How much sugar is TOO much sugar?
chelshepherd
Posts: 4 Member
Hey all. I have recently started a food diary with myfitnesspal, and I am struggling with exceeding my daily sugar intake.
The problem is that all of the sugars that are being recorded are coming from my fruits & vegetables. I eat a lot of them in a day, which is why my intake is higher than it "should" be.
So what I want to know is... how much sugar is too much sugar?? And is it alright that my fruits & veggies are exceeding my sugar intake?!
The problem is that all of the sugars that are being recorded are coming from my fruits & vegetables. I eat a lot of them in a day, which is why my intake is higher than it "should" be.
So what I want to know is... how much sugar is too much sugar?? And is it alright that my fruits & veggies are exceeding my sugar intake?!
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Replies
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Unless you're diabetic I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it.0
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Yes, it is ok. As long as you are not over your total calories for the day, or have a medical condition affected by sugar, it is ok to go over.0
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I used to think that wasn't an issue then I got a diabetes type 2 diagnosis. Now I still eat fruit but I watch serving size and stay under my sugars.0
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I cut out fruits and I eat a crap ton of vegetables a day and I'm getting less than 25 grams a day which is what authoritynutrition says a woman should eat in a day. I used to be an apple a day girl until I started the LCHF way of eating. Now, I have no need for them. Do I allow raspberries from time to time? yes. But, only has a dessert or for substance in a protein smooth. But, if you're healthy and not diabetic, you may not need to cut them out. I just have more energy without that natural sugars that fruit has.0
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According to the American Heart Association, 25 grams of sugar is the recommended limit . Fruit and veggies have sugar yes, but they also contains fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. I wouldn't worry too much about sugar from fruits/vegetables. Try and stay away more from processed sugar.0
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I'm not diabetic, so that's not the issue. I am just new to the whole idea of journaling my food, so I am not sure if it's alright to exceed my sugars! I have yet to exceed daily calories, so that's definitely not the problem.0
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anthony150paolucci wrote: »According to the American Heart Association, 25 grams of sugar is the recommended limit . Fruit and veggies have sugar yes, but they also contains fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. I wouldn't worry too much about sugar from fruits/vegetables. Try and stay away more from processed sugar.
Is that from all sources?
Many people on here deride it, but the new USDA guidelines recommend limiting added sugars to less than 10% of calories, but I'm not aware of any guidelines about natural sugars. Personally, I don't worry about it.0 -
OP as others have said, unless you have a medical reason to restrict sugar, you probably don't need to worry too much, especially if most of your sugar is coming from fruits. A lot of people even change out that piece of data in their diary, tracking fiber instead of sugar.
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chelshepherd wrote: »I'm not diabetic, so that's not the issue. I am just new to the whole idea of journaling my food, so I am not sure if it's alright to exceed my sugars! I have yet to exceed daily calories, so that's definitely not the problem.
When I started on MFP, I expected my sugar numbers to be concerning, but it was actually the sodium that was consistently high, and I think more of a general health issue.
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no_day_but_2day wrote: »I cut out fruits and I eat a crap ton of vegetables a day and I'm getting less than 25 grams a day which is what authoritynutrition says a woman should eat in a day. I used to be an apple a day girl until I started the LCHF way of eating. Now, I have no need for them. Do I allow raspberries from time to time? yes. But, only has a dessert or for substance in a protein smooth. But, if you're healthy and not diabetic, you may not need to cut them out. I just have more energy without that natural sugars that fruit has.
What's wrong with fruit??0 -
I would think a max of 30g per day, but I personally try to keep it at 25 or less.
The question you might ask is, is there a loss of bodyfat? Especially around your belly.
If you have a glucometer to test your blood sugar at home, that will also tell you if your blood glucose is at an acceptable level.
You can limit fruit (lowering your carb macro), and instead increase your protein and fat macros. My own diet is 45-50% fat, and protein goal is 115g (protein grams the same number as my Lean Body Mass which is 115 lbs) and I lost weight very efficiently. If your veggies are non-starchy, the sugars from source will be minimal. Yay for veggies!!
Do you track fiber? Soluble fiber slows the entrance of sugar into your system, so whatever sugars you do eat, fiber will help to prevent spikes in blood sugar. Track fiber and increase it slowly to 35g or more!
