Sugar - the bitter truth

mountaingirl1961

If you haven't taken the time to watch this, you should.

This is a talk given a while back by Dr. Robert H. Lustig from the University of California, discussing how sugar and processed food have been promoted endlessly in our society, and the devastating effect those things have had on our bodies. It's fascinating stuff and is the scientific basis for a lot of what we are doing for ourselves here on MFP.

It also gets into something that we should all recognize - that so-called "diet" foods are NOT the panacea that they seem. He does a good job explaining the biochemestry of why.

This takes more than an hour to get through, but it really is worth every minute you'll spend with it. It will definitely change the way that you look at the politics of food and the health ramifications of food choices. I know that it's a whole lot easier for me to make healthy choices knowing now some of the things shared in this video.

Anyway - enjoy!

http://youtu.be/dBnniua6-oM

NonnyMary

i believe you 100%. I have read articles about such a thing. That is why diet soda is very bad because of the aspartame which takes a huge bad toll on the body.

I also believe that eating sugar makes the body want more sugar.

Also i understand that corn syrup and table sugar are virtually the same thing, as to how it affects the body.

I'm no scientist, but just a regular person, and i do believe the stuff the food industry does not tell you are really doing people in, making people think they are eating something ok but its really not good for the body.

my opinion is - that real food is better than any chemical faux food substitute.

ritchiedrama

That is why diet soda is very bad because of the aspartame which takes a huge bad toll on the body.

Just so you know, there is not one bit of credible evidence which links to aspartame damaging humans.

mountaingirl1961

One of the things that I found so interesting in this video was the politics of high fructose corn syrup, and how it gets into almost everything in the grocery store. And it was presidential politics in the Nixon era that got us there. Absolutely fascinating stuff, especially in light of some of the things that go on in Congress over the Farm Bill every year. Why we're subsidizing the creation of this poison is beyond me.

Sugar, fat and salt - the big three that the big food manufacturers use to hook us on garbage. And they do it very, very purposefully. The so-called "diet" foods overload on fat and salt, for example, if they're peddling a "sugar-free" something. Or overload on the sugar ad salt if they're selling "fat-free" food. In any case, over sweet sugar "replacements" don't help us learn how to eat more naturally and normally - all they do is continue the sugar/fat/salt addiction.

After watching this video it's difficult for me to even call that stuff "food". It's not food, it's a bait-and-switch and it is literally killing us in this country. Walking through the chemistry of how our bodies process this stuff is very sobering, and is a big part of why this video is so worthwhile, IMHO.

ZombieEarhart

Changing my diet and my relationship with food has actually made me realise that sugar is not a big scary booggie monster, and that eating it in sane and well-planned portions is perfectly healthy. It was actually a pretty awesome discovery.

belladiva47

bump

_Waffle_

If you haven't taken the time to watch this, you should.

If you haven't take the time to count your calories and eat the right amount of carbs, protein, and fat you should. The rest of this is pointless jibber jabber and an hour of your life you'll never get back.

zyxst

In to read for the arguing tomorrow, if this is unlocked.

Lyadeia

Changing my diet and my relationship with food has actually made me realise that sugar is not a big scary booggie monster, and that eating it in sane and well-planned portions is perfectly healthy. It was actually a pretty awesome discovery.

This.

Dr. Lustig's ideas have been debunked numerous times.

mountaingirl1961

Changing my diet and my relationship with food has actually made me realise that sugar is not a big scary booggie monster, and that eating it in sane and well-planned portions is perfectly healthy. It was actually a pretty awesome discovery.

It's not a big scary boogie monster, no. But I think that the biochemistry in this video would be worth your time to watch and understand. Our bodies literally process sucrose as a toxin, not a nutrient.

Now - I'm hardly one to live and die by the "no sugar" high horse. I don't eat much sugar but I love my beer and obviously our bodies process alcohol as a toxin, as well. But - I know that. And I think that if you're going to include sucrose in your diet it makes sense to know exactly what it's doing to you. It's easier to make good choices if you have good science behind them.

veg_runner

Yes processed sugar, not what you should be eating. To say it is the cause of obesity however is ludicrous. And to lump fruits and starches like steamed rice and potatoes in that category is laughable. Look at the Chinese. They eat rice every meal and are some of the skinniest and long lived disease free people in the world (those that haven't adopted our Western diet anyway). What do we eat over here? Loads of meat, dairy, eggs, and refined oils and processed foods at nearly every meal. And we are the ones that are overweight and obese. So yes, limit processed sugar. But also ideally eliminate all or nearly all animal "foods" and oils, and smash in the rice, potatoes, legumes, lentils, grains, fruit etc.

mountaingirl1961

Changing my diet and my relationship with food has actually made me realise that sugar is not a big scary booggie monster, and that eating it in sane and well-planned portions is perfectly healthy. It was actually a pretty awesome discovery.

This.

Dr. Lustig's ideas have been debunked numerous times.

