If calories is a calorie-what's the issue with Sugar then? how to reduce intake? HELP!
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viren19890 wrote: »Saw a documentary "Fed up" and "Sugar Coated"
are there different types of sugar? like good sugar vs bad sugar? sugar in fruit vs sugarcane vs jaggery vs molasses vs honey?
How do I reduce my intake? -i'm not diabetic or have any one in my family or extended family suffering from it or have history of but those documentaries make me think.
I finally accepted that eating a pizza vs eating regular home made food is no different for weight loss as long as I maintain a deficit and now this?
The more I learn the more confused I get -who is right? who is wrong?
I'm not an expert but I've read that not all calories are equal because it takes a different amount of calories for your body to digest it after it's been consumed. For instance, 100 calories of carrots is not exactly the same as a 100 calorie cookie because your body will burn more calories digesting the carrots (some veggies like celery and broccoli are known to have "negative calories" because of this) so in the end, the 100 calorie carrot is a much better choice than the 100 calorie cookie... Or so I've read, but that was in just one article so who knows.0 -
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What source?viren19890 wrote: »Sugar is sugar. The body breaks it down to simplest form and absorbs it. Good carbs get broken down to sugar. Don't believe all the hype.
If sugar was really the issue to obesity, then countries that consume more than the US should also have an obesity issue, and most of them don't. Brazil as a country consumes more than the US.
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Bro, they had Brazil on the list of obesity ridden countries lol
http://www.therichest.com/rich-list/poorest-list/the-worlds-10-fattest-countries-in-2015/
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/01/23/obesity-in-world-countries-map_n_6530896.html
http://listdose.com/top-10-worlds-fattest-countries/
3 here and none show Brazil in the Top 15
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Doctors have less knowledge of nutrition than a nutritionist and a nutritionist didn't likely go to college to get a degree. If they did they would likely be a Registered Dietician.Tedebearduff wrote: »viren19890 wrote: »Saw a documentary "Fed up" and "Sugar Coated"
are there different types of sugar? like good sugar vs bad sugar? sugar in fruit vs sugarcane vs jaggery vs molasses vs honey?
How do I reduce my intake? -i'm not diabetic or have any one in my family or extended family suffering from it or have history of but those documentaries make me think.
I finally accepted that eating a pizza vs eating regular home made food is no different for weight loss as long as I maintain a deficit and now this?
The more I learn the more confused I get -who is right? who is wrong?
These message boards will just confuse you more because everyone on here thinks they're an expert... but let's be real/ logical here... if they were an expert... they wouldn't be on the message boards now would they? best of luck weeding through the BS.
Best advice I can give is speak with your doctor or go to a nutritionist.
And I'm an expert trainer on the boards with great knowledge. Are you saying that because people are on the boards they lack intelligence on the matter?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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So a question: if I have 1 liter of water and 1 liter of soda, are you saying the liter of soda isn't a liter?Raptor2763 wrote: »A calorie is NOT a calorie - THAT'S the issue.
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Fiber isn't a digestible carb. That's why it doesn't break down.BreezeDoveal wrote: »Sugar is sugar. The body breaks it down to simplest form and absorbs it. Good carbs get broken down to sugar. Don't believe all the hype.
If sugar was really the issue to obesity, then countries that consume more than the US should also have an obesity issue, and most of them don't. Brazil as a country consumes more than the US.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I thought fiber doesn't do that. Isn't fiber a good carb?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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autumnlee59230 wrote: »After reading this article, and being someone who is trying to learn how to eat healthy, I am starting to get confused. Is it bad to eat fruit? I will make protein shakes with frozen fruit, bananas, spinach, etc. So is eating that as bad as eating a donut or a tastykake?
It's good to eat fruit. For women over 30 U.S. RDA is 1.5 cups of fruit a day. Lots of nutrients and fibre. If you mean "is the sugar in a fruit the same as a sugar in a donut", the answer is yes-ish. Fruits typically contain fructose but may also contain glucose or even sucrose (bananas and dates). Sucrose is 50% glucose & 50% fructose. Fructose is metabolized slightly differently than glucose, but close enough.
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BreezeDoveal wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »BreezeDoveal wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »BreezeDoveal wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »
I think I've finally figured this out. Please excuse the rather passe or sexist analogies.
A good girl hangs out with nice, respectful, well-dressed boys who get good grades. A bad girl lurks around with the smokers who swear and drink and skip class. Both girls may be the same in terms of their own actual behavior, but they are judged by their companions.
Good sugars and bad sugars are the same, but one hangs out with fiber and lots of micros (or just looks all respectable, since those in a banana don't actually come with much fiber). The other (the bad one) hangs out with fat and calories.
It's all about judging by appearance and association!
Hmm. Or maybe it's an anti immigration thing: good sugars stay where they started out. Bad sugars go somewhere else.
I sure wish the grocery stores would build walls around the center area of store to encourage people to shop the good edges. And get Monsanto to pay for it.
Not. Sure. If. Serious...
If people had to think before going to that section of the grocery store, maybe they'd make better food choices overall.
