Sugar from fruit...is it bad?

briannelynn83
briannelynn83 Posts: 4
in Food and Nutrition
Hi guys!
I really enjoy eating fruit for snacks. Everyday I have been over in my sugars due to that. Is this a bad thing? I am still under in all my other categories, I just go over in sugar? This is only my 4th day and I want to make sure I am doing things right from the get go so any advice you have would be a big help. Thanks!

Replies

  • EllaKnows
    EllaKnows Posts: 19
    I too have this problem. Sugars from fruits are natural but they are still sugars, I'm confused whether or not this still counts on MFP, though. I say if you're going to eat fruit, eat only two or three a day, or if you had a day high on sugars, just don't eat as many fruits the next day, but eat as many as you like the day after that:D
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,904 Member
    Do you have a medical condition that would make it more difficult for your body to process sugars?

    If the answer is no, then no. Going over your sugars while in a caloric deficit is fine. Fruits have all kinds of lovely nutrients. There's no reason to fear them for their sugars.
  • peachyxoxoxo
    peachyxoxoxo Posts: 1,178 Member
    I'm not sure what MFP's recommendation for you is, but the recommended limit on added sugars for women is 25g per day. It's okay to surpass that number if you're eating natural sugars like fruit. Just eat them in a moderate amount (like everything else).
  • reojames
    reojames Posts: 96
    Too much sugar is too much sugar, no matter where it comes from, imho. I eat quite a bit of fruit, too, but rarely go over my allotted sugar. Maybe you could switch to less sugary fruits? Dark cherries and blueberries are my faves....
  • LAMypie
    LAMypie Posts: 127 Member
    Natural sugars from fruits take more energy to break down than refined sugars, and they are more filling than a candy bar or cookie. Therefore they are better for you. Not only that, there are WAY more benefits to eating them than cutting them out because of their sugar.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    I'm careful with my sugar and try and stick as close to MFP's recommendation as much as possible without being obsessed about it. And I do track it now.

    I wasn't when I first started though -- I ate as much fruit as I wanted and didn't worry about it. Looking back at my journal more than once my sugar was over 190g but on average was probably about 75g a day. Which is just too much for the way I think about food now.
  • IsisRosa
    IsisRosa Posts: 57 Member
    I'm in the same boat. I drink a lot of smoothies and fruit is a big part of them. I also eat fruit for my snacks. My husband lost a lot of weight last year by basically just eating fruits and vegetables. He ate a lot of fruit but also lost a lot of weight.

    Right now, i'm just ignoring the fruit sugar and limiting all other sugars from my diet.
  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
    No it's fine, in my opinion. I go over my sugar all the time because of fruit and I haven't had a problem. To make up for it, I just cut out the sugary stuff that also includes a lot of carbs and fat, like donuts.
  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
    Natural sugars from fruits take more energy to break down than refined sugars, and they are more filling than a candy bar or cookie. Therefore they are better for you. Not only that, there are WAY more benefits to eating them than cutting them out because of their sugar.

    Source?
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
    Do you have a medical condition that would make it more difficult for your body to process sugars?

    If the answer is no, then no. Going over your sugars while in a caloric deficit is fine. Fruits have all kinds of lovely nutrients. There's no reason to fear them for their sugars.

    this is the correct answer. also ...
    Natural sugars from fruits take more energy to break down than refined sugars

    this is not the correct answer. as far as the body is concerned, sugar from an apple = sugar from a snickers.
  • peachyxoxoxo
    peachyxoxoxo Posts: 1,178 Member
    Natural sugars from fruits take more energy to break down than refined sugars, and they are more filling than a candy bar or cookie. Therefore they are better for you.

    False... but fruit likely has more fiber and contains more beneficial vitamins and minerals than a cookie/candy bar.
  • briannelynn83
    briannelynn83 Posts: 4
    Wow! Thanks to all who replied! I am definitely going to watch it so that I don't go crazy. I appreciate all of your input!
  • Hezzietiger1
    Hezzietiger1 Posts: 1,256 Member
    no.. only worry about sugar that comes from processed foods. you are good :) I eat 2-3 pieces of fruit everyday.
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
    Sugar is sugar, but there is more to the equation here.
    It's about the nutrition in the foods that contain sugar whether it's natural or otherwise.
    Processed junk has been demineralized and loaded with sugar.
    Fruit contains other nutritional qualities that are undeniable.
    Just track your foods, and eat to goal.
    ENJOY YOUR FRUIT! :drinker:
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    White sugar is natural sugar, same as the sucrose in an orange. Both are grown in fields in Florida.
  • polishmehappy
    polishmehappy Posts: 92 Member
    I have never met an obese person who eats a lot of fruit. Just saying....
    You have to watch the amount of fruit you eat if you are diabetic. But if you are not I don't think it is a problem. I wouldn't take the word of MFP members only thou. Ask Weight Watchers for example :)
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    If you're staying within your caloric goals and you're not diabetic don't worry about it. Some fruits may be higher in sugar (and have higher GIs) but they're also full of micronutrients that our bodies need.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Your body will process different sugars faster or slower and that makes a difference. "Sugar is sugar" is a marketing ploy created by the makers of high fructose corn syrup which has many detrimental health effects. The sugar in fruit is combined with fiber, so your body processes it more slowly. And also there are different kinds of sugars that require different enzymes to break down. There is a difference between a natural piece of fruit and a highly processed sugar.

