AIBU to be shocked by how little sugar I'm supposed to have.

[Dieterr]

So, I have a health problem that can be aided (not fixed) with diet changes. The intention is not to lose or gain weight - it's mostly a case of vitamin absorption. It's also more complex because of breastfeeding and things like that.

The recommendations are:

• <10% calories from sugar


• <25g sugar per day


• Take medication with a 200ml of orange juice to aid absorption


• 25%-35% of calories from protein


• 65g of protein per day


• 20%-30% of calories from fat


• <5g of salt


• >30g fibre


• Minimise dairy (as in, no mac and cheese and no glasses of milk but small amounts are completely fine)


• Eat regularly, lots of snacks rather than large meals


• Avoid artificial sweeteners


• Total of 1500-1800 calories


• Breakfast: High fibre breakfast cereal with unsweetened almond milk


• Lunch: Prawns with vegetables (courgette, red onion, bell pepper)


• Dinner: Chicken breast with brown rice and vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, peas)


• Snacks: mushrooms, olives, smoked salmon, wotsits, peanuts, roule on rivita thin, yoghurt, small chocolate bar.


• Plus the orange juice for taking medication.

This diet meets all the requirements except the sugar - it's almost three times the recommended amount of sugar! The only "sugary" foods are the orange juice (which I've been told to have) and the chocolate bar. If I cut the chocolate bar, it's still more than two-and-a-half times the amount of sugar. If I cut the breakfast cereal (as well as the chocolate bar) it's still more than double - and I'm getting half my daily fibre from the breakfast cereal so don't want to cut that. The orange juice alone is almost my whole daily allowance for sugar (20g) so I can't fathom out how to actually create any kind of diet with such little sugar in it.

Before I added it all up, I didn't think this was a high-sugar diet (I was more concerned it might go over the salt limit). But, even if I cut out the orange juice, the cereal and the chocolate bar, I'm still over the recommended amount of sugar - and, looking at that diet, I can't see how anyone can ever stay under the recommended amount of sugar. I'm absolutely shocked that prawns, chicken breast, vegetables, olives, smoked salmon, wotsits, peanuts, roule on rivita and a yoghurt is more sugar than an adult should have in a day (especially because that's only 1000 calories)!

I'm genuinely wondering if anyone's diet is below the sugar recommendation at this point.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Wotsits, yoghurt, cereal and ryvita don’t need to be eaten on the same day. They all contain sugar as does the orange juice and chocolate bar. That doesn’t mean you have to cut calories further just replace those items with protein instead. So bigger portions of chicken, fish, eggs etc.

Anyone trying to cut sugar out should stay well away from breakfast cereals.

I also have a condition that can be stopped from getting worse and symptoms relieved by cutting out sugar and have been on an anti inflammation diet for a long time. Once you get the hang of it it will become second nature and it won’t seem like you are cutting back in the same way it does now. Best of luck op.

The wotsits and the rivita combined only contain 1.4g of sugar though. So cutting them would make no real difference at all. And, if I cut the cereal, then I'm massively short on the fibre front - and still way, way over on the sugar front.

Are the snacks all for one day? The NHS website suggests under 30g of 'free' sugars, i.e. added sugar in things like yogurts, cereal, baked goods and drinks, so excluding naturally occurring sugars in fruits and vegetables. If 20g of those sugars are in the orange juice, but the vitamin c is important for metabolising other vitamins (iron?), can you swap it for a C supplement in water, or a whole fruit? As the fruit contains fibre it's lower GI.

Thanks - this is a good suggestion. I was just told to take medication with "200ml of orange juice" so I can definitely check this and it would massively help if there's a less sugary option.

When I had gestational diabetes orange juice was definitely out - it's delicious, but it sends your blood sugar sky high! Full fat plain greek yogurt, boiled eggs, cheese, olives, crudites and hummus were my go-to snacks; fat and protein really do help to keep you feeling fuller for longer. To be honest your day's food doesn't sound that unhealthy to me! If you can, try to walk after every meal as well, as it does amazing things for keeping your blood sugar stable.