Ambiguities!.....

[Gia]

Hi All,

I have some questions about foods that I am finding ambiguous. I wouldn't worry much if these were once-offs but since they are regular habits, I thought I should ask.

Here's the list

- dried mango slices eaten with meal, sugar is the second ingredient on the packet - sweet or not?

- tapas with friends then eating a small plate right afterwards because still hungry - virtual plating or snack?

- sharing a bottle of red wine at dinner - snack or ok?

- drinking smoothies made of frozen berries, ice and pineapple juice between meals - snack, sweet or ok?

Thanks for posting your views on this!

[ShannahR]

I think that alot of us would have different opinions on all of this stuff because No S gives you the freedom to make the call on your own. To me that's part of the beauty, if I see a certain thing as a snack/sweet its important for me to avoid them during the week because it can open the flood gates. On the other hand, it might not do that for someone else.

Personally here is how I would handle these foods:

-dried mango slices eaten with meal, sugar is the second ingredient on the packet - SWEET I love these things and I'm sure to gorge if I start eating them. If you really want mango try the undried version, they are very tasty.

- tapas with friends then eating a small plate right afterwards because still hungry - Virtual Plating You can't possibly get full on tappas without more than one plate, just don't be an idiot.

- sharing a bottle of red wine at dinner - OK Wine's not my thing but if you want to have some with a meal I think it's okay.

- drinking smoothies made of frozen berries, ice and pineapple juice between meals - SNACK AND SWEET It's not mealtime and it's sweet, enough said.

Of course all of these choices are up to you and you might be able to incorporate some of these foods without it effecting your other choices.

Good luck!

[marygrace]

I agree with everything ShannahR said except the dried mango slices. While unsweetened dried fruit is preferable, I don't see a problem with eating these with a meal once in a while. I'm kind of seeing it along the same lines as sugar in your coffee or porridge--it sweetens the thing you're eating or drinking, but it isn't a sweet. Of course, if eating this kind of thing puts you in the mode to eat other sweet foods, maybe you should consider it an S.

[NoelFigart]

- dried mango slices eaten with meal, sugar is the second ingredient on the packet - sweet or not?

I'd call anything sweet enough to taste the sugar strongly a sweet. But OTOH, I know the dried cranberries I put in my optimized oatmeal have some sugar with them, and don't consider it a sweet. I think, maybe, this should be a "fence" item unless you run into trouble.

- tapas with friends then eating a small plate right afterwards because still hungry - virtual plating or snack?

Did you plan ahead of time that you'd be virtual plating? If not, snack.

- sharing a bottle of red wine at dinner - snack or ok?

I drink a glass or two of wine a day. It's okay for me. But if I go over, then I've failed on Glass Ceiling.

- drinking smoothies made of frozen berries, ice and pineapple juice between meals - snack, sweet or ok?

For me, a smoothie would most certainly be a snack!

Thanks for posting your views on this![/quote]

[wosnes]

I'm going to admit that I'm not sure about the mango. I've never had a dried mango and don't know how much sugar is added. I can think of plenty of things where sugar would be the second ingredient and not be considered a sweet.

Tapas -- I'd also agree about virtual plating (though it's something I don't generally do). My daughters and I frequently go to a tapas restaurant and we each order 2-3 plates and then share. The small amounts I get from each plate equals a meal.

Wine -- up to two glasses daily.

Smoothie -- I'd consider it a snack. I would not consider it a sweet. I often have smoothies for breakfast (and for lunch today). I consider them a meal. While they do have a good deal of sugar, it's not added sugar.

[clarinetgal]

I don't have much to add, except I don't think the dried fruit is a sweet, if you eat it with a meal. While fresh fruit is better, dried fruit does have benefits to it. I put it in my oatmeal along with some nuts, and the combo helps me stay full for several hours.

[Gia]

Thanks for all the helpful feedback everyone!!!

I am probably going to limit the mango slices. I was relieved RE tapas and wine with dinner, but the smoothie was the biggest shocker for me. I somehow thought it was perfectly ok since it was made of fruit and the book says drinks between meals are OK if you need them to tide you over. However when i saw your posts, I did some more research and found this: http://www.sugarstacks.com/shakes.htm. I can now see why they are kind of like sweet and definitely a snack. I'll be staying away!!!

[wosnes]

Thanks for all the helpful feedback everyone!!!

I am probably going to limit the mango slices. I was relieved RE tapas and wine with dinner, but the smoothie was the biggest shocker for me. I somehow thought it was perfectly ok since it was made of fruit and the book says drinks between meals are OK if you need them to tide you over. However when i saw your posts, I did some more research and found this: http://www.sugarstacks.com/shakes.htm. I can now see why they are kind of like sweet and definitely a snack. I'll be staying away!!!

I'll have to say that I think there's (usually) a HUGE difference between smoothies purchased somewhere and those made at home. While there may be more sugar in a smoothie than other things, if they're made from pure juice and fruit, the sugar is naturally occurring and there is fiber in the fruit. So comparing one to the other is like comparing apples and oranges.

I haven't purchased a smoothie in years, but I know many of them use syrups. Even if the syrups are made from fruit juice, they're still a more concentrated form of sugar.