Smoothies, too much sugar
4bugsmama
Posts: 2,871 Member
I have started doing smoothies for breakfast since they travel well and are fairly simple to make before my commute to work. After logging them for a few days, I have quickly realized that what I started out thinking was a good idea, is full of too much sugar. I haven't strayed too far from what I've been putting in my blender cup (spinach/kale mix, 1/2 banana, blueberries, lactose-free milk, and buckwheat). I am hoping someone can help guide me to some more healthy (but still good tasting) smoothies. I would hate to lose my momentum on the healthy breakfasts I've been enjoying. TIA
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why would you think they have too much sugar?
so long as you are fitting them into your calorie allotment, what is the issue? you are getting vitamins and other health benifits from them.0 -
Unless you have a medical reason to avoid sugar, I wouldn't worry about it unless it's making it too challenging to stick to your calorie goals consistently.0
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My calories are not an issue, I am consistently at or just below my calorie allotment. My concern is the sugars that are in my smoothies. I consistently go over my sugars when I do more than one smoothie a day (which I have been doing lately, again because they travel well and are tasty). I just don't want to be setting myself up for having too much sugar and in return be slowing my weight loss.0
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My calories are not an issue, I am consistently at or just below my calorie allotment. My concern is the sugars that are in my smoothies. I consistently go over my sugars when I do more than one smoothie a day (which I have been doing lately, again because they travel well and are tasty). I just don't want to be setting myself up for having too much sugar and in return be slowing my weight loss.
sugar does not slow your weight loss...
personally, unless you're eating a ton of added sugars and sucking down sodas to wash down your pie and cookies, i wouldn't worry about it. pretty much if you eat fruit at all you are going to go over on your sugar targets. unless they've changed it (i haven't logged in a long time), mfp's sugar target is for added sugars.0 -
Your weight loss won't slow down from the amount of sugar you take in. It will slow down if the calories you consume are closer to the calories you burn. If the calories you consume are greater than the calories you burn, you will gain weight.
ETA: Disclaimer about medical condition requiring you to limit sugars.0 -
Thank you all for the information, I always learn so much when I put my questions out there
I have a long road ahead of me to really figure out how to eat (how sad does that sound?). 0 -
Sugar is not what causes weight gain. Barring some medical issue, it's overall calories that contribute to weight gain. Many people don't even track sugar, myself included. I traded out the sugar tracker on my page for fiber, which is a much better indicator of something that matters to me in my dietary needs.
Additionally, the sugar tracker does not differentiate between naturally occurring sugars vs added sugars. Personally I would be more worried about added sugars as those are the ones that can wreak havoc on my calorie counts. For example, a soda, while delicious, is 120 calories that I could have eaten instead. Even if it were ice cream or broccoli, I'd prefer to eat my calories than drink them. I feel more satiated that way.
Nothing wrong with fruit or sugar, provided it doesn't take you over your calorie goals.0 -
Thank you all for the information, I always learn so much when I put my questions out there I have a long road ahead of me to really figure out how to eat (how sad does that sound?).
Don't worry about it, most of us are here because we didn't know how to eat properly before (it's why we got fat!) and the weight loss / nutrition industries put out a lot of confusing and contradictory information. The important thing is that you're here, and asking questions, never be afraid to ask questions here 0 -
You don't have any added sugars in your smoothie, so I wouldn't be too concerned. My go-to smoothie is very similar - greens, almond milk, banana, hemp or chia seeds.0
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I love my smoothie. I use it to help reach my protein, iron, and fibre goals. As BecomingBane said, I don't track sugar either. It's a carb. It gets counted there. Unless there is medical reason to track, perhaps pick something different. Overall calories is what will cause the weight changes. Different macros may help you stay full longer (fats and proteins keep me full), and other things (veggies) can be eaten in larger portions due to fewer calories.0
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If you want to reduce the sugars (and calorie count) in your smoothies, you might switch to unsweetened almond milk (12g savings per smoothie) and a mix of strawberries, blackberries, and/or raspberries rather than the 1/2 banana and the blueberries (assuming 1 cup of fruit, up to 10g savings per smoothie). This would save about 88 calories per smoothie.
I like to have a smoothie every day as an evening treat: 1 cup water, two scoops protein powder, 3/4 cup frozen berries (including blueberries), 1/4 cup reduced fat ricotta, stevia to taste (13g sugar total), maybe some cocoa powder. I like a half frozen banana for part of the fruit sometimes, too. The frozen fruit and ricotta make for a thick, filling, and rich tasting snack. For me, calories saved here and there are calories I can use somewhere else during the day.0 -
I agree with everyone else. You really don't need to worry about whole fruit sugar (or blended whole fruit) as long as you stay within your calorie goals (added sugar is another story). I drink a smoothie every morning very similar to yours. I'd recommend checking out "Sugar: The Bitter Truth" by Robert Lustig (YouTube it...it's almost 2 hours, but extremely eye opening). He gives a great lecture on sugar, high fructose corn syrup etc and why it is bad/how it effects the body. But he does say that natural whole fruit sugar is okay because the nutrients and fiber you get help metabolize it differently. Fruit juice isn't that great because it is lacking the fiber of the whole fruit.0
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No need to worry unless you are diabetic. As long as it is sugar from a nutritious source and not from baked goods and the like. I usually go over my sugar allotment because of fruit and skim milk.0
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Again, thank you all so much for your insight and willingness to help!
As far as changing what I track (switching from sugar to another macro), how do I do that? I am fairly new at this and haven't navigated the use of MFP much.0 -
Again, thank you all so much for your insight and willingness to help!
