Why is sugar the devil?

VelveteenArabian

I see SO MANY posts from people advocating that sugar is the devil. I see so many products that are "sugar free" and instead have the artificial sweeteners.

Why is sugar the devil? Did I miss some "scientific breakthrough" that is now claiming sugar is evil and is the cause of all the world's woes?

kikityme

I dunno...is diabetes "science?"

Seriously though, if you want and can have sugar, I'm not riding you about it.

cwolfman13

In and of itself, it's not...but most people who eat the SAD consume it in unhealthy quantities. Also, many people who are overweight have insulin sensitivities and do well to reduce their intake of sugar and carbs in general.

VelveteenArabian

I dunno...is diabetes "science?"

Seriously though, if you want and can have sugar, I'm not riding you about it.

So you're saying all diabetes is caused by sugar consumption and absolutely nothing else?

I'm not judging if someone wants to, or has to, go "no sugar". If it works for you, go for it! Seriously...stop looking for judgement where there is none.

I just really would like to understand where people are coming from that has created this huge "sugar is evil" mindset.

philwrightfitness

Far too many reasons to post here, its always been bad but the food industry want to tell you fat is bad, not sugar, as sugar is a cheap way to make crap taste good...ok I over simplify, but hey sugar makes your insulin spike, in the presence of excess carbohydrate insulin causes fat to be deposited.....spiking insulin too frequently can lead to insulin resistance and type two diabetes as well as fatness! Before anybody chimes in this is a very simplified explanation read volek, lyle macdonald etc etc

ana3067

It's not. No food or micro/macro is bad unless you have a health issue that results in problems when consuming too much of said nutrient.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

hookilau

I dunno...is diabetes "science?"

Seriously though, if you want and can have sugar, I'm not riding you about it.

So you're saying all diabetes is caused by sugar consumption and absolutely nothing else?

I'm not judging if someone wants to, or has to, go "no sugar". If it works for you, go for it! Seriously...stop looking for judgement where there is none.

I just really would like to understand where people are coming from that has created this huge "sugar is evil" mindset.

I thought flame baiting was against community rules :huh:

amusedmonkey

Simple. Because it tastes good, and in many cases happens to be in high calorie packages.

For some reason people are made to feel guilty about things that taste good (and things that are high in calories.)

Now sugar, as a carb, is the devil for someone who has diabetes or similar issues.

As for artificial sweeteners, they're great for diabetics or for people who are watching their calories. I would rather have a 5 calorie soda than a 100+ one and spend those extras elsewhere.

Also,

ThePhoenixIsRising

We want to find the devils in something besides ourselves that way we don't have to take responsibility.

mactaffy84

In because this topic never goes well. And we get to see awesome devil cupcakes!

incognitocity

im a full blown sugar addict and i know it.

i work in the wine and spirits industry and the days i dont have drinks i am just craving sugar so badly its scary

Sabine_Stroehm

In and of itself, it's not...but most people who eat the SAD consume it in unhealthy quantities. Also, many people who are overweight have insulin sensitivities and do well to reduce their intake of sugar and carbs in general.

^^ smart man here ^^

and for me (and many others, it seems) eating a lot of foods with added sugars just makes me hungrier. NOT what one wants when trying to lose or maintain. And it makes me cranky. Why would I eat a bunch of stuff that works against my goals.

VelveteenArabian

Simple. Because it tastes good, and in many cases happens to be in high calorie packages.

For some reason people are made to feel guilty about things that taste good (and things that are high in calories.)

Now sugar, as a carb, is the devil for someone who has diabetes or similar issues.

As for artificial sweeteners, they're great for diabetics or for people who are watching their calories. I would rather have a 5 calorie soda than a 100+ one and spend those extras elsewhere.

Also,

I'm pretty sure there's some rule somewhere that says you can't post a picture of something wonderful without the recipe.

Chieflrg

Its considered the main food for cancer. As a survivor, I'm more worried about artificial sweeteners myself.

LeonCX

Guinnness World Records rates the most common disease in the world being tooth decay. I don't know if you can soley blame sugar for worldwide obesity , but it sure is to blame for the other.

smirf1972

I don't believe sugar is the devil:laugh: however it is very well hidden in a lot of foods under a lot of different titles, this isn't sugars fault, but it does mean most of us take in way too much sugar without realising it. People are so busy looking for low fat products their not paying attention to the sugar quantity. As long as things taste good they'll make the big companies money-cynical I know :ohwell:

smirf1972

Its considered the main food for cancer. As a survivor, I'm more worried about artificial sweeteners myself.

I agree, especially aspartame, as an epileptic I stay well away from this product, the only sweetener I use is stevia(apparently a natural product)

ghosthackexe

It's not. No food or micro/macro is bad unless you have a health issue that results in problems when consuming too much of said nutrient.

i agree with above.

amusedmonkey

I'm pretty sure there's some rule somewhere that says you can't post a picture of something wonderful without the recipe.

http://www.6bittersweets.com/2011/10/devilishly-delicious-best-red-velvet.html

F00LofaT00K

Because it looks like this:

CarolinaGirlinVA

I would rather have sugar in moderation than any artificial sweetener. I have a very strong adverse reaction to artificial sweeteners and within minutes I start vomiting and experience severe gut wrenching stomach cramps. I will admit, given my reaction, I do not want to "test" the newer products like stevia.

