Is ALL sugar bad?

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  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
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    Sugar offers no nutritional benefits so eliminate it

    How exactly would you propose to do that?
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    Be careful about taking people's statements as truth. They mean well, but can be outdated information or just hearsay (they heard it from someone that didn't know what they were talking about). Even some of the data on the internet from 'valid sources' is over 5 years old.

    There has been a lot of research on the different types of sugars, specifically for how they react in your body and cause releases of specific hormones.

    Here is just the first article that I found. I recommend doing searches on the website for the journal of metabolism and endocrinology.
    http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/89/6/2963.abstract?sid=d0e11a2f-0f30-42e9-a8a9-cb2d15c1f050

    the Leptin/Ghrelin reaction is really interesting to read on, if you can keep it straight in your head :)
    with 30% of kilocalories as either a fructose-sweetened [high fructose (HFr)] or glucose-sweetened [high glucose (HGl)] beverage.
  • 81Katz
    81Katz Posts: 7,074 Member
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    The sugar in a banana - along with the many nutrients is far better than a sugary candy bar which offers little to none nutritional benefits. That's my take. As long as it's within your caloric goals, then eat fruits and veggies. I eat lots of fruits and veggies each day, most days far beyond the typical recommended serving(s) and I haven't gained weight from doing this. I haven't gained any weight since being on this site.

    For example my breakfast this morning had 2 fruits, strawberries and blueberries.

    My lunch will be a stir-fry consisting of peppers, red onions, carrots, asparagus and celery. Am I concerned about sugar(s)? Nope! I also plan to have MORE asparagus and peppers with my dinner tonight too.
  • chris1816
    chris1816 Posts: 715 Member
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    Ok, so Ive been over on my sugar intake pretty much every day, BUT like 95% of it comes from fat free milk and fresh fruit. Very little of it comes from candy or other foods. What Im wondering is: Will this interfere with me losing weight? Should I cut back on my sugar even if its coming from fruits?

    No.

    It astounds me how much fogginess there is out there on a lot of this stuff.

    Sugars, starches, carbs etc are all chemically the same. Your body takes honey, or fruit, and breaks it down into base components the same way it takes a potato and breaks it down into the same base component. Your body needs sugars, most carbohydrates in some form break down into sugars.

    Your body uses carbs for energy, it needs them for energy, this is called an anabolic process. If you deprive your body of carbs in an effort to go into ketosis, your body goes catabolic and starts metabolising fat or your own lean mass. Ketosis is popular for fat loss but it is skirting the line of causing serious kidney complications.

    So things like fruit, while high in sugars, are not really bad at all. The difference is complex carbs versus simple carbs.

    Complex carbs: sweet potatoes, quinoa, cracked wheat, fruit, raw honey

    Simple carbs: enriched flours, processed candy, etc

    The key guideline is not overdoing your calories...if you need to eat 2000 calories to lose weight, the composition of macro nutrients really does not matter too much. You will still lose. The benefit of complex carb foods is they are typically more filling and nutrient dense (strawberry versus a candy bar etc). Now if you eat 2000 calories of twinkies or chicken versus 2000 calories of balanced complex carbs, healthy fats and proteins, you will experience a whole other world of issues, but that is neither here nor there.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    is fruit sugar really a complex carb ? surely it's fructose and perhaps glucose too. Like HFCS soaked into a pulpy sponge.
  • chris1816
    chris1816 Posts: 715 Member
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    Yes, it is fructose, but what you consume with say...a strawberry, or a goji berry, is a slew of proteins, fiber, and other nutrients which change how you digest and process them.

    For example, eat a *kitten* ton of strawberries, and the numerical equivalent of table sugar or HFCS in grams of sugar and your body reacts a whole lot differently. Strawberries for example have a whole slew of polyphenals which will prevent a spike in blood sugar levels that you would experience plowing through a sack of Imperial sugar.
  • chris1816
    chris1816 Posts: 715 Member
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    is fruit sugar really a complex carb ? surely it's fructose and perhaps glucose too. Like HFCS soaked into a pulpy sponge.

    Also no, naturally occuring fructose =/= chemically engineered fructose from corn.
  • christenwypy
    christenwypy Posts: 335 Member
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    have wondered the same thing myself. I'd read that you should limit your fruit to 2 servings per day, but I've noticed that there's even sugar being counted from my favourites of baby carrots and snap peas. I can't help wondering though - if a person's diet consisted only of fruit, and they ate as much as they wanted all day long for months on end - would they get fat?!

    I have wondered this as well!
  • christenwypy
    christenwypy Posts: 335 Member
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    Yes, it is fructose, but what you consume with say...a strawberry, or a goji berry, is a slew of proteins, fiber, and other nutrients which change how you digest and process them.

    For example, eat a *kitten* ton of strawberries, and the numerical equivalent of table sugar or HFCS in grams of sugar and your body reacts a whole lot differently. Strawberries for example have a whole slew of polyphenals which will prevent a spike in blood sugar levels that you would experience plowing through a sack of Imperial sugar.

