Sugar

not_my_first_rodeo

Wannabmarathoner wrote: »

It mentioned that when cooking with olive oil over high heat, the compounds that are broken down and are dangerous to our health. I've run into this information in a few places and can't provide resources, unless I look it up. Just wanted your opinion Good point re: Mediterraneans.

That sounds like pseudo science.

The issue with cooking with extra virgin olive oil over high heat has to do with its lower smoke point. For instance you wouldn't want to use olive oil in a stir fry. Avocado oil, which I have not cooked with, has a higher smoke point than olive oil, but it's still lower than something like peanut or corn oil.

lemurcat12

Wannabmarathoner wrote: »

A bit off subject - what are everyone's thoughts about cooking with olive oil? I read somewhere that it is bad for you to cook with. Is that true? I can't stand the taste of coconut oil with eggs and veggies. What are other alternatives? LLCRunner? Lemarcat? Thanks!

I cook with it. The idea is about high heats, not all cooking, but my understanding is that's not actually a problem.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/03/cooking-with-olive-oil-faq-safety-flavor.html

I also cook with coconut oil and butter depending on the flavor I am going for, and just use a lot less of whatever. (I have a spritzer for olive oil.) The extra virgin coconut oil (which is the only kind that is arguably good for you) has as low a smoke point as EVOO.

Annie_01

lemurcat12 wrote: »

MamaSooz89129 wrote: »

Kudos to you and I wish you well, being sugar free for 21 days is the best decision you can make about your health. You won't be dependent on it anymore, you'll enjoy fruit and vegetables more - and you'll come to enjoy a quality treat once in awhile - and really savor it - far above a steady stream of cheap sugar thrills!

Hmm. As I mentioned in the prior thread, I have gone without added sugar for a month before, and I thought it was surprisingly easy (hardly worth all this discussion!), but also -- and why I'm posting -- it certainly did not make me enjoy fruit and veg more. That strikes me as a deeply weird claim. I loved fruit and veg before, did while avoiding added sugar, and do now (when I'm back to eating some added sugar in moderation).

The idea that one can't have a healthful diet mostly based on foods that don't include added sugar and, of course, many vegetables and fruits, unless you do a detox (which isn't a detox, as that's entirely inapplicable) or give up added sugar is so strange to me.

I'm very interested in discussing why people choose to do these short term challenges and what they get out of them (I talked about it in the other thread, although OP seemed more interested in provoking a debate about sugar). I'm also interested in talking about barriers to eating a healthful diet if people find that challenging. But the idea that if you don't eat added sugar you necessarily eat more veg or a better overall diet (or, most weirdly, enjoy veg more) is false.

I find trying different styles of weight loss interesting to try...so I guess what I get out of it is a way to keep me motivated. Sometimes I find out very quickly that certain styles aren't for me. Other times I discover that at least part of the diet does work.

This week I am back on the 5:2 diet for the next 6 weeks. I have done it before and actually like it...with some modifications.

Weight loss is hard for some people...it gets old always having to worry about what you are eating. I think that if trying different ways of eating keeps people motivated then why not?

I don't worry about added sugar. Sodium restriction(for health reasons) is enough for me to have to restrict. I will say though that I find if I eat foods with too much added sugar(such as homemade cookies right out of the oven) I have a tendency to keep indulging.

SLLRunner

coreyreichle wrote: »

SLLRunner wrote: »

coreyreichle wrote: »

Wannabmarathoner wrote: »

Thanks everyone! I am not here to debate the effects of sugar again. My #1 goal is to see if it is sugar that is causing some unusual symptoms I've been experiencing, and the only way to do that is to eliminate most things I've been consuming until a couple days ago. If I lose weight while I experiment then bonus!

The only symptoms that too much sugar would cause are:
* Lethargy
* Increased urination
* Increased thirst

If you're experiencing these, you're either diabetic, or pre-diabetic. Your doctor has a simple test for this: A1C panel.

Those are main symptoms of when sugar affect someone who is diabetic (or sends someone to the MD only to be diagnosed with diabetes), but there's also that foggy headed feeling and diarrhea.

And, that would be the only time you really need to control sugar intake, tightly.

Agreed. My beau is a Type II diabetic and he needs to watch his carb/sugar intake closely, but he by no means has eliminated it.

SLLRunner

Annie_01 wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

MamaSooz89129 wrote: »

Kudos to you and I wish you well, being sugar free for 21 days is the best decision you can make about your health. You won't be dependent on it anymore, you'll enjoy fruit and vegetables more - and you'll come to enjoy a quality treat once in awhile - and really savor it - far above a steady stream of cheap sugar thrills!

Hmm. As I mentioned in the prior thread, I have gone without added sugar for a month before, and I thought it was surprisingly easy (hardly worth all this discussion!), but also -- and why I'm posting -- it certainly did not make me enjoy fruit and veg more. That strikes me as a deeply weird claim. I loved fruit and veg before, did while avoiding added sugar, and do now (when I'm back to eating some added sugar in moderation).