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OP I don't track sugar and I lost 121 pounds and per my doctor and blood work I am in excellent health. As most everyone said if you have medical reason then yes track, if not then don't worry about it. Also to add process sugar won't kill you, I'm still alive.
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Lovee_Dove7 wrote: »I would think a max of 30g per day, but I personally try to keep it at 25 or less.
The question you might ask is, is there a loss of bodyfat? Especially around your belly.
If you have a glucometer to test your blood sugar at home, that will also tell you if your blood glucose is at an acceptable level.
You can limit fruit (lowering your carb macro), and instead increase your protein and fat macros. My own diet is 45-50% fat, and protein goal is 115g (protein grams the same number as my Lean Body Mass which is 115 lbs) and I lost weight very efficiently. If your veggies are non-starchy, the sugars from source will be minimal. Yay for veggies!!
Do you track fiber? Soluble fiber slows the entrance of sugar into your system, so whatever sugars you do eat, fiber will help to prevent spikes in blood sugar. Track fiber and increase it slowly to 35g or more!
Why would someone who doesn't have diabetes be testing their blood sugar?
OP, I only pay attention to added sugar, as others have said. I don't think twice about sugar from fruits and vegetables.0 -
My main fitness goal right now is to lose belly fat that has sadly slowly added up because of working in a new desk job for about a year. So I would like to know what the most important nutrients are that I should be tracking!0
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chelshepherd wrote: »My main fitness goal right now is to lose belly fat that has sadly slowly added up because of working in a new desk job for about a year. So I would like to know what the most important nutrients are that I should be tracking!
Losing fat is just about the calories. Meeting your protein, fiber, & fat macros are key to satiety.0 -
chelshepherd wrote: »My main fitness goal right now is to lose belly fat that has sadly slowly added up because of working in a new desk job for about a year. So I would like to know what the most important nutrients are that I should be tracking!
To lose weight the only thing you need to track is calories. Stay within your calorie parameters, stick with portion sizes and be accurate in your diary tracking. You'll be good to go
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I've been hearing today in the UK, that diabetes is a problem world wide now. Countries which were seen as being in poverty only a few years ago are now in the same fix as us their populations are falling into the same diabetic difficulties as we have. The advice now seems to be becoming eat or drink as little added sugar as possible. Keep sweet stuff as an occasional treat. We are in general living and eating so very differently to how our relatives one hundred years ago would have lived and eaten which is closer to how our bodies were programmed to work.
I used to consider the added sugar level as something I need not worry about too much but increasingly it is becoming obvious our livers etc are finding added much harder to eliminate because of the quantities we have been eating, sweet foods are so enticing, now it seems so very important. I differentiate fruit and vegetable sugars because they come with natural fibre which make them more digestible but again too many portions a day could cause problems for some.
If I were 20 again, knowing what I do now, I would avoid so many of the foods I used to indulge in only having the very occasional treat. That way I would probably have avoided problems I have acquired.0 -
alyssawentland wrote: »Lovee_Dove7 wrote: »I would think a max of 30g per day, but I personally try to keep it at 25 or less.
The question you might ask is, is there a loss of bodyfat? Especially around your belly.
If you have a glucometer to test your blood sugar at home, that will also tell you if your blood glucose is at an acceptable level.
You can limit fruit (lowering your carb macro), and instead increase your protein and fat macros. My own diet is 45-50% fat, and protein goal is 115g (protein grams the same number as my Lean Body Mass which is 115 lbs) and I lost weight very efficiently. If your veggies are non-starchy, the sugars from source will be minimal. Yay for veggies!!
Do you track fiber? Soluble fiber slows the entrance of sugar into your system, so whatever sugars you do eat, fiber will help to prevent spikes in blood sugar. Track fiber and increase it slowly to 35g or more!
Why would someone who doesn't have diabetes be testing their blood sugar?
OP, I only pay attention to added sugar, as others have said. I don't think twice about sugar from fruits and vegetables.
