KATIE COURIC'S PERILS OF FOOD POLICS

To my way of thinking, it's all a matter of common sense. We all know the proper foods to eat. I don't pay any attention to the alarmists. Yes, people should cut down on added sugar, but let's face it, there will always be someone ringing the "jump ship" bell over something. We all know what good foods we should eat, it's just a matter of figuring out what works for you. I would just be concerned about any food plan that eliminates an entire food group. There are people out there who think the natural sugar in fruit should be cause enough to never eat apples, grapes and bananas again. I think that's nonsense.

This is a very serious problem. As a former Personal Trainer and current health and wellness consultant, I think the movie is spot on. If you read medical journals and understand the facts, sugar IS killing us. People need to have a knowledge of the food industry and its tactics to encourage/addict humans to food that is going to harm our bodies.

Will we ever be able to avoid sugar completely? No. But can you make decisions based on science and facts? Yes. The food industry makes it hard to resist those products which are loaded with sugar and harmful fats. So, yes! Have a piece of dark chocolate from a specialty brand/shop. Sure, enjoy an ice cream once a month at a local ice cream producer. But sugar on a daily basis will kill you slowly.

In the 1700's the average person consumed 5 pounds of sugar in one year. Currently in 2014, US citizens (average) 160+ pounds of sugar yearly. That's a staggering fact to is linked to evidence which supports diabeseity is a problem in the US and is now spreading to the rest of the world.

This is a very serious problem. As a former Personal Trainer and current health and wellness consultant, I think the movie is spot on. If you read medical journals and understand the facts, sugar IS killing us. People need to have a knowledge of the food industry and its tactics to encourage/addict humans to food that is going to harm our bodies.

Will we ever be able to avoid sugar completely? No. But can you make decisions based on science and facts? Yes. The food industry makes it hard to resist those products which are loaded with sugar and harmful fats. So, yes! Have a piece of dark chocolate from a specialty brand/shop. Sure, enjoy an ice cream once a month at a local ice cream producer. But sugar on a daily basis will kill you slowly.

In the 1700's the average person consumed 5 pounds of sugar in one year. Currently in 2014, US citizens (average) 160+ pounds of sugar yearly. That's a staggering fact to is linked to evidence which supports diabeseity is a problem in the US and is now spreading to the rest of the world.

You didn't cite any studies, but the facts that you referred to at the end of your post is a correlation. A few things besides sugar consumption have changed since the 1700's including access to food in general. Several other studies have shown direct relationships to the amount of food you have access to and growth in childhood. People are taller now because they have access to food. It's not surprising with access to such large quantities of food that people are overweight. Overconsumption tends to do that.

This is a very serious problem. As a former Personal Trainer and current health and wellness consultant, I think the movie is spot on. If you read medical journals and understand the facts, sugar IS killing us. People need to have a knowledge of the food industry and its tactics to encourage/addict humans to food that is going to harm our bodies.

Will we ever be able to avoid sugar completely? No. But can you make decisions based on science and facts? Yes. The food industry makes it hard to resist those products which are loaded with sugar and harmful fats. So, yes! Have a piece of dark chocolate from a specialty brand/shop. Sure, enjoy an ice cream once a month at a local ice cream producer. But sugar on a daily basis will kill you slowly

In the 1700's the average person consumed 5 pounds of sugar in one year. Currently in 2014, US citizens (average) 160+ pounds of sugar yearly. That's a staggering fact to is linked to evidence which supports diabeseity is a problem in the US and is now spreading to the rest of the world.

So will breathing
Strong 1st post

How slowly? I mean, are we talking slowly over a matter of five years or slowly over a matter of 80 years? That statement needs a qualifier.

Seriously, just being alive is merely dying slowly ...

well I see this thread has exploded in between breakfast and lunchtime...

I love how some people say regular sugar is ok, but is "added" sugar that is bad. Please explain the difference between this two positions. I would also like to know what difference it makes if person A eats added sugar and maintains a deficit; and person B eats sugar and maintains a deficit....will person B lose more weight then Person A because Person A consumes added sugar???? Is that really what some of you are saying?

Look at a nutrition label. The amount of sugar, be it high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, or just plain sugar, will make or break a purchase for me. If I want bang for my buck nutritionally, I think the choice between bran flakes and Captain Crunch is pretty clear cut. I would much prefer the size of the serving of bran flakes to the its' miniscule equivalent in Captain Crunch.

I once bought what I thought was a quart of plain organic yogurt at Wegman's. Store brands are usually cheaper, so I thought I would give it a whirl. I always thought that plain yogurt meant milk and live cultures, and maybe a bit of pectin for thickening. I did not even bother to look at the label. Big mistake. First bite, it was sweet. Really???? I took it back and made a complaint. I sweeten my yogurt with fresh fruit, not sugar, if I want it sweetened at all. It was disgusting.

There is added sugar in processed meat products, cereals, condiments, and frozen vegetables with sauces, and some of them are alarmingly high, ndj1979. I was at a restaurant last night, and I was looking forward to having tartar sauce with my crab cake, and that tartar sauce was sweet! It was definitely not like the stuff I grew up with in Maryland. We once went to Applebee's, and my husband had coleslaw with his fish and chips, and it was really sweet. The tartar sauce that I make and the coleslaw that I make are not sweet like that at all. Yes, there are added sugars in processed food, which incidentally, includes restaurant fare.

All children like sugar and dislike vegetables. It's the way the human body functions. An infant's and child's taste receptors aren't fully developed. They taste sweet very well, so they eat it. Bitter is bad to them, hence disliking vegetables, due to the bitter flavors in them. This isn't new. This is something that's been ingrained in human behavior as long as there have been humans. Sweet = good, bitter = poison.

Kids don't eat sugar and shun vegetables because they are addicted to sugar. They eat sugar because they are kids.

Nope
They eat sugar because that is how they are socialized in the developed world
I am African and grew up in Africa, most of my friends growing up, hated sugar and could not tolerate it in their food.( to a lot of them, it made them feel sick and want to throw up)
Being from a more "westernized" family, and my mother being a chocolate lover, I grew up associating sugar with being middle class and loved it in beverages.
Most Africans I know love vegetables and look down on sugar and the consumption of it.

Sugar is actually an acquired taste. I hated barbecue sauce on my meat, when I moved to the West 25yrs ago.
Today I have struggled with a weight problem, because my food preference has changed, and is now in sync with what is predominantly eaten in the society I live in.

I know for a fact that if children are exposed to foods in the home, they will naturally gravitate toward those foods as choices whenever they have to choose.

I have to disagree with your "fact". I didn't get fat on "junk" food..I cook healthy meals with a lot of fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean meats. I always have because I'm not much of a sweets person. Our issue is portion control not what I bring into my home, but that is another topic. I have always taught my children to make healther choices. For example, an apple with peanut butter and milk instead of chips and a soda, but by nature as humans we often want what we are denied. By not introducing everything in moderation, I feel as though I set them up for failure. By denying them sporadic treats and making it an only if it's a special occaision kind of thing, the sweets and "junk" are the first thing they go for when giving a choice if I'm not around.