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Is white/added sugar bad for you?

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  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    edited April 2019
    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    JoPat409 wrote: »
    I love the arrogant responses the best. While sugar is no big deal for MFP users it seems, I would suggest the next time you are at a large public gathering that you look around to see if sugar is good or bad. Sugar has so many names and in so many products most people have no idea how much they take in. What we do know for fact is obesity rates are now close to 40%. The rates of many obesity related cancers are also growing. Maybe people are over eating too many string beans - I have no idea. But my pea brain cannot help but think sugar is playing a large role. I understand the whole moderation thing. I live by that. However very few people suggest that you need to eat spinach in moderation - you know why? Because it’s not bad for you. Sugar is in large amounts. This seems obvious yet when I read some of the posts I tend to question if the sun actually comes up in the East each morning. Ask anyone in the medical profession who deal with endless diabetic and obese patients if these people are eating sugar and carbs in moderation and it’s the green vegetables that are causing their problems or if it’s the sugar and refined carbs. The problem with MFP is it’s an echo chamber with lots of people who eat in moderation and work out on very regular basis. Yes for many people in this country sugar is bad for them and should be avoided.

    https://www.fix.com/blog/foods-that-can-be-toxic/

    Dark, leafy greens are a nutritional powerhouse, packed with essential nutrients including vitamins A and C, iron, and folate. But some - namely spinach, beet greens, and Swiss chard - are also high in oxalic acid, the compound that gives hearty greens their signature earthy, slightly bitter taste. Consume too much and you may be in for unpleasant symptoms such as kidney stones, abdominal pain, low blood pressure, tremors or convulsions, vomiting, and weak pulse. But don’t think this means dark, leafy greens aren’t part of a healthy diet: In moderation, they’re perfectly fine. Some research shows it would take about 25 grams of oxalic acid to cause death in a 145-pound person, which would equate to about 7.3 pounds of spinach.

    If sugar's a concern to you, it's one of the default tracking columns in your diary. Honestly, it was less of a concern to me than hitting my iron intake so I switched it out. Sugar, like every other food, has calories. Consumed to excess, of course it contributes to obesity. But it's the overall calories, not the sugar. I suspect one of the main culprits behind my weight gain was my propensity for slathering garlic butter on naan bread, warming it, and consuming 3-4 pieces at a sitting. Also potato kugel, burekas, pasta in cream-based sauce, cheeses... Expose me to desserts and I indulged, sure. But sugar just wasn't a major factor in my getting to obesity-level III. Lack of discipline, large portions, and salty-fatty foods were my issues. Truth? 108 lbs lighter and I'm probably eating more sweet foods, not less. Just in sensible amounts.

    Yep, I've cut back on my spinach intake because of this, (I was eating 4-6 cups a day).

    And I'm similar to you-I'm not a big sweets person, but give me a package of Asiago cheese bagels and a tub of cream cheese and I can easily go over my calorie parameters-and these have almost no sugar at all. Or Fritos, or a loaded baked potato with butter, sour cream, cheese and bacon. Or a big bowl of mac n' cheese. All savory foods with minimal sugar.

    eta: edit
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    JoPat409 wrote: »
    However very few people suggest that you need to eat spinach in moderation - you know why? Because it’s not bad for you.

    This is begging the question. The reason that very few people suggest eating spinach in moderation is much more likely to be that most people aren't prone to eating spinach in excess.
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    This post is about sugar and that is what I tried to respond to. I didn't say if I was for or against sugar. I pointed out that "I" was restricting added sugar right now to help keep my calories in range and to keep me from binging on certain things. This past year I have had problems with binging not only sweet things such as cookies, M&M, etc, etc but also crunchy salty things. Because of this I have drastically reduced these types of foods until I can get that under control. I didn't bring up the crunchy salty things because that is not what the OP wanted to know about.

    I didn't bring up fat for two reasons...the OP didn't ask about fats. I also (at this point) don't limit fats...I am usually low on fats because full fat food items usually don't appeal to me. I am by nature a low fat eater.

