Sugar is Evil

MayMaydoesntrun

Fruits and veggies are not evil, they contain sugar. What we don't need is ADDED sugar. We could all go without it and be better off for it.

I so agree!
I'm over in sugar almost daily because of fruits and veggies!

RangerSteve

If you actually watched the videos you would know that they were referring to all of the added sugar in our foods. You can fuel athletic performance with sweet potatoes and fruit or you can fuel it with jelly beans and soda. I know which one I would prefer.

Yes, I would prefer jelly beans and soda. The extremely quick digesting sugar would replenish glycogen stores almost immediately through an insulin spike. Like I've said here, and in a million other threads, there are PLENTY of people out there who can eat sugar constantly without any of the negative health issues associated with a high sugar intake.

I know it's anecdotal but I try to munch through 3 pints of Ben and Jerry's ice cream a week. My blood work is very good and the nurses always ask me what my diet is. I'm not saying I'm special but I am saying that refined sugar is GOOD for people who need refined sugar in their diet. There is no reason to demonize sugar whatsoever. There is also no reason to assume that eating refined sugar in your diet will make you unhealthy. Cutting out all sweets, especially if you enjoy them, is NOT the way to a healthy lifestyle because you're preventing yourself from eating foods you enjoy. Eating some jelly beans every day will not prevent weight loss and will not make you unhealthy. (this is all assuming you don't have insulin issues, food allergies, etc)

RangerSteve

Again , not demonizing sugar. Some people have a higher tolerance for it, some don't. You can't say ALL people can safely have it. Even people who aren't diabetic have many adverse effects.

For people who train, you can get plenty of glucose from other fast absorbing carbohydrates (white bread, fruits, PWO shakes).

What do you think is in these post workout glycogen replenishment shakes? Refined sugars.

What do you think are in numerous products from healthy companies like Cliff, Luna, etc....refined sugars. Go look at Shot Bloks next time you're in a store and check out the sugar content.

Yes, ALL people can safely have sugar. Once again, this is assuming you don't have some sort of insulin, diabetic issue or food allergies. If you seriously want to tell me that drinking 8oz of soda a day will make you unhealthy or that a couple strands of licorice will take years off your life then I don't really know what to say. It's that type of attitude that makes it hard for people to stick to lifelong healthy diets because they're so busy cutting out everything from their diet.

lockef

I know it's anecdotal but I try to munch through 3 pints of Ben and Jerry's ice cream a week. My blood work is very good and the nurses always ask me what my diet is. I'm not saying I'm special but I am saying that refined sugar is GOOD for people who need refined sugar in their diet. There is no reason to demonize sugar whatsoever. There is also no reason to assume that eating refined sugar in your diet will make you unhealthy. Cutting out all sweets, especially if you enjoy them, is NOT the way to a healthy lifestyle because you're preventing yourself from eating foods you enjoy. Eating some jelly beans every day will not prevent weight loss and will not make you unhealthy. (this is all assuming you don't have insulin issues, food allergies, etc)

You admit yourself that your evidence is anecdotal. I just think it's iresponsible to make a statement that sugar is good for your health on this site. Perhaps if this were a bodybuilding forum, it would be different.

On a side note, are you a ranger? If you are, I just want to thank you for your service.

questionablemethods

Again , not demonizing sugar. Some people have a higher tolerance for it, some don't. You can't say ALL people can safely have it. Even people who aren't diabetic have many adverse effects.

For people who train, you can get plenty of glucose from other fast absorbing carbohydrates (white bread, fruits, PWO shakes).

What do you think is in these post workout glycogen replenishment shakes? Refined sugars.

What do you think are in numerous products from healthy companies like Cliff, Luna, etc....refined sugars. Go look at Shot Bloks next time you're in a store and check out the sugar content.

Yes, ALL people can safely have sugar. Once again, this is assuming you don't have some sort of insulin, diabetic issue or food allergies. If you seriously want to tell me that drinking 8oz of soda a day will make you unhealthy or that a couple strands of licorice will take years off your life then I don't really know what to say. It's that type of attitude that makes it hard for people to stick to lifelong healthy diets because they're so busy cutting out everything from their diet.

Sure, but the problem isn't an 8 oz can of soda a day. The problem is that there is an unbelievable amount of sugar in nearly every packaged and processed food in grocery stores today. We're eating more sugar than ever before and there are doctors and researchers who believe that it is making nearly ALL of us insulin resistant (over time with repeated exposure -- it's not one piece of cake that does it).

Who is drinking the sports drinks and eating the Cliff Bars? It isn't just athletes and hikers needing to replenish their glycogen stores.