    ^^This! Thank you.
  • viser_haut
    viser_haut Posts: 97 Member
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    I've hidden my sugar intake value for this very reason - makes me feel guilty to see it in the red, I go 60g + over on sugar most days because of fruit and milk etc, and it's actually nothing to feel guilty about. :)
  • Lynvincible26
    Lynvincible26 Posts: 28
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    Hope not, treating myself to a sugary coffee now after my run! :bigsmile:
  • christenwypy
    christenwypy Posts: 335 Member
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    you can turn off sugar on your list of nutrients if it bugs you.

    I don't actually know the rationale for the number that's set in MFP - maybe it's a USDA guideline or something.

    The sugars from sources other than table sugar will all behave pretty well the same once you've eaten them.

    Yeah it is a USDA thing. They recommend we have very little sugar and make no distinction between types of sugars. Off topic but kids are only supposed to have 12 grams of sugar per day. In the schools here they service breakfasts to the kids that contain 3 times that. Not only from juice and fruit but from pop tarts and super donuts which are deemed "healthy" because they "are fortitified with vitamins" so it is no wonder they predict 1/3 of the kids today will have type 2 diabetes in their lifetimes.
  • betaleonis
    betaleonis Posts: 178
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    Probably not a bad idea to keep within your goals that MFP set (unless you have done your research and altered your goals according to personal needs). Everything in moderation. I eat a LOT of fruit. And real honey. But I stay away from processed sugars... on a side note, I can't really see anyone ballooning up from eating fruits.
  • michele121212
    michele121212 Posts: 24 Member
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    You can go over on recommended sugar by eating fruit all day. That alone should tell you that tracking sugar is pretty much worthless. Imo track carbs instead - paying attention to where the sugar comes from. If it's packaged in fibrous fruits it's fine, if it's packaged in a processed candy bar, not so fine. I'm diabetic and even I don't bother tracking sugar.


    Exactly. I just turned off my sugar tracker but it was bugging me, too. Now I'm watching my carbs instead.
  • thistimeismytime
    thistimeismytime Posts: 711 Member
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    If fruit is bad, then I don't wanna be good. :tongue:
  • christenwypy
    christenwypy Posts: 335 Member
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    FYI:

    Again they make no distinction between sugars- I think they should.

    "

    American Heart Association (AHA) recommends how much sugar per day we should take, the recommended daily sugar intake, which is healthy and not harmful for the body, has been developed for men and women. How much sugar per day should we take:

    Recommended Daily Sugar Intake for Men: 36 grams or 9 teaspoons
    Recommended Daily Sugar Intake for Women: 20 grams or 5 teaspoons
    Recommended Daily Sugar Intake for Children: 12 grams or 3 teaspoons

    Percentage of how much sugar per day
    The USDA sugar guidelines suggest that no more than 8 percent of our daily calories should come from sugar. It means that how much sugar per day we take should not be more than 8 percent.

    High Sugar Foods
    Using 40 grams as the Daily Value for added sugars might reveal how much sugar per day is ideal for our body. For example, a cup of regular ice cream contains 60 percent of the proposed Daily Value for sugar, a typical cup of fruit-flavored yogurt contains 70 percent, and a 12-ounce soft drink or quarter-cup of pancake syrup contains 100 percent.

    High Sugar Diets and Obesity
    High sugar diets, or high glycemic index diets, can cause obesity. If you eat a high glycemic food or a high glycemic load meal, will triggers a rapid rise in our blood sugar levels, our pancreas is over-stimulated and releases large amount of insulin. Result? This large quantity of insulin rapidly mops up the excess sugar in our bloodstream causing our blood sugar levels to dip quickly below normal, causing us to feel hungry once more. So even though we may have eaten a high calorie meal, we are induced to feel hungry and eat again within a short time. This process may lead to excessive calorie intake and weight gain, possibly causing obesity."

    This from http://www.dailysugarintake.net/how-much-sugar-per-day.html
  • christenwypy
    christenwypy Posts: 335 Member
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    If fruit is bad, then I don't wanna be good. :tongue:
    [/quote

    Love this
  • getskinnyby25
    getskinnyby25 Posts: 27 Member
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    Calories are the most important number to pay attention to. I once only ate swedish fish candy for 4 days but didn't exceed 900 calories and lost weight. ( this is ****ed up I know) But the point is I wouldn't stress about the sugar amount too much. If you are, many diet books say not to eat any fruit after 12pm so that may help with how much you consume.
  • SuperSexyDork
    SuperSexyDork Posts: 1,669 Member
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    Sugar offers no nutritional benefits so eliminate it

    But, a lot of food that contain fair amounts of sugar also contain lots of vitamins, minerals and fiber and are HEALTHY, wholesome, nutrient-dense foods.

    Carrots, bell peppers, apples, sweet potatoes, beets, peas, corn, berries... these things all contain enough sugar to boost you pretty quickly over the (ridiculously low) MFP limit.

    Personally, I don't watch my sugar at all. I watch my macros - carbs, fat, protein. That about does the trick for me. :-)

    QFT!

    I get basically no added sugar but am often over what MFP suggests should be my sugar limit. It's all from dairy, fruits and vegetables and I have no problem with this whatsoever because I'm getting nutrients from these foods.

    I too watch my macros because it's what works for me.
  • chris1816
    chris1816 Posts: 715 Member
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    Sugar offers no nutritional benefits so eliminate it

    Except sugar is necessary in the production of ATP so...yeah. Also, energy source.

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