Because some people don't want to wait for diabetes to change their eating habits.0 -
Men should not be eating a lot of sugar regardless of the source because fructose can mess with test levels. Though, some say that the fiber in the fruit helps break the sugar down so it is not as bad as high-fructose syrup. It's basically all broscience at this point.. but....
For you, it is fine.0 -
chelshepherd wrote: »So what I want to know is... how much sugar is too much sugar??
It might be helpful to know that some countries have a sugar limit of 90g total from all sources. I don't know how they reached that number but you can use it to get an idea of where you stand.0 -
no_day_but_2day wrote: »I cut out fruits and I eat a crap ton of vegetables a day and I'm getting less than 25 grams a day which is what authoritynutrition says a woman should eat in a day. I used to be an apple a day girl until I started the LCHF way of eating. Now, I have no need for them. Do I allow raspberries from time to time? yes. But, only has a dessert or for substance in a protein smooth. But, if you're healthy and not diabetic, you may not need to cut them out. I just have more energy without that natural sugars that fruit has.
What's wrong with fruit??
I didn't say anything was wrong with fruit, I just said I don't need it in my diet anymore. I cut most sources of carbs on my way of eating just because I don't find them necessary. I don't need the sugar from fruit because it doesn't do my body any good to eat them. There's nothing wrong with them. I just would rather get my calories from something more satiating and I get my fiber from my non-starchy vegetables (spinach/broccoli etc).0 -
I'd only be concerned if you're regularly feeling hungry. At that point, it might be a good idea to choose fruit snacks with less sugar and more fibre, or even with veg.
You should be careful with smoothies, juices, and dried fruits, if you eat those. They're quite calorie dense.0 -
Depends a lot on a persons TDEE and activity/exercise regimen in my opinion.0
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Lovee_Dove7 wrote: »alyssawentland wrote: »Lovee_Dove7 wrote: »I would think a max of 30g per day, but I personally try to keep it at 25 or less.
The question you might ask is, is there a loss of bodyfat? Especially around your belly.
If you have a glucometer to test your blood sugar at home, that will also tell you if your blood glucose is at an acceptable level.
You can limit fruit (lowering your carb macro), and instead increase your protein and fat macros. My own diet is 45-50% fat, and protein goal is 115g (protein grams the same number as my Lean Body Mass which is 115 lbs) and I lost weight very efficiently. If your veggies are non-starchy, the sugars from source will be minimal. Yay for veggies!!
Do you track fiber? Soluble fiber slows the entrance of sugar into your system, so whatever sugars you do eat, fiber will help to prevent spikes in blood sugar. Track fiber and increase it slowly to 35g or more!
Why would someone who doesn't have diabetes be testing their blood sugar?
OP, I only pay attention to added sugar, as others have said. I don't think twice about sugar from fruits and vegetables.
Because some people don't want to wait for diabetes to change their eating habits.
If you have blood work done at your annual physical with normal results I can't imagine why you would need to be so hyper active about it. That seems obsessive to me. Why would you be looking for a problem you don't have?0 -
no_day_but_2day wrote: »no_day_but_2day wrote: »I cut out fruits and I eat a crap ton of vegetables a day and I'm getting less than 25 grams a day which is what authoritynutrition says a woman should eat in a day. I used to be an apple a day girl until I started the LCHF way of eating. Now, I have no need for them. Do I allow raspberries from time to time? yes. But, only has a dessert or for substance in a protein smooth. But, if you're healthy and not diabetic, you may not need to cut them out. I just have more energy without that natural sugars that fruit has.
What's wrong with fruit??
I didn't say anything was wrong with fruit, I just said I don't need it in my diet anymore. I cut most sources of carbs on my way of eating just because I don't find them necessary. I don't need the sugar from fruit because it doesn't do my body any good to eat them. There's nothing wrong with them. I just would rather get my calories from something more satiating and I get my fiber from my non-starchy vegetables (spinach/broccoli etc).
maaaaybe not the sugar.. but besides fiber like you stated there are lots of wonderful things like different micros from veggies and antioxidants and the fact they taste good.0 -
alyssawentland wrote: »Lovee_Dove7 wrote: »alyssawentland wrote: »Lovee_Dove7 wrote: »I would think a max of 30g per day, but I personally try to keep it at 25 or less.
