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MyFitnessPal Community

Sugar - the bitter truth

mountaingirl1961

If you haven't taken the time to watch this, you should.

This is a talk given a while back by Dr. Robert H. Lustig from the University of California, discussing how sugar and processed food have been promoted endlessly in our society, and the devastating effect those things have had on our bodies. It's fascinating stuff and is the scientific basis for a lot of what we are doing for ourselves here on MFP.

It also gets into something that we should all recognize - that so-called "diet" foods are NOT the panacea that they seem. He does a good job explaining the biochemestry of why.

This takes more than an hour to get through, but it really is worth every minute you'll spend with it. It will definitely change the way that you look at the politics of food and the health ramifications of food choices. I know that it's a whole lot easier for me to make healthy choices knowing now some of the things shared in this video.

Anyway - enjoy!

http://youtu.be/dBnniua6-oM

Replies

casmithis

That is why diet soda is very bad because of the aspartame which takes a huge bad toll on the body.

Just so you know, there is not one bit of credible evidence which links to aspartame damaging humans.

They used to say that about nicotine, too.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! Exactly!!!!!!

I don't really care what anyone else on here or elsewhere says - man-made/processed sugars are not good for you - natural sugars however are. I mean, since when is putting a non-natural chemical product in your body as fuel safe thing? :huh:

I agree with this and personally follow this logic not for weight loss reasons but for the better of my health. I don't think our bodies were made to digest chemicals. I certainly wouldn't drink my toilet cleaner, why would I put it in my food!! Just my opinion.

So what chemical free foods to you currently eat?

I must restate... I TRY to east as chemical free as possible. I eat chickens from local farmers I know, and my son has raised our own, I try to grow my own fruit and vegetables as much as possible or buy from local farmer I know. I realize there's chemicals in everything. I just try to minimize it by not eating from a box. My body doesn't like me when I do that.

james6998

One of the best videos i have ever had the pleasure of watching, thank you so much.

mybeautifulana

Yes processed sugar, not what you should be eating. To say it is the cause of obesity however is ludicrous. And to lump fruits and starches like steamed rice and potatoes in that category is laughable. Look at the Chinese. They eat rice every meal and are some of the skinniest and long lived disease free people in the world (those that haven't adopted our Western diet anyway). What do we eat over here? Loads of meat, dairy, eggs, and refined oils and processed foods at nearly every meal. And we are the ones that are overweight and obese. So yes, limit processed sugar. But also ideally eliminate all or nearly all animal "foods" and oils, and smash in the rice, potatoes, legumes, lentils, grains, fruit etc.

I'm agree with you. I'm vegan and I did juice 7 days fast and lost 4lbs. Yes, MEAT IS the reason of obesity. ( in the beef industry pellets of estrogenic growth hormones are implanted under the skin of the animal. Even tiny amounts of hormones used in livestock production can have a negative impact on human health )

go vegan! high in fiber, natural sugar (not to mention vegan foods contain no cholesterol and almost no saturated fat or none at all!)

Acg67

Yes processed sugar, not what you should be eating. To say it is the cause of obesity however is ludicrous. And to lump fruits and starches like steamed rice and potatoes in that category is laughable. Look at the Chinese. They eat rice every meal and are some of the skinniest and long lived disease free people in the world (those that haven't adopted our Western diet anyway). What do we eat over here? Loads of meat, dairy, eggs, and refined oils and processed foods at nearly every meal. And we are the ones that are overweight and obese. So yes, limit processed sugar. But also ideally eliminate all or nearly all animal "foods" and oils, and smash in the rice, potatoes, legumes, lentils, grains, fruit etc.

I'm agree with you. I'm vegan and I did juice 7 days fast and lost 4lbs. Yes, MEAT IS the reason of obesity. ( in the beef industry pellets of estrogenic growth hormones are implanted under the skin of the animal. Even tiny amounts of hormones used in livestock production can have a negative impact on human health )

go vegan! high in fiber, natural sugar (not to mention vegan foods contain no cholesterol and almost no saturated fat or none at all!)

Sounds legit

mrmagee3

Yes processed sugar, not what you should be eating. To say it is the cause of obesity however is ludicrous. And to lump fruits and starches like steamed rice and potatoes in that category is laughable. Look at the Chinese. They eat rice every meal and are some of the skinniest and long lived disease free people in the world (those that haven't adopted our Western diet anyway). What do we eat over here? Loads of meat, dairy, eggs, and refined oils and processed foods at nearly every meal. And we are the ones that are overweight and obese. So yes, limit processed sugar. But also ideally eliminate all or nearly all animal "foods" and oils, and smash in the rice, potatoes, legumes, lentils, grains, fruit etc.

