Sugar in fruit

horsesandhipbones
horsesandhipbones Posts: 53
edited November 12 in Food and Nutrition
I keep going over the sugar limit that MFP sets me...but most of my sugar comes from fruit! Should I be worried about this or not, seeing as most of it comes from natural sources?

Replies

  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    Well there are two issues here... One is natural vs manmade sugar, the other is the amount of sugar you consume as part of your diet. Yes, sugar from fruit is better because it's not chemical. But if you're watching your weight, then consuming too much sugar, even from fruit, is inadvisable.
  • bkandisjj29
    bkandisjj29 Posts: 172
    I have been wondering the same thing. I always go over my daily limit. But the only sugar I am eating is fruit. I am not eating candy or junk like that. I wish there was a way to distinguish the two. I am insulin resistant, so when I eat sugar, I have a physical reaction to it, racing heart sometimes, fatigue, etc. But when I eat fruit I don't get that reaction.
  • libby555
    libby555 Posts: 43 Member
    This is an issue for me as well. I am going over everyday because of fruit and it's only a few pieces per day. There are some in other items I eat but the majority is fruit so I often find myself putting that banana down after my workout.
  • Vegetablearian
    Vegetablearian Posts: 148 Member
    Too much sugar is bad no matter where it comes from. Try eating veg instead of fruit :-)
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/UponThisRock/view/sugar-219993
  • horsesandhipbones
    horsesandhipbones Posts: 53
    Thanks everybody! I'm going to try and cut down on my sugar intake a wee bit.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    The other thing about sugar is that if you do eat a lot of it, you'll experience energy spike/crash cycles, and you will probably be hungrier.
  • SueN113
    SueN113 Posts: 46
    This is an issue for me as well. I am going over everyday because of fruit and it's only a few pieces per day. There are some in other items I eat but the majority is fruit so I often find myself putting that banana down after my workout.

    After a workout-the best thing to eat is 3:1 ratio of carbs to protein-so a banana is ok as long as you have it with protein
  • LPinTheD
    LPinTheD Posts: 129
    Lower-sugar fruits (from Livestrong.com):

    Apple (sliced)
    Apricot (4 oz.)
    Blackberry
    Blueberry
    Boysenberry
    Cantaloupe
    Cherry (sour, sweet, 10 medium)
    Coconut meat (1 oz. or 1 cup shredded/grated, not packed)
    Coconut milk
    Currant (red, black, white)
    Elderberry
    Gooseberry
    Grape (10 medium)
    Honeydew melon
    Kiwi fruit (1 medium)
    Kumquat (1 medium)
    Lemon/Lime (2 inch diameter)
    Lemon/Lime Juice (1 oz)
    Mulberry
    Orange (sections, without membrane)
    Peach (1 med, 4 oz.)
    Persimmon (American, Japanese, 1 medium)
    Pineapple (1 oz)
    Plum
    Raspberry
    Strawberry
    Tangelo (1 medium)
    Tangerine (1 medium)
    Watermelon

    Except where noted, all have less than 10 gm carbs in a half cup serving.
  • Tashry
    Tashry Posts: 151 Member
    Too much sugar is bad no matter where it comes from. Try eating veg instead of fruit :-)

    ^^This

    I always avoid high sugar fruits. Watermelon, grapes, etc... Quite frankly one of the only fruits I allow myself is a banana. Switch to veggies. They will provide more benefit without the high sugar.
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,446 Member
    Personally, I go over all the time. And I don't worry about it. I pay attention to added sugar in my diet, and limit that (i.e. sugar in condiments, "junk food" or I add myself.). I try to limit it to 1 tablespoon less than once a day. I probably work out to having no added sugar 3 days a week, a teaspoon 2 or 3 times a week, and "junk food" 1-2X a week. I have a weakness for pastries. So besides fruit, sugar is a fairly low part of my diet.

