fat vs sugar in certain foods

lets_fly_away_tonight
lets_fly_away_tonight Posts: 9
in Food and Nutrition
If you Had to choose between more sugar and more fat in certain "bad" foods like ice cream and peanutbutter which would be less damaging?
«13

Replies

  • BenjaminMFP88
    BenjaminMFP88 Posts: 660 Member
    Well, Ice Cream is full of bad fats, and bad carbs. Peanut Butter is full of healthy fats and healthy carbs..... depends entirely on the food
  • chezjuan
    chezjuan Posts: 747 Member
    It depends on the person and their individual goals. I would personally choose more sugars over more fats, given that I generally am lower on carbs than my daily goal, and higher on fats.

    And, if PB or ice cream was the only choice for a particular meal, I would probably choose peanut butter over ice cream simply because I need to get more protein as I am generally a little short of my goal there as well. If I needed calcium I may choose ice cream instead.

    So which is "worse" really depends on your particular goals, and your overall food intake, and how this particular item fits in.

    ETA: I wouldn't eat a peanut butter with added sugar - it tastes fine with just peanuts and, perhaps, salt. And I wouldn't classify either food as "bad" per se either.
  • Phoenix_Warrior
    Phoenix_Warrior Posts: 1,633 Member
    For me, it would depend on if I need one over the other to hit my macros. If I've met them, I'd pick peanut butter ice cream and meet in the middle.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Not sure what you mean by 'damaging', but it depends on context and my diet as a whole.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Well, Ice Cream is full of bad fats, and bad carbs. Peanut Butter is full of healthy fats and healthy carbs..... depends entirely on the food

    What bad fats does ice cream contain? Also, what bad carbs?
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    For one, I don't consider many foods "bad".... that said, fat is essential, sugar and carbs are not, so make of that what you will.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Well, Ice Cream is full of bad fats, and bad carbs.

    In!
  • MstngSammy
    MstngSammy Posts: 436 Member
    In for later
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    Well, Ice Cream is full of bad fats, and bad carbs. Peanut Butter is full of healthy fats and healthy carbs..... depends entirely on the food

    i can't wait to learn about all these bad fats and carbs!
  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
    I agree that it's more complex than fat vs. sugar. I would prefer peanut butter to ice cream (even if it was non-dairy because I can't eat real ice cream) because it's full of healthy fats and protein. Most peanut butter I buy has very few ingredients while ice cream is more processed. However, I usually have almond-based ice cream, which is pretty high in healthy fats as well, but also contains sugar. To avoid the sugar and get the healthy fats, I'd choose peanut butter. However, if I have the calories and haven't hit my fat and carb macros, I'll stir a tablespoon of peanut butter into half a scoop of vanilla ice cream. :)
  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
    Also, the "bad fats and carbs" in ice cream refer to saturated fats and added sugars, which aren't as good for you as the unsaturated fats and naturally-occurring sugars in peanut butters, assuming there is no added sugar in the peanut butter.
  • BenjaminMFP88
    BenjaminMFP88 Posts: 660 Member
    Well, Ice Cream is full of bad fats, and bad carbs. Peanut Butter is full of healthy fats and healthy carbs..... depends entirely on the food

    What bad fats does ice cream contain? Also, what bad carbs?

    First off, I'd like to predicate this by saying no exact brand of ice cream / peanut butter was mentioned. Therefore, I simply averaged a few labels I looked at. There are alternatives, more healthy ones that don't follow the logic I explain below..

    Ice cream contrains relatively high amounts of sugar which is nothing more then refined carbohydrates. This coupled with low levels of fiber and protein will allow the body to process faster then optimal. Typically food like this will rate very low on a fullness factor and very high on the glycemix index. There's nothing redemable about this mix that I can think of.

    Ice cream may also contain relatively high amounts of saturated fats. These fats are generally not ideal for the body and can have negative effects on your LDL levels. Again, nothing redemable about this. Plus, the levels of Mono and Poly fats is rather insignificant, especially if compared to the levels in peanut butter.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Well, Ice Cream is full of bad fats, and bad carbs. Peanut Butter is full of healthy fats and healthy carbs..... depends entirely on the food

    What bad fats does ice cream contain? Also, what bad carbs?

    First off, I'd like to predicate this by saying no exact brand of ice cream / peanut butter was mentioned. Therefore, I simply averaged a few labels I looked at. There are alternatives, more healthy ones that don't follow the logic I explain below..

    Ice cream contrains relatively high amounts of sugar which is nothing more then refined carbohydrates. This coupled with low levels of fiber and protein will allow the body to process faster then optimal. Typically food like this will rate very low on a fullness factor and very high on the glycemix index. There's nothing redemable about this mix that I can think of.

    Ice cream may also contain relatively high amounts of saturated fats. These fats are generally not ideal for the body and can have negative effects on your LDL levels. Again, nothing redemable about this. Plus, the levels of Mono and Poly fats is rather insignificant, especially if compared to the levels in peanut butter.

