Sugar is killing you.

Now I want a candy bar...

I haven't had a candy bar in forever. But tomorrow is a five mile day and I'm out of sour patch kids...I could swing a candy bar. Oh, but what kind of get.

I've always been a snickers fan.

Don't have it with water, because too much water can kill you and that's science

I live in eastern Canada where we have the best maple syrup...no way is that gonna kill you...I mean come on....maple syrup...nom nom...how can you eat french toast, pancakes and bacon without it????? Never mind what goes in my coffee.

This whole sugar thing is so silly...I had someone email me and ask me to join a group that believed this...sited alan aragon studies etc...

excuse me as I roll my eyes again.

I didn't think the article was that bad (mostly.)

On somewhere like here where people generally keep a close eye on nutrient intake and ensure they are sufficiently nourished without excess caloric intake it is a bit of a moot point.

However, MFP is simply not a good reflection of the general population and I doubt it ever will be. Sugar helps drive palatability (especially when combined with fat) which crowds out other nutrients (particularly protein) and tastes, helps promote over consumption and therefore weight gain which in then drives less than great health outcomes for the broader population.

Excess added sugar consumption in that context is an issue and the public message to keep an eye on it is a good one.

Let's talk statistics here. What are the top 10 countries that consume the most sugar in the world? Well if you don't know here they are:

Macedonia 73.8
Belize 65.5
Swaziland 56.9
Cuba 56.6
Trinidad & Tobago 55.3
Barbados 52.7
Brazil 51.7
Costa Rica 50.6
New Zealand 49.2
St. Kitt & Nevis 49.0

WHAT? The US didn't make the top 10?

Now let's check the obesity rates of these countries.

Macedonia- Est. 298,512 Population 2,040,085
Belize- 39,938 272,945
Swaziland- 171,087 1,169,241
Cuba- 2,310,000 11,000,000
Trinidad/Tobago- 399,000 1,330,000
Barbados- 283,221 195,422
Brazil- 26,938,323 184,101,109
Costa Rica- 1,440,000 4,800,000
New Zealand- 1,373,333 4,443,000
St. Kitt and Nevis


http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/o/obesity/stats-country.htm

So with this info, you'd think they would be the most obese nations in the world too, but they aren't.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

While I'm not doubting that's the case, please note that the data you're using to back this up is completely unsuitable for that purpose.

From the rightdiagnosis site: WARNING! EXTRAPOLATION ONLY! NOT BASED ON COUNTRY-SPECIFIC DATA SOURCES. The following table attempts to extrapolate the above prevalence rate for Obesity to the populations of various countries and regions. These prevalence extrapolations for Obesity are only estimates, based on applying the prevalence rates from the US (or a similar country) to the population of other countries, and therefore may have very limited relevance to the actual prevalence of Obesity in any region

In other words they've said: Brazil, Swaziland, Belize - similar population demographic to the USA. Therefore obesity rates are the same. Looking at WHO data (can't find out how they get the data, so feel free to shout back at me for using as flawed data (!)):

(Country / Sugar Intake / Obesity Rate)
Barbados 52.7g 34.70%
Belize 65.5g 33.70%
Trinidad/Tobago 55.5g 29.30%
New Zealand 49.2g 28.30%
Costa Rica 50.6g 23.70%
Cuba 56.6g 21.50%
Macedonia 73.8g 20.10%
Swaziland 56.9g 19.70%
Brazil 51.7g 18.80%

So yeah, as you say - not that much of a correlation!

I'm sure if some one continually hit me around the head with a kilo bag of sugar it would kill me

I live in eastern Canada where we have the best maple syrup...no way is that gonna kill you...I mean come on....maple syrup...nom nom...how can you eat french toast, pancakes and bacon without it????? Never mind what goes in my coffee.

This whole sugar thing is so silly...I had someone email me and ask me to join a group that believed this...sited alan aragon studies etc...

excuse me as I roll my eyes again.

That was one thing I missed so much after moving from Quebec to the UK. Thank goodness my husband had a Costco membership, otherwise it's tiny bottles for about £6 (about 11$).

Anyway, I'm sceptical. I admit I probably have too much added sugar but I want to take a moderate approach. I'm thinking of switching to unsweetened soy milk and try to have less sweet coffees.

Cereals are the worse though - they all have sugar added to them unless you have *plain* oats or muesli. It's hard for me to find a balance of high fiber but low sugar (all brans, for example, have added sugars). Granolas tend to be quite sugary too. I guess it's best to stick to the oats and muesli.

