Sugar?

spvlat
spvlat Posts: 28 Member
edited November 24 in Food and Nutrition
Hello. I recently read online that dietitians and nutrition experts recommend consuming no more than 25grams of ADDED sugars per day (for women at least). What about sugar that is naturally found in fruits, veggies etc? I'm someone that will frequently overconsume these foods with the excuse that they're healthy in mind, so I was wondering what is a good limit to have on naturally existing sugars?
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Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    If you need to watch your sugar intake due to medical reasons you should ask your doctor or see if you can be referred to a dietitian to see how much they say to limit it to. Otherwise, there isn't one provided you aren't crowding out the nutrients @lemurcat12 mentions above and you aren't going over your calorie intake.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    yeah, I don't track sugar. It's pretty meaningless. (Plus it's on the "Printable version" by default if you clickety on that at the bottom of the food page.)
  • spvlat
    spvlat Posts: 28 Member
    I'm not really asking in hopes of changing anything in my diet just out of curiosity really. I read about the 25grams and I thought that there must be a number for natural sugars as a guide or suggestion since the overconsumption of fruits seems unhealthy to me even if it falls within the appropriate amount of one's calories. Eating 1800 calories worth in bananas and nothing else in a day can't be good for you right?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    edited January 2018
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    1800 calories worth of bananas and nothing else does not translate to a balanced diet, so, no, it's not healthy.

    I know someone who eats four to five pounds of bananas a day (according to them.) I can't even. They're pretty ortho, though.

    (Ya think?)
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    edited January 2018
    spvlat wrote: »
    I'm not really asking in hopes of changing anything in my diet just out of curiosity really. I read about the 25grams and I thought that there must be a number for natural sugars as a guide or suggestion since the overconsumption of fruits seems unhealthy to me even if it falls within the appropriate amount of one's calories. Eating 1800 calories worth in bananas and nothing else in a day can't be good for you right?

    A limit of 90g of total sugar per day (intrinsic and free) is an amount that has been kicked around if that helps. It allows for 45g of sugar from eating the recommended fruits, vegetables and dairy and allows for the upper limit of added sugar as well.
    It has been estimated that indigenous sugars provided by recommended daily intakes of fruits,
    vegetables, cereals and dairy products would amount to about 45 g in adults. Assuming that
    the remaining 45 g of sugars (up to the 90 g proposed for the labelling reference intake) are
    added sugars, this would correspond to 9 E% for a 8400 kJ or 2000 kcal diet.
    Thus the Panel considers that the proposed labelling reference intake of 90 g for (total) sugars
    is compatible with a recommended upper limit of intake of added sugars of 10 E% for
    individuals in the general population as proposed by some authorities.     Source
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited January 2018
    spvlat wrote: »
    I'm not really asking in hopes of changing anything in my diet just out of curiosity really. I read about the 25grams and I thought that there must be a number for natural sugars as a guide or suggestion since the overconsumption of fruits seems unhealthy to me even if it falls within the appropriate amount of one's calories. Eating 1800 calories worth in bananas and nothing else in a day can't be good for you right?

    Not good for you because you lack protein and healthy fats and vegetables.

    A balanced diet will not have an insane amount of sugar because you will be consuming other things to satisfy other needs.
  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
    edited January 2018
    My doctor advised me to keep sugar (added or natural) low, I told him I usually eat around 70g or less a day including fruits etc and he said that's fine so I tend to stick to that. I'm not advising everyone should do that, just what I'm happy to stick with and find my calories are good too. I don't have that much of a sweet tooth anyway so find it easy to keep sugar low.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited January 2018
    70 g is well above the MFP goal, if one has 1200 calories (it would be 45 g).

    I've generally been below the MFP goal too, since I've mostly aimed for 1600 calories or more (60 g). In fact, I've been intentionally eating more fruit than I usually do in the winter lately (but logging on Cron, where sugar is not so visible), so checked Wednesday and Thursday and even then it was only about 63 and 65 g. I think people worry about sugar more when they are at lower calories. I blow through 45 g regularly even on days (most of them) when I eat no or almost no added sugar, just because of veg and fruit.

    Personally, I would be extremely surprised if someone could show me that it's bad for health to eat a bit more fruit, lots of veg, and sufficient protein and healthy fats, and a bit less of other sources of carbs (specifically tubers and grains) or added fats (if someone had sufficient fat, which is hard to avoid IME). I think tubers and grains are great, don't get me wrong, but I doubt it matters for health that you eat more of them, less fruit, and if you shift carb calories from starches to fruit you will have more sugar. Thus, I pay attention to the source of my sugar (really, the nutrient density of my diet for the most part -- if I have occasional desserts or a bit of sugar or honey in a sauce I don't care), but not the total number (on Cron I never look at it).
  • mbminx
    mbminx Posts: 21 Member
    I'm a noob here, so I may not make any sense...
    I'm trying to avoid added sugars. Sure, an orange has sugar, but has a lot of other good qualities, too. Dairy has sugar as well, but it also has calcium and protein.