The question you might ask is, is there a loss of bodyfat? Especially around your belly.
If you have a glucometer to test your blood sugar at home, that will also tell you if your blood glucose is at an acceptable level.
You can limit fruit (lowering your carb macro), and instead increase your protein and fat macros. My own diet is 45-50% fat, and protein goal is 115g (protein grams the same number as my Lean Body Mass which is 115 lbs) and I lost weight very efficiently. If your veggies are non-starchy, the sugars from source will be minimal. Yay for veggies!!
Do you track fiber? Soluble fiber slows the entrance of sugar into your system, so whatever sugars you do eat, fiber will help to prevent spikes in blood sugar. Track fiber and increase it slowly to 35g or more!
Why would someone who doesn't have diabetes be testing their blood sugar?
OP, I only pay attention to added sugar, as others have said. I don't think twice about sugar from fruits and vegetables.
Because some people don't want to wait for diabetes to change their eating habits.
If you have blood work done at your annual physical with normal results I can't imagine why you would need to be so hyper active about it. That seems obsessive to me. Why would you be looking for a problem you don't have?
Why would you not want to avoid it before it happens? Do you know what diabetes can do to you? My mom has had it and has had 3 strokes and high blood pressure. I do not want to get it, so why wouldn't I be mindful of my sugar and carb intake to prevent getting this? It's not being obsessive, it's being proactive. IF I do get diabetes, it won't be because I didn't try hard not to get it.0 -
I don't know. Sugar is not a macro I pay any attention to. I can tell you that having switched the lion's share of my sugar to stevia based sweeteners, I have lost a lot of weight and my dental health has massively improved. But I did that for the sake of the calorie savings, not because I hate sugar or something. Because glazed chocolate cake donuts are awesome.0
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anthony150paolucci wrote: »According to the American Heart Association, 25 grams of sugar is the recommended limit . Fruit and veggies have sugar yes, but they also contains fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. I wouldn't worry too much about sugar from fruits/vegetables. Try and stay away more from processed sugar.
Is that from all sources?
Many people on here deride it, but the new USDA guidelines recommend limiting added sugars to less than 10% of calories, but I'm not aware of any guidelines about natural sugars. Personally, I don't worry about it.
No, it's only added sugar. I've never seen anything credible (authority nutrition, of course, is the definition of not credible) that suggests that ALL sugar should be so low.
Personally, I've found that if you don't have a very low calorie limit it's not an issue (MFP sets it at 15% of calories for ALL sugars), but I simply look at the source of my sugars and if from fruit, veg, and dairy (not flavoring in dairy), I don't care. I've been known to hit around 50 g just from non starchy veg on a high day, and obviously it would be silly to decide from a rather arbitrary MFP limit that that's excessive sugar.0 -
AlabasterVerve wrote: »chelshepherd wrote: »So what I want to know is... how much sugar is too much sugar??
It might be helpful to know that some countries have a sugar limit of 90g total from all sources. I don't know how they reached that number but you can use it to get an idea of where you stand.
I looked this up once, I think it was the UK or maybe Australia, and the reasoning given was that it was the added sugar limit plus an estimate of what people were expected to eat from fruit, veg, and dairy (which of course varies quite a lot). Nothing was stated to suggest that exceeding this number due to more than typical fruit and veg or dairy was a problem, they just wanted a total sugar number (kind of like MFP).
That said, 90 g probably isn't going to be a problem for most on MFP unless on really high calories or a raw vegan.0 -
chelshepherd wrote: »Hey all. I have recently started a food diary with myfitnesspal, and I am struggling with exceeding my daily sugar intake.
The problem is that all of the sugars that are being recorded are coming from my fruits & vegetables. I eat a lot of them in a day, which is why my intake is higher than it "should" be.
So what I want to know is... how much sugar is too much sugar?? And is it alright that my fruits & veggies are exceeding my sugar intake?!
It's a fair question.
On a basic level, based on calories in vs calories out, 1tbs sugar is about 16 calories.
In context, if you go to the gym 5 days a week and burn on average 500 calories during an hour session. Consuming 20lbs of sugar daily and still be within your target (assuming you're counting calories in other food and drink)
I'm not suggesting you do that necessarily, just basic science.0
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