    I don't condemn sugar nor do I advocate for it. My advice is usually do your research and decide for yourself if it fits your life or not.

  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited April 2019
    I think that's all sensible. I just thought your other post with the "what would you overeat, tomatoes or sweet cookies," given the context, was suggesting that sugar made people in general overeat dessert-type foods, and therefore that it should be avoided for that reason. (I missed your first post, so apologies for that.)

    I think some individuals may well have good reasons for eliminating most added sugar. I did it for a month as an experiment and to help with my emotional eating when I started losing weight, and was surprised at how easy it was -- part of this was that I realized that for me sugar wasn't the issue, making sure I was mindful about my eating and not snacking were what really helped. There are foods I find harder to control myself with (homemade baked goods, sometimes, since I tend to think they must be eaten before they go bad), and so I rarely have them in the house (I make them for holidays, though). Right now I'm eating almost no added sugar just because I've lost my desire for dessert-type foods, not sure why, and I imagine it will come back. Normally I eat pretty small amounts of added sugar, but do have occasional desserts and don't think that's in any way a health issue within the context of a nutrient-dense and calorie-appropriate diet. People often fixate on the possible evils of even small amounts of added sugar when there are many many other things that are more important to whether a diet is actually a healthy one.

    I don't think ANYONE is saying that the OP shouldn't consider whether it makes sense for her to cut down on added sugar or even eliminate it or whatnot, but I didn't perceive that to be what she was asking. I thought the question was whether eating ANY added sugar was somehow bad for anyone's health (would cause lots of health problems), and that's really a factual question. That the answer is no (barring some specific health issue), does not mean anyone is saying that someone cannot reasonably desire consuming it can be a hindrance to them.

    I do think it is important to point out that sugar is not the only food that people may have trouble controlling or which may add extra cals without a lot of nutrients or the like, since often when people make statements about sugar being unhealthy or addictive they are assuming it is somehow different from other foods in that way, and that's not true (individual people may find specific sweet foods (usually not all foods with sugar or foods that only have sugar) difficult to control, but that doesn't make sugar different in kind from other ingredients in foods).
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    Jruzer wrote: »
    JoPat409 wrote: »
    However very few people suggest that you need to eat spinach in moderation - you know why? Because it’s not bad for you.

    This is begging the question. The reason that very few people suggest eating spinach in moderation is much more likely to be that most people aren't prone to eating spinach in excess.

    A couple of years ago there was this young person on here that had decided he was going to eat all of his calories(2000+ I think) in leafy greens. We about never convinced him that wasn't a good idea! He thought he could get a lot of food that way.

    I agree I have never heard anyone complain about binging on spinach. If they did and can't moderate it I would suggest not eating it until they felt as if they could. That doesn't mean that I am against spinach(I keep spinach on hand and use it a couple of times a week).
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    sarahemily1988 wrote: »
    I’ve read that there is no such thing as “good” and “bad” food but I can’t help but to think that refined, white sugar in sweets is bad for you. Your body doesn’t need it to survive. I feel like it causes a lot of health problems and can become very addicting.

    What’s everyone’s thoughts on this?

    I don't see anything wrong with white sugar in moderation, and will go with the WHO's definition of moderation, which is to limit added sugar to less than 10%, and preferably less than 5%, of total calories. (They are not counting the naturally occurring sugar in fruits, dairy, etc.) https://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/sugar-guideline/en/

    I do see "there is no such thing as “good” and “bad” food" all the time, but think this should be qualified with "however, there are good and bad diets" (which some posters already do.)