The idea that one can't have a healthful diet mostly based on foods that don't include added sugar and, of course, many vegetables and fruits, unless you do a detox (which isn't a detox, as that's entirely inapplicable) or give up added sugar is so strange to me.

I'm very interested in discussing why people choose to do these short term challenges and what they get out of them (I talked about it in the other thread, although OP seemed more interested in provoking a debate about sugar). I'm also interested in talking about barriers to eating a healthful diet if people find that challenging. But the idea that if you don't eat added sugar you necessarily eat more veg or a better overall diet (or, most weirdly, enjoy veg more) is false.

I find trying different styles of weight loss interesting to try...so I guess what I get out of it is a way to keep me motivated. Sometimes I find out very quickly that certain styles aren't for me. Other times I discover that at least part of the diet does work.

This week I am back on the 5:2 diet for the next 6 weeks. I have done it before and actually like it...with some modifications.

Weight loss is hard for some people...it gets old always having to worry about what you are eating. I think that if trying different ways of eating keeps people motivated then why not?

I don't worry about added sugar. Sodium restriction(for health reasons) is enough for me to have to restrict. I will say though that I find if I eat foods with too much added sugar(such as homemade cookies right out of the oven) I have a tendency to keep indulging.

Let's face it, weight loss is hard period because you have to cut calories somewhere. The point for me is that I don't have to worry about what I'm eating, and I don't have to give up anything I love at all to lose weight, but I do need to track my intake and calories out in order to stay on track. That portion control recognizer chip everybody is born with? Well, mine is pretty much broken.

Moderation is hard work as well, and nobody does it perfectly. It took me a long time to get good enough at it to recognize right away when I will go overboard. Then, it's my choice whether I decided to eat just a reasonable portion, or to eat more than I should. Most of the time I chose reasonable portion, but there are times when I go over.

lemurcat12

Annie_01 wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

MamaSooz89129 wrote: »

Kudos to you and I wish you well, being sugar free for 21 days is the best decision you can make about your health. You won't be dependent on it anymore, you'll enjoy fruit and vegetables more - and you'll come to enjoy a quality treat once in awhile - and really savor it - far above a steady stream of cheap sugar thrills!

Hmm. As I mentioned in the prior thread, I have gone without added sugar for a month before, and I thought it was surprisingly easy (hardly worth all this discussion!), but also -- and why I'm posting -- it certainly did not make me enjoy fruit and veg more. That strikes me as a deeply weird claim. I loved fruit and veg before, did while avoiding added sugar, and do now (when I'm back to eating some added sugar in moderation).

The idea that one can't have a healthful diet mostly based on foods that don't include added sugar and, of course, many vegetables and fruits, unless you do a detox (which isn't a detox, as that's entirely inapplicable) or give up added sugar is so strange to me.

I'm very interested in discussing why people choose to do these short term challenges and what they get out of them (I talked about it in the other thread, although OP seemed more interested in provoking a debate about sugar). I'm also interested in talking about barriers to eating a healthful diet if people find that challenging. But the idea that if you don't eat added sugar you necessarily eat more veg or a better overall diet (or, most weirdly, enjoy veg more) is false.

I find trying different styles of weight loss interesting to try...so I guess what I get out of it is a way to keep me motivated. Sometimes I find out very quickly that certain styles aren't for me. Other times I discover that at least part of the diet does work.

Cool -- this is very similar to what I like about it/why I do it too, and I am also just interesting in experimenting to see what I like and what I do not. I keep toying with trying 5:2, and probably should just do it.

lemurcat12

Oh, and I also have trouble moderating homemade cookies right out of the oven, but I don't think that's about sugar, but about them being a delicious combination of various tasty ingredients. My own favorite chocolate chip cookies have more calories from butter than sugar (by far): in a 206 calorie cookie, 126 calories are from fat (mostly butter, a bit from egg), and only 56 calories* from sugar (another 32 cal from other carbs, presumably flour). I know the butter is crucial, since if I think about it, neither sugar on its own or sugar+flour is remotely tempting. Mix in the butter (and add vanilla) and it starts to seem like tasty cookie dough. Cook it so it has a lovely smell (sugar on its own has no tempting smell, to me) and that consistency (again, sugar on its own, no such thing), and I will want to eat it.

Similarly, when I was a kid I wouldn't have found a spoonful of sugar appealing (it was a hiccup cure, that's it), but melt it with some butter and cinnamon on bread and, mmmm. (And I was a kid who insisted I didn't like plain bread and wouldn't eat sandwiches for that reason -- toast with butter I thought was delicious, though.)

*One cookie has less sugar than an average apple. And adding more sugar would ruin the balance and make me like the cookie less. I don't enjoy overly sweet (to my taste) desserts. You need a balance, which is one reason I think the focus on sugar tends to miss the mark, usually. (Obviously some do have different preferences for how much sweetness they like, of course.)