Added sugar, why can’t I see that broken down in the nutrition section

Answers

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,743 Member

    What's the difference between sugar and added sugar for you? If figs are added to a product to sweeten it up, would that be sugar or added sugar? Added sugars are not even mentioned on food labels all over the world. They might be where you are, but that's not normal.

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 37,982 Community Helper

    Even on US labels, the "added sugar" labeling requirement is fairly recent. Many/most of the entries in the MFP food database were created before that was on labels. MFP has added a field to put that data in, but if they totaled it up on the Nutrition page or reports, there would be high, high odds that the total would be quite inaccurate.

    People who have diabetes or insulin resistance may need to manage carb intake carefully, including sugar . . . total sugars predominantly, because added sugar isn't inherently special. Sugar is sugar.

    For myself, without diabetes or IR, if I make it a point to get the right things into my eating - plenty of protein, healthy fats, veggies, fruits, whole grains - and stick with reasonable calories, I've found that added sugar shrinks to a reasonably small percentage of my calories without explicitly worrying about it.

    Focusing on added sugar doesn't necessarily improve nutrition for me, by contrast: It's getting the good nutrients into my eating that accomplishes good overall nutrition. Focusing on getting supposedly bad things out of my eating can still leave me short on the nutrients I really need. YMMV.

  • rudyzenreviews
    rudyzenreviews Posts: 74 Member

    Yep, I wondered the same! The label lumps all sugars together, so added sugar isn’t always shown as a separate line.

  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,529 Member

    Glucose is glucose, fructose is fructose. Once sugars are broken down in digestion, they enter the bloodstream in the same chemical form regardless of the source.


    there is no reason to list added sugar

  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 10 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48737564#Comment_48737564

    For the most part, foods with added sugar are calorie dense and nutrient poor. Looking for and eating foods with no or little added sugar and greatly limiting those with added sugar is one of the easiest ways to eliminate these calorie dense/nutrient poor foods from one's diet.

    Listing added sugar is useful to those that want to improve their health.

  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,529 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48738078#Comment_48738078

    fair point however generally its common knowledge that most processed carb type foods will contain added sugar and best to be avoided as much as possible. This is one of the most basic rules of fatloss and nutrition.

  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,529 Member

    I added cookies to my breakfast log for today to illustrate the sugar factor. Its fairly obvious that the sugar in cookies were added and the sugar in other foods were not. Processed foods will show sugar that is added.

    Some foods like sweetened orange juice may be more difficult to decipher however you can get a good idea.

    IMG_2462.jpeg
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 10 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48738137#Comment_48738137

    Should be common knowledge and common sense. However, giving the obesity issues in the US and much of the developed world, the old saying common sense ain't so common definitely comes into play.

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