So are you saying that in every grocery store in the world, there is a section of "bad food choices" and a section of "good food choices"? And the bad stuff is always in the middle?
Might want to give this a read...
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10437023/whats-on-the-perimeter-in-your-grocery-store/p1
I think if they made people have to stop and think when crossing into the nutrition desert of the center aisles, that might make America great again, or at least make our waists not so great. They could even have passports. You'd get less pages to stamp and limit your visits for some people.
When food companies send their sugars, they're not sending you their best. They're sending sugars that have a lot of problems, and they're bringing those problems with them. They're bringing obesity. They're bringing diabetes. And they're fattening. And some, I assume, are good carbs.5 -
One problem with sugar is that it contains calories, and people often eat too many calories to maintain a healthy weight. If you are eating too many calories, cutting "bad sugar" intake (defined below) will be an easy way to lose calories from your diet without losing nutrition.
In terms of "good" sugars vs "bad" sugars, I dont really like that terminology since sugar is sugar, but it is often used so let me explain how I understand the concept: sugar is sugar, but not all sugar comes packaged the same way. If I eat an apple, it has calories from sugar but also fiber and vitamins and lots of good stuff. If I eat a handful of candy, it has calories from sugar but there is no nutrition to go with it. It is just extra calories that bring nothing to the table (other than taste of course). So, rather than good/bad sugar, I find it more helpful to think about the calories I eat today to be a budget, and some ways to spend my calories are going to give me more bang for my buck when it comes to nutrition. For every calorie I spend on nutritionally sparse food, that's less nutrients in my body. Eat nothing but candy all the time and I will feel hungry and crappy all the time because have an unhealthy diet. That being said, sometimes I eat non nutritious but caloric foods because want something with that flavor more than I need the nutrition at that moment. Or because I just want a quick injection of calories to keep me going, like during the triathlon training I'm doing. But I do that as a treat here and there, not as a major part of my diet.2 -
Could someone familiar with the subject help me understand the differences between glucose and fructose? And for that matter, the difference between fructose in fruit and the fructose in HFCS? I'd just google but a quick peek earlier had me concerned about the reliability of the source I was reading. Is it true, for instance, that fructose has a lower glycemic index? And yet has more potential to harm the liver if consumed in excess than glucose?0
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Aaron_K123 is a molecular biologist and I believe he linked some sources to it, but I can't seem to find the thread. Maybe PM him?goldthistime wrote: »Could someone familiar with the subject help me understand the differences between glucose and fructose? And for that matter, the difference between fructose in fruit and the fructose in HFCS? I'd just google but a quick peek earlier had me concerned about the reliability of the source I was reading. Is it true, for instance, that fructose has a lower glycemic index? And yet has more potential to harm the liver if consumed in excess than glucose?
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Aaron_K123 is a molecular biologist and I believe he linked some sources to it, but I can't seem to find the thread. Maybe PM him?goldthistime wrote: »Could someone familiar with the subject help me understand the differences between glucose and fructose? And for that matter, the difference between fructose in fruit and the fructose in HFCS? I'd just google but a quick peek earlier had me concerned about the reliability of the source I was reading. Is it true, for instance, that fructose has a lower glycemic index? And yet has more potential to harm the liver if consumed in excess than glucose?
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I will. Thanks.
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goldthistime wrote: »Could someone familiar with the subject help me understand the differences between glucose and fructose? And for that matter, the difference between fructose in fruit and the fructose in HFCS? I'd just google but a quick peek earlier had me concerned about the reliability of the source I was reading. Is it true, for instance, that fructose has a lower glycemic index? And yet has more potential to harm the liver if consumed in excess than glucose?
Glucose and fructose are two different types of sugar. Sugar isn't a single substance, but rather a class of chemicals. Table sugar, sucrose, is actually a disaccharide - a chemical composed of two simpler sugars joined together (glucose and fructose).
Glucose is one of the more important sugars in the body. It forms an important energy source for muscle and brain tissue, but in higher levels is toxic to the body, requiring liver, muscle, and fat cells to store any excess lest it build to harmful levels.
Fructose is another type of sugar, one that is nearly entirely broken down by the liver rather than metabolized by the body tissue. It's mostly turned into glucose, or other carbohydrates (lactate, etc.).
Fructose isn't necessarily a bad thing. Consuming fructose along with glucose actually increases insulin sensitivity compared to glucose by itself, even in diabetics - making blood sugar control easier. Fructose is also sweeter tasting than glucose, so you can use a bit less of it. Fructose also is lower in calories per gram (due to requiring more energy to process).
Some studies have suggested a link between excessive fructose consumption and harm, but these tend to be one of two types:
1. Animal studies that give animals absurdly high amounts of fructose.
2. Correlation studies in humans, which are overall weak evidence for anything.
HFCS is made by breaking corn starch down into glucose, and then converting some of the glucose into fructose (HFCS is about 55% fructose / 45% glucose, compared to table sugar which is 50/50). It's a very popular sweetener particularly in the US due to corn subsidies making this a very, very cheap sweetener. There's no chemical difference between fructose from HFCS versus from any other source.