    - what is wrong with refined carbs?
    - you are assuming that you have not got sufficient fiber through the rest of your day
    - what does the GI have to do with it?
    - you are ignoring HDL levels
    - fullness factor - you are ignoring serving size per calories here so it's debatable. Plus, you are ignoring the rest of the diet.
  • BenjaminMFP88
    BenjaminMFP88 Posts: 660 Member
    1: what is wrong with refined carbs? -- Mostly nothing. They are not optimal nutritionally. They boost GI levels more which may carry it's own affects.


    2: you are assuming that you have not got sufficient fiber through the rest of your day -- I would be assuming if I thought anything other then what the OP provided which was nothing more then an inquiry regarding 2 macros with 2 provided food sources.


    3: what does the GI have to do with it? -- For most people, nothing. Depends on many factors and since I don't know any of these factors, it is safer to mention it as opposed to leave it out entirely.


    4: you are ignoring HDL levels -- But I'm not. LDL is bad cholestoral and should be kept in check if you are are at risk etc. I can't assume that something is being done to lower LDL levels and since there is minimal to no HDL or soluble fiber in ice cream, I can only take it this far.


    5: fullness factor - you are ignoring serving size per calories here so it's debatable. Plus, you are ignoring the rest of the diet. -- Again, I am not making any assumptions as to a persons diet. Serving size wise they both contain roughly the same calories however, peanut butter contains macros which delay the digestion causing you to stay fuller longer.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    1: what is wrong with refined carbs? -- Mostly nothing. They are not optimal nutritionally. They boost GI levels more which may carry it's own affects.


    2: you are assuming that you have not got sufficient fiber through the rest of your day -- I would be assuming if I thought anything other then what the OP provided which was nothing more then an inquiry regarding 2 macros with 2 provided food sources.


    3: what does the GI have to do with it? -- For most people, nothing. Depends on many factors and since I don't know any of these factors, it is safer to mention it as opposed to leave it out entirely.


    4: you are ignoring HDL levels -- But I'm not. LDL is bad cholestoral and should be kept in check if you are are at risk etc. I can't assume that something is being done to lower LDL levels and since there is minimal to no HDL or soluble fiber in ice cream, I can only take it this far.


    5: fullness factor - you are ignoring serving size per calories here so it's debatable. Plus, you are ignoring the rest of the diet. -- Again, I am not making any assumptions as to a persons diet. Serving size wise they both contain roughly the same calories however, peanut butter contains macros which delay the digestion causing you to stay fuller longer.

    bro... just bro.
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,903 Member
    Mostly in for Jonnythan and Sara.

    But I'll bite.

    If you Had to choose between more sugar and more fat in certain "bad" foods like ice cream and peanutbutter which would be less damaging?

    You didn't frame the question this way, but here's how I'm going to answer it: If I had to choose between too much fat and too much sugar, I'd pick too much fat. There are a multitude of details in that choice, though. First, I'd have to be a little careful because fats are twice as calorically dense as carbs. Second, I'd still go with too many fats regardless because fats make me feel sated for soooo much longer than carbs....any carbs. Pick whatever whole wheat, fiber-filled, blah blah blah...fats are going to win out for satiety (for me) 100% of the time.

    Other people's mileages will naturally vary.

    EDIT: and now I want bacon-wrapped shrimp covered in melted cheese and it is entirely this thread's fault.
  • Poofy_Goodness
    Poofy_Goodness Posts: 229 Member
    Your question is based on misconceptions about food, so I will just answer the question as I like it.


    I usually prefer fats to sweets, except in the case of ice cream in which I get both. SCORE!
  • ileitch
    ileitch Posts: 99
    I think sugar is more harmful than fat.
  • Phoenix_Warrior
    Phoenix_Warrior Posts: 1,633 Member
    I think sugar is more harmful than fat.

    Harmful how?
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    Well, Ice Cream is full of bad fats, and bad carbs. Peanut Butter is full of healthy fats and healthy carbs..... depends entirely on the food



    Uh, no. Not at all.


    And to answer OP: I'll take my ice cream topped with peanut butter. Why choose only one?
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,903 Member
    If you eat fat EXCLUSIVELY along with some protein you will do fine and this is actually the basis of the Atkins Diet. The Atkins Diet works because now your body is burning fats all the time, and not shifting over to the burning of carbohydrates. If you eat a lot of carbs, the excess is turned into fat.

