Sugars in Fruits - Your stance?

Dimplybutt
Dimplybutt Posts: 123 Member
edited December 18 in Food and Nutrition
I was curious as to what other people's stances were with regards to the natural sugars in fruits and if they count them towards their sugar figures or not.

I'm at a point where I'm not sure if I should be worrying about my sugar being over if it's done by fruits (especially banana's) or treat those sugars differently than I would if they were 'un-natural' sugars.

Thanks for your thoughts.
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Replies

  • Shock_Wave
    Shock_Wave Posts: 1,573 Member
    My stance is that I am glad there is sugar in fruits or they would all taste sour as hell = YUCK!

    Oh and yes I log fruit and what ever it comes up as in the diary is all good as long as I stay with in my goals.
  • Bailey543
    Bailey543 Posts: 375
    Sugar is sugar....but fruits have other good stuff. It's obviously better to eat a banana over a chocolate bar.
  • oldmanstauf
    oldmanstauf Posts: 202 Member
    I consider sugar, whether natural or otherwise, sugar. I count it towards my goals, though I still don't freak when I find myself over after 2 servings of fruit.
  • MehiraDeOro
    MehiraDeOro Posts: 117 Member
    Natural sugars in fruit I'm not to worried about. Whole sugars (fruit) is 10 times better than refined sugars (candy).

    However, I also don't have health problems where I would need to watch my sugar intake, like diabetes.
  • JessieArt
    JessieArt Posts: 275 Member
    I just log it in my diary and go by MFP's calculations. I try to plan my day so everything is balanced. That includes lots of fruit and veggies. I go to the Farmer's Market every weekend and stock up.

    Fruit replaced my daily chocolate intake. It helps me handle my cravings. However, if I start gaining, I look at what fruits I am eating and stay away or limit my watermellon, pinneapple, etc.
  • seebeachrun
    seebeachrun Posts: 221 Member
    I don't worry about fruit/veggie sugars. I take my total sugar and subtract the natural sugars in fruit and dairy. IMO you're alright so long as the added/refined sugars stay below the recommended daily amount.
  • dansls1
    dansls1 Posts: 309 Member
    I just bumped by sugar goal knowing that some of what I eat every day is natural and shouldn't count towards the goal.
  • wildcata77
    wildcata77 Posts: 660
    My stance is that I am glad there is sugar in fruits or they would all taste sour as hell = YUCK!

    Oh and yes I log fruit and what ever it comes up as in the diary is all good as long as I stay with in my goals.

    This. I think as long as you aren't a diabetic who needs to closely monitor blood sugar, I just count it as whatever MFP brings it up as. I pay attention to my sodium, fiber, and protein above sugars in my food, esp. when they are naturally occuring sugars that my body can break down easier than white carbs.
  • gardengals
    gardengals Posts: 46 Member
    I am really sensitive to sugars but I love fruit.....I check the glycemic index to see where my favorite fruits are in terms of sugar. Then I choose which fruits I eat more of or those that maybe are just to high in sugar. I also try to be careful about the portion size! (Just cuz I buy a whole bag of apricots at Farmer's Market doesn't mean I have to eat them ALL! LOL)
  • OceansForever
    OceansForever Posts: 221 Member
    I don't add sugar to my food and only have it in my strawberry sorbet, so sugar in fruits is something I never think about.

    I have no problems with natural occurring sugar, fat, protein, etc :)
  • holly1283
    holly1283 Posts: 741 Member
    I agree with Wildcata. Just count it.
  • ChasingSweatandTears
    ChasingSweatandTears Posts: 504 Member
    I don't track my suar at all, simply because I don't have an issue with It medically and i dont eat added sugars. Im more concerned with my nutrients. I eat fruit and I eat a little bit of dried fruit with no sugar added. If you are tracking your carbs, you can kinda get an idea if how much sugar is in your meal by looking at overall carbs and fiber.
  • DawnM62
    DawnM62 Posts: 60 Member
    I don't count my sugar I don't have any medical need to, possibly just as well as if I'm a bit peckish the fruit bowl gets raided it's all logged though
  • ChasingSweatandTears
    ChasingSweatandTears Posts: 504 Member
    I don't track my suar at all, simply because I don't have an issue with It medically and i dont eat added sugars. Im more concerned with my nutrients. I eat fruit and I eat a little bit of dried fruit with no sugar added. If you are tracking your carbs, you can kinda get an idea if how much sugar is in your meal by looking at overall carbs and fiber.