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10736818/one-in-five-people-are-eating-themselves-to-an-early-death-global-study
  • Fivepts
    Fivepts Posts: 517 Member
    If you have a fatty liver it is.
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    JoPat409 wrote: »
    I love the arrogant responses the best. While sugar is no big deal for MFP users it seems, I would suggest the next time you are at a large public gathering that you look around to see if sugar is good or bad. Sugar has so many names and in so many products most people have no idea how much they take in. What we do know for fact is obesity rates are now close to 40%. The rates of many obesity related cancers are also growing. Maybe people are over eating too many string beans - I have no idea. But my pea brain cannot help but think sugar is playing a large role. I understand the whole moderation thing. I live by that. However very few people suggest that you need to eat spinach in moderation - you know why? Because it’s not bad for you. Sugar is in large amounts. This seems obvious yet when I read some of the posts I tend to question if the sun actually comes up in the East each morning. Ask anyone in the medical profession who deal with endless diabetic and obese patients if these people are eating sugar and carbs in moderation and it’s the green vegetables that are causing their problems or if it’s the sugar and refined carbs. The problem with MFP is it’s an echo chamber with lots of people who eat in moderation and work out on very regular basis. Yes for many people in this country sugar is bad for them and should be avoided.

    The reason you never hear people recommend that you eat spinach in moderation is because no one eats so much spinach that they need to cut back.
    Foods dont exist in a vacuum. It's the overall diet that matters. Individual foods aren't "bad for you." Many diets (too many calories, too few nutrients...) are.
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Sugar inherently isn't good or bad.

    By itself, it's calorie dense, with limited nutritional value (other than energy). It also tends not to be satiating, for most people.

    Hardly anyone eats large amounts of sugar all by itself; most often, it's consumed in combination with starches and fats. (Soda/pop is a notable exception, but even that's often consumed in conjunction with other foods). As an overall way of eating, including the typical calorie level involved, there's plenty to criticize about the so-called Standard American Diet. Sugar is demon du jour.

    It becomes a problem if someone eats so much added sugar that it either (1) drives out other needed nutrition in order to maintain appropriate calorie intake, or (2) puts one over appropriate calorie intake in order to get adequate nutrition.

    Nutrition is important. Appropriate calories are what determine and drive achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight. Healthy body weight is important.

    If overall nutrition from one's eating is truly sound, and one is eating the appropriate number of calories, fuss over how much sugar one is eating is just unnecessary drama, IMO.

    Organizations like USDA and WHO recommend limiting added sugar. If you go beyond the infographics and read the actual boring detailed words behind them, it's mainly about items (1) and (2) in my 3rd paragraph above.

    I think it's more important, useful, practical, and productive to focus on eating nutritious things in an overall sense, ticking all the nutritional boxes, and not so much focus on eliminating particular specific "bad" foods.

    P.S. Please be careful not to consume excessive amounts of spinach. It's high in oxalates, vitamin K, and selenium, any of which can be toxic in excessive dosages, especially in interaction with certain prescription drugs.

    P.P.S. Please be careful not to eat too many brazil nuts. A single brazil nut provides well over 100% of your daily selenium requirement, and regular consumption of even moderate amounts of the nuts (1oz daily, for example) can be toxic.

    P.P.P.S Please be careful not to drink too much water. Hyponatremia is a serious risks, and people have died from overconsumption during endurance events or contests.

    Anything else "healthy" I need to warn about? ;););)

    You're awesome
  • anb3600
    anb3600 Posts: 46 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    sarahemily1988 wrote: »
    I’ve read that there is no such thing as “good” and “bad” food but I can’t help but to think that refined, white sugar in sweets is bad for you. Your body doesn’t need it to survive. I feel like it causes a lot of health problems and can become very addicting.

    What’s everyone’s thoughts on this?

    There's no difference between sugar from the sugar cane that has been processed and sugar in fruit and whatnot. Slightly different ratios of sucrose and fructose, but that's about it. People have been consuming sugar in one form or another for thousands of years.


    Over consumption of sugar could be an issue and is for many, but it's not really an all or nothing kind of thing. Having a slice of birthday cake on a special occasion isn't a particularly big deal. Drinking multiple 32 oz Big Gulps daily probably is. There's a whole middle ground called moderation.

    Where did you source this information that all sugars are equal? Thanks
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