    I don't have an insulin problem or diabetes.
  • Zarienz
    Zarienz Posts: 60
    Not sure bout this one, never seen an overweight fruitarian.
  • clemsonacemd
    clemsonacemd Posts: 2 Member
    while I agree that too much sugar is bad, regardless of where it comes from, IMHO the amount granted by MFP is way under goal, esp if I'm supposed to be getting 55% of my calories from carbohydrates; from what I got from googling how much sugar to take in, seems like a standard answer was 60g (MFP was giving me less than half that)
  • thelowcarbrecipes
    thelowcarbrecipes Posts: 89 Member
    Try eat fiberous veg instead like broccoli, spinach or kale
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
    Well, most nutritionists say eat fruits. They're aware of the sugar in it and yet they still recommend it. I have yet to meet somebody who eats lots of fruits and is fat. Processed sugar: Bad. Natural Sugar: Good!

    Just my PoV
  • RAFValentina
    RAFValentina Posts: 1,231 Member
    Well there are two issues here... One is natural vs manmade sugar, the other is the amount of sugar you consume as part of your diet. Yes, sugar from fruit is better because it's not chemical. But if you're watching your weight, then consuming too much sugar, even from fruit, is inadvisable.

    A load of horse... "man made" sugar. i.e refined sugar is just made from sugar cane or sugar beets and is just the sugar derived from the plant that was already there It is not a "chemical" in the way implied in the above post(yes it is a chemical but everything is!"! And likewise in fruit. Now there are different types of sugars. Lactose is the sugar mostly in milk/dairy, Sucrose and Fructose are in fruits and veg with varying proportions and glucose is probably one of the simpler kinds... there are other kinds. You will go over on sugars if you eat a lot of fruit and this isn't necessarily a bad thing, just keep you calories in check and your teeth clean! :) x
  • mdj1501
    mdj1501 Posts: 388 Member
    I keep going over the sugar limit that MFP sets me...but most of my sugar comes from fruit! Should I be worried about this or not, seeing as most of it comes from natural sources?


    I have the same problem.. (except for today)... and have wondered the same thing. Thanks for asking!
  • mdj1501
    mdj1501 Posts: 388 Member
    Lower-sugar fruits (from Livestrong.com):

    Apple (sliced)
    Apricot (4 oz.)
    Blackberry
    Blueberry
    Boysenberry
    Cantaloupe
    Cherry (sour, sweet, 10 medium)
    Coconut meat (1 oz. or 1 cup shredded/grated, not packed)
    Coconut milk
    Currant (red, black, white)
    Elderberry
    Gooseberry
    Grape (10 medium)
    Honeydew melon
    Kiwi fruit (1 medium)
    Kumquat (1 medium)
    Lemon/Lime (2 inch diameter)
    Lemon/Lime Juice (1 oz)
    Mulberry
    Orange (sections, without membrane)
    Peach (1 med, 4 oz.)
    Persimmon (American, Japanese, 1 medium)
    Pineapple (1 oz)
    Plum
    Raspberry
    Strawberry
    Tangelo (1 medium)
    Tangerine (1 medium)
    Watermelon

    Except where noted, all have less than 10 gm carbs in a half cup serving.


    THANK YOU :flowerforyou:
  • kantone999
    kantone999 Posts: 174
    If you are eating WHOLE fruit, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Whole fruit, even the poor much-maligned bananas, have a lot of fiber which aids the metabolism of the sugars in them. Fiber slows down the absorption rate of sugar so you don't get the "spike" you can get with cane sugar. If you drink fruit juice, research shows you're just as likely to develop diabetes as a person who drinks sodas. So eat whole, raw fruit when you're craving something sweet.

