Question for self professed "sugar addicts"

New research by a neuroscientist has found that lab animals self-dosing on High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), the industrial sweetener used in hundreds of grocery store products, followed the same pattern of behavior as those that were self-dosing on cocaine.

Addiction expert, Dr. Francesco Leri, an Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Applied Cognitive Science at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, presented his findings to the Canadian Association for Neuroscience on May 23 that showed how High Fructose Corn Syrup caused behavioral reactions in rats similar to those produced by addictive drugs.
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"There is now convincing neurobiological and behavioral evidence indicating that addiction to food is possible."

A Princeton University research team has demonstrated that all sweeteners are not equal when it comes to weight gain: Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even when their overall caloric intake was the same.

High-fructose corn syrup and sucrose are both compounds that contain the simple sugars fructose and glucose, but there at least two clear differences between them. First, sucrose is composed of equal amounts of the two simple sugars -- it is 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose -- but the typical high-fructose corn syrup used in this study features a slightly imbalanced ratio, containing 55 percent fructose and 42 percent glucose. Larger sugar molecules called higher saccharides make up the remaining 3 percent of the sweetener. Second, as a result of the manufacturing process for high-fructose corn syrup, the fructose molecules in the sweetener are free and unbound, ready for absorption and utilization. In contrast, every fructose molecule in sucrose that comes from cane sugar or beet sugar is bound to a corresponding glucose molecule and must go through an extra metabolic step before it can be utilized.

Abs.

Serious question:

Why is it a bad habit to have desert every night after dinner? I just don't get it.

Personally I sometimes have 3 deserts after dinner. It's all accounted for and pre planned.

Serious question:

Why is it a bad habit to have desert every night after dinner? I just don't get it.

Personally I sometimes have 3 deserts after dinner. It's all accounted for and pre planned.

I think it depends on the size of the dessert and your goals. Daily dessertsused to fit my macros as provided by MFP. But then my goals changed. I am trying to get 30% of my calories from protein, and there is simply zero room for daily desserts. Also, I thought my diet was fine, but realized that I was avoiding other healthier foods in order to make room for my sugar fix. Avocados, nuts, whole grains, etc. I still enjoy desserts occasionally but I realized that I was displacing too much good stuff to make room for the treats.

I agree that "addict" is too strong a word. Dependency? Habit? Maybe.

I have to agree. I also think people use the word addiction when they really mean lack of self control. I have a lot of friends who are recovering addicts and recovering alcoholics. It's no *walk in the park*.

From this article : http://www.discovergoodnutrition.com/2011/02/the-truth-about-sugars-in-fruit/

The idea that fruit is “loaded with carbs” or is “full of sugar” needs to be put into perspective, too. It’s true that when you eat fruit, the overwhelming majority of the calories you consume are supplied by carbohydrate – mostly in the form of fructose, which is the natural sugar in fruit.

But that’s the nature not just of fruit, but of all plant foods – they’re predominantly carbohydrate (and that means not just natural sugars, but healthy starches as well as structural elements, like cellulose, that provide fiber). When you eat vegetables, the majority of the calories you’re eating come from carbohydrate, too. But you don’t hear people complaining that vegetables are “loaded with carbs”.

Before dismissing foods as being loaded with sugar, or too high in carbs, consider not only the amount of sugar or carbs you’re eating, but the form of the carbohydrate, too. There’s a big difference between the nutritional value of the natural carbohydrates found in fruits and other plant foods – the sugars, starches and fibers – and what’s found (or, more accurately, what’s not found) in all the empty calories we eat from added sugars that find their way into everything from brownies to barbecue sauce.

Faced with a serving of fruit, how much sugar are we talking about, anyway? An average orange has only about 12 grams of natural sugar (about 3 teaspoons) and a cup of strawberries has only about 7 grams – that’s less than two teaspoons. And either way, you’re also getting 3 grams of fiber, about a full day’s worth of vitamin C, healthy antioxidants and some folic acid and potassium to boot – and it’ll only cost you about 50 or 60 calories. “All sugar”? I think not.

By contrast, a 20-ounce cola will set you back about 225 calories and, needless to say, won’t be supplying any antioxidants, vitamins, minerals or fiber. You’ll just be chugging down some carbonated water, maybe some artificial color and flavor, and somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 grams of added sugar – about 1/3 of a cup.

Now that’s what I call “full of sugar”.