Natural sugar...good or bad?

Fruits and vegetables also contain lots of fiber which help you feel full, and micro-nutrients which are great for health. Keep filling up your plate. I find it more helpful to track fiber on MFP.

I eat loads of veggies - they are good but when it comes to fruit - I am a bit careful. They also come with a fair bit of carbs. I do track my sugar intake as there are many foods out there that you wouldn't think have any sugar at all. Try to choose fruit that are lower in GI.

madmoisellejadore wrote: »

Hi everyone!

Quite new to this, I was recently a member of Weight Watchers but the monthly fee was getting a little expensive along with my other bills! Thought I'd try MFP but I'm a little confused...where as on diet programmes you are advised to snack on fruit and vegetables and fill half of your plate with these at meal times, if I do this on MFP my sugar calculation goes through the roof!

I understand that natural sugar is a lot better for us than cakes/biscuits/junk etc. but I wondered how everyone else goes on with this? Or do you limit fruit and vegetables?

I'm currently on a 1200 calorie plan and the fruit and vegetables really help me to stick to this amount to keep me full.

Thank you in advance!

Your body does not know the difference between the sucrose in table sugar and the sucrose in maple syrup. Neither does it know the difference between the fructose in fruit or the fructose in HFCS. All sugar, no matter the type or source, gets metabolized the same way.

As other have mentioned, the nutritional package that contains the sugar can make a difference in how the sugar is digested (which is different than how it is metabolized). Sugar from candy or juice will hit your bloodstream quicker than sugar from whole fruit or veggies. Also, sugary treats that are high in fat like cookies, cake, etc will take up more of your calorie allowance than sweet treats like fruit.

Basically what I am saying is: don't worry about the type of sugar. Work towards getting the highest nutritional punch for your calorie allotment. If you have a medical issue like diabetes or insulin resistance, you should moderate you total carb intake according to what you doctor/dietician recommends. Enjoy a treat on occasion as it fits into your total daily calorie picture.

I am T2Dm and I don't track sugars. I DO track total carbs per my doctor's recommendation and have a daily maximum number. I track fiber instead of sugars because I feel it is more important to get enough and the sugars are included in my total carb tracking anyway.