Natural Sugar - Help!!!

dhiannon
dhiannon Posts: 111 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am so sick of being over my sugar count on a daily basis and I am getting conflicting information.
Some say natural sugar is ok as its a ‘good’ sugar but others say not.

I know to stay away from processed sugar but even 3 pieces of fruit a day sends me over the limit.

Please help :(

Replies

  • dhiannon
    dhiannon Posts: 111 Member
    On further reading a lot of people are saying not to worry about sugar at all.... Totally confused!!
  • tequillarose04
    tequillarose04 Posts: 30 Member
    im having the same issue :(
    thought maybe i was doing something wrong or eating the 'wrong' fruits.... are some better choices than others?
    im very confused also!
    i hope someone can help!
  • huckleberry0070
    huckleberry0070 Posts: 64 Member
    I usually stick to one or one and a half servings of fruit a day and avoid processed sugars when possible. If I go over my sugar limit for the day but most of it comes from natural sources (fruits, veggies, etc) then I don't really worry about it.
  • toysbigkid
    toysbigkid Posts: 545 Member
    if your worried about the fruit sending the sugar over eat berries instead, but I don't worry about that kind of sugar, it's natural sugars. It's the other sugar you need to watch out for.
  • balgorouleur
    balgorouleur Posts: 1
    I agree with not worrying too much about sugars coming from fruits. A limit of less than 3 fruits a day seems low to me. Limiting processed food and eating more low density and high fibre food will keep you full for longer.
  • dhiannon
    dhiannon Posts: 111 Member
    Going by the macro I can only allow enough sugar to eat 1 banana - not even a second peice of fruit... WTF?
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
    A little more info needed, why are you counting sugars? I try to stay away from processed sugar, but really sugar is sugar as far as calories go.
  • davidsgirl145
    davidsgirl145 Posts: 162 Member
    i rarely eat table sugar. I eat tons of fruit and that takes care of my sweet tooth. I don't even bother having ''sugar'' as one of my settings. I know everyone has a different thought about it... but, I will never believe that a banana is the same as a bowl of fruit loops. Fruit IS healthy. Every cell in your body runs on sugar. We have a ''sweet tooth'' for a reason... we need to eat it. I know my saying this is going to start a war...but, everyone is intitled to go down their own path. If you are eating what You believe to be a healthy source, then don't even have the sugar column up.
  • Badd3st
    Badd3st Posts: 28
    as long as its natural sugar, you're good! don't stress it. it's recommended that you have about 4/5 fruits & veggies in a day, so ur always going to go over. it's cool
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
    I'm a big fan of fruit. So, I'd say eating the 3 pieces is fine. If it was mostly from processed food, I'd worry about it more. But if it's in fruit and you're within your calorie range, I wouldn't worry about the sugar. -- just my opinion
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Truthfully, there is no need to measure, track or be concerned with sugar. It's just a carb and if your good with your total calories and your carbs, it doesn't matter.
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
    By the way, bananas have more sugar than many other fruits. So, while I still wouldn't worry about the sugar in them much, as someone else suggested, other fruits might have a lower fruit percentage. Any food in extreme quantities is not good, but I wouldn't worry about fruits until I hit over about 7 servings a day on a regular basis. :smile: (I think one large banana counts as 2 servings.) It varies by what you need, but I'm more focussed on getting enough fiber than worrying about the sugar total.
  • quixoteQ
    quixoteQ Posts: 484
    Assuming you don't have any undisclosed health issues regarding sugar, then the question becomes whether or not you care about macro-nutrients and/or a simple calorie count.

    If you only care about calorie count, then don't let the fruit-thing get you down. If it fits into your calorie count, eat your fruit.

    If your focus is on your macros (protein/carbs/fat), then just consider fruit as one decent way of getting your carbs during the day. Fruit contains sugar. Is it as bad as high fructose corn syrup? Maybe not, but you will need to count all types of sugar as they will add to your daily carbs whether you log them or not.

    Regarding whether one type of carb is better than another: it is a commonplace understanding that in most situations, complex carbs are better for you than simple carbs (whole grains representing complex carbohydrates and fruits/sugars representing simple carbs). However, fruits contain vitamins, fiber, and other good-for-yous you won't get by spooning table sugar into your mouth or drinking corn syrup.

    In short: fruit sugar counts as carbs. Do you count your carbs? Then treat sugar as carbs. Do you care about complex carbs vs. simple? If so, limit your fruit.
  • TadaGanIarracht
    TadaGanIarracht Posts: 2,615 Member
    The truth is no one knows what will be detrimental to your waistline or not. You have to discover what you can and can't do by trial and error.
  • Jodibear58
    Jodibear58 Posts: 280 Member
    LOL! I decided to put sugar as something to monitor and after seeing that I had gone WAY over because of fruit, I decided not to. Yeah, I probably have too much processed sugar, but I do eat a lot of fruit!