As far as changing what I track (switching from sugar to another macro), how do I do that? I am fairly new at this and haven't navigated the use of MFP much.
Website and Windows Phone Users
Log in to http://www.myfitnesspal.com in a web browser
Click "My Home", then "Goals", then click the "Change Goals" button at the bottom of the page.
Choose the "Custom" option and you'll be taken to a page where you can set your own targets for all of the nutrients we track.
Once you've saved your changes, those same changes will appear in the app the next time the app syncs to the website
Windows Phone users can adjust their Net Calorie goal directly in the app on the "More" page by tapping "Edit Profile" then "Net Calorie Goal."
In our Android and iOS apps
Tap "Goals" in the Menu (or "More" page)
Tap the settings to adjust your weight change and macronutrient goals (Fat, Protein Carbs)
Tap "Advanced Nutritional Goals" to adjust additional micronutrient goals0 -
My Home / Settings / Diary Settings0
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Again, thank you all so much for your insight and willingness to help!
As far as changing what I track (switching from sugar to another macro), how do I do that? I am fairly new at this and haven't navigated the use of MFP much.
On the website, go to My Home > settings > Diary settings. On the app, go to settings on the drop down menu, then diary settings.nichalsont wrote: »No need to worry unless you are diabetic. As long as it is sugar from a nutritious source and not from baked goods and the like. I usually go over my sugar allotment because of fruit and skim milk.
FYI, I don't worry about the sugar in baked goods or anything else either. Again, for me, I have no medical conditions requiring that I monitor it. I eat mostly whole foods, but fit in some treats nearly daily. This helps keep me sane and not feeling like I'm on a diet. I intend to continue having treats throughout my life, I want to learn good habits now, so that I can maintain in the future.0 -
Just make sure you brush your teeth afterwards.0
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Thanks for this. Is the 90g UK RDA just for 'added' sugars then? I'd love to be able to discount the fruit sugar - at the moment trying to keep sugar total low means a lot of very green, and not very pleasant protein shakes.0
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I have started doing smoothies for breakfast since they travel well and are fairly simple to make before my commute to work. After logging them for a few days, I have quickly realized that what I started out thinking was a good idea, is full of too much sugar. I haven't strayed too far from what I've been putting in my blender cup (spinach/kale mix, 1/2 banana, blueberries, lactose-free milk, and buckwheat). I am hoping someone can help guide me to some more healthy (but still good tasting) smoothies. I would hate to lose my momentum on the healthy breakfasts I've been enjoying. TIA
It looks like you are eating natural sugars. If you were drinking soda every single day, that might be an issue. If you want to lower your sugars in your smoothie, switch out the banana for pineapple or some other low sugar fruit or milk. Make sure you weigh bananas, I have found MFP to be inaccurate with some foods. But I wouldn't stress to much about sugars found in fruits and veggies! Enjoy your smoothie!!0 -
Just a note, sugar is not a Macro. The 3 macronutrients are Carbs (sugar is part of this), Protein, and Fat. Frankly, I track the 3 macros, fiber. I also have sodium on the list because I have high blood pressure.0
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Thanks for the info, I changed to also tracking fiber, since, like it was mentioned, I feel fuller when I have fiber. I feel soooo much better now!
@RuNaRoUnDaFiEld - I brush my teeth
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I agree with what everyone else said about the sugar.
That said, if you are having that for two meals, my only concern would be if you are meeting your other goals, like protein. If so, no problem.0 -
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cat_smith1 wrote: »Thanks for this. Is the 90g UK RDA just for 'added' sugars then? I'd love to be able to discount the fruit sugar - at the moment trying to keep sugar total low means a lot of very green, and not very pleasant protein shakes.
i have to watch the greenery because I'm on Coumadin. Plus, the notion of a smoothie with greenery in it kind of turns my stomach. You can get your greenery in salads and sides, no need to put it into smoothies if you don't like it there. Good nutrition isn't about punishing yourself, IMHO.0 -
cat_smith1 wrote: »Thanks for this. Is the 90g UK RDA just for 'added' sugars then? I'd love to be able to discount the fruit sugar - at the moment trying to keep sugar total low means a lot of very green, and not very pleasant protein shakes.
I believe that's an effort to come up with a total sugar number based on the added sugar recommendation and an estimate of what people eat in other sugars. (If memory serves the added sugar number is 10%, but I can't seem to get their site to work on my computer at the moment.) There's no reason to think exceeding sugar numbers from fruits and veg will be harmful, though, so long as you don't do it at the expense of other things you need (like omega 3 fats, healthy fats in general, protein, enough veg).0 -
They did not blend the ocean or the buffalo long enough. Otherwise, great stuff! :laugh:0 -
I have a smoothie everyday for lunch which has a grand total of around 9g of sugar. If you're worried about sugar, swap your ingredients. My diary is open if you want to have a look at the ingredients I use.0
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cat_smith1 wrote: »Thanks for this. Is the 90g UK RDA just for 'added' sugars then? I'd love to be able to discount the fruit sugar - at the moment trying to keep sugar total low means a lot of very green, and not very pleasant protein shakes.
No, it is for total sugars. Probably based on added or "free" sugars plus what people typically consume in fruit & veg. You would need to be in the top 25% or higher of fruit consumers for the 90g to be a problem.
Fruit juice / smoothies would presumably fall into "free sugars" which are the one wise committees suggest we should be limiting to 10% of calories (50g at 2000 cals).0 -
Smoothies aren't fruit juice, are they? Blended whole fruit, instead. I can't do a smoothie for a meal -- I dislike drinking as an alternative to eating -- but they shouldn't be any different than eating fruit and veg just because the fruit and veg is blended, as it's all there.0
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