but one raises cholesterol and one helps lower it. Oats(rolled oats not instant) have fiber and whole grain that slow the absorption of the sugars and do not spike insulin production where the pastry turns straight to simple sugar, is absorbed very quickly, and spikes a dump of insulin into your system that eventually travels to the liver and uses the fat in the pastry to make cholesterol. So the short of it is make sure you eat your carbs as whole as possible and they will protect you from the sugar inside and will help lower your cholesterol.
Amy

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TROUBLE2 · January 2009

So drinking fruit juice is bad? Even though it says 'no added sugar' like Juicy Juice or Welch's? I can never get my daily intake of fruits so I have been drinking fruit 100% fruit juice.

yes it says no suggar ADDED, that does not mean it does not have sugar, that is a common missconception. as i found out later.

the issue i had with fruits is that one serving of grapes is about 5-6 grapes, a "small" handfull. I was in one sitting every day of the work week eating between 5-6 times that amount. and on top of that i was eating an orange and banana, with yogurt and a snack of some sort, now I trade walnuts and almonds in place of one of the servigs of fruit and I have carrots instead of the yogurt. ad I have lowered my sugar intake to just over 45 grams a day. if you add up how many sugars I would intake per day it was 10 times that amount.

like i said before everything in moderation. and there is such a thing as "Too much of a good thing"

Sugars?

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