I'm agree with you. I'm vegan and I did juice 7 days fast and lost 4lbs. Yes, MEAT IS the reason of obesity. ( in the beef industry pellets of estrogenic growth hormones are implanted under the skin of the animal. Even tiny amounts of hormones used in livestock production can have a negative impact on human health )

go vegan! high in fiber, natural sugar (not to mention vegan foods contain no cholesterol and almost no saturated fat or none at all!)

Why would one want to avoid saturated fat and cholesterol?

Nilasaurus

I just watched this video today and loved it so much that came to MFP to post about it, but you guys are way ahead.

Bump to read the comments later while I go and tell my friends about it.

ElectroJay

I've seen a similar video called The Secrets of Sugar. It's a documentary on YouTube. Made me throw away all my sugary cereals and other crap.

BrainyBurro

If you haven't taken the time to watch this, you should.

This is a talk given a while back by Dr. Robert H. Lustig from the University of California, discussing how sugar and processed food have been promoted endlessly in our society, and the devastating effect those things have had on our bodies. It's fascinating stuff and is the scientific basis for a lot of what we are doing for ourselves here on MFP.

It also gets into something that we should all recognize - that so-called "diet" foods are NOT the panacea that they seem. He does a good job explaining the biochemestry of why.

This takes more than an hour to get through, but it really is worth every minute you'll spend with it. It will definitely change the way that you look at the politics of food and the health ramifications of food choices. I know that it's a whole lot easier for me to make healthy choices knowing now some of the things shared in this video.

Anyway - enjoy!

rml_16

Yes processed sugar, not what you should be eating. To say it is the cause of obesity however is ludicrous. And to lump fruits and starches like steamed rice and potatoes in that category is laughable. Look at the Chinese. They eat rice every meal and are some of the skinniest and long lived disease free people in the world (those that haven't adopted our Western diet anyway). What do we eat over here? Loads of meat, dairy, eggs, and refined oils and processed foods at nearly every meal. And we are the ones that are overweight and obese. So yes, limit processed sugar. But also ideally eliminate all or nearly all animal "foods" and oils, and smash in the rice, potatoes, legumes, lentils, grains, fruit etc.

I'm agree with you. I'm vegan and I did juice 7 days fast and lost 4lbs. Yes, MEAT IS the reason of obesity. ( in the beef industry pellets of estrogenic growth hormones are implanted under the skin of the animal. Even tiny amounts of hormones used in livestock production can have a negative impact on human health )

go vegan! high in fiber, natural sugar (not to mention vegan foods contain no cholesterol and almost no saturated fat or none at all!)

Sounds legit

Don't you know there are absolutely no fat vegans?

It's true -- I swear ...

MstngSammy

In....whilst I get the popcorn.

tigersword

I just watched this video today and loved it so much that came to MFP to post about it, but you guys are way ahead.

Bump to read the comments later while I go and tell my friends about it.

You might want to read the part where the video isn't true before you go telling all your friends about it. It's been thoroughly debunked by people who specialize in nutrition, and when asked to provide evidence of Lustig's claims, he failed to produce any, and then just said he was right because his video has a lot of YouTube hits, so he doesn't need proof.

The guy is a fraud.

PaleoPath4Lyfe

If aspartame is so safe, then why is it on the FDA warnings and why is there docket information regarding aspartame toxicity???

http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/03/jan03/012203/02p-0317_emc-000199.txt

This is on the FDA website.........

There are other clinical reports in the scientific literature of
aspartame-caused toxicity reactions including Blumenthal (1997),
Drake (1986), Johns (1986), Lipton (1989), McCauliffe (1991),
Novick (1985), Watts (1991), Walton (1986, 1988), and Wurtman
(1985).

Many pilots appear to be particularly susceptible to the effects of
aspartame ingestion. They have reported numerous serious toxicity
effects including grand mal seizures in the cockpit (Stoddard 1995).
Nearly 1,000 cases of pilot reactions have been reported to the
Aspartame Consumer Safety Network Pilot Hotline (Stoddard 1995).
This susceptibility may be related to ingesting methanol at altitude
as suggested in a letter from Dr. Phil Moskal, Professor of
Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Pathology, Chairman of the Department
of Pathology, Director of Public Health Laboratories (Moskal 1990),
or it may simply be that some pilots tend to ingest large quantities
of aspartame during a flight. Whatever the case, numerous warnings
about aspartame dangers have appeared in piloting journals including
The Aviation Consumer (1988), Aviation Medical Bulliten (1988),
Pacific Flyer (1988), CAA General Aviation (1989), Aviation Safety
Digest (1989), General Aviation News (1989), Plane & Pilot (1990),
Canadian General Aviation News (1990), National Business Aircraft
Association Digest (NBAA Digest 1993), International Council of
Air Shows (ICAS 1995), and the Pacific Flyer (1995). Both the U.S.
Air Force's magazine "Flying Safety" and the U.S. Navy's magazine,
"Navy Physiology" published articles warning about the many dangers
of aspartame including the cumlative deliterious effects of methanol
and the greater likelihood of birth defects. The articles note that
the ingestion of aspartame may make pilots more susceptible to
seizures and vertigo (US Air Force 1992).