    Edited to add that It is better to choose fruits that are lower in sugar.
  • LishaCole
    LishaCole Posts: 245
    The sugar in fruit is often in complex with fiber and phytonutrients - this increases digestion time and slows release into the blood stream. This slow release is much better than large "blood sugar spike" from eating refined sugar.

    Blood sugar spike --> large insulin release --> decreased fat breakdown/increased fat storage = bad.

    Fruit is good! (as long as you don't eat boatloads of it). Try to choose fruits that are high in fiber and micronutrients. The extra vitamins and minerals can assist with energy production and other metabolic processes.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    I have never met an obese person who eats a lot of fruit
    I saw one on TV, trying to justify her weight in terms of a low metabolism while eating hundreds of calories of fruit several times a day. She didn't count those calories because they were "healthy".
    The sugar in fruit is often in complex with fiber and phytonutrients - this increases digestion time and slows release into the blood stream. This slow release is much better than large "blood sugar spike" from eating refined sugar.
    The sugar in fruit is in solution and absorbs rapidly. That's why the glycemic index of a water melon is higher than white sugar and that of a pineapple is the same as white sugar - http://www.amsa.org/healingthehealer/GlycemicIndex.pdf - so the same blood sugar spike. If it's lower it's because there's a lot of fructose and less glucose - fructose is not the glucose of blood sugar so doesn't register on the GI test.

    Makes me laugh how people start from received wisdom that "fruit is healthy" then magic up fake scientific arguments to try and support that idea. Living 56deg north of the equator I wouldn't expect to encounter a whole lot of fruit in nature, so regard it with some suspicion ;-)
  • south001
    south001 Posts: 19
    Fruit is gods gift ;)

    it is like an engine oil for the body, and yes the body burns it all up so its fine as long as its not 10 oranges a day, fruit juice has no fiber when bottled so its just sugar water.
  • south001
    south001 Posts: 19
    I have never met an obese person who eats a lot of fruit. Just saying....
    You have to watch the amount of fruit you eat if you are diabetic. But if you are not I don't think it is a problem. I wouldn't take the word of MFP members only thou. Ask Weight Watchers for example :)
    exactly, arent we meant to eat 5 serves of fruit a day?
    fruit wont make anyone fat :D
  • LishaCole
    LishaCole Posts: 245
    I have never met an obese person who eats a lot of fruit
    I saw one on TV, trying to justify her weight in terms of a low metabolism while eating hundreds of calories of fruit several times a day. She didn't count those calories because they were "healthy".
    The sugar in fruit is often in complex with fiber and phytonutrients - this increases digestion time and slows release into the blood stream. This slow release is much better than large "blood sugar spike" from eating refined sugar.
    The sugar in fruit is in solution and absorbs rapidly. That's why the glycemic index of a water melon is higher than white sugar and that of a pineapple is the same as white sugar - http://www.amsa.org/healingthehealer/GlycemicIndex.pdf - so the same blood sugar spike. If it's lower it's because there's a lot of fructose and less glucose - fructose is not the glucose of blood sugar so doesn't register on the GI test.

    Makes me laugh how people start from received wisdom that "fruit is healthy" then magic up fake scientific arguments to try and support that idea. Living 56deg north of the equator I wouldn't expect to encounter a whole lot of fruit in nature, so regard it with some suspicion ;-)


    Energy storage molecules in plant cells are most commonly sequestered in vacuoles/vesicles which in turn are encapsulated by a lipid membrane and cell wall. As this involves a lot of nonhomogenous fiber, lipids, and protein. I would in no way consider this in "solution". Not all fruits are equally healthy, obviously. I suggested healthy fruit choices, I apologize for being vague. My personal favourites - for an decent ratio of nutrients to sugar - include berries and grapefruit.

    I agree that a "solution' of fruit nutrients, such as apple juice, would not be an ideal nutritional choice.

    I too consider my degree in biochemistry and cell biology to be "magic". =D .
  • Jaxter888
    Jaxter888 Posts: 21 Member
    SIGH...... unfortunately, its really not as simple as what general public think is common science... unfortunately, things just fall under umbrellas.... a calorie ISNT just a calorie, not all proteins are created equal, not all transfats are bad and all not sugars are created equally.... so people just confuse propaganda with science....

    Fruits have MANY positives, but this topic is asking if the sugar is bad....i'm guessing its on about its impact on fat gain/loss.

    As mentioned here, the sugar from fruit is called fructose (fruit isnt the only source btw)...

    Fructose is VERY different from other sugars.... and is unique in that it can ONLY be processed, stored and/or used by the liver (your body's natural nuclear power plant).... to cut a long story short and to leave out the big sciency words.... basically when fructose enters the body, it goes through your intestines and passes straight to your liver.... your liver will do 2 things first... it will decide a) can i use this, b) can i store this..... 9/10 times, computer says NO!.... because you have plenty of other fuel its happy to use, and its glycogen is most likely full already... so not wanting to be wasteful, it'll just send that fructose straight for processing and into lipid (fat) stores!.... so, generally speaking, its best to have fructose when glycogen stores IN YOUR LIVER will be depleted (ie after a long fast, like in the morning after sleeping).

    But here's the shocker ok... fruit is NOT the main source of fructose... just because they share the same first 3 letters!.... i know it gets most ppl... things like corn syrup, maple syrup, honey and brown sugar to name a few are much higher in fructose than fruit !!!

    So in summary, try to limit your fructose to the morning or after something like a marathon (though i'd never recommend marathons as a regular activity unless you actually want to weaken your heart!!!... but that's a different story) .... or similar low-medium intensity endurance activity for a good few hours like hiking maybe.

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