Meganne1982

I will say that my use of the term "evil" was intentional hyperbole. Saying sugar is evil is also personifying sugar. It was a silly phase used as a subject header for grabbing attention to the subject, and making a point using an exaggeration- humans usually aren't always literal in their speech. If I knew using "evil" was going to bunch so many panties I would have titled the subject "Here is a link to a video on the health risks associated with sugar from the 1980s".

I like people.

questionablemethods

There's freaking CORN SYRUP in INFANT FORMULA, for pete's sake! How much corn syrup is present in breast milk? And how does it benefit the infant?

RangerSteve

You admit yourself that your evidence is anecdotal. I just think it's iresponsible to make a statement that sugar is good for your health on this site. Perhaps if this were a bodybuilding forum, it would be different.

On a side note, are you a ranger? If you are, I just want to thank you for your service.

I was a ranger.

Anyway, yes, my evidence was anecdotal. I also don't think it's irresponsible to support the benefits of sugar. Bodybuilding forum or not, eating sugar every day will not make you unhealthy. When people cut foods out of their diet that they might enjoy, especially in moderation, that will in turn lead to binge eating....that in unhealthy.

This site needs more people saying what I'm saying. When I see 50 threads a day about people completely altering their diet and eating things they don't enjoy, cutting out all their sugar and running away from saturated fats, etc etc etc etc, then I will do my part to balance that out by supporting the benefits of all nutrients. (minus trans fat)

RangerSteve

Sure, but the problem isn't an 8 oz can of soda a day. The problem is that there is an unbelievable amount of sugar in nearly every packaged and processed food in grocery stores today. We're eating more sugar than ever before and there are doctors and researchers who believe that it is making nearly ALL of us insulin resistant (over time with repeated exposure -- it's not one piece of cake that does it).

Who is drinking the sports drinks and eating the Cliff Bars? It isn't just athletes and hikers needing to replenish their glycogen stores.

What's wrong with people eating Cliff Bars? They taste good, have fiber, lots of vitamins, etc. Big deal if they have some added sugar. Regardless, those who are gaining weight and have health issues associated with Cliff Bars, or any other food with sugar, aren't getting the problems from the Cliff Bars, they're getting it from eating too much food.

If you're in a calorie deficit then your body will process the sugar from a Cliff Bar and use it for bodily functions like making sure your organs are in order and supporting your brain with a supply of glucose so you can think clearly.

If people are eating a ton of processed and packaged foods from grocery stores, the problem isn't the sugar, the problem is that people are eating a ton of processed and packaged foods. There are far worse things in processed foods than sugar.

RangerSteve

There's freaking CORN SYRUP in INFANT FORMULA, for pete's sake! How much corn syrup is present in breast milk? And how does it benefit the infant?

I can't speak from experience but all breast milk should contain differing amounts of glucose. All human bodily fluid has glucose in it. (insert dirty jokes here)

Corn syrup is cheaper than sugar, honey, etc so it's used as a cheap filler. If you want companies to stop adding corn syrup, write to your congressman/woman and tell them to stop subsidizing corn farmers.

Grokette

I am pretty sure that the majority of the world can tell you that excess amounts of sugar is not good for you.
Most people who have problems with sugar knows it's bad for them, they just have a hard time using it in moderation.

I've never heard anyone say "This chocolate cake is healthy for me, my body needs it"
but a lot of the times we hear "This chocolate cake is so baaad for me but I can't help it"

That's the thing, we all know this. We've known it for a long time, yet our sugar consumption is still going up.

The reason the sugar consumption keeps going up is because people are voting with their $$$ every time they buy boxed, frozed, low fat and other packaged foods - so the food companies keep feeding most people's addiction to cheap, fast and easy food.

Everyone should be forced to take a cooking class to learn how to cook REAL food from scratch. I am so sick of hearing the excuses of I don't have time to cook. That is an excuse to eat that crap people call food.

They are putting soy, sugar, HFCS, wheat and corn in too many products where it doesn't belong and they are really reaking havoc on our bodies.

One reason I choose to eat clean and avoid packaged, boxed and especially frozen foods at all costs.

sleepytexan

Gee but I like sugar. I think it's nice, not evil.

Evil = partially hydrogenated oils and corn syrup, but sugar! not my beautiful sugar.

blessings.

lmarshel

I used to work with a woman who would give me the stink eye every time I ate a piece of chocolate. She would then say "Chocolate is Evil!" But I happen to think all food is amoral.