Countless other toxicity effects have been reported to the FDA (DHHS
1995), other independent organizations (Mission Possible 1996,
Stoddard 1995), and independent scientists (e.g., 80 cases of
seizures were reported to Dr. Richard Wurtman, Food (1986)).
Samples of some aspartame toxicity reactions reported on the
Internet can be found on the Aspartame (NutraSweet) Toxicity Info
Center web page:

http://www.tiac.net/users/mgold/aspartame/

odusgolp

swat1948

It is my opinion that no food in moderation is bad for you. I will not give up my sugar entirely to lose weight and as you can see I have had a fair amount of success with sugar in my diet. Furthermore, I am pretty healthy. Blood pressure is perfect, BMI is in the normal range. Cholesterol is good. Am I worried about a little sugar consumption? Absolutely not!

WhiteRabbit1313

I'm glad that MFP'ers are happy to provide REAL proof debunking things like this.

However, I find it interesting that so many people post simply to be snarky. Two intelligent commenters and 400 "Me, too's" and "popcorn ready's," who, undoubtedly, believed sugar was the devil before they came here and got smacked down, as did I.

Regardless, I'm glad sugar isn't the devil--I eat it daily.

meeper123

It is my opinion that no food in moderation is bad for you. I will not give up my sugar entirely to lose weight and as you can see I have had a fair amount of success with sugar in my diet. Furthermore, I am pretty healthy. Blood pressure is perfect, BMI is in the normal range. Cholesterol is good. Am I worried about a little sugar consumption? Absolutely not!

very well said

Arbeidslyst

Changing my diet and my relationship with food has actually made me realise that sugar is not a big scary booggie monster, and that eating it in sane and well-planned portions is perfectly healthy. It was actually a pretty awesome discovery.

Me to! To realize that there is no bad food, as long as you know portion size was a revelation for me.

Arbeidslyst

Changing my diet and my relationship with food has actually made me realise that sugar is not a big scary booggie monster, and that eating it in sane and well-planned portions is perfectly healthy. It was actually a pretty awesome discovery.

This.

Dr. Lustig's ideas have been debunked numerous times.

Got a link? Who's doing the debunking, and do they have a dog in the hunt?

And have you watched this video? What doesn't make sense to you?

http://www.foodproductdesign.com/articles/2012/04/debunking-sugar-is-toxic-and-other-myths.aspx#content

http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2010/01/29/the-bitter-truth-about-fructose-alarmism/

Arbeidslyst

That is why diet soda is very bad because of the aspartame which takes a huge bad toll on the body.

Just so you know, there is not one bit of credible evidence which links to aspartame damaging humans.

Aspartame is a chemical, and like i said im not a scientist, but i have read where it is not a good thing to ingest. however, you may disagree, especially if you feel another person wrote an opposing view that you do agree with

Everything is Chemical

http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryarticles/f/Is-Everything-A-Chemical.htm

Arbeidslyst

That is why diet soda is very bad because of the aspartame which takes a huge bad toll on the body.

Just so you know, there is not one bit of credible evidence which links to aspartame damaging humans.

Aspartame is a chemical, and like i said im not a scientist, but i have read where it is not a good thing to ingest. however, you may disagree, especially if you feel another person wrote an opposing view that you do agree with

All food is made up of chemicals. Your entire diet is made up of chemicals.

Yes, true. However, some chemicals are better for the body than others. Some are rather dangerous. I will choose the ones that are better for me,, i.e. that which is in real food, not substitutes.

As for aspartame, etc.... to me it has that chemical aftertaste which i never could quite enjoy. Have you tried Stevia in coffee? to me it tastes bitter, (not sure if its mixing with the hot water)... it was worse than Jaegermeister.

I would rather if i had the choice to eat real sugar, rather than fake sugar, or else how about not eating sugar at all or not much of it?

I would rather eat a strawberry than to eat a fake strawberry, both have chemicals, but which one is better for you - tastewise, nutritionalwise, naturalwise,

I think the strawberry would win, even though you COULD exist on the fake strawberry. but which is more appetizing? the real strawberry is my choice.

