Are natural sugars good or bad

Hi help...!! Confused.. Do you add to your daily sugar intake.. Natural sugars found in fruit as well as sugars you say have in tea/ coffee.. ..???
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Replies

  • melonaulait
    melonaulait Posts: 769 Member
    You're only supposed to track the added sugars, not naturally occurring sugars. Eating fruit and other naturally sugary stuff is different from eating foods with added refined sugar, even though the body doesn't differentiate between sugars. With fruit you also have the benefit of eating the fiber, which lessens the blood sugar impact naturally. o:)
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
    I used to have sugar in coffee, not no more, I cut sugar out, only natural, in fruits, I feel the best I have ever felt before.
  • flcknzwrg
    flcknzwrg Posts: 4 Member
    All "short carbohydrates" are collectively referred to as sugar. That includes both "table sugar" and "fruit sugar", which (if I'm not mistaken!) both contain much of the same sugar molecules, just in different ratios. To your body, these are very similar. It might be just a bit simplifying, but "sugar is sugar is sugar".

    So, to answer your question: "natural" sugar in fruits are logged in the same way as table sugar you (should not) add to your coffee. It's all just "sugar".
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    Don't even bother tracking these here.

    First, of all they aren't particularly important IF you are generally tracking calories and focusing on getting variety in food - lots of veggies and fruit, etc... If you are hitting your macros and eating variety, tracking sugar serves no particular purpose. The recommendations given on sugar maximums are intended to limit overall calorie intake.

    Second, the actual sugars reported in the database are really off - most user entries do not list sugar; people create the entries focusing on calories and macros (carbs, protein and fat).

    If you are diabetic and do need to track sugars, that is a totally different point - but then, please discuss that with your doctor.
  • jacquifrench304
    jacquifrench304 Posts: 131 Member
    MFP counts all sugar the same it cannot distinguish between the source. As I eat a lot of fruit and veg and very little packaged or refined food I ignore the number MFP tracks. All my sugars come with fibre or protein that I need . I Think it is not so much that "natural " sugar is "good" it is more about the other nutritional components of the foods that include it . Added sugar is often found it foods with a lower nutritional value , As I want most of my calories to be good bang for my buck I eat the ones with lots of nutrition included. They sometimes have a fairly high sugar count meh eating my banana and pear , I need my fibre
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
    Minimize fruit (small amount of blueberries ok). Use Stevia in place of sugar. Keep carbs below 100 grams/day.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Hi help...!! Confused.. Do you add to your daily sugar intake.. Natural sugars found in fruit as well as sugars you say have in tea/ coffee.. ..???


    Sugar is sugar, the labels and MFP and the target are all expressed in total sugars. You should have a bare minimum of 45 grams allocated if you have a 1200 cal goal.
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    Don't even bother tracking these here.

    First, of all they aren't particularly important IF you are generally tracking calories and focusing on getting variety in food - lots of veggies and fruit, etc... If you are hitting your macros and eating variety, tracking sugar serves no particular purpose. The recommendations given on sugar maximums are intended to limit overall calorie intake.

    Second, the actual sugars reported in the database are really off - most user entries do not list sugar; people create the entries focusing on calories and macros (carbs, protein and fat).

    If you are diabetic and do need to track sugars, that is a totally different point - but then, please discuss that with your doctor.

    /end thread
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    flcknzwrg wrote: »
    All "short carbohydrates" are collectively referred to as sugar. That includes both "table sugar" and "fruit sugar", which (if I'm not mistaken!) both contain much of the same sugar molecules, just in different ratios. To your body, these are very similar. It might be just a bit simplifying, but "sugar is sugar is sugar".

    So, to answer your question: "natural" sugar in fruits are logged in the same way as table sugar you (should not) add to your coffee. It's all just "sugar".

    Added sugars include glucose, sucrose and fructose (a molecular combination of the other two). Interestingly, fruits contain glucose, sucrose and fructose.
    There's not an iota of difference between one and the other. The sugar in fruit isn't different than added sugars in other foods.
    There may be less of it in some fruits (or more perhaps) or there may be more fiber in the fruit than in other snacks (or maybe not) but the sugars are not different.