HI OP - I just read your opening statement. If you are going to try to tell me that eating fruit (eating a fresh orange or apple) is going to make me fat, then I reject your opening statement.

I will eat an orange and an apple and a banana and watermelon and cherries and ugli fruit over cookies, cakes, ice cream, brownies, etc, not only because there are many nutrients in fruit (vitamins, fiber, juice, refreshment and sweetness), and also because they really taste good and satisfy my sweet tooth without having to eat processed sugary snacks for that reason.

Are cookies, cakes, brownies and ice cream considered processed if I make them myself?

I'm a little late to this party, but I believe the problem that people have understanding sugar is a complete lack of understanding about fat. Honestly, I don't even pretend to know myself, but I do know that the body requires fat, not just dietary fat, but also body fat. Body fat serves a purpose, and there are many functions of the body that are designed to preserve it. Dietary fat is important for regulating hormones, such as leptin and grehlin. Triglycerides are needed to process glucose.

All of the issues presented by both body fat and dietary fat can be managed through a moderate, balanced diet. A moderate, balanced diet will include sugars, and most especially fructose.

That's my opinion on the matter, though.

but your opinion is also quite accurate and truthful.

HI OP - I just read your opening statement. If you are going to try to tell me that eating fruit (eating a fresh orange or apple) is going to make me fat, then I reject your opening statement.

I will eat an orange and an apple and a banana and watermelon and cherries and ugli fruit over cookies, cakes, ice cream, brownies, etc, not only because there are many nutrients in fruit (vitamins, fiber, juice, refreshment and sweetness), and also because they really taste good and satisfy my sweet tooth without having to eat processed sugary snacks for that reason.

Are cookies, cakes, brownies and ice cream considered processed if I make them myself?

Chewing is a process, by the time any of this food hits your belly, it's processed. I'm eating a damned cookie if I want one. Or a banana if I want one. They both have sugar. Perfectly fine either way.

PROCESSED - meaning desserts and sweets and things other than fruit usually made with white sugar - the stuff that I crave being a sugar addict that made me fat. (cookies, cake, brownies, pastries, etc.. For YOU ,, you might be able to eat that, but for me, I'm doing well without.)

Um...

Studies aside....

I am proof that this is wrong. I eat hundreds of grams of sugar every day from fruit and I am in pretty good shape and not dead.

HI OP - I just read your opening statement. If you are going to try to tell me that eating fruit (eating a fresh orange or apple) is going to make me fat, then I reject your opening statement.

I will eat an orange and an apple and a banana and watermelon and cherries and ugli fruit over cookies, cakes, ice cream, brownies, etc, not only because there are many nutrients in fruit (vitamins, fiber, juice, refreshment and sweetness), and also because they really taste good and satisfy my sweet tooth without having to eat processed sugary snacks for that reason.

Are cookies, cakes, brownies and ice cream considered processed if I make them myself?

Considering only extremes exist in the world, these would be processed.

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HI OP - I just read your opening statement. If you are going to try to tell me that eating fruit (eating a fresh orange or apple) is going to make me fat, then I reject your opening statement.

I will eat an orange and an apple and a banana and watermelon and cherries and ugli fruit over cookies, cakes, ice cream, brownies, etc, not only because there are many nutrients in fruit (vitamins, fiber, juice, refreshment and sweetness), and also because they really taste good and satisfy my sweet tooth without having to eat processed sugary snacks for that reason.

Are cookies, cakes, brownies and ice cream considered processed if I make them myself?

Chewing is a process, by the time any of this food hits your belly, it's processed. I'm eating a damned cookie if I want one. Or a banana if I want one. They both have sugar. Perfectly fine either way.

PROCESSED - meaning desserts and sweets and things other than fruit usually made with white sugar - the stuff that I crave being a sugar addict that made me fat. (cookies, cake, brownies, pastries, etc.. For YOU ,, you might be able to eat that, but for me, I'm doing well without.)

Eating at a calorie surplus made you fat.
Processed has nothing to do with desserts made with white sugar. Processed has to do with any food that goes through a process that takes it from its natural state to something else. Milk is processed. Boxed pasta is processed. Every frozen and canned food is processed. Bread is processed.

Very simplistic view. There are many more reasons, depending on individuals hormones, insulin etc. Some foods like sugar can be root cause of the gain. The way I look at it, no one really knows what the heck goes inside an individual. Every needs to get off a theory and do whats best for them.