I hate calorie counting

KANGOOJUMPS

I don't........................

lemurcat12

jim180155 wrote: »

And sugar has been shown in tests to trigger some of the same reward responses as cocaine. That doesn't mean that sugar is as addictive as cocaine, but there is definitely something there beyond just the pleasant taste of sugar.

The usual response to this is "so does petting puppies," but I actually do think there's something (although I wouldn't call it addiction) to the way that people react to hyperpalatable foods, so instead I'll point out that so does fat. For example, check out the discussion in Michael Moss' Sugar, Salt, Fat. Or, actually, the scientists who argue for a type of food addiction--they think it has to do with hyperpalatable foods, and often fatty or (especially) sugar + fat or salt + fat foods.

I don't really think addiction is a helpful concept with specific foods (I think it doesn't help explain why many feel out of control with them or how to stop, which is pretty context specific), but my bigger issue is the focus on sugar only (or sometimes "carbs") only when that's not actually what the evidence indicates.

I do think that lowering (sometimes cutting out) added sugar is a smart thing to do for most people trying to lose weight (and likely a good majority of Americans in general). And I say that as someone who wasn't really a sugar fiend when gaining weight and who has never had a problem appreciating the sweetness in fruits and vegetables.

lemurcat12

enterdanger wrote: »

So I guess what we should take away from this little argument is that calorie counting is tedious but works and we should all ditch sugar and start doing coke.

I understand it helps with the weight loss.

jim180155

lemurcat12 wrote: »

jim180155 wrote: »

And sugar has been shown in tests to trigger some of the same reward responses as cocaine. That doesn't mean that sugar is as addictive as cocaine, but there is definitely something there beyond just the pleasant taste of sugar.

The usual response to this is "so does petting puppies," but I actually do think there's something (although I wouldn't call it addiction) to the way that people react to hyperpalatable foods, so instead I'll point out that so does fat. For example, check out the discussion in Michael Moss' Sugar, Salt, Fat. Or, actually, the scientists who argue for a type of food addiction--they think it has to do with hyperpalatable foods, and often fatty or (especially) sugar + fat or salt + fat foods.

I don't really think addiction is a helpful concept with specific foods (I think it doesn't help explain why many feel out of control with them or how to stop, which is pretty context specific), but my bigger issue is the focus on sugar only (or sometimes "carbs") only when that's not actually what the evidence indicates.

I do think that lowering (sometimes cutting out) added sugar is a smart thing to do for most people trying to lose weight (and likely a good majority of Americans in general). And I say that as someone who wasn't really a sugar fiend when gaining weight and who has never had a problem appreciating the sweetness in fruits and vegetables.

I read that book and liked it a lot, particularly from the food manufacturing/ historical aspect. I don't remember the part about fats causing the same responses as sugar, but I'll take your word for it.

I agree with your whole post, especially the part about addiction not being a helpful way of looking at things. There may be something to it, but it still sounds like it borders on excuse-making.