Got a link? Who's doing the debunking, and do they have a dog in the hunt?

And have you watched this video? What doesn't make sense to you?

_Waffle_

It's not a big scary boogie monster, no. But I think that the biochemistry in this video would be worth your time to watch and understand. Our bodies literally process sucrose as a toxin, not a nutrient.

It's a carbohydrate. Your body actually prefers this form of energy above all others. It is not a toxin. Complex carbohydrates actually get broken down in your intestines into simple sugars. Your body evidently likes to create toxins. :noway:

ritchiedrama

Yes processed sugar, not what you should be eating. To say it is the cause of obesity however is ludicrous. And to lump fruits and starches like steamed rice and potatoes in that category is laughable. Look at the Chinese. They eat rice every meal and are some of the skinniest and long lived disease free people in the world (those that haven't adopted our Western diet anyway). What do we eat over here? Loads of meat, dairy, eggs, and refined oils and processed foods at nearly every meal. And we are the ones that are overweight and obese. So yes, limit processed sugar. But also ideally eliminate all or nearly all animal "foods" and oils, and smash in the rice, potatoes, legumes, lentils, grains, fruit etc.

how about just limit the amount of food you enter into your mouth instead? so you can enjoy all foods.

ZombieEarhart

Changing my diet and my relationship with food has actually made me realise that sugar is not a big scary booggie monster, and that eating it in sane and well-planned portions is perfectly healthy. It was actually a pretty awesome discovery.

It's not a big scary boogie monster, no. But I think that the biochemistry in this video would be worth your time to watch and understand. Our bodies literally process sucrose as a toxin, not a nutrient.

Now - I'm hardly one to live and die by the "no sugar" high horse. I don't eat much sugar but I love my beer and obviously our bodies process alcohol as a toxin, as well. But - I know that. And I think that if you're going to include sucrose in your diet it makes sense to know exactly what it's doing to you. It's easier to make good choices if you have good science behind them.

All this convinces me of is that "toxins" are apparently a natural and healthy thing that our bodies easily break down and digest. Both alcohol and sugar have been a healthy and natural part of the human diet for our entire recorded history. Refined sugars and HFCS have just made it easier to consume massive quanitites of sucrose without being entirely aware of it, and I agree with you that we should pay attention to labels, etc. but the very stuff itself is fine, it is not toxic.

When I began to eat healthy I read a lot about sugar and it's supposed evils, then I calmed down and spoke to a registered dietician and my doctor, and my favorite LPN and read some actual science and stopped worrying. Everyone and everything I encountered assured me that keeping a moderate portion of sucrose in my diet was healthy.

Edited because I wrote sucrose when I ment sugar!

NonnyMary

That is why diet soda is very bad because of the aspartame which takes a huge bad toll on the body.

Just so you know, there is not one bit of credible evidence which links to aspartame damaging humans.

Aspartame is a chemical, and like i said im not a scientist, but i have read where it is not a good thing to ingest. however, you may disagree, especially if you feel another person wrote an opposing view that you do agree with

ritchiedrama

That is why diet soda is very bad because of the aspartame which takes a huge bad toll on the body.

Just so you know, there is not one bit of credible evidence which links to aspartame damaging humans.

Aspartame is a chemical, and like i said im not a scientist, but i have read where it is not a good thing to ingest. however, you may disagree, especially if you feel another person wrote an opposing view that you do agree with

Regardless of what you have read, I have just told you there is no credible scientific evidence to say it damages our health.

AbsoluteNG

Nothing is wrong with sugar as long as you're a normal insulin sensitive individual. However, insulin resistant individuals should keep sugar intake low. Insulin resistance is a real medical issue that one third of the American population has. If you have 30 pounds of excess fat, the AMA recommends that you get tested. Oral glucose tolerance test is the best test for insulin resistance. Problem is, most people are in denial and feel that they are healthy. Being fat and healthy does not go together, especially since excess fat and insulin resistance is so closely related.


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Tigg_er

Bump

SRHelicity

Changing my diet and my relationship with food has actually made me realise that sugar is not a big scary booggie monster, and that eating it in sane and well-planned portions is perfectly healthy. It was actually a pretty awesome discovery.

This.

Dr. Lustig's ideas have been debunked numerous times.

Got a link? Who's doing the debunking, and do they have a dog in the hunt?

And have you watched this video? What doesn't make sense to you?

This isn't "debunking", but Alan Aragon offers a well-researched alternative examination (the comments contain a nice exchange between Dr. Lustig and Alan) --> http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2010/01/29/the-bitter-truth-about-fructose-alarmism/

One of Alan's points is that blaming any single macronutrient (or micronutrient) for the obesity epidemic is silly since the problem is multifaceted. That's not to say that one should eat a high-sugar diet, especially since it's easy to consume too many calories with such a diet given the limited satiety that sugar provides relative to fiber and protein.

_errata_

I eat a ton of sugar and I lost 11 lbs last month? WTF Dr Lustig. Do you even do science, bro?