    Snickers bars do not measure up the same way.

    I'm in no danger of overconsumption, so I let myself eat as much fresh fruit as I want. Compared to what I *love* to eat, I am still eating far fewer calories and far less sugar. And I'm ok with that right now.
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
    I'm not sure I've seen a 25g number, but for my own personal health reasons last year I cut back on added sugars. 25g seems a bit low - even if I actively count my sugars on any given day, that's low. If it is not inclusive of fruit and veg, then it may be appropriate. For me, cutting down on added sugars helped curb my sweet tooth, particularly for things like bakery items, ice cream, etc., which in turn made it easier to stay within my calorie goals. I still enjoy those things occasionally, but I rarely if ever get cravings for those types of things anymore.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited January 2018
    The WHO recommendation is less than 10% of total calories, ideally less than 5%. That frequently gets reported as less than 25 g, as that is what 5% would be on 2000 calories. I think that's reasonable, as an average goal (occasional days higher, as well as some lower, would be part of that), but it's ONLY added sugars (or what the WHO calls "free sugars"). It does not apply to inherent sugars like those in fruit, veg, and dairy. (The WHO does count sugars in juice, even 100% juice without added sugar, and honey/syrup/agave nectar as a free sugar, however, not an intrinsic sugar, so those would count toward the 25 g. US Dietary guidelines recommend under 10% of calories, again only for added sugar.)

    OP seems to be talking only about intrinsic sugars, if I am understanding correctly.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    spvlat wrote: »
    I'm not really asking in hopes of changing anything in my diet just out of curiosity really. I read about the 25grams and I thought that there must be a number for natural sugars as a guide or suggestion since the overconsumption of fruits seems unhealthy to me even if it falls within the appropriate amount of one's calories. Eating 1800 calories worth in bananas and nothing else in a day can't be good for you right?

    Well that problem with that diet is it doesn't bring in fats and proteins which are essential. But of all the nutrients, I would put the least amount of emphasis on sugar. There are much more important nutrients, such as proteins and fiber. The reason one may reduce the amount of sugar you consume is it can crowd other sources and if you eat a lot of ultra processed foods (which include high amounts of fats and sugar), then it can be very easy add a lot of calories.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    aprisar wrote: »
    If you're interested in learning more about sugar misinformation, you might want to watch the documentary mockumentary, Fed Up. It's available on Netflix, as well as on YouTube.

    Fixed it for you.

    OK, but can we all stop misusing the word "mockumentary"? A mockumentary is a film like "Spinal Tap" or "Best in Show," which intends to be funny by "mocking" documentaries or the specific subject of the mockumenary, or both. I don't think films like "Fed Up" intend to be funny. They want you to believe the misinformation they're peddling. "Propaganda" might be a better term, if you want to differentiate them from some idealized, Platonic documentary that is perfectly even-handed.

    This is a good point.

    A mockumentary is self-aware and expects its audience to get the joke.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    How are you defining excess sugar? And how is that different from excess starches or excess fat?
  • fuzzylop72
    fuzzylop72 Posts: 651 Member
    edited January 2018
    haleyrhart wrote: »
    I dont like to debate on the way difderent sugars are processed i go by one rule only. That all excess sugar gets processed the same way no matter where it comes from. Your body will store it in fat cells for later.

    only in a caloric surplus, otherwise it's stored as glycogen in your muscles (unless needed for immediate energy).
  • Cleosweetie
    Cleosweetie Posts: 71 Member
    edited January 2018
    @spvlat : I appreciate your question. I tried to research this very question and could not find a satisfactory answer.

    I gave up all sugar a few years ago and in so doing, lost my taste for fruit. It all just tastes too sweet. I make up for this with vegetables (I eat 6-7 servings) on typical days.

    Giving up sugar helped me curb carb cravings, which has been critical to my weight loss success. For me, carbs (Simple) are a serious trigger food. All that happens when I eat them is that I want more carbs. No matter what my fullness level actually is.
  • fuzzylop72
    fuzzylop72 Posts: 651 Member
    @lemurcat12 while obviously true, it's not unique to this documentary, or even documentaries on nutrition. It's pretty common across all documentaries -- they're not to find the truth, they're to present their viewpoint in the best light.

    If you're going to netflix to get a summary of the current science on any topic, you're probably going to have a bad time.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    fuzzylop72 wrote: »
    @lemurcat12 while obviously true, it's not unique to this documentary, or even documentaries on nutrition. It's pretty common across all documentaries -- they're not to find the truth, they're to present their viewpoint in the best light.

    If you're going to netflix to get a summary of the current science on any topic, you're probably going to have a bad time.

    Yeah, I agree. Why'd you call me out on that?
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