Why is sugar the devil?

In and of itself, it's not...but most people who eat the SAD consume it in unhealthy quantities. Also, many people who are overweight have insulin sensitivities and do well to reduce their intake of sugar and carbs in general.

Far too many reasons to post here, its always been bad but the food industry want to tell you fat is bad, not sugar, as sugar is a cheap way to make crap taste good...ok I over simplify, but hey sugar makes your insulin spike, in the presence of excess carbohydrate insulin causes fat to be deposited.....spiking insulin too frequently can lead to insulin resistance and type two diabetes as well as fatness! Before anybody chimes in this is a very simplified explanation read volek, lyle macdonald etc etc

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Simple. Because it tastes good, and in many cases happens to be in high calorie packages.

For some reason people are made to feel guilty about things that taste good (and things that are high in calories.)

Now sugar, as a carb, is the devil for someone who has diabetes or similar issues.

As for artificial sweeteners, they're great for diabetics or for people who are watching their calories. I would rather have a 5 calorie soda than a 100+ one and spend those extras elsewhere.

Also,

In because this topic never goes well. And we get to see awesome devil cupcakes!

In and of itself, it's not...but most people who eat the SAD consume it in unhealthy quantities. Also, many people who are overweight have insulin sensitivities and do well to reduce their intake of sugar and carbs in general.

^^ smart man here ^^

and for me (and many others, it seems) eating a lot of foods with added sugars just makes me hungrier. NOT what one wants when trying to lose or maintain. And it makes me cranky. Why would I eat a bunch of stuff that works against my goals.

Its considered the main food for cancer. As a survivor, I'm more worried about artificial sweeteners myself.

I don't believe sugar is the devil:laugh: however it is very well hidden in a lot of foods under a lot of different titles, this isn't sugars fault, but it does mean most of us take in way too much sugar without realising it. People are so busy looking for low fat products their not paying attention to the sugar quantity. As long as things taste good they'll make the big companies money-cynical I know :ohwell:

It's not. No food or micro/macro is bad unless you have a health issue that results in problems when consuming too much of said nutrient.

i agree with above.

Because it looks like this:

I can't speak for anyone else but I read 'pure, white and deadly' by John Yudkin, and that convinced the heck out of me.

Satan is a religious concept and not one that I adhere to. My reasons for avoiding sugar are that it appears to provide little to no nutritional value, it's bad for your teeth, it's bad for your insulin response and when I eat it, I end up in a cycle of eating - craving - eating - craving which I find annoying and unhelpful.

Ymmv.

All in moderation.

That being said, every single person I've helped lose weight over the past 5 years, I started out by doing just one thing. Just cut out sugar. That's it...

Within a month, not a single person went back to consuming