    Forget about it...
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    as long as its natural sugar, you're good! don't stress it. it's recommended that you have about 4/5 fruits & veggies in a day, so ur always going to go over. it's cool

    Table sugar is "natural". It makes no difference what the source is. Refined sugar or fruit. Sugar is sugar. Sugar from fruit is no different. What matters is how much total carbs are in your diet. With the exception of the fiber content of various carbs, they all convert to sugar (glucose).
  • dvisser1
    dvisser1 Posts: 788 Member
    A little more info needed, why are you counting sugars?

    ^^^ this. Unless you have medical issues that require you to monitor sugar intake to control blood sugar (diabetes, hypoglycemia) it is really only another macro you can use to micromanage your diet. Calories are what will determine if you're losing, maintaining or gaining weight.
  • 388gigi
    388gigi Posts: 485 Member
    This annoys me also!!

    I aim for no more than 30g of sugar a day...but I often go over it. If i'm mostly over on fruit and veg, then I don't beat myself up about it. If I am overdosing on chocolate (like last night) then I give myself a slap!!

    I am trying not to get too obsessed with the macros these days. I try my best to get them right every day, but if its not 100% all the time, then who cares! At least I'm still trying and still being a lot healthier than I used to be!
  • awaters24
    awaters24 Posts: 21 Member
    ugh! i am having the same issue!..my dad was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes so i started tracking mine, between the yogurt & fruit i go over literally everyday! :/
  • Kwika
    Kwika Posts: 145 Member
    sugar from natural sources is OK according to my physical therapist. he used to be a personal trainer and I bounce off him all the time and this is what he's told. me. The refined and processed is what you don't want. Stay away from surgary treats and fruit juice unless you juice your own fruit. I have been looking into possibly using blue agave as a sugar for things. It is natural and is not refined and low calorie.
  • dhiannon
    dhiannon Posts: 111 Member
    A little more info needed, why are you counting sugars? I try to stay away from processed sugar, but really sugar is sugar as far as calories go.


    I was only counting sugars as I have been given advice that I should. I was freaking out because I eat at least 3 servinigs of fruit a day. I do not have processes sugars if I can avoid it but the marco was also bold red telling me I went over. I thought I wasdoing something really wrong.. thats the only reason.

    Thank you for the advice everyone - I have removed that macro and focusing on more of the carbs and fiber from now on.
  • Linda_Darlene
    Linda_Darlene Posts: 453 Member
    Technically, every carb you eat is a sugar.

    But, unless you have specific health problems, I would not worry about the naturally occurring sugars in fruit! Eat fruit with abandon! Watch your carbs instead.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    A little more info needed, why are you counting sugars? I try to stay away from processed sugar, but really sugar is sugar as far as calories go.


    I was only counting sugars as I have been given advice that I should. I was freaking out because I eat at least 3 servinigs of fruit a day. I do not have processes sugars if I can avoid it but the marco was also bold red telling me I went over. I thought I wasdoing something really wrong.. thats the only reason.

    Thank you for the advice everyone - I have removed that macro and focusing on more of the carbs and fiber from now on.

    Totally not being critical but just for clarity, there are only 3 macro nutrients: Carbohydrates, Fats and Proteins. Sugar and fiber are not macros.
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
    A little more info needed, why are you counting sugars? I try to stay away from processed sugar, but really sugar is sugar as far as calories go.


    I was only counting sugars as I have been given advice that I should. I was freaking out because I eat at least 3 servinigs of fruit a day. I do not have processes sugars if I can avoid it but the marco was also bold red telling me I went over. I thought I wasdoing something really wrong.. thats the only reason.

    Thank you for the advice everyone - I have removed that macro and focusing on more of the carbs and fiber from now on.

    I think you will be better off this way. If you have trouble losing weight you might want to revisit this issue, sugars are high in calories and you can get more bang for your buck with other sources of calories.
  • issyfit
    issyfit Posts: 1,077 Member
    I think it depends on how you react to eating sugar, no matter what the source. For me eating too much sugar, including from fruit, will give me cravings for sweets. It's one reason I like South Beach living--got rid of my cravings and I'm hoping it will help prevent type 2 diabetes since it runs in my family. It does help to eat some protein or fat with fruit to slow downs its digestion resulting in less of a blood sugar spike. I had more sugar today than normal. I try to keep it around 30g/day.

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