    Besides, the amount of carbs derived from simple sugars is immaterial unless you have a medical reason for tracking it (diabetes), in which case you should consult your doctor.
  • runrascal
    runrascal Posts: 53 Member
    Okay so you need to know that the body reacts to and digests sugar occurring in whole fruit and veg very differently from refined sugar or honey. Refined includes all brown sugars too. Sugar in whole fruit (and veg) is tied in with a lot of fibre and therefore does not cause the blood sugar "spike" immediately after eating. It is digested slowly and utilised better by the body. If you want to avoid pure sugar then great, that's more healthy but that means all refined sugars glucose, fructose everything if it comes as granules or syrup. Also smoothies and juices have removed or blitzed the bejesus out of the food fibre and you lose the fibre benefit in the way the sugar is absorbed.

    If you log your fruit and veg on MFP it will record the amount of sugar in those foods and these are reflected in the calorie value of the food. So if you are simply wanting to lose weight the calories is all you need to concern yourself with.

    If you are being uber healthy then avoid all refined and added sugars.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    And when you track carbs, subtract the fiber from that food to get the net carbs. Unless it's listed in net carbs where that's already been done.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    And when you track carbs, subtract the fiber from that food to get the net carbs. Unless it's listed in net carbs where that's already been done.

    Lol. No. Don't do this. Defeats the purpose.

    Well, it does depend on your purpose, it's true. It depends on why and how you are tracking carbs.
  • AnabolicKyle
    AnabolicKyle Posts: 489 Member
    Are natural sugars good or bad?

    for fat loss sugar is sugar
    for health its a little different

    natural sugars contain stuff besides sugar like micro-nutrients, which is good.

    everything in moderation and you will be okay
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    Added sugar still comes from sugarcane, and unless I'm unaware we're importing from little green men, that's still "natural".
  • AnabolicKyle
    AnabolicKyle Posts: 489 Member
    natural is nonrefined, from the earth.
    Orphia wrote: »
    Added sugar still comes from sugarcane, and unless I'm unaware we're importing from little green men, that's still "natural".

    in your line of logic anything is natural.

    If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. - Carl Sagan
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    Are natural sugars good or bad?

    for fat loss sugar is sugar
    for health its a little different

    natural sugars contain stuff besides sugar like micro-nutrients, which is good.

    everything in moderation and you will be okay

    Well no, the sugar only contains sugar. The foods that contain the sugar also contain micro-nutrients. Slight difference.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    And when you track carbs, subtract the fiber from that food to get the net carbs. Unless it's listed in net carbs where that's already been done.

    Lol. No. Don't do this. Defeats the purpose.

    Well, it does depend on your purpose, it's true. It depends on why and how you are tracking carbs.

    It also depends where you are / where the data came from, as North America is somewhat unique in including fiber in "Total carbohydrates".

    In many places carbohydrate minus fibre can have a negative result.

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    runrascal wrote: »
    Okay so you need to know that the body reacts to and digests sugar occurring in whole fruit and veg very differently from refined sugar or honey.

    No it doesn't

    Refined includes all brown sugars too. Sugar in whole fruit (and veg) is tied in with a lot of fibre and therefore does not cause the blood sugar "spike" immediately after eating.

    are you talking about an insulin response? which in a healthy individual spikes after ingesting anything, including protein

    It is digested slowly and utilised better by the body. If you want to avoid pure sugar then great, that's more healthy but that means all refined sugars glucose, fructose everything if it comes as granules or syrup. Also smoothies and juices have removed or blitzed the bejesus out of the food fibre and you lose the fibre benefit in the way the sugar is absorbed.

    fibre is good

    If you log your fruit and veg on MFP it will record the amount of sugar in those foods and these are reflected in the calorie value of the food. So if you are simply wanting to lose weight the calories is all you need to concern yourself with.

    If you are being uber healthy then avoid all refined and added sugars.

    I am uber healthy I do not avoid sugars, I ensure my diet is nutritiously sound and I hit my macros and micro nutrient requirements without even tracking sugar