SUGAR... natural or artificial

paruls86

As every overweight person is told Sugar... its bad for you... I was told too... though I do not have a sweet tooth but some days you feel like having somethings sweet. So i was considering substituting sugar but then i thought WHY? any substitute is chemical when you talk about eating organic why would you want to eat chemicals... plus when i started mfp this time i know 1tsp is not so many calories... you can totally stop having sugar or just reduce the quantity..

neanderthin

Easier said than done for a very large part of the population, but your right, sugar is not evil, and you ultimitely have control over what you eat.

xlolitabandita

I don't usually use artifical sweeteners, but I do buy organic stevia. I also use sugar or honey sometimes, I think these things are fine in moderation.

dwtouch4

Everything is a chemical. Sugar vs. Splenda = Sucrose vs. Sucralose. There's never been a definitive study that shows that artificial sweeteners are bad for humans in any normal amount.

scoutit

Stevia is not a chemical. I haven't heard anything "bad" about it and it tastes good. (Please post if you have heard differently.) Find an organic brand that is minimally processed and doesn't use fillers.

Sugar and other high glycemic foods are bad for you. Here is a brief article summarizing some of the things I think about before I put sugar in my mouth:

http://www.organicnutrition.co.uk/articles/is-sugar-bad-for-you.htm

neanderthin

Stevia is not a chemical. I haven't heard anything "bad" about it and it tastes good. (Please post if you have heard differently.) Find an organic brand that is minimally processed and doesn't use fillers.

Sugar and other high glycemic foods are bad for you. Here is a brief article summarizing some of the things I think about before I put sugar in my mouth:

http://www.organicnutrition.co.uk/articles/is-sugar-bad-for-you.htm

Water is a chemical.

scoutit

So right neanderthin, but I think you know where I was going. Stevia is derived from a plant (like sugar) but unlike sugar it has a very low glycemic index-zero I believe. Forgive my lack of precision.

neanderthin

So right neanderthin, but I think you know where I was going. Stevia is derived from a plant (like sugar) but unlike sugar it has a very low glycemic index-zero I believe. Forgive my lack of precision.

Plant compounds that are extracted are classified as compounds and chemicals, most medical compounds/medicines are exactly that, but I do get your point. Stevia is not free of controversy as are most sweetners.

The other point you make is that high GI foods are bad for us and I would imagine that's because some hi GI foods also happen to be refined products like white bread, white rice etc but some food like fruits, sweet potato, chickpeas, all bran, oatmeal, oranges, peas etc are all higher GI than white pasta for example. The term bad carb is a diet industry icon that is totally misunderstood. The rational that high GI foods cause diabetes and obesity is also a firmly planted myth. The twinkie and potato diet should have put an end to that thinking, but considering the same myths that have been debunked for decades still come up daily on this site it's not surprising that the GI one is alive and well. Keep in mind if someone has been consuming processed foods in excess all their lives and now find themselves overweight/obese and with diabetes, then controling blood sugar is important in that respect, but to the average consumer GI really has little meaning, considering we don't just eat a high GI carbs in a vacuum and are consuming them generally with protein and fat which again changes/lowers the GI. I'll repeat again the often sited quote "there's no such thing as bad food/carbs, just bad diets and lifestyles." imo

SweetSammie

So I just started tracking sugar.

I made a smoothie for breakfast (1/2 banana, 1/4 cup Coconut Dream Coconut milk, 1/2 cup 2% Fage Greek Yogurt, 1/4 cup milk, 1 tblsp Better Than Peanut Butter, 1 tblsp peanut butter, 1 tblsp cocoa, 1 tsp NuNaturals Stevia)... and the tracker says I have used ALL of my sugar for the day.

How in the HECK would anyone keep within that goal. I know that peanut butter has sugar in it, and banana has natural sugar... but HOLY MOLEY, does anyone stay within what is allowed?

P.S. I am a stevia fan.

ArtGeek22

When you get a sweet treat I would suggest eating something with REAL sugar or Natural sweetner.