It's all about moderation.

blackcoffeeandcherrypie

I can't speak for anyone else but I read 'pure, white and deadly' by John Yudkin, and that convinced the heck out of me.

Satan is a religious concept and not one that I adhere to. My reasons for avoiding sugar are that it appears to provide little to no nutritional value, it's bad for your teeth, it's bad for your insulin response and when I eat it, I end up in a cycle of eating - craving - eating - craving which I find annoying and unhelpful.

Ymmv.

LeonCX

Satan is a religious concept and not one that I adhere to.

Negative_X

All in moderation.

That being said, every single person I've helped lose weight over the past 5 years, I started out by doing just one thing. Just cut out sugar. That's it...

Within a month, not a single person went back to consuming sugar in large quantities. Their energy improved, moods stabilized and the fat started peeling off. (stayed below 25-50 grams a day)

The choice is ultimately yours, but from personal experience, sugar is easily the best thing you can cut out of your nutrition to get the most noticeable results.

There is no physiological requirement for sugar; all human nutritional needs can be met in full without ... sugar. It is a worthless nutrient, unless you enjoy the negative consequences that accompany consuming it in large quantities.

chilly1470

And sodium is the devil, and fat is wicked, and don't eat red meat, it's instant death. Screw all that stuff, I will eat it all. I just log and stay under and so far that works just fine. Moderation is key. Again, moderation. If you eat 10 pounds of sugar, it is you that have the evil craving, it's not sugars fault.

LeonCX

And sodium is the devil, and fat is wicked, and don't eat red meat, it's instant death. Screw all that stuff, I will eat it all. I just log and stay under and so far that works just fine. Moderation is key. Again, moderation. If you eat 10 pounds of sugar, it is you that have the evil craving, it's not sugars fault.

That should just about kill this thread. Thanks.

stdlib

I dunno...is diabetes "science?"

Seriously though, if you want and can have sugar, I'm not riding you about it.

I'll just leave this here:

Researchers in Israel found that artificial sweeteners used in diet drinks and other foods can disrupt healthy microbes that live in the gut, leading to higher blood sugar levels – an early sign of diabetes.

“Our findings suggest that non-caloric artificial sweeteners may have directly contributed to enhancing the exact epidemic that they themselves were intended to fight,” the authors write in the journal Nature.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/sep/17/artificial-sweeteners-diabetes-saccharin-blood-sugar

LeslieTSUK

As a long term diabetic one would expect me to say how bad sugar is, and i mean all sugar, not just refined or added or natural but all of it.

But to put it in perspective, sugar is like a loaded gun clocked and ready to fire.

By itself, if put in the hands of an expert that knows what their doing with it and can handle it professionally, it is perfectly safe.

Unfortunately 90% of people have no idea what they doing with it, it is in so many foods, and drinks and labeled as healthy or put in such a way it makes a product look like it low sugar when really it not, and people get trapped into a cycle of far too much consumption of it.

For instance:

One professional dietician at hospital I go to, one that deals with diabetic patients like myself, she always said to me, cut out fats, medium proteins, and make your diet mainly carbs.

Have as much fruit as you wish because it is very good for you, same with veg, fill your plate up with veg.

3 years ago, my diabetes was so bad my glucose meter just showed H1, my blood sugars were too high to register.
I was also going blind and at point of needing laser surgery.

I came onto a site like MFP, and started to look at all the fruit and veg I was eating like instructed, and yes my overall carbs wasn't that high, but the sugars OMG, with all the fruit and low fat foods and veg, sugars were over 300 a day.

After that I cut out fruit completely, cut out most veg, and never touch low fat foods now unless it shows full sugar content, and guess what, turned my diabetes from totally out of control to perfect control.
In 2 weeks had halved it, in 4weeks was in normal levels, was so remarkable the change my doctor sent me for a 2nd lot of blood tests as they thought first lot had been messed up at the lab.

Also reversed the damage behind my eyes to almost clear in 4 months.

And to this day, I still can't get my diabetic nurse to understand all sugars are the same.

Now I want to say this, just to be fair and impartial.....

As long as you have 100% perfect health with no increased genetic links for PCOS/Diabetes on either side of family, and your active and able to burn off the glucose as you ingest it, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with sugar at all, it not a devil, it an awesome source of energy when working out, and for those lucky enough to be able to handle it, it fantastic.

Now diabetes has always been around, so has obesity, but was never anywhere near as bad until the invention of corn syrup and low fat foods, and both have been on a growing scale ever since.

The fact that the FDA allow a product to show trans fats as zero as long as in the portion size it's 0.49g or less, so it really makes ya wonder just what else in our modern food is getting hidden in same way.

Food for thought.....

Anyway, that's just my opinion rightly or wrongly, let the discussion continue hopefully in a nice, polite & respectful way.

Blessed be

perseverance14

I would rather have sugar in moderation than any artificial sweetener. I have a very strong adverse reaction to artificial sweeteners and within minutes I start vomiting and experience severe gut wrenching stomach cramps. I will admit, given my reaction, I do not want to "test" the newer products like stevia.

It's all about moderation.

Stevia isn't new, it comes from a leaf similar to mint and has been around for a very long time. Truvia is relatively new, but you can buy less processed Stevia too.

stevencloser

If you look hard enough you can find studies supporting that any macronutrient is dangerous to you.
Ergo, just drink water until you starve to death, it's the healthiest thing you can do.
Or have a balanced diet of all nutrients instead of cutting one out completely for no direct medical reason, but that's crazy talk.