    Sorry for all the typos... I have an iPad lol
  • jennylynn84
    jennylynn84 Posts: 659
    Since I'm not diabetic I tend not to care about fruit sugar.

    And here's a little bit of why, just to give a little more background. I don't eat big high calorie meals. I just got into the habit of small meals and snacks and now that's where I am. So I absolutely have to snack in the afternoon (especially before the gym). I started off strong on this, but as time went on I got lazier and filled it with different kinds of granola bars (glorified candy bars).

    So now that I'm trying to get more back on track - yes, apples and carrots and whatnot have sugars in them. But not GRANOLA BAR sugar. Fruit sugar. Natural sugar. So I call it a win.
  • Dimplybutt
    Dimplybutt Posts: 123 Member
    Thanks, everyone! :smile:

    I have a bit of a sweet tooth so have been doing my best to cut my 'bad' sugars out while still tracking my sugar intake but find that I occasionally still go over on my sugars but tend to look at the natural sugars that I've been eating that day to make sure the overage is more 'good' than 'bad'. I'll always log everything (good, bad, and the ugly) but it's nice to know how others look at areas where I'm still not sure about. :flowerforyou:
  • Dimplybutt
    Dimplybutt Posts: 123 Member
    My stance is that I am glad there is sugar in fruits or they would all taste sour as hell = YUCK!

    I'm glad too ... there are enough fruits out there that make a face go funky as it is. :smile:
  • Dimplybutt
    Dimplybutt Posts: 123 Member
    I don't track my suar at all, simply because I don't have an issue with It medically and i dont eat added sugars. Im more concerned with my nutrients. I eat fruit and I eat a little bit of dried fruit with no sugar added. If you are tracking your carbs, you can kinda get an idea if how much sugar is in your meal by looking at overall carbs and fiber.

    Sorry for all the typos... I have an iPad lol

    Haha! No worries ... I'm no 'spelling nazi'. :wink:
  • ColleenRoss50
    ColleenRoss50 Posts: 199 Member
    My sugar is constantly well over MFP's recommendations but it doesn't concern me because it is always due to the fruits and veggies I eat.

    I eat very little processed foods or bakery products that have all the hidden (bad) sugars.
  • Inebriated
    Inebriated Posts: 271
    I don't track sugars because I don't have a medical reason to. I track the calories in fruit like everything else but I don't worry about the sugar in it.
  • zanAspera
    zanAspera Posts: 29 Member
    Natural sugars in fruit I'm not to worried about. Whole sugars (fruit) is 10 times better than refined sugars (candy).

    However, I also don't have health problems where I would need to watch my sugar intake, like diabetes.

    It's not that "natural" sugars are any better... There is no chemical difference between the sugars in apple juice vs the sugar in candy. Sucrose is a molecule with one glucose bounded to one fructose molecule. High Fructose corn syrup differes slightly in how the two are bound together and usually has something like a 45% Glucose / 55% Fructose ratio. Actually the candy may be healhier since it is better balanced between Glucose(easily metabolized by any cell in your body) and Fructose (only processed in the liver and only used to power the liver itself, build replacement glucagon which is ready energy reserves, and any on top of that goes right to triglicerides and fat. Most fruits are higher in Fructose than High Fructose corn syrup.

    What makes eating fruit better than eating a candy bar or drinking fruit juice is fiber.
    Because the fiber slows the rate at which you extract the sugar keeping your blood sugar from spiking high and then dropping again making you hungry again.