People consuming lots of HFCS tend to be more obese and less healthy, but it's not valid to make the claim that it's caused by the HFCS - people who eat a large amount of HFCS are eating large amounts of highly processed foods, and there are sure to be many aspects of their diet and lifestyle that differ from those who consume little to no HFCS.6 -
heartofplastic wrote: »viren19890 wrote: »Saw a documentary "Fed up" and "Sugar Coated"
are there different types of sugar? like good sugar vs bad sugar? sugar in fruit vs sugarcane vs jaggery vs molasses vs honey?
How do I reduce my intake? -i'm not diabetic or have any one in my family or extended family suffering from it or have history of but those documentaries make me think.
I finally accepted that eating a pizza vs eating regular home made food is no different for weight loss as long as I maintain a deficit and now this?
The more I learn the more confused I get -who is right? who is wrong?
I'm not an expert but I've read that not all calories are equal because it takes a different amount of calories for your body to digest it after it's been consumed. For instance, 100 calories of carrots is not exactly the same as a 100 calorie cookie because your body will burn more calories digesting the carrots (some veggies like celery and broccoli are known to have "negative calories" because of this) so in the end, the 100 calorie carrot is a much better choice than the 100 calorie cookie... Or so I've read, but that was in just one article so who knows.
The argument against a cookie (which in many cases has more fat than sugar) vs a veggies is the macronutrient and micronutrient profile. Comparing one item against another is not really a good argument since peoples diets are a composition of multiple foods. Overall, a healthy or even unhealthy diet could have both of those foods in it. This is why many on this board advocator for a diet of wholesome food, but if you do have a little bit of calories left over, than it's ok to incorporate some treats, especially if you feel it's going to help you stay on track. A lot of people tend to forget that dieting is also a psychological battle.1 -
Raptor2763 wrote: »A calorie is NOT a calorie - THAT'S the issue. Calories from proteins, fat, and sugar are used in a set sequence. To be clear, sugar is fairly common. I think what you're referring to is refined sugar - as in the kind found in candy, cake frosting, or even the cake itself. Calories from refined sugar - also called "empty calories - have ZERO nutritional value (hence the term "empty").
Now, if the best solution is to avoid the problem, how to deal with refined sugar?
1. You're gonna have to become expert at reading labels. HINT: anything ending in "ose" such as "sucrose", "dextrose", or "glucose" should trigger a red flag. Also, be on the lookout for sugar-type substitutes, like stevia and truvia.
2. Shopping the periphery of the store physically avoids the problem - the sugar-laden products are on the shelves in the middle.
BTW - same general idea holds for salt. You'll find all the salt you need in the food you eat. No need for more.
Just pointing out that the body runs on glucose. It's so important that if you don't eat enough of it, your body will produce it through glucenogenesis.
Also would like to point out that cakes are mainly fat and many cookies have less sugar than many fruits. They are just void of fiber.
OP, there are a variety of sugars and largely they are processed the same, with the exception of fructose. Either way, one should look to get adequate nutrition and not consume large amounts of added sugar.
And even the fructose is in large parts turned to glucose.0 -
So basically it was indeed a "shockumentary". Whatever I thought I learned was not worth learning however, I did see them talking about a study done on rats/mice- in which they were given cocaine and sugar water and they got addicted to sugar water lol
Basically sugar is sugar -it was to make things easier for people to understand when one did not have fancy calculators or websites with the label of "good" vs "bad" -there was nothing inherently bad in ice-cream sugar vs sugar in an apple other than the whole caloric levels and composition of the said food item.
Good to learn another lesson in nutrition.
Thanks all the posters.1 -
viren19890 wrote: »So basically it was indeed a "shockumentary". Whatever I thought I learned was not worth learning however, I did see them talking about a study done on rats/mice- in which they were given cocaine and sugar water and they got addicted to sugar water lol
Basically sugar is sugar -it was to make things easier for people to understand when one did not have fancy calculators or websites with the label of "good" vs "bad" -there was nothing inherently bad in ice-cream sugar vs sugar in an apple other than the whole caloric levels and composition of the said food item.
Good to learn another lesson in nutrition.
Thanks all the posters.
Exactly.
And even that rat study...it only showed that rats would rather eat than get high.0 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »viren19890 wrote: »So basically it was indeed a "shockumentary". Whatever I thought I learned was not worth learning however, I did see them talking about a study done on rats/mice- in which they were given cocaine and sugar water and they got addicted to sugar water lol
Basically sugar is sugar -it was to make things easier for people to understand when one did not have fancy calculators or websites with the label of "good" vs "bad" -there was nothing inherently bad in ice-cream sugar vs sugar in an apple other than the whole caloric levels and composition of the said food item.
Good to learn another lesson in nutrition.
Thanks all the posters.
Exactly.
And even that rat study...it only showed that rats would rather eat than get high.
Good for the rats. So many people can't even pull off priorities like that.3
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