Grokette

You admit yourself that your evidence is anecdotal. I just think it's iresponsible to make a statement that sugar is good for your health on this site. Perhaps if this were a bodybuilding forum, it would be different.

On a side note, are you a ranger? If you are, I just want to thank you for your service.

I was a ranger.

Anyway, yes, my evidence was anecdotal. I also don't think it's irresponsible to support the benefits of sugar. Bodybuilding forum or not, eating sugar every day will not make you unhealthy. When people cut foods out of their diet that they might enjoy, especially in moderation, that will in turn lead to binge eating....that in unhealthy.

This site needs more people saying what I'm saying. When I see 50 threads a day about people completely altering their diet and eating things they don't enjoy, cutting out all their sugar and running away from saturated fats, etc etc etc etc, then I will do my part to balance that out by supporting the benefits of all nutrients. (minus trans fat)

Sugar has no benefits other than pleasing the pallate and causing an insulin surge.................

It is far more beneficial to eat a diet full of fat and protein and stay far away from the sugar. Sugar is poison - plain and simple.

We don't NEED carbs to function - fat and water are far more beneficial to the body. The human brain is made up of 60% fat and the rest water. The brain functions better on fat and if protein intake is adequate enough, the liver converts the protein to glucose - so no carbs necessary.

People need to start acknowledging that we don't NEED carbs - you all WANT carbs. Plain and simple.

We would be so much healthier if we went back to the days of cooking from scratch, growing gardens, slaughtering our own meat. Our grandparents and great-grandparents ate diets full of saturated fats, moderate proteins and mostly carbs from vegetables and fruits, they were healthier than most of us today.

Most people are so caught up in instant gratification and are paying for it with their health.

lockef

Gee but I like sugar. I think it's nice, not evil.

Evil = partially hydrogenated oils and corn syrup, but sugar! not my beautiful sugar.

blessings.

HFCS and table sugar are practically the same thing. Our bodies don't know the difference.

Grokette

If you actually watched the videos you would know that they were referring to all of the added sugar in our foods. You can fuel athletic performance with sweet potatoes and fruit or you can fuel it with jelly beans and soda. I know which one I would prefer.

Yes, I would prefer jelly beans and soda. The extremely quick digesting sugar would replenish glycogen stores almost immediately through an insulin spike. Like I've said here, and in a million other threads, there are PLENTY of people out there who can eat sugar constantly without any of the negative health issues associated with a high sugar intake.

I know it's anecdotal but I try to munch through 3 pints of Ben and Jerry's ice cream a week. My blood work is very good and the nurses always ask me what my diet is. I'm not saying I'm special but I am saying that refined sugar is GOOD for people who need refined sugar in their diet. There is no reason to demonize sugar whatsoever. There is also no reason to assume that eating refined sugar in your diet will make you unhealthy. Cutting out all sweets, especially if you enjoy them, is NOT the way to a healthy lifestyle because you're preventing yourself from eating foods you enjoy. Eating some jelly beans every day will not prevent weight loss and will not make you unhealthy. (this is all assuming you don't have insulin issues, food allergies, etc)

Your trying to justify that you NEED refined sugar????

That is wrong and eventually it will catch up with you. Just like most athletes, you are causing your body to become more and more desensitized to the insulin you are forcing it to make and eventually you will have hormone issues, blood sugar issues, etc.

I prefer to have my body make glucose through the conversion of protein. No added sugar needed here, no matter how hard or light I work out.

Grokette

There's freaking CORN SYRUP in INFANT FORMULA, for pete's sake! How much corn syrup is present in breast milk? And how does it benefit the infant?

I can't speak from experience but all breast milk should contain differing amounts of glucose. All human bodily fluid has glucose in it. (insert dirty jokes here)

Corn syrup is cheaper than sugar, honey, etc so it's used as a cheap filler. If you want companies to stop adding corn syrup, write to your congressman/woman and tell them to stop subsidizing corn farmers.

Actually breat milk is primarily made up of satruated fats.

Meganne1982

Grokette, I love you. Have I said that lately?

Grokette

Grokette, I love you. Have I said that lately?

No, but I love you too!!!

I missed my family during the past 90 days.

lmarshel

We would be so much healthier if we went back to the days of cooking from scratch, growing gardens, slaughtering our own meat. Our grandparents and great-grandparents ate diets full of saturated fats, moderate proteins and mostly carbs from vegetables and fruits, they were healthier than most of us today.

