Sugar limit...

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LizaMena
LizaMena Posts: 47 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Why is my sugar limit so low on here? I try very hard to not go over, but it seems that I go over everytime and just w/my breakfast! Can someone advice please?

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  • candiigraham
    candiigraham Posts: 53 Member
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    I wouldn't worry too much about it. The number is for "processed" sugar, not natural (fruit). Some people make notes of their natural sugar, so they don't freak out when looking back. I on the other hand just limit my processed to the recommended amount and limit my fruit to2- 3 pieces per day.
  • piccolarj
    piccolarj Posts: 488 Member
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    It's because MFP doesn't differentiate between natural sugar in things like fruit and added sugar in things like cereal. So what I do is take my sugar total and subtract my fruit sugar from it and that gives me my total sugar for the day. Hope that helps!!
  • Ghlt4
    Ghlt4 Posts: 241 Member
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    Great post..... I was having the same problem. I didn't realize the count was just for processed food. That makes me feel a lot better now:)))))
  • LivLovLrn
    LivLovLrn Posts: 580 Member
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    thanks for posting the topic and for the responses, I was wondering about the same thing
  • LizaMena
    LizaMena Posts: 47 Member
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    Thanx everyone!! That's great to know! U guys are all awesome!
  • 4KidFather
    4KidFather Posts: 134
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    Why is my sugar limit so low on here? I try very hard to not go over, but it seems that I go over everytime and just w/my breakfast! Can someone advice please?

    Is it really that low? 6 teaspoons of sugar per day for women per the American Heart Association's recommendations. That's less than a can of soda! Most industrial producers and consumers don't seem aware :)
    Most breakfast 'cereals' are actually candy too
    www.americanheart.org/nutrition/sugar
    Their info is very helpful - I use it to quell my Kids' sugar rebellions :)
  • Becky1971
    Becky1971 Posts: 979 Member
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    I don't count my fruit sugar though MFP does. So that gives me a little more wiggle room. But yeah, seems pretty tough for me, I mean just having some yogurt leaves me unable to enjoy a desert if I want to stick to my sugar goal.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    I've never understood that, not counting fruit sugar. Fruit sugar is fructose, which has been linked to obesity and insulin resistance. I like fruit, but limit myself to one a day, because most research I've read shows fructose to be just as potentially dangerous on it's own as added sugar. All simple sugars are bad in excess because they are quick to digest, and if not used right away, get stashed away as fat. Too much fructose can also cause liver damage.

    This also ties into the high fructose corn syrup debate (and the fact that since fructose and glucose have basically the same effects on the body, high fructose corn syrup and regular sucrose actually are metabolized in the same way by the body) but that's another discussion for another time.

    In short, definitely count your fruit sugar as sugar, because that's what it is, it's not "free sugar."
  • RangerSteve
    RangerSteve Posts: 437
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    I've never understood that, not counting fruit sugar. Fruit sugar is fructose, which has been linked to obesity and insulin resistance. I like fruit, but limit myself to one a day, because most research I've read shows fructose to be just as potentially dangerous on it's own as added sugar. All simple sugars are bad in excess because they are quick to digest, and if not used right away, get stashed away as fat. Too much fructose can also cause liver damage.

    This also ties into the high fructose corn syrup debate (and the fact that since fructose and glucose have basically the same effects on the body, high fructose corn syrup and regular sucrose actually are metabolized in the same way by the body) but that's another discussion for another time.

    In short, definitely count your fruit sugar as sugar, because that's what it is, it's not "free sugar."

    There is a new one of these threads every day it seems.....

    First off. NO. Sugars that don't get used right away DO NOT get stored as fat. Excess calories get stored as fat. Sugars can actually be stored as muscle glycogen which is very important for many people who like to exercise with intensity as it gets broken down into glucose which then gets used to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which lets you hit the weights, sprint, climb or whatever intense exercise you want to do.

    Sugars from fruit = 4kcal per gram

    Sugars from ice cream = 4kcal per gram

    Sugars from pasta sauce = 4kcal per gram

    Sugars from milk = 4kcal per gram

    I think you're getting the idea of where I'm going with this. If you're worried about the "insulin" spike that accompanies eating sugar, have something that contains fiber along with it as that will help blunt the response. Calories from sugar, fat and carbs are just units of energy. One of them isn't going to get stored as fat while others don't. Eating too many calories will lead to fat storage. This is "the law of conservation of energy" and it's basic physics.

    Don't demonize sugar, or carbohydrates in general. Demonize eating too much (if you're trying to lose weight).
  • Becky1971
    Becky1971 Posts: 979 Member
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    Thats why I generally stay away from the forum anymore, there is just so much controversy over everything, it gets overwhelming sometimes.

    I count the calories from my fruit, I just don't count them as sugar. If having fruit became a problem for my body I would eliminate it too. Right now with the restrictions I do have, I'm not interested in adding fruit to that group. I know I have many side effects from too much sugar, I tried eliminating the fruit to see if it's causing me problems, and it's not (as far as I can tell). It's the added sugars that are causing me problems.
  • greensnow
    greensnow Posts: 73
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    I'm the same. Fruit is natural sugar so I wouldn't stress too much :)
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    I've never understood that, not counting fruit sugar. Fruit sugar is fructose, which has been linked to obesity and insulin resistance. I like fruit, but limit myself to one a day, because most research I've read shows fructose to be just as potentially dangerous on it's own as added sugar. All simple sugars are bad in excess because they are quick to digest, and if not used right away, get stashed away as fat. Too much fructose can also cause liver damage.

    This also ties into the high fructose corn syrup debate (and the fact that since fructose and glucose have basically the same effects on the body, high fructose corn syrup and regular sucrose actually are metabolized in the same way by the body) but that's another discussion for another time.

    In short, definitely count your fruit sugar as sugar, because that's what it is, it's not "free sugar."

    There is a new one of these threads every day it seems.....

    First off. NO. Sugars that don't get used right away DO NOT get stored as fat. Excess calories get stored as fat. Sugars can actually be stored as muscle glycogen which is very important for many people who like to exercise with intensity as it gets broken down into glucose which then gets used to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which lets you hit the weights, sprint, climb or whatever intense exercise you want to do.

    Sugars from fruit = 4kcal per gram

    Sugars from ice cream = 4kcal per gram

    Sugars from pasta sauce = 4kcal per gram

    Sugars from milk = 4kcal per gram

    I think you're getting the idea of where I'm going with this. If you're worried about the "insulin" spike that accompanies eating sugar, have something that contains fiber along with it as that will help blunt the response. Calories from sugar, fat and carbs are just units of energy. One of them isn't going to get stored as fat while others don't. Eating too many calories will lead to fat storage. This is "the law of conservation of energy" and it's basic physics.

    Don't demonize sugar, or carbohydrates in general. Demonize eating too much (if you're trying to lose weight).

    Good point about the fat storage, I misspoke. I'm not demonizing sugar, I'm just pointing out that sugar from fruit is the same as added sugar, from the body's point of view. It doesn't differentiate whether the sugar comes from ice cream or apples, it's still sugar, it's still metabolized by the body the same way, and it still has the same health benefits/detriments as any other sugar.

    If you eat 50 grams of sugar from apples in a day, or 50 grams of sugar from ice cream in a day, as far as the body and your overall health is concerned, you ate 50 grams of sugar.

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