The difference is that Natural sweetner is made from Plants and our body knows how to break it down. When we consume Artificial sweetners, like Aspartame, our body goes, "WAIT A MINUTE! What the heck do you want me to do with this junk?!" So your body then turns it into fat.

So like I said Real sugar or artifical sweetners are the way to go. Hope I helped


P.S Look on the back of diet sodas. Almost all of them contain Aspartame!


Keep Calm and Carry On,
Anna

mfpcopine

As every overweight person is told Sugar... its bad for you... I was told too... though I do not have a sweet tooth but some days you feel like having somethings sweet. So i was considering substituting sugar but then i thought WHY? any substitute is chemical when you talk about eating organic why would you want to eat chemicals... plus when i started mfp this time i know 1tsp is not so many calories... you can totally stop having sugar or just reduce the quantity..

I think it's best to use natural sweeteners (sugar, honey, maple syrup, stevia) as long as the quantities are small. We haven't had enough experience with artificial sweeteners to know whether or not they cause problems long-term. I've also read articles saying that the body may treat the artificial sweeteners like sugar. Other articles have said that artificial sweeteners are much sweeter than sugar, causing some people to use more sugar when they consume it. (At least that's what I think the point was.)

A nutritionist I saw a few years ago old me not to consume too much Diet Coke when she saw it in my diaries.

mfpcopine

and the tracker says I have used ALL of my sugar for the day.

How in the HECK would anyone keep within that goal.

The sugars limit does seem to be set quite low. I've been over, too, even on the days when the only sweetener I've added was a teaspoon of honey. Apparently, there are a lot of sugars in food. As long as I'm not eating excessive amounts of added sweeteners or unhealthy carbs I'm not going to worry about going over the sugar limit.

Toddrific

I'd say while sugar in itself isn't necessarily bad, eating food with it added, or adding it yourself may be counterproductive.

When you are eating a calorie restricted diet, a good priority is to make sure you are covering your macro and micro nutrients. Many people focus strictly on macros, but without micros (vitamins/minerals) your body doesn't perform as efficiently.
Added sugar adds nothing to your micros and reduces the foods with micros you can eat as you still have to watch calories.

Stevia in its refined form tastes pretty darn good. i heard the unprocessed form has a strong licorice aftertaste. Even the refined form may bother some peoples taste buds.

rml_16

I haven't met a sugar sub (other than honey) that I can stand the taste of. And there's always some horrid aftertaste. Blech.

I don't eat a lot of sugar (other than what occurs naturally in foods like fruit), so I figure I'm doing OK if I have a little bit here and there.

Moderation is key.

But I suppose if you need a couple sodas every day, you're better drinking diet (if you can stand the taste).

Keefypoos

So right neanderthin, but I think you know where I was going. Stevia is derived from a plant (like sugar) but unlike sugar it has a very low glycemic index-zero I believe. Forgive my lack of precision.

Plant compounds that are extracted are classified as compounds and chemicals, most medical compounds/medicines are exactly that, but I do get your point. Stevia is not free of controversy as are most sweetners.

The other point you make is that high GI foods are bad for us and I would imagine that's because some hi GI foods also happen to be refined products like white bread, white rice etc but some food like fruits, sweet potato, chickpeas, all bran, oatmeal, oranges, peas etc are all higher GI than white pasta for example. The term bad carb is a diet industry icon that is totally misunderstood. The rational that high GI foods cause diabetes and obesity is also a firmly planted myth. The twinkie and potato diet should have put an end to that thinking, but considering the same myths that have been debunked for decades still come up daily on this site it's not surprising that the GI one is alive and well. Keep in mind if someone has been consuming processed foods in excess all their lives and now find themselves overweight/obese and with diabetes, then controling blood sugar is important in that respect, but to the average consumer GI really has little meaning, considering we don't just eat a high GI carbs in a vacuum and are consuming them generally with protein and fat which again changes/lowers the GI. I'll repeat again the often sited quote "there's no such thing as bad food/carbs, just bad diets and lifestyles." imo

far to much common sense here, move along, move alaong :-)

jike1017

I live by my stevia!!!!!!!!!!!! and its all natural

LordBezoar

I don't usually use artifical sweeteners, but I do buy organic stevia. I also use sugar or honey sometimes, I think these things are fine in moderation.