My grandparents and great-grandparents ate bread AND rice with just about every single meal. Not sure where you get that the diet back then was low carb? And if it was so much healthier, why are we living so much longer now? Our life expectancy is more than 30 years longer than someone born in 1900.

questionablemethods

There's freaking CORN SYRUP in INFANT FORMULA, for pete's sake! How much corn syrup is present in breast milk? And how does it benefit the infant?

I can't speak from experience but all breast milk should contain differing amounts of glucose. All human bodily fluid has glucose in it. (insert dirty jokes here)

Corn syrup is cheaper than sugar, honey, etc so it's used as a cheap filler. If you want companies to stop adding corn syrup, write to your congressman/woman and tell them to stop subsidizing corn farmers.

Actually breat milk is primarily made up of satruated fats.

And actually, I misspoke/typed earlier. I was actually thinking about the formula Lustig references that is 10.3% sucrose (otherwise known as table sugar) while a can of Coke has 10.5% sucrose.

Anyway, sorry about the confusion, I typed the message quick and was getting HFCS, corn syrup and sucrose all jumbled. In any case.... um.... why is there as much sucrose in a baby formula as is in Coke? What is the nutritional benefit there? (Honest question.)

lockef

Our life expectancy is more than 30 years longer than someone born in 1900.

It's because our standard of living has gone up. We have clean water, indoor plumbing, and easy access to hospitals. We don't have to deal with diseases like polio or small pox. There are organizations like OSHA who protect people at work, and other organizations for public safety.

It has nothing to do with nutrition. The medical industry has just helped us prolong our life when we get sick from our diet.

Grokette

We would be so much healthier if we went back to the days of cooking from scratch, growing gardens, slaughtering our own meat. Our grandparents and great-grandparents ate diets full of saturated fats, moderate proteins and mostly carbs from vegetables and fruits, they were healthier than most of us today.

My grandparents and great-grandparents ate bread AND rice with just about every single meal. Not sure where you get that the diet back then was low carb? And if it was so much healthier, why are we living so much longer now? Our life expectancy is more than 30 years longer than someone born in 1900.

My great grandparents all lived to be way over 100, my grandparents lived less time and my mom didn't even make it to the age of 40.

They are speaking every day about how parents of today are likely to outlive their own children because of the way our food is in this country.

We are going backwards, not forwards.

And I never said they never ate grains, but we all know that bread was considered to be a luxury back in the early 1900's. I have heard the stories from plenty of older people about how they grew up, especially during the great depression.

Have you ever seen the grease pots full of bacon grease on the stove tops??? Yep, that is how I have went back to eating.

It is a known and given fact that heart disease was almost non-existant prior to the 1950's when the low fat and "convenience" and boxed foods started popping up. The downfall of the health of this nation started when they invented fake, boxed foods.

I do nothing in my free time when I am sitting in the house other than read and research. I am tracing so many things that the government, doctors and these fake associations have brainwashed the American people (and other countries) into believing that are simply NOT TRUE.

RangerSteve

Sugar has no benefits other than pleasing the pallate and causing an insulin surge.................

It is far more beneficial to eat a diet full of fat and protein and stay far away from the sugar. Sugar is poison - plain and simple.

We don't NEED carbs to function - fat and water are far more beneficial to the body. The human brain is made up of 60% fat and the rest water. The brain functions better on fat and if protein intake is adequate enough, the liver converts the protein to glucose - so no carbs necessary.

People need to start acknowledging that we don't NEED carbs - you all WANT carbs. Plain and simple.

We would be so much healthier if we went back to the days of cooking from scratch, growing gardens, slaughtering our own meat. Our grandparents and great-grandparents ate diets full of saturated fats, moderate proteins and mostly carbs from vegetables and fruits, they were healthier than most of us today.

Most people are so caught up in instant gratification and are paying for it with their health.

You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

hpsnickers1

Our life expectancy is more than 30 years longer than someone born in 1900.

It's because our standard of living has gone up. We have clean water, indoor plumbing, and easy access to hospitals. We don't have to deal with diseases like polio or small pox. There are organizations like OSHA who protect people at work, and other organizations for public safety.

It has nothing to do with nutrition. The medical industry has just helped us prolong our life when we get sick from our diet.

