fruit and sugars

I am having difficulty keeping my sugar under 45 g. Today I had a bowl of protein cheerios with milk and a half of banana and I already have used all but 15 g of sugar. I am trying to make better choices. I went and bought a bunch of fruit for snacks thinking that would be my best bet. While today most of my sugars came from the cheerios yesterday it all came from fruit and I went way over. Of course I know now to find something other than the cheerios for breakfast. I still don't know what to do about the fruit. Tomorrow when i go grocery shopping I am going to get some popcorn and almonds. I do have other low calorie snacks like sugar free jello and sugar free pudding. I just thought the fruit would be the better choice health wise. I am a bit confused. I actually prefer the fruit over jello and pudding. Please help!!!

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Unless you have a medical reason to watch your sugar intake, you don't need to worry about it. I don't even bother tracking it.
  • DonaldBlinks
    DonaldBlinks Posts: 55 Member
    edited April 2016
    Why are you trying to limit your sugars? Unless you have a medical reason to do so or aren't feeling satisfied with your current plan, don't sweat it.

    ETA: By "not feeling satisfied", I mean that if you're feeling hungry throughout the day then it may help to switch out some of your fruit calories for protein. But if you're feeling good and keeping at an appropriate calorie goal, then you should keep on keeping on.
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
    Sugar is not bad in and of itself. Unless you have medical blood sugar issues, I wouldn't worry about sugars that come from fruits and such. If you're getting a lot of your carbs from complex sources, fruits, and veggies, you're good to go! I never pay attention to sugar, just overall carbs in my diet. Plus, if you're eating carbs/sugars in the context of a bigger meal, the GI effect is pretty much negated.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    mitsimr wrote: »
    I am having difficulty keeping my sugar under 45 g. Today I had a bowl of protein cheerios with milk and a half of banana and I already have used all but 15 g of sugar. I am trying to make better choices. I went and bought a bunch of fruit for snacks thinking that would be my best bet. While today most of my sugars came from the cheerios yesterday it all came from fruit and I went way over. Of course I know now to find something other than the cheerios for breakfast. I still don't know what to do about the fruit. Tomorrow when i go grocery shopping I am going to get some popcorn and almonds. I do have other low calorie snacks like sugar free jello and sugar free pudding. I just thought the fruit would be the better choice health wise. I am a bit confused. I actually prefer the fruit over jello and pudding. Please help!!!

    Fruit is good for you...it has lots of vitamins and minerals...but yeah..it also has sugar. Sugar in and of itself isn't this evil thing...overconsumption of sugar is not good for you, particularly when people are sucking down 40 ounce big gulps. It is generally recommended to have a couple servings of fruit per day...with a far greater emphasis on vegetables. I eat around 2 servings of fruit per day and 6 servings of vegetables.

    That said, if you don't have some kind of medical condition like diabetes or insulin resistance, I wouldn't really worry about it unless you're someone who eats a lot of sweets and sodas and whatnot. I hardly think an apple a day is at the root of the obesity epidemic.
  • mitsimr
    mitsimr Posts: 194 Member
    I was just doing it because it shows up on my food tracker. I do not have any medical conditions that would cause me to have to watch my sugars. After reading your comments I went and changed sugar to fiber. Not so much because I want to limit my fiber but so I can watch it and make sure I am getting enough. Thank you all.
  • Purplebunnysarah
    Purplebunnysarah Posts: 3,252 Member
    It's more added sugars you should limit. Any sugar that comes paired with a decent amount of fibre (such as fruit) is nothing to worry about.
  • crescentgaia
    crescentgaia Posts: 71 Member
    I agree with everyone else with fruit and the medical reason. However, if you do want to try and limit sugars, as with your breakfast, I would get a cereal that has less sugar / none at all in it. I do think tracking fiber is the better way to go, since that has more impact on your health, so you're really all set.
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,649 Member
    I don't track sugar. Hasn't made any difference for weight loss. Calorie deficit makes the difference.
  • BelleCakes2018
    BelleCakes2018 Posts: 568 Member
    If you really love fruit, why don't you try some of the fruits with lower sugar? Berries, rhubarb, melon are low in sugar.. strawberries, peaches, nectarines, blueberries are quite low in sugar... but the banana is one of the highest on the sugar list, lol. I think berries with cereal is actually really nice - you can make it work!