^^ This!! I love Stevia.

TrailRunner61

As every overweight person is told Sugar... its bad for you... I was told too... though I do not have a sweet tooth but some days you feel like having somethings sweet. So i was considering substituting sugar but then i thought WHY? any substitute is chemical when you talk about eating organic why would you want to eat chemicals... plus when i started mfp this time i know 1tsp is not so many calories... you can totally stop having sugar or just reduce the quantity..

I think it's best to use natural sweeteners (sugar, honey, maple syrup, stevia) as long as the quantities are small. We haven't had enough experience with artificial sweeteners to know whether or not they cause problems long-term. I've also read articles saying that the body may treat the artificial sweeteners like sugar. Other articles have said that artificial sweeteners are much sweeter than sugar, causing some people to use more sugar when they consume it. (At least that's what I think the point was.)

A nutritionist I saw a few years ago old me not to consume too much Diet Coke when she saw it in my diaries.

It's true about the sweeteners being sweeter than sugar! I use Splenda and I'll keep on using it but, if I'm somewhere where there is NO splenda or equal, I will use regular sugar and to make it taste as sweet as what I'm used to, I keep adding and adding sugar! I cannot believe the difference. I don't eat any more (added) sugar in other foods, just the coffee, so I don't believe that overall I, myself, would eat more because of the sweeteners. Someone else might though.

alicia2601

Couple years ago, Jillian Michaels was on the Today Show and a viewer asked the same question. Jillian said real sugar in moderation.

stephensmith0929

Thank you, but i am sweet enough!!! =0)

meaganh13

After what seems like years watchng everything that I put into my mouth and saw the scale still creeping up, I decided that I must not be doing something right (and by right, I mean something that was not working for MY body). I was a Diet Coke fiend. Somedays, I'd drink well over 1L of Diet Coke a day and thought that nothing was wrong with it. After combining various points from various health/diet books, it became clear to me that processed sugars (white sugar, candy, etc.) was worse (in terms of contributing to weight gain) than artificial sweeteners, but that artificial sweeteners were not good for you as well.

Long story short: I stopped drinking all diet pop/aspartame/Crystal Light and switched to plain water, sparkling water and cans of club soda (for my midday "canned drink" fix). After 3 weeks of this, I have never felt better, honestly. I have lost only a couple of pounds, but my belly bulge has definitely gone down, I'm not as bloated and my energy levels are nothing like I've ever experienced before! When things need some sweetener, I reach for a little bit of stevia or xylitol and am now finding that most 'sweets' are too sweet and are becoming a turn-off. When you'd rather munch on carrots and cucumber instead of Jolly Ranchers and Tootsie Rolls, something must be changing in your body!

To each their own, and there is a lot of conflictng literature out there, but I encourage you to try different things, and not just go by "someone's word". Chances are, it may have worked for them but won't work for you, or, there are healthier options out there to reach the same goals!

Good luck!

TLC1975

So I just started tracking sugar.

I made a smoothie for breakfast (1/2 banana, 1/4 cup Coconut Dream Coconut milk, 1/2 cup 2% Fage Greek Yogurt, 1/4 cup milk, 1 tblsp Better Than Peanut Butter, 1 tblsp peanut butter, 1 tblsp cocoa, 1 tsp NuNaturals Stevia)... and the tracker says I have used ALL of my sugar for the day.

How in the HECK would anyone keep within that goal. I know that peanut butter has sugar in it, and banana has natural sugar... but HOLY MOLEY, does anyone stay within what is allowed?

P.S. I am a stevia fan.