And proceed to give us pills for everything. My parents have a cabinet full of pills (my dad is on dialysis and he is dying so my belief on sugar and whole grains and processed grains is that they are all evil. My brother is diabetic and is told to cut back on starches, sugar and processed carbs yet GET PLENTY OF WHOLE GRAINS [these are broken down into simple sugars and raise your insulin and blood glucose] but you have to take a pill until you need insulin shots and then you will eventually be on dialysis).
My mom thinks her doctor is great. She removed all cholesterol-laden foods from her diet yet her cholesterol didn't go down - hmmm...I wonder why (but she won't give up her bread, her crap oils, her Olestra potato chips, her fake butter). Her doctor says it must be genetic and she has to take a pill to keep it in check. Interesting that studies on statins were done on men only. Yet they are pushed on women, too.
I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia last year. They wanted to put me on a $112 a month PILL to keep it in check. All I had to do was cut out grains and sugars and the pain went away. If I eat them the pain comes back.

I will never have diabetes even though it r'uns in my family'. I won't have cholesterol problems even though it 'runs in my family'. And it's because I have stopped listening to the government and all of their "experts" telling me what is healthy and what isn't.

RangerSteve

Your trying to justify that you NEED refined sugar????

That is wrong and eventually it will catch up with you. Just like most athletes, you are causing your body to become more and more desensitized to the insulin you are forcing it to make and eventually you will have hormone issues, blood sugar issues, etc.

I prefer to have my body make glucose through the conversion of protein. No added sugar needed here, no matter how hard or light I work out.

Once again, you have no idea what you're talking about. It will not eventually catch up with me because my diet will be determined by how much/when I exercise. It's not that hard to figure out. I workout less, I eat less. I workout more, I eat more, including more sugar.

I will not have hormone issues or blood sugar issues because the insulin spike is what allows me to shuttle nutrients to my muscles in order to use them again for my next session of exercise. Do you have ANY idea how insulin works? Any?

Good luck getting protein to turn into glucose fast enough when you're doing a triathlon.

Grokette

Sugar has no benefits other than pleasing the pallate and causing an insulin surge.................

It is far more beneficial to eat a diet full of fat and protein and stay far away from the sugar. Sugar is poison - plain and simple.

We don't NEED carbs to function - fat and water are far more beneficial to the body. The human brain is made up of 60% fat and the rest water. The brain functions better on fat and if protein intake is adequate enough, the liver converts the protein to glucose - so no carbs necessary.

People need to start acknowledging that we don't NEED carbs - you all WANT carbs. Plain and simple.

We would be so much healthier if we went back to the days of cooking from scratch, growing gardens, slaughtering our own meat. Our grandparents and great-grandparents ate diets full of saturated fats, moderate proteins and mostly carbs from vegetables and fruits, they were healthier than most of us today.

Most people are so caught up in instant gratification and are paying for it with their health.

You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

Yes, I do, I know exactly what I am talking about. Need I post proof on the process of glycogenesis? I have doctors and scientists to back me up as well as my own experiences.

You are just spouting information that has been beat into your head over the years by Conventional Wisdom. I forgive you for that.

I know people that live on nothing more than Water, Tea, FAT and protein and are far healthier than the rest of us. We do not NEED carbs to live healthy or function.

It is a WANT, plain and simple.

RangerSteve

Actually breat milk is primarily made up of satruated fats.

Wrong again:

http://www.breastfeeding-mom.com/composition-of-breast-milk.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_breast_milk

RangerSteve

We would be so much healthier if we went back to the days of cooking from scratch, growing gardens, slaughtering our own meat. Our grandparents and great-grandparents ate diets full of saturated fats, moderate proteins and mostly carbs from vegetables and fruits, they were healthier than most of us today.

My grandparents and great-grandparents ate bread AND rice with just about every single meal. Not sure where you get that the diet back then was low carb? And if it was so much healthier, why are we living so much longer now? Our life expectancy is more than 30 years longer than someone born in 1900.

Also, the generation of my parents (baby boomers) drank coke/pepsi with their hamburger and fries. They ate candy and sugar filled gum. They had all sorts of sweets. The big difference is that they were outside most of the day instead of inside sitting on their *kitten*.

Nope, sugar is the culprit.....OBVIOUSLY.

RangerSteve

Yes, I do. Need I post proof on the process of glycogenesis? I have doctors and scientists to back me up as well as my own experiences.

I know people that live on nothing more than Water, Tea, FAT and protein and are far healthier than the rest of us. We do not NEED carbs to live healthy or function.

It is a WANT, plain and simple.

GLUCOSE IS THE PRIMARY NUTRIENT USED IN GLYCOLYSIS.

If you want glucose to quickly hit the blood stream in order to fuel glycolysis, you eat foods that are glucose based. PLAIN SIMPLE SCIENTIFIC FACT. You cannot argue this because this is absolutely, positively BASIC physiology. Converting fat and protein into glucose is not ideal when you're engaging in any exercise that depletes glycogen quickly.