    People who say "sugar is sugar" are not giving you the whole story. While it's true that the body breaks it all down to glucose for the muscles to burn, honey contains enzymes that make it easier to digest, agave, maple syrup and honey all contain minerals and other micronutrients that are refined out of table sugar. Brown sugar is nominally better because it isn't bleached but it's still a refined product with no fiber. All in all, you're still better off with fresh raw fruit than any other sweet food.
  • SSNok
    SSNok Posts: 12 Member
    Lower-sugar fruits (from Livestrong.com):

    Apple (sliced)
    Apricot (4 oz.)
    Blackberry
    Blueberry
    Boysenberry
    Cantaloupe
    Cherry (sour, sweet, 10 medium)
    Coconut meat (1 oz. or 1 cup shredded/grated, not packed)
    Coconut milk
    Currant (red, black, white)
    Elderberry
    Gooseberry
    Grape (10 medium)
    Honeydew melon
    Kiwi fruit (1 medium)
    Kumquat (1 medium)
    Lemon/Lime (2 inch diameter)
    Lemon/Lime Juice (1 oz)
    Mulberry
    Orange (sections, without membrane)
    Peach (1 med, 4 oz.)
    Persimmon (American, Japanese, 1 medium)
    Pineapple (1 oz)
    Plum
    Raspberry
    Strawberry
    Tangelo (1 medium)
    Tangerine (1 medium)
    Watermelon

    Except where noted, all have less than 10 gm carbs in a half cup serving.
    That is like every fruit on the planet! which ones are the "higher-sugar"?
  • Adrenaline_Queen
    Adrenaline_Queen Posts: 626 Member
    I dont eat sweets or chocolate, but I do go over on sugar, as I love lashings of honey on my nut bread.........................xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    Also I went over 210 cals today and am happy about it xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    When I ran a half yesterday, I took my honey with me :drinker: shoved it down my top when running.. LOL........... Better than lucozade ...................xxxxxxxxx

    Also I get my carbs from my veg xxxxxxxx

    Low fruits are berries, blue berries are the lowest, freeze these then they taste better and last longer... Add a couple of slices of frozen banana too.............. xxxxxxxxxx :love: :love: :love: :love:
  • robinogue
    robinogue Posts: 1,117 Member
    I'm alway over on sugar because I try to eat a lot of fruit. It's alway been my understanding that sugar from fresh fruits don't harm the body, it's not the same as sugar from sweets/chocolates.
  • nero82
    nero82 Posts: 27
    It's not yet a quarter past nine in the morning... I've had an apple, two slices of dried mango and my morning coffee and im over on sugar. Methinks I will stop worrying about sugar intake...
  • agentscully514
    agentscully514 Posts: 616 Member
    As others have said, it can harm the body if you eat too much of it, like any other food. Most nutritionists would not tell you to eat *unlimited* fruit. For folks who are Type 2 diabetic or insulin resistant, it is important to choose lower sugar fruit and/or restrict the quantity that you eat every day.

    And I have known many people who eat a lot of fruit and are fat. the key phrase there is "a lot". :)
  • agentscully514
    agentscully514 Posts: 616 Member
    That is like every fruit on the planet! which ones are the "higher-sugar"?

    Also from Livestrong.com, some high sugar fruits are:


    nectarines
    mangoes
    jackfruit
    peaches
    cantaloupe,
    apricots
    bananas

    Also, note that dried fruits are *extremely* high in sugar.

    Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/293125-sucrose-levels-in-fruit/#ixzz1owbEh3uH
  • Angiesolomon
    Angiesolomon Posts: 144 Member
    I have this problem too! Only thing is its so useful to be able to keep some apples in my bag as we have no fridge at work! Unfortunately it leaves me eating around 4 apples a day! I've been losing so far so I'm going to worry about it if I plateau.
  • cdmeyer
    cdmeyer Posts: 27 Member
    Here is my question. I am new to really paying attention to nutrition, but is it possible to get the recomended 29 grams of sugar and 199 grams of carbs??? I always stay way under on my carbs but tend to go over on the sugars. Is it possible to eat only 29 grams of sugar and eat that many carbs???
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