Yes, I too have seen the 35g for men, and 25g for women recommendation - that seems to be EVERYWHERE… but that is a maximum intake recommendation. What is the ideal range?
Is it best to have no added sugar at all? Do we need some carbs, and should we get them from fruit? Obviously, sugar isn’t *good* for you, but is below a certain grammage just an acceptable population level risk, or is it totally healthy?
Thanks!
Nevermind the exact amount you’re getting, just try to get your sugars from natural sources that also contain fiber, whether it be apples, bananas, etc. Your body absorbs it more slowly, it helps regulate your blood sugar, and gives you energy with more longevity and no crash.
It depends what form.
Sugar that is bonded with other things, either through cooking or as a mixture is absorbed slower than if you were just adding a syrup/sauce to something.
Fructose (fruit sugar) is naturally low GI, even in isolation.
Sucrose (white or table sugar) is medium GI, so is a little bit worse than fructose*
Rice syrup, glucose and maltose are the only high GI sugars, and should be avoided where possible.
While you don’t ‘require’ any carbohydrates, they’re very good fuel, and when naturally present in food, aren’t bad.
Added sugar isn’t bad because it’s different in some form, it’s bad because it’s been added to something that already had calories. If you add 100 grams (a very large amount, but still) of sugar to your food throughout the day, that’s another 387 calories, that may put you over the cap you can eat in a day without weight gain, while also providing no nutrients.
That being said, sugar tastes good. It improves texture in cooked/baked foods, it caramelises, it softens, it binds.The most nutritious and wonderful food in the world probably isn’t going to be eaten if it tastes awful, adding a small amount of sugar to make something gross tasting edible is perfectly fine. It’s not a poison, it’s something we evolved with.
The ideal added sugar intake is zero. But you could aim for one or two teaspoons per day maximum if this is more feasible. 25g is about six, seven teaspoons which is rather a lot.
An easy way to cut down is to slowly reduce how much sugar is in your tea/coffee. There will be special events such as birthdays where you might overshoot, don’t stress, just do the best you can. The nice thing about reducing your sugar consumption is that your tastes change and most things taste better than before.
I personally don’t est sugary things. It’s a question of taste first, I find sugar too strong for my palate and always had a preference for savory things. But I also keep it out for health reasons. I don’t need it to thrive. I get food from all food groups, and mostly animal proteins and fats. I’m not on keto or low carbs, I get rice and veggies too once day. Sometimes even fries. Sometimes even a banana or strawberries. I just don’t think sugar is necessary (and believe me, I train crossfit and weightlifting). And as I cook myself most of the times, it’s easy not to have much sugar anyway. When I buy something packaged, it’s the first thing I look at, you are right, it’s in everything, sometimes in proportions that blow my mind.
From a nutritional point of view, sugar is sugar. Your body will process it the same way. Honey or fruits, or syrups… Some may have different GI but at the end, it will be still be sugar at 4cal per gram. I just personally prefer putting my calories into what matter the most for my health: bones, muscles and organ functions.
Ideal is never ideal ironically, we are not made to be optimal, if we were made to be optimal we would be extinct, the best way to be healthy is just to be decently healthy, and not perfectly healthy.
I have a differing view than most people on this subreddit. Quality Is just as important as quantity especially with sugars. If you include sugars, make sure they’re slow to metabolize (high fiber like fruits)
When fat is metabolized it turns into sugar, effectively replacing the sugar in your diet.
I stick with about 11/2 cups of blueberries or blackberries and that’s perfect for me.
Everything we eat, except protein and fat, is a type of sugar. Just some in longer chains than others. The main focus should be to include fibre as it slows down digestion and means the sugar is metabolised over a longer period of time. Similar to how crumple zones work in car crashes 😆 (fibre also feeds our microbiome!)
I removed sugar from my diet in May. I also removed gluten, most dairy and most carbs. I eat mostly wild caught salmon, lean chicken, some beef usually grass fed. Cooked vegetables with every meal. I don’t snack or eat dessert at all. The only sugar I have is what’s in my twice daily coffee. I feel amazing and have way more energy now than before when I was eating a lot more carbs.
Added sugar is garbage because its not natural. You don’t need carbs, see zero carb diet, but it’s a difficult diet. Sugar in general is bad if not moderated. Limit your sugar, get it only from fruits.
Sugar is one of the primary causes of diabetes. I go by the early 1800s levels, when diabetes was virtually unknown: 12 grams a day. I plan about 4g (in my coffee), and then I don’t eat added sugar anywhere else. That way I have some wiggle room for parties or celebrations.
We do not need any carbs for survival. However, 20g is not gonna hurt you in any way. But it’s always better to eat carbs in lower GI than in higher GI, so your blood glucose doesn’t spike. Legumes are better for sugar than fruit.
So, to conclude - you don’t need sugars, you can be healthy without them. But eating 20g won’t make you unhealthy.
It’s like tending a fire. You can throw on big logs and they will usual burn quickly and brightly. Lots of smoke. Big flares. Kind of a waste.
In the body this would mean lots of fat production, inflammation, hyperglycemia, and basically metabolic syndrome in a nutshell.