    It takes 4 hours to digest a raw apple.
    It takes minutes to digest apple juice.

    MFP's guidelines are based on unofficial international recommendations for "added" sugars with no definition for what they mean by added.. So obviously the database does not have a way to tell which sugars are "added". Though if the factored in the fiber in the same meal that would help. You can of course adjust your sugar goal to what ever is reasonable considering the sources of your sugars.
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/UponThisRock/view/sugar-219993
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    I only eat fruits flavored with Splenda
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    It doesn't matter as long as it fits your calorie intake.
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/UponThisRock/view/sugar-219993
    ^^This.

    Also, I like to stand with one hand on my hip and my shoulders pushed back - which in turn pushes my chest out - when I eat fruit. So that's my stance.
  • twinmom01
    twinmom01 Posts: 854 Member
    Natural sugars in fruit I'm not to worried about. Whole sugars (fruit) is 10 times better than refined sugars (candy).

    However, I also don't have health problems where I would need to watch my sugar intake, like diabetes.

    Sugar is sugar. There is no chemical difference between the sugar in apple juice as the sugar in candy. Actually the candy may be healhier since it is better balanced between glucose(easily metabolized by any cell in your body) and fructose (only processed in the liver and only used to power the liver itself, build replacement glucagon which is ready energy reserves, and any on top of that goes right to triglicerides and fat.

    What makes eating fruit better than eating a candy bar or drinking fruit juice is fiber.
    Because the fiber slows the rate at which you extract the sugar keeping your blood sugar from spiking high and then dropping again making you hungry again.


    It takes 4 hours to digest a raw apple.
    It takes minutes to digest apple juice.

    MFP's guidelines are based on unofficial international recommendations for "added" sugars with no definition for what they mean by added.. So obviously the database does not have a way to tell which sugars are "added". Though if the factored in the fiber in the same meal that would help. You can of course adjust your sugar goal to what ever is reasonable considering the sources of your sugars.

    Exactly sugar is sugar is sugar - your body doesn't tell the difference between sugar from a teaspoon of table sugar vs the sugar from a cup of berries - like Zan said there are things that are in fruits that slow the absorbption of sugars from things like fruits vs other sources + with fruits you have the added benefits of lots of good vitamin and minerals...

    I do watch my sugars and I don't eat processed foods - the vast majority of my sugars come from fruits and veggies - I find to much sugar and/or carbs in my diet really slows my weight loss - but every person is different...

    Google and read about excess sugar in your system...and come to your own conclusions...for me I do watch it - I don't freak if I go over but I do try and make a conscience effort to control my sugar intake buy choosing one fruit (usually stick with lower sugar berries) or one higher sugar veggie (love me some sweet potatoes and squashes) a day...and moderate the rest
  • zanAspera
    zanAspera Posts: 29 Member
    I backed that off a bit.. Not all sugars are the same as I said. It's not quite true that Sugar is sugar.... There are different types of sugars that are metoblized diferently... But most importantly is the fibers and starches that slow the digestion to prevent spiking sugar levels and leave you hungry when the drop back down.

    Yes, none of us are doctors. We are all students, hopefully we are all trying to learn more about Nutrition. So don't believe us, do your own reasearch, google is free and easy, libraries are only a little harder. }}:D
  • Angie_Fritts
    Angie_Fritts Posts: 263 Member
    I only eat fruits flavored with Splenda

    Ha!! I laughed out loud at this!!
  • pixelish
    pixelish Posts: 54
    I count them. Once those sugars hit your blood stream, they're all pretty much the same. Yes, there is some metabolism differences, but mostly those are in how fast they get into your blood stream. I try to keep my diet balanced with sugar, protein, carb, fiber, and other nutrients. I think it's the easiest way to stay healthy.
  • Dimplybutt
    Dimplybutt Posts: 123 Member
    Thanks for the new point of views! :smile:
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