Sugar types: It really does matter WHAT we eat

Hi all,

I have heard/read a lot lately about how what we eat is the real problem, not so much the quantity that we eat (obviously quantity plays a part though).

One of the main things I have read about recently is that fructose (that innocent, NATURAL sugar) is actually the worst type of sugar for us to ingest if we are trying to lose weight. Apparently "after eating 120 calories of glucose, one calorie is stored as fat. After 120 calories of fructose, 40 calories are stored as fat." (link below) This is because of its structure, the fact that it is processed by the liver, and also that it is not controlled by insulin.

I found this very interesting article, which the above quotation is taken from, which has a LOT of information about sugar. It seems that fructose in whole (unprocessed) fruit is not as bad as in processed fruit and other liquid sources. http://www.inspirationgreen.com/all-the-different-sugars.html

I have also read recently that eating real food, i.e. non man made food, is good for losing weight and general health. Apparently we evolved to process natural foods, and eating things like bread means we can't process it properly. We just weren't made to process grains like that.

I think the paleo diet is along the same lines as this. While I am not going to limit myself to raw, natural foods, I am cutting out most processed foods (bread does make me feel bloated). I still eat things like soup though, as that fills you up, and I have found that half a packet of crisps satisfies a craving for fat, salt and carbs but is not too many calories. Soup (approx 100kcal), 1/2 pack crisps (aprox 70kcal) and a massive pile of salad for lunch is great

The frustrating thing about these types of discussions is that people tend argue the extreme ends of the spectrum but totally miss the middle where most people fall. I predict the same for this thread.

I doubt anyone really says that you can eat nothing but zomg pop terts, fizzy pop and Doritos over the long term and expect optimal health. It is absolutely the case that the quality of calories matter to the extent you meet your nutritional needs. Once these are met you can have a little of what you fancy.

You cannot view things in isolation but need to consider the overall composition of the diet and any relevant medical issues.

This isn't a new concept - a balanced diet, discretionary calories, IIFYM, whatever you want to call it. I really don't understand the compulsion to make things so difficult.