    If you eat too many calories, the excess is turned into fat. By definition, anything that's excess will get stored...as fat. That's how we classify it as excess.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    1: what is wrong with refined carbs? -- Mostly nothing. They are not optimal nutritionally. They boost GI levels more which may carry it's own affects.
    1) this is assuming that the GI is relevant
    2) this is assuming that they are not a mixed macro food/meal
    2: you are assuming that you have not got sufficient fiber through the rest of your day -- I would be assuming if I thought anything other then what the OP provided which was nothing more then an inquiry regarding 2 macros with 2 provided food sources.
    - the OP asked what would be most damaging
    3: what does the GI have to do with it? -- For most people, nothing. Depends on many factors and since I don't know any of these factors, it is safer to mention it as opposed to leave it out entirely.
    not really safer to mention it if not relevant without noting the times when it would be relevant. It can lead to people focusing on the wrong things and making weight loss harder than it needs to be.
    4: you are ignoring HDL levels -- But I'm not. LDL is bad cholestoral and should be kept in check if you are are at risk etc. I can't assume that something is being done to lower LDL levels and since there is minimal to no HDL or soluble fiber in ice cream, I can only take it this far.
    again, you are assuming that the person's diet does not include fiber. Also, minimal to no HDL in ice-cream? Blanket statements can be misleading - 'if you are at risk 'is a pretty important fact. Again, making things unnecessarily harder.
    5: fullness factor - you are ignoring serving size per calories here so it's debatable. Plus, you are ignoring the rest of the diet. -- Again, I am not making any assumptions as to a persons diet. Serving size wise they both contain roughly the same calories however, peanut butter contains macros which delay the digestion causing you to stay fuller longer.
    Blanket statements read as though you are making assumptions. Macros that delay digestion? What are they?
  • BenjaminMFP88
    BenjaminMFP88 Posts: 660 Member
    So, is everyone saying that simple and complex carbohydrates, and saturated and poly/monounsaturated fats are the same?
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Well, considering the saturated fat in ice cream is stearic acid, which is actually a HEALTHY fat, I'd say there's nothing wrong with ice cream. As for simple vs complex carbs, irrelevant without comparing the entire diet. Besides,half the carbs in peanut butter are SIMPLE CARBS. You're saying ice cream is bad due to simple carbs, but peanut butter is good due to simple carbs. As for saturated fats vs unsaturated fats, science has recently reversed itself. Saturation is irrelevant, there are good and bad saturated fats, and good and bad unsaturated fats. Trans fats are unsaturated, for example.
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,903 Member
    So, is everyone saying that simple and complex carbohydrates, and saturated and poly/monounsaturated fats are the same?

    You're going to have add some context here for that question. They're obviously not the same; they have separate definitions. I can only guess that your real question is:

    "So, is everyone saying that simple and complex carbohydrates, and saturated and poly/monounsaturated fats are the same in terms of weight loss?"

    I would guess that the answer you're going to get is something along the lines of: Yes, barring specific medical conditions, the distinction you're making between those carbs and those fats is mostly irrelevant for weight loss."
  • BenjaminMFP88
    BenjaminMFP88 Posts: 660 Member
    Well, considering the saturated fat in ice cream is stearic acid, which is actually a HEALTHY fat, I'd say there's nothing wrong with ice cream. As for simple vs complex carbs, irrelevant without comparing the entire diet. Besides,half the carbs in peanut butter are SIMPLE CARBS. You're saying ice cream is bad due to simple carbs, but peanut butter is good due to simple carbs. As for saturated fats vs unsaturated fats, science has recently reversed itself. Saturation is irrelevant, there are good and bad saturated fats, and good and bad unsaturated fats. Trans fats are unsaturated, for example.

    The only thing I know if about stearic acid is that it has a lowered chance to be incorporated into cholesteral esters, meaning it has less of an affect on LDL then other forms of saturated. This makes it healthier then other saturated fats, but still not necessarily healthy. Unless I'm missing something?

    I'm going solely by 1 serving size in which my argument is that Peanut Butter generally has significantly less simple carbohydrates then ice cream, with a portion of them being fiber somewhat reducing the effect of the simple carbohydrates to begin with. I was attempting to imply that peanut butter was good because it was more balanced between carbohydrates(fiber), fats and proteins then ice cream was.

    Saturated fats vs unsaturated fats, yes I will concur to a point. However, the unsaturated fats found in peanut butter (poly/mono) are believed to have more health benefits then the saturated fats found in ice cream. Unless there is something about stearic acid that I don't know about?



    Overall for weightloss, choosing either sugar or fat isn't going to really matter so long as you remain within a caloric deficit and exercise which is even somewhat optional. I was merely offering some of my thoughts as to which I feel to more efficiently fuel the body.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Stearic acid has been shown to be cardiac protective. It's being considered as one reason why heart disease spiked after scientists started recommending margarine in place of butter back in the 50s.
  • BenjaminMFP88
    BenjaminMFP88 Posts: 660 Member
    "Whether dietary stearic acid is benign or pathogenic for coronary heart disease has been greatly clarified by Hu et al (6) in their Nurses' Health Study of >80000 women. On the basis of 14 y of follow-up data and analyses of dietary intakes, dietary stearic acid was shown to increase the risk of coronary heart disease more so than did palmitic, myristic, and lauric acids. As expected, medium- and short-chain fatty acids were not associated with a greater risk. "




    http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/70/6/951.long
  • BenjaminMFP88
    BenjaminMFP88 Posts: 660 Member
    I didn't read the whole thing, looking more into it now. I'm interested to learn more about it though.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    "Whether dietary stearic acid is benign or pathogenic for coronary heart disease has been greatly clarified by Hu et al (6) in their Nurses' Health Study of >80000 women. On the basis of 14 y of follow-up data and analyses of dietary intakes, dietary stearic acid was shown to increase the risk of coronary heart disease more so than did palmitic, myristic, and lauric acids. As expected, medium- and short-chain fatty acids were not associated with a greater risk. "




    http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/70/6/951.long

    http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/60/6/986S.abstract

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