Sugar-Lets be honest!

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  • bluebird321
    bluebird321 Posts: 733 Member
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    You can get vitamins from other things than fruit, right?

    you man like vegetables which are much lower in sugar? Yup.
  • MikeSEA
    MikeSEA Posts: 1,074 Member
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    I guess it depends on what you mean by "sugar." Sucrose is sucrose and fructose is fructose, etc. There's still research being done on whether or not highly processed (refined) sugars like HFCS actually get shunted to the liver without being broken down. The theory being that the subsequent process would then prompt insulin resistance.

    It'll be interesting to see how future research comes along.
  • kmbrooks15
    kmbrooks15 Posts: 941 Member
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    My take on it is that, yes, sugar is sugar. But, sugar in a cake or cookies is pretty much empty calories (no nutritional value). Sugar in fruit, to me, is more allowable because of the nutrients in the fruit.

    I'm not really monitoring sugar too much because I'm getting almost all of it from fruit or milk, which have other nutritional values. To each his own...
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,021 Member
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    Whether the body recognizes all sugar as sugar is not taking into account the requirements on the body to metabolise sugar. Nutrients that are attached to the matrix of the sugar source, like fruit, veg, dairy etc help in the absorption process. Refined sugar on the other hand are void of any micro nutritional value and the body will use it's existing stores of these nutrients to help with that absorption, and the reason refined sugar is referred to an anti-nutrient. Keep in mind that it's about balance and if someone is not overconsuming in general and their total caloric intake of refined sugars is not a high number % wise of their total carb intake, then sugar of any type is going to be used as energy (atp) and won't pose a problem, medical conditions aside.
  • AmerTunsi
    AmerTunsi Posts: 655 Member
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    I personally don't think it is a debate between granulated sugar and fruit sugars. I think it is a debate between artificial sugars (splenda) and more naturals ones from fruits or even granulated sugar. There have been studies that shows that the body does not recognize artificial sweeteners as sugar and thus the body processes and stores it as fat. There are also other medical concerns with artificial sweeteners ranging from cancer to adjusting our taste buds and how it effects satiety. I have a family of doctors and they have said that only if you are a diabetic should you be taking in artificial sweeteners and that it is better for your body to simply have the real sugars in moderation. For example drinking regular coke instead of diet coke because diet coke is made with artificial sweeteners. Now, having sad that I still have a hard time opting for the regular sugars simply because of the calorie count.
  • Ashbee1224
    Ashbee1224 Posts: 65
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    I dont understand what my calorie deficit has to do with my sugar intake? Too much sugar whether from fruit or a candy bar cant be good for you and those limitations have been put there for a reason. Obviously fruit is better than a candy bar because fruit has much more nutritional value but too much sugar from either cant be good.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
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    Well the problem on going over on sugar is if you have left over sugar that your body cant use for energy it's going to store it as fat and that defeats the whole purpose.

    Complete nonsense. It will not be stored as fat. Where do some of you folks get this stuff from? Dr Oz right?
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,021 Member
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    I dont understand what my calorie deficit has to do with my sugar intake? Too much sugar whether from fruit or a candy bar cant be good for you and those limitations have been put there for a reason. Obviously fruit is better than a candy bar because fruit has much more nutritional value but too much sugar from either cant be good.
    It appears for you that sugar is bad regardless of the responses you got......what did you want to hear?
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
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    Please read this: http://tinyurl.com/3oq3a7m

    Page D5-21 might be of particular interest.

    Edit: And continue on to read about sugar sweetened foods and beverages.
  • infamousmk
    infamousmk Posts: 6,033 Member
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    I eat fruits and cookies and I don't much worry about it. And please don't call me sugar.
  • smarterthanyoda
    smarterthanyoda Posts: 39
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    The problem is, the USDA guidelines are for added sugars, not naturally occurring sugars. By including the sugars from fruit in the sugar totals, MFP is really comparing apples and oranges.

    It's true that sugars in fruit aren't very different than other sugar. But, it's the largest source of naturally occurring sugar for most people. Not counting sugar from fruit is a good way to estimate the true amount of added sugar you're getting.
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    I dont understand what my calorie deficit has to do with my sugar intake? Too much sugar whether from fruit or a candy bar cant be good for you and those limitations have been put there for a reason. Obviously fruit is better than a candy bar because fruit has much more nutritional value but too much sugar from either cant be good.