How come after a certain chemical element comes out on the market, after a few years of research and using people as guinea pigs, (they really dont know the full effect till people actually start using it) and then the experts tell us such and such a thing is causing cancer.

but you never hear about a real strawberry or banana causing cancer, do you?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_poisonous_plants

All natural, have at it, eat it all and tell us how it goes.

tigersword

If aspartame is so safe, then why is it on the FDA warnings and why is there docket information regarding aspartame toxicity???

http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/03/jan03/012203/02p-0317_emc-000199.txt

This is on the FDA website.........

There are other clinical reports in the scientific literature of
aspartame-caused toxicity reactions including Blumenthal (1997),
Drake (1986), Johns (1986), Lipton (1989), McCauliffe (1991),
Novick (1985), Watts (1991), Walton (1986, 1988), and Wurtman
(1985).

Many pilots appear to be particularly susceptible to the effects of
aspartame ingestion. They have reported numerous serious toxicity
effects including grand mal seizures in the cockpit (Stoddard 1995).
Nearly 1,000 cases of pilot reactions have been reported to the
Aspartame Consumer Safety Network Pilot Hotline (Stoddard 1995).
This susceptibility may be related to ingesting methanol at altitude
as suggested in a letter from Dr. Phil Moskal, Professor of
Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Pathology, Chairman of the Department
of Pathology, Director of Public Health Laboratories (Moskal 1990),
or it may simply be that some pilots tend to ingest large quantities
of aspartame during a flight. Whatever the case, numerous warnings
about aspartame dangers have appeared in piloting journals including
The Aviation Consumer (1988), Aviation Medical Bulliten (1988),
Pacific Flyer (1988), CAA General Aviation (1989), Aviation Safety
Digest (1989), General Aviation News (1989), Plane & Pilot (1990),
Canadian General Aviation News (1990), National Business Aircraft
Association Digest (NBAA Digest 1993), International Council of
Air Shows (ICAS 1995), and the Pacific Flyer (1995). Both the U.S.
Air Force's magazine "Flying Safety" and the U.S. Navy's magazine,
"Navy Physiology" published articles warning about the many dangers
of aspartame including the cumlative deliterious effects of methanol
and the greater likelihood of birth defects. The articles note that
the ingestion of aspartame may make pilots more susceptible to
seizures and vertigo (US Air Force 1992).

Countless other toxicity effects have been reported to the FDA (DHHS
1995), other independent organizations (Mission Possible 1996,
Stoddard 1995), and independent scientists (e.g., 80 cases of
seizures were reported to Dr. Richard Wurtman, Food (1986)).
Samples of some aspartame toxicity reactions reported on the
Internet can be found on the Aspartame (NutraSweet) Toxicity Info
Center web page:

http://www.tiac.net/users/mgold/aspartame/

The FDA keeps a record of everything, and posts it all. That particular email has been debunked. The guy took a few random statistics, then made a whole lot of illogical leaps that essentially turned into just inventing random numbers to support his point. He's also incredibly biased, and has done no actual research of his own. There's no scientific basis for his conclusions at all. He turned 551 confirmed reports of aspartame intolerance into untold millions of people affected by it, just because he wanted to.

ModernNerd

I was going to say we should just eat grass then I remembered we put fertilizer on it @_@ Rocks for breakfast it is my friends!

QuietBloom

I'm agree with you. I'm vegan and I did juice 7 days fast and lost 4lbs. Yes, meat IS the reason of obesity. go vegan!

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

mockchoc

Sugar is just another food. It's not evil.

QuietBloom

Just thought about this -

all the posts about sugar vs chemicals reminds me of the margarine vs real butter debate. Now THAT would be interesting.

Sugar (sucrose) is a chemical. It even has a chemical structure. That was (I believe) what one poster was referring to when he said 'All biology is chemicals'.

QuietBloom

That is why diet soda is very bad because of the aspartame which takes a huge bad toll on the body.

Just so you know, there is not one bit of credible evidence which links to aspartame damaging humans.

They used to say that about nicotine, too.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! Exactly!!!!!!

I don't really care what anyone else on here or elsewhere says - man-made/processed sugars are not good for you - natural sugars however are. I mean, since when is putting a non-natural chemical product in your body as fuel safe thing? :huh:

I agree with this and personally follow this logic not for weight loss reasons but for the better of my health. I don't think our bodies were made to digest chemicals. I certainly wouldn't drink my toilet cleaner, why would I put it in my food!! Just my opinion.

LOL! Our body's ARE designed to digest chemicals. No one who is sane would drink toilet bowl cleaner because it is full of TOXIC as apposed to NUTRITIONAL chemicals.