All natural peanut butter that is made from JUST peanuts is low in sugar..this might help. Also most milks contain sugar, along with fruit as you know..this smoothie to me looks like pure sugar with a bit of protein in it, with all that fruit, why would u need stevia? And you can keep within ur sugar limit, it is possible I do it..I do not eat fruit (except grapefruit prior to workouts), no milk, no stevia (except what is in my protein powder)...

Acg67

Stevia is not a chemical. I haven't heard anything "bad" about it and it tastes good. (Please post if you have heard differently.) Find an organic brand that is minimally processed and doesn't use fillers.

Sugar and other high glycemic foods are bad for you. Here is a brief article summarizing some of the things I think about before I put sugar in my mouth:

http://www.organicnutrition.co.uk/articles/is-sugar-bad-for-you.htm

Water is a chemical.

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jan/22/opinion/la-oe-blum-chemicals-20120122

rml_16

So I just started tracking sugar.

I made a smoothie for breakfast (1/2 banana, 1/4 cup Coconut Dream Coconut milk, 1/2 cup 2% Fage Greek Yogurt, 1/4 cup milk, 1 tblsp Better Than Peanut Butter, 1 tblsp peanut butter, 1 tblsp cocoa, 1 tsp NuNaturals Stevia)... and the tracker says I have used ALL of my sugar for the day.

How in the HECK would anyone keep within that goal. I know that peanut butter has sugar in it, and banana has natural sugar... but HOLY MOLEY, does anyone stay within what is allowed?

P.S. I am a stevia fan.

All natural peanut butter that is made from JUST peanuts is low in sugar..this might help. Also most milks contain sugar, along with fruit as you know..this smoothie to me looks like pure sugar with a bit of protein in it, with all that fruit, why would u need stevia? And you can keep within ur sugar limit, it is possible I do it..I do not eat fruit (except grapefruit prior to workouts), no milk, no stevia (except what is in my protein powder)...

Even some that aren't aren't very high in it.

Skippy natural either has 2 or 4 grams per 2 T serving. I can't remember which it is.

lynheff

Splenda ( sucralose) is made from sugar. I use it since it doesn't make my blood sugar bounce like sucrose. It also stays sweet in baking.

JennaM222

I like a splenda packet with my coffee.

But, you know, it will probably kill me along with all the diet pepsi I drink.....:drinker:

SweetSammie

The regular PB is Full Circle Organics, so it is pretty low. Better Than Peanut Butter tastes pretty sweet, so that might be a culprit.

I welcome any help, but the only fruit was 1/2 a banana... which I know is a super sweet fruit, but still... it's not much fruit.

However, 3 1/2 hours later, I'm still full, so I may scrap the sugar tracking aside from eliminating added sugars where I can. I don't eat packaged foods... I'm losing weight...

There has to be a little trade-off from my carbs being lower than usual, because essentially, carbs become sugar pretty quickly.

It may not be a battle worth fighting when we're talking about sugar in milk/yogurt/peanutbutter and fruit. I love fruit, but it's not like I"m eating it more than 2 maybe 3 times a day, and often my servings are smaller: 1/2 a banana, or 1/2 cup of strawberries.

Vegetablearian

I am a scientist ...

I hate to tell you all everything is a chemical ... you're all going to die.

No seriously just because something is natural doesnt mean it is healthy and just because something is man made it doesnt mean it is bad.

Hemlock is natural but poisonous but you wouldnt eat it.

Aspirin is man made but you take that. (aspirin is not found naturally in a plant, a similar chemical is and that was modified by man to make it better and causes less side effects) or most other medicine is man made.

Ive studied chemistry at degree level and biology at college level :-)

odonogc

For me, it's natural sugar only, and not very much of it.

mammfp

Agave nectar

Linbo93

I have an intolerance for fake sugars...it causes me to break out. So I only eat real sugar, and I haven't had any issues with Stevia yet, although I'm treading slowly. But my opinion is that if I'm going to eat something sweet, I'm going to eat it the natural way. I just moderate how much I have, too much of anything is bad for you.

I also cut out 90% of the processed foods I used to eat out of my diet, so a lot of those sugary snacks got cut out with it.