On a earlier post I did here http://nevertheskinnygirl.blogspot.com/2010/09/recommended-daily-allowances.html I listed my recommended daily allowances of nutrients and on this post here http://nevertheskinnygirl.blogspot.com/2010/09/fruit-and-vegetable-nutrition-info.html I listed fruits and vegetables and how much of each nutrient they have. I have really been trying to watch how much sugar I eat but I still feel like I'm not doing to good. My problem isn't adding sugar to my foods its all the sugar I am eating that is naturally in foods. According to what I have found the most sugar I should have in one day is 40 grams. Does this mean added sugar or the sugar that is naturally in a food? If it includes sugar in anything I eat then I am definitely going over this amount. As you can see from the list below things that I thought were really good for you turn out to have alot of sugar in them.Banana (1)- 14.4 grams sugar
Watermelon (1 cup)- 9.5 grams sugar
Cantaloupe (1 cup)- 13.9 grams sugar
Grapes (1 cup)- 23 grams sugar
Apple (1 medium)- 19 grams sugar
Applesauce (1 cup)- 23 grams sugar
Peaches (1 large)- 15 grams sugar
Pineapple (1 cup)- 26 grams sugar
Raisins (1 miniature box)- 8 grams sugar
Green Beans (1 cup)- 2 grams sugar
Broccoli (1 cup)- 2 grams sugar
Brussel Sprouts (1 cup)- 2 grams sugar
Cauliflower (1 cup)- 2 grams sugar
Corn (1 cup)- 5 grams sugar
Potato (1 large)- 3 grams sugar
Sweet Potato (1 large)- 12 grams sugar
Tomato (1 cup)- 5 grams sugar
Cucumber (1 medium)- 3 grams sugar
I know there are many more fruits and vegetables than what I have listed but these are the ones I like. As you can see fruits have alot of natural sugar in them and with only having 40 grams a day to use 1 or 2 servings of fruit takes all of that.
Floriana from http://sugarlessdiet.blogspot.com/2010/09/bye-bye-tomatoes-see-you-next-year.html has a post today about eating sugar that you might find interesting and she listed a site called http://sugarstack.com/ that shows how much sugar is in some of the food we eat. Here are some examples:
Coca cola (20 oz)- 63 grams sugar
Jello Gelatin, Cherry (1/2 cup)- 19 grams sugar
Craisins (40 grams)- 26 grams sugar
Yoplait, Light Yogurt, Strawberry (6 oz)- 14 grams sugar
Carrot sticks (8 sticks)- 4 grams sugar
Nutrigrain cereal bar, Strawberry (1 bar)- 13 grams sugar
Chocolate pudding, lowfat (1 cup)- 15 grams sugar
Reeses cups (2)- 20 grams sugar
Oreo cookies (4)- 14 grams
Fat free fig newtons (2 cookies)- 12 grams sugar
Ketchup (1 tbls)- 4 grams sugar
As you can see from this list I tried to pick out some things that had alot of sugar and some with not much. If you really want the true impact of this site you need to visit http://sugarstack.com/ and you will be shocked by just how much sugar is in what we eat each day.
Just how important do you feel it is to avoid sugars that are naturally in fruits and vegetables?
I'm going to list some of what I have eaten today and how much sugar was in it just so you can get an idea how quickly it adds up. Here it goes:
1 banana- 14.4 grams
1 cup broccoli- 2 grams
1 cup green beans- 2 grams
1/2 cup corn- 2.5 grams
1/2 cup jello- 19 grams
1 cup skim milk- 12 grams
1 1/2 cups bran cereal- 15 grams
1/4 cup mixed nuts- 7 grams
Now that isn't even everything I ate and that is already 73.9 grams of sugar. How in the world do I decrease my sugar when I have to eat? If you have any suggestions I would appreciate it very much. I am definitely not eating anymore regular jello, now I know why it tasted so good, because of all of the sugar. I may have to start skipping the banana to but you are suppose to get in fruit daily so how do you do it without eating to much sugar? All opinions welcome.
I think you have improved a lot regarding sugar and have been doing well, so you can relax and don't worry about it that much.
ReplyDeleteYou shouldn't worry about the sugar in vegetables. They are full of fiber, vitamins, minerals and other elements and that more than makes up for the sugar. Unless it's potatoes or similar starchy vegetable, feel free to eat it and don't worry about the sugar.
