SUGAR!

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wickedcricket
wickedcricket Posts: 1,246 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I started tracking my sugar following a post in here. I can keep my calories in line but going FAR over 24g a day of sugar. I checked and the FDA recommends 20g a day for an adult female! I had NO idea I was eating so much sugar, if you'd ask me, I'd have said I eat LOW sugar.
I need menu options with less sugar - HELP!
any input appreciated

Replies

  • Shweedog
    Shweedog Posts: 883 Member
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    It is shocking how much sugar there is in our food, huh? Many people will tell you that the sugar from natural stuff like fruits and veggies is alright and to just count the added suger but the FDA says 20 grams total. That being said, I would try your hardest to get your sugars from the natural sources and avoid the processed foods with all their additives. Good luck!
  • tramaine81
    tramaine81 Posts: 113 Member
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    First, cut back on what used to be my prized elixir of life...juice. One glass of juice will do it for the day. Once you do that...move on to other things:)

    (I eat fruit instead of juice)

    Good luck!
  • BRANDYLYNETTE
    BRANDYLYNETTE Posts: 192 Member
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    ME too! I was shocked to see how "little" sugar we are allowed. MFP said I should stay under 24 grams of sugar....and usually, over half is from yogurt etc.... at breakfast!

    Just now starting to pay attention to that...but have yet been under the goal. However, I have lost 43 pounds...without worrying about it.....so........................lol
  • mariewithers
    mariewithers Posts: 27
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    I'm with you on this, I eat no added sugar at all!! I am type 2 diabetic so I watch mine. I ate a white petit pain today with lunch, had a nectarine and a banana, and had 180 mls skimmed milk on my cereal aand I am 11g over!!i would never be able to have less than 20g.
  • ibbray04
    ibbray04 Posts: 227 Member
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    I recently realized the same thing. I am way over in sugar almost every day. Most of it comes from fruit, but still I'm not happy about it. I also eat greek yogurt for breakfast, and that adds a lot. It is amazing how quickly it adds up!
  • kater8er
    kater8er Posts: 364 Member
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    Nuts are great...1 serving of almonds or peanuts has only 1-3 g of sugar. Boiled eggs, complex carbs....Some cheeses....Also beware of milk, 12 g a cup! I really watch my sugar, you can look at my diary if you want to see how I do it...I'm really full most days! For some really lucky people, they can lose weight w/o really watching sugar, but I wil tell you I was at a standstill---eating 1280 cals a day with NO success for a month, then a friend recommended I watch my sugar and I did everything he said to do, and BAM, weight started coming off. So apparently, for me, I have to watch my sugar...(damnit! I love sugar!)
  • GypsyRose25
    GypsyRose25 Posts: 407
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    Sugar from fruit IS okay. Regardless of what the FDA recommends. And remember... The FDA helped to come up with our Food Pyramid, which is absolutely useless. If you go over you "recommended" sugar intake, just make sure it is mostly from fruits, and not pure cane sugar.
  • LHann360
    LHann360 Posts: 159 Member
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    I just spoke to a trainer an hour ago about sugar! :laugh: I've only lost 3 lbs. this month when I was losing 2 a week for 3 months. So I look back in my food journal and check the sugar report for the past 90 days. There is a HUGE spike in my sugar :sad: . I've been eating a LOT of watermelon and cantaloupe because it's in season and it tastes fantastic....well to say the least, I am cutting my fresh fruit down to keep it in the daily sugar range. I'll be eating more fresh veggies to keep it in line. Sure is a downer when it tastes so good.
  • worldhurdler
    worldhurdler Posts: 153 Member
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    I concur with your shock - I randomly added the "track sugar" options to my food diary, and was astounded that I typically break my daily totals with just breakfast! And I have a protein shake and greek yogurt! I haven't stressed about it, since I know that keeping calories in line, eating high-protein and low-carb, and exercising regularly produce the results that I'm after, but it was a real eye-opener as to how much sugar is added to our processed foods. Even my lunch meet has 8g, which is a 1/3 of my daily totals! Perhaps it will be an area I focus on in the future, but I have too much other stuff going on now to concentrate on it. But, I am glad that I am now more aware of all of the "hidden sugar" in my food, and will most likely be more discerning in my food choices going forward.
  • smallerthighs
    smallerthighs Posts: 148
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    I agree. I had no idea how much sugar I was consuming...until I completely cut out sweets. I didn't miss it either..instead I resolved to eating "natural" sweet stuff......like fresh fruits....especially seedless watermelon..cantaloupe..and honeydew...OMG..they are sooo yummy. I don't even miss the bad sweets. Bad sweets are my season tickets to "FatLand"....and I HATE that place.
  • AdrienneKaren
    AdrienneKaren Posts: 168 Member
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    Nearly every American eats far too much sugar without realizing it. I didn't even realize the recommended amount was so low. I used to be very addicted to sugar. I started cutting out the sugar in things that didn't require it like juices and foods. There are some good diet and no sugar added juices. I look at labels and if something I'm buying has sugar added when it doesn't need to be, I don't buy it. If there's no getting around the added sugar, I'll buy the brand with the least amount (like with yogurts which are generally packed with sugar). I've been doing this for a few months and now I hardly even have a sweet tooth. Even most fruits are too sweet for me. It takes time, but you can get your body used to not having or craving all that sugar. Good luck!
  • jvkh127
    jvkh127 Posts: 261 Member
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    I was taught in my nutrition class....if you eat a high fiber diet it will help your body not absorb as much of the sugar you intake. So as long as your not going way over and you have a high fiber diet you should be okay. (as other people said as long as its not all processed sugar)
  • miss_holly01
    miss_holly01 Posts: 19 Member
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    I have exactly the same problem, my sugar is always over and I eat pretty healthily, as many others have said yogurts are packed with sugar, rarely have them now. Im not against sugar, everything in moderation is best but, I need to moderate it. I'm exercising and eating well but weight loss is slow, I think due to sugar. I love sweet things so finding it hard. Sugar seems like it's in everything, bread, milk, anything processed, even oats, branflake type cereals, it's not just the treats. I think I'm addicted to it. Was reading a website from a nutritionist, of which some of the info sounded a bit dodgy tbh but you can download a free '30 days Sugar Free PDF' which aims to break the addiction, so sugar becomes a treat rather than a necessity. Looks interesting but hard, no carbs ect. Has anyone tried it? Think I would be starving. http://olsonnd.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/30-SFD-Booklet.pdf x
  • cheeksv
    cheeksv Posts: 521 Member
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    I knew I was a sugar goer over type haha so I started tracking it as soon as I figured out how to add it to my profile. It is more about making different choices and sometimes sacrifices which I will say is not the easiest thing to do. If your cereal has health benefits but too much sugar shop around and find something better or cut how much of it you are eating. Cut out processed foods. That will help both sugar and sodium intake. Look at your diet and take out things you do not need. I ditched things like juice and soda cookies and such. They hold no nutritional value and can be replaced by things like fruits and sometimes yogurt. MEASURE your portions I sometimes half the serving size just because it says one up does not mean you have to have one cup. know what fruits are higher in sugar than others. This info can be so handy when shopping. I stopped eating grapes because one cup took away all my sugar for the day. Also find foods that have no sugar in them. I do not mean things with artificial sweeteners but cheese and some veggies in low amounts. Couple that with only having sugar foods during two meals ( like fruit for breakfast and a sweet snack after dinner) and it can help a ton. I go over on my sugar but never ever as much as I used to or as high. I do sometimes loose my way lol but making these changes helped.. Good luck!

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