Smoothies, too much sugar

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  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,220 Member
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    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.
  • 4bugsmama
    4bugsmama Posts: 2,871 Member
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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! :)<3

    @RuNaRoUnDaFiEld - I brush my teeth :p
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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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.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
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    These smoothly recipes have very little sugar in them.

    http://youtu.be/cLmK2qrQDdU
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
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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.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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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 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).
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
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    brower47 wrote: »
    These smoothly recipes have very little sugar in them.

    http://youtu.be/cLmK2qrQDdU

    They did not blend the ocean or the buffalo long enough. Otherwise, great stuff! :laugh:
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    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.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    edited December 2015
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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).
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    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.
  • Lovee_Dove7
    Lovee_Dove7 Posts: 742 Member
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    4bugsmama wrote: »
    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
    Hello,
    I also am avoiding sugar and think it's a good idea.
    I just use a protein powder, fiber supplement or flax/chia seeds for fiber, greens if I want, or berries. I like roasted hazelnuts in them, too.
  • cherrybergher
    cherrybergher Posts: 12 Member
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    My smoothies are 50%veggies 25% fruit and the rest almond milk or water.

    Example from today.
    Handful of kale
    3/4 cup cauliflower
    1/2 cup peaches frozen
    1 tbsp Cacao powder
    Scoop vanilla protein powder
    Squirt of honey
    Almond milk

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    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.

    The cellular structure has been disrupted, which is I think at least one definition of "free sugars" - UK SACN say free sugars excludes "sugars contained within the cellular structure of foods ".

    Action on Sugar, a lobby group, have said "ministers should act to remove fruit juices and smoothies from the {5-a-day} recommendation".

    So we'll wait for regulatory rulings and Courts to decide I guess ;-)
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    yarwell wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    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.

    The cellular structure has been disrupted, which is I think at least one definition of "free sugars" - UK SACN say free sugars excludes "sugars contained within the cellular structure of foods ".

    Action on Sugar, a lobby group, have said "ministers should act to remove fruit juices and smoothies from the {5-a-day} recommendation".

    So we'll wait for regulatory rulings and Courts to decide I guess ;-)

    I've read something similar to this @yarwell , but it doesn't make sense. How could It lose/change the nutrients in the 5 minutes it takes me to make and drink a smoothie? It all turns to mush in our gut anyway..
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Christine_72 wrote: »
    I've read something similar to this @yarwell , but it doesn't make sense. How could It lose/change the nutrients in the 5 minutes it takes me to make and drink a smoothie? It all turns to mush in our gut anyway..

    It isn't about the nutrients really it's about the uptake rate of sugars. Fruit juice is a "free sugar" because most of the non-nutrient insoluble fibre has been separated and the sugars are not contained in a cellular structure.

    They're walking a tightrope already in pretending that fruit and fruit juice are different when this is not necessarily the case (depends on the fruit for starters). If they are to claim harm from drinking full sugar coca cola then they would struggle to deny harm from fruit juice, smoothies aren't far away and objectively the effect of fruit is probably pretty similar.

    However I now have some kittens to drown and puppies to shred so I can claim redemption after saying something bad about fruit ;-)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Here's the report: https://www.bda.uk.com/media/pressreleases/150717why5

    I can't tell if smoothies would be considered free sugars or half free sugars or not, but looking at it pragmatically I wouldn't bother including them. If you read the report, as well as the WHO's report, the issue is calories. Eating a diet high in free sugars when not monitoring calories tends to result in consuming too many calories. That's why fruit is different -- not because the sugar is meaningfully different, but because eating lots of fruit and veg tends to be associated with less likelihood of obesity (the Nurses Study is one source for this). What about smoothies? I suspect there's not a lot of research on this point, but in that they tend to be a breakfast for people in search of a fast breakfast, I'd suspect it has more to do with what they replace and how filling they are perceived to be by the particular person eating them. (If they aren't filling, since they are often adopted as part of a diet strategy, I'd hope the person would replace or modify them.)

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