Fruit is higher in sugar, so you should give it some thought, but don't worry about that too much either. You can eat it every day, no problem. You do like sweet fruit, so stay at one to two servings a day.
As for nuts... cashews and peanuts (which are not really nuts anyway) are higher in sugar, but other than that the sugars in nuts are negligible, too. They also have a lot of other benefits going for them, so don't worry about the sugar.
Processed foods are what you really need to watch. Read the labels, find the nutritional info and be aware. You don't have to be super strict. Some days you will eat more, some days you will eat less. Also, you don't need to cut it out all at once. Do it gradually, so you can get used to the changes.
Finally, I have to repeat. You are doing great with your eating right now. Just keep doing what you are doing now and you'll be fine. :)
Ordinarily, when maximum intake for sugar grams is given, it is referring to added sugar--not fuctose.
ReplyDeleteThe most important sugar info is the added sugar that is hidden in processed food that you don't think of as sweet--like peanut butter or spaghetti sauce or "healthy" boxed cereal.
All natural food has natural sugar. Our bodies need it for fuel. It is the hidden stuff that we need to beware of.
Deb
Thanks Floriana and Deb I will start keeping a closer eye on the nutritional labels when I buy stuff. I'm so use to just looking at calories, fat and fiber because of doing weight watchers for so long that I ignore everything else on the label which is something I need to learn to change.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you should worry too much about fruits and vegetables. They both have more than enough fibers, minerals and other things that are really good for you that won't make or break you unless you eat too much of them. What you should really worry about is refined sugar. Stuff that you find in pudding or jello.
ReplyDeleteFrom my experience, at least, sugar in fruits and veggies doesn't matter. I had a fractured ankle, got no exercise (I couldn't take a single step, let alone exercise), ate a normal amount of food plus a ton of fruit (including pineapple, which is my favorite) and lost 15 lbs. in 2 months. That's without moving. Keep that in mind :)
Good evening Christina. Sorry it's taken me a bit of time to come and see what's happening here. Thank you for stopping by and visiting and leaving me such a sweet comment.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone is right, it's the added sugar not the stuff in the fruits and veggies we eat.
You are doing so wonderfully. I love the lists on your side bar. I don't know how to do that yet, I think I'll have to learn.
Keep up the great work and I'll be back to check on you and learn whatever you have to teach me.
Take care and God Bless!!
Oh I'm following too.
Hey Christina-yeah fruits can be as bad as candy, my friend an Endocrinologist told me. She has to tell ALL her diabetic patients that just because fruit is natural, there is too much sugar in alot of them. There are some, like strawberries I think, that have lower sugar and are recommended.
ReplyDeleteThe diet I am on right now says no fruits because of the sugar, and I miss fruit so much!! Hubby eats lots of sugar free jello and pudding. There are also alot of diabetic food choices that could help you make the transition to lower sugar, too.
Polar's Mom
www.polarspage.blogspot.com
If you're a diabetic, then sugar really matters. If not, IN MY OPINION, I don't worry about it. Natural sugars that are still good for you (banana) are fine, coke, isn't. I am a calories counter. So I don't overly track my sugar. Things that are lower in sugar happen to be things that are typically lower in calories so if I want to get the most bang for my buck, I won't eat 3 bananas, I'll eat A banana and a whole stack load of veggies. Same calories, more amount of food in the tummy. This is MY opinion and how I eat. Like I said, if you are a diabetic, then throw this out the window. :-)
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't worry about the sugar in fruits and veggies too much. I try to eat my fruit in the morning so I have all day to burn it off. I know I didn't gain weight from all the sugar in banannas and green beans. I would focus on staying away from the HFCS and other sugar additives in soda, candy, cake and other junk.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your wonderful suggestions and advice. So I'm taking from this that I can eat veggies without worrying about the sugar content and I can have fruits to but I need to watch how many servings I have a day, limiting it to 1 to 2 servings and mainly I just need to watch out for the sugar in processed foods. I can do that, thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteYour conclusion sounds very sound! I too struggle with sugar, and when I figured out how much fruit I was eating every day it turned out to be a boat load. I was in shock. I have been reading Dr. Mercola's website, which I am sure I had to subscribe to to access, and he is of the opinion that fructose counts very much and that it should be restricted. There are plenty of studies linking sugar with cancer growth and Mercola thinks fructose is also involved with rising rates of cancer and other diseases. You might want to check him out. He is way to the left, but it might give you something to think about.
ReplyDelete