Hmm.. MFPs sugar recommendations seem a little odd..

Natasha7t2
Natasha7t2 Posts: 129
edited September 30 in Food and Nutrition
Hello all,

I have decided to save myself for tonight as I will be having a big dinner at my friend's wedding so I have been really careful and made sure I had a healthy and nutritious breakfast. So, all I have had to eat today is a small banana, a pro-biotic fat free yoghurt and 2 teaspoons of Manuka honey. I have looked at my diary and I'm rather shocked and confused about how my sugar intake for the day has already gone deep into the red. I'm concerned about this. Are MyFitnessPal's sugar guidelines unrealistic or am I having too much sugar?

Can anyone advise?

Thanks!

Replies

  • shanefg
    shanefg Posts: 29 Member
    In not sure how accurate MFP is on sugar content. I always look at the sugar content on the packaging itself its amazing how some foods are loaded with sugar. And its foods you would never think aswell. I allways read the packaging to be sure.
  • Natasha7t2
    Natasha7t2 Posts: 129
    In not sure how accurate MFP is on sugar content. I always look at the sugar content on the packaging itself its amazing how some foods are loaded with sugar. And its foods you would never think aswell. I allways read the packaging to be sure.

    Yes, seeing how much sugar is in the pro-biotic yoghurt has raised my awareness about sugar. I'll be checking food labels from now on!

    Thanks :)
  • Aileen46
    Aileen46 Posts: 176 Member
    MFP has mine set to 25mg per day, but when looking it up on the internet, I found that the average amount per person that isn't diabetic is 40mg. I quite often go over the 40 though!!
  • NuMe46
    NuMe46 Posts: 128
    i often go over the MFP recommendation but most of mine is from fruit so I really don't worry about it.
  • bjshooter
    bjshooter Posts: 1,174 Member
    I have given up and changed sugar to something else, I was always over, no matter how good my day seemed.
  • kater8er
    kater8er Posts: 364 Member
    I try to never ever go over on the MFP sugar recommendations....It seems to help me in my stomach area--and I've read that sugar tends to accumulate in the gut, which is what I don't want. I also taper my sugar throughout the day---more in the morning (tea, carbs), and in the evening little or none. It's been very effective for me so far.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    bananas are also high in sugar, so the combo of that and the yogurt probably did you in! :)
  • kathleennf
    kathleennf Posts: 606 Member
    In my opinion one flaw in the system of MFP is that it does not distinguish between sugar from fruit and sugar added to foods. Sugar added to foods is bad. But if I have fruit for lunch often that puts me into the red and I did not even really have any sugar. The good thing though is that it has helped me be aware of how much sugar I do eat.
  • gabrielled
    gabrielled Posts: 247 Member
    i often go over the MFP recommendation but most of mine is from fruit so I really don't worry about it.

    Yes, if your sugars are from fruit and not white sugar and flour, you should be fine.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    TOTAL sugar intake for a healthy individual (non-diabetic, workout regularly, etc.) is a range generally between 40-100 grams a day. Now that's total, sugar from all sources, table sugar, fruit sugars, milk sugars, etc. The actual number itself really depends on total carb percentage and activity levels. Endurance athletes can sometimes eat up to 150 grams of sugar a day.

    Here's the thing with sugar, people have been saying for years that too much sugar converts to fat. Now we know that excess calories (no matter the makeup) convert to fat, not specifically sugar. Now sugar can spike your blood glucose levels so it's always a good idea not to eat tons at a time, as when your blood glucose spikes, your pancreas goes nuts and creates a ton of insulin, and when the glucose ends up getting quickly metabolized, you end up with a lot of insulin in your system with no sugar to metabolize, which is what causes you to start craving more sugar. The trick is to keep your sugar levels consistent by not eating large amounts at a time, and as long as you hit your macros and stay within your calorie limits, you should be fine.

    Complex Carbs take longer to digest and metabolize, so they keep your blood sugar steadier and don't lead to insulin spiking and sugar crave, so that's why it's a good idea to make sure the majority of your carbs are complex, but if you go high on sugar once in a while, it's no big deal.
  • alienblonde1
    alienblonde1 Posts: 749 Member
    I removed sugar from my list and actually sodium too. If you eat fruit your sugar will always be high. So if you do track sugar and eat fruit subtract the sugar in fruit to get a better idea. Yogurts are high in sugar too.
  • nikkidee1983
    nikkidee1983 Posts: 38
    Bananas are high in sugar, it's a better sugar for you but still be mindful when eating fruit that it will diminish your sugar quickly. Sugars turn to fat in the body which is why MFP most likely keeps the intake low.
  • lbelfrey
    lbelfrey Posts: 63
    Yes, if your sugars are from fruit and not white sugar and flour, you should be fine.
    [/quote]

    I agree :) Atleast you're reaching for a fruit and not a piece of cake. Although I have heard to watch all sugar intake just to be on the safe side.
  • Natasha7t2
    Natasha7t2 Posts: 129
    Guys.. a huge thank you for all your helpful feedback. This is a great learning experience about sugar. I went shopping this evening and found myself checking food labels more carefully than before.