    You will lose weight in a calorie deficit no matter what your sugar intake is. Sugar itself has no nutritional value, it is just a carbohydrate and a source of energy. But there are good sources. Milk and fruit for example. So much benefit. Fiber and vitamins and delicious.

    Added sugars can just be empty calories. Which is why those sugars are better to limit; you aren't really getting all that much out of foods high in added sugar (for the most part)
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    Well the problem on going over on sugar is if you have left over sugar that your body cant use for energy it's going to store it as fat and that defeats the whole purpose.

    Complete nonsense. It will not be stored as fat. Where do some of you folks get this stuff from? Dr Oz right?

    Apparently Joe. :grumble:
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,887 Member
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    Well, let's see.

    I don't track sugar and never have (disclaimer: I don't have diabetes or pre-diabetes - if you do, you probably need to be aware of it).

    I do, however, eat a lot of fruit. At least one banana (often 2) each day. A large Granny Smith apple every day. Lots and lots of baby carrots (3+ servings every day). I drink original almond milk, which has sugar. I eat bread, which has sugar.

    I don't eat a lot of added or refined sugar, except for an occasional treat.

    I have shed 109 pounds since mid September 2010. I've dropped my body fat from 56% to 22%.

    I'm going to say that consuming sugar really didn't "hinder" my weight loss.
  • Ashbee1224
    Ashbee1224 Posts: 65
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    All I know is of the lil reading I've done on it here and there which is why I posted the topic. Im down with sugar, just think too much isnt good. It seemed people were in denial that just because it's from fruit it's ok to go over by no matter how much.

    Thanks for all the responses!
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
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    People blow this sugar thing way out of proportion. No one is saying open a bag of Domino pure cane sugar and down it. Stop OCD'ing about the most trivial crap. Seriously.

    Things you should be worrying about more than sugar.
    - Not being overweight
    - Doing some exercise
    - Eating a well balanced diet
    - Not making threads about sugar
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    Well, let's see.

    I don't track sugar and never have (disclaimer: I don't have diabetes or pre-diabetes - if you do, you probably need to be aware of it).

    I do, however, eat a lot of fruit. At least one banana (often 2) each day. A large Granny Smith apple every day. Lots and lots of baby carrots (3+ servings every day). I drink original almond milk, which has sugar. I eat bread, which has sugar.

    I don't eat a lot of added or refined sugar, except for an occasional treat.

    I have shed 109 pounds since mid September 2010. I've dropped my body fat from 56% to 22%.

    I'm going to say that consuming sugar really didn't "hinder" my weight loss.

    Congrats!! Such good sources :]

    I have dropped my body fat from about 27 to 20% (havent had it tested in a while)
    Lots and lots of fruit for me and dairy. But that can't be healthy right?! So much sugar
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
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    All I know is of the lil reading I've done on it here and there which is why I posted the topic. Im down with sugar, just think too much isnt good. It seemed people were in denial that just because it's from fruit it's ok to go over by no matter how much.

    Thanks for all the responses!

    I don't know what you read, but it was incorrect. I encourage you to read the link I posted above earlier.
  • liftingbro
    liftingbro Posts: 2,029 Member
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    and to reply to that person about sugar is just a carbohydrate, yes it is but not all carbs are created equal. there are high gi and low gi carbs, you'd best stick with low gi since it wont spike your insulin levels. insulin promotes muscle breakdown and fat storage. not a good combination

    Actually, insulin is an anabolic hormone and actually can increase muscle mass but increased insulin can also mean increased fat storage.

    Also, the GI thing makes little difference to most people unless you happen to have some level of insulin resistance which most people do not.
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    All I know is of the lil reading I've done on it here and there which is why I posted the topic. Im down with sugar, just think too much isnt good. It seemed people were in denial that just because it's from fruit it's ok to go over by no matter how much.

    Thanks for all the responses!

    Keep doing your research :]

    Im in my third year of dietetics.... this was talked about first semester first year xD

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