    Thanks so much :drinker:
  • agarris4
    agarris4 Posts: 23
    I've noticed that about yogurt as well. The Yoplait "light" yogurt has 19g of sugar, I believe. I really like to have yogurt though it fills me up so I started looking around at the other brands if you want a yogurt with less calories and sugar I recommend Kroger brand Cardmaster yogurt. It has 60 calories and 3g of sugar. If a Kroger is not available in your area you could also try Dannon light & fit, 50 calories and 7g of sugar. Either way both are significantly lower then most yogurts. I've been comparing them at all stores. Even the weight watchers brand yogurt is ridiculously high. Good luck!!! :)
  • auntie_missy
    auntie_missy Posts: 113 Member
    Because nutrition labels don't distinguish between natural & added sugars, MFP doesn't. Don't count natural sugars, such as a banana. Do count added sugars, such as the Activia yogurt. BTW - Activia is a horrible yogurt, healthwise. Yes, it has probiotics, but it also has added sugar, fructose, corn starch and modified food starch. Yogurt doesn't need all that! For instance, Chobani Greek Yogurt also has probiotics, but all natural ingredients, more protein and less carbs, and most flavors are fat free. I find it's more filling, too.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    "Probiotics" is cheap marketing. ALL yogurt has probiotics. Probiotics are the bacteria used to turn milk into yogurt.
  • Natasha7t2
    Natasha7t2 Posts: 129
    I've noticed that about yogurt as well. The Yoplait "light" yogurt has 19g of sugar, I believe. I really like to have yogurt though it fills me up so I started looking around at the other brands if you want a yogurt with less calories and sugar I recommend Kroger brand Cardmaster yogurt. It has 60 calories and 3g of sugar. If a Kroger is not available in your area you could also try Dannon light & fit, 50 calories and 7g of sugar. Either way both are significantly lower then most yogurts. I've been comparing them at all stores. Even the weight watchers brand yogurt is ridiculously high. Good luck!!! :)

    Excellent!

    Thanks for the tip. We don't have Kroger or Cardmaster but we do have Dannon, although I'm not sure whether we have light & fit, although it might just be called something different in the UK.

    I'm also reluctant to give up yoghurt as I don't drink milk and need the calcium.

    Can't believe Weight Watchers is high sugar. That surprised me.

    Thanks again :-)
  • Natasha7t2
    Natasha7t2 Posts: 129
    "Probiotics" is cheap marketing. ALL yogurt has probiotics. Probiotics are the bacteria used to turn milk into yogurt.

    No way!
    I'm learning a lot here! Thanks for enlightening me :)
  • earthnut
    earthnut Posts: 216 Member
    Yes, the sugar recommendation on MFP is misleading. I think it's based on the USDA recommendation that ADDED sugars make up no more than 8% of the daily intake of calories (which for me is 28g). However, having this as the recommended total is inaccurate and misleading. Trying to limit ALL sugars to below the recommendation for ADDED sugars is unhealthy. The sugar counts on labels and in the database make no distinction between NATURAL sugars (which there is no upper limit for) and ADDED sugars, which are good to limit. In trying to find a recommendation for NATURAL sugars, I found a site which recommends 100 g a day of NATURAL sugar. Therefore I changed my sugar recommendation on MFP to 128g a day to give me a goal for both NATURAL and ADDED sugar.

    http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_grams_of_sugar_are_appropriate_per_day_for_the_average_adult
  • jettichicken
    jettichicken Posts: 10
    In not sure how accurate MFP is on sugar content. I always look at the sugar content on the packaging itself its amazing how some foods are loaded with sugar. And its foods you would never think aswell. I allways read the packaging to be sure.

    Yes, seeing how much sugar is in the pro-biotic yoghurt has raised my awareness about sugar. I'll be checking food labels from now on!

    Thanks :)


    Sugar isn't the problem for me, Sat. Fat is more confusing to me because it doesn't break down the types of fats. Mono Unsaturated fats are actually better for you and help with getting rid of belly fat... avocados, nuts, ect.. But when I added Mono unsaturated to my list of items to track, it says my goal is n/a and any that I do have it puts a negative number in my "left" column. It list that I should have 17 g of saturated fat....if it is including the good fats, then fine....still a bit confusing. I know it can't expect me to eat 17g of trans fat!!!
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    You need to set your goals manually for unsaturated fats, as there is no recommendation for limits for unsaturated fats (that I'm aware of.)
  • Natasha7t2
    Natasha7t2 Posts: 129
    Yes, the sugar recommendation on MFP is misleading. I think it's based on the USDA recommendation that ADDED sugars make up no more than 8% of the daily intake of calories (which for me is 28g). However, having this as the recommended total is inaccurate and misleading. Trying to limit ALL sugars to below the recommendation for ADDED sugars is unhealthy. The sugar counts on labels and in the database make no distinction between NATURAL sugars (which there is no upper limit for) and ADDED sugars, which are good to limit. In trying to find a recommendation for NATURAL sugars, I found a site which recommends 100 g a day of NATURAL sugar. Therefore I changed my sugar recommendation on MFP to 128g a day to give me a goal for both NATURAL and ADDED sugar.

    http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_grams_of_sugar_are_appropriate_per_day_for_the_average_adult

    Thanks. Really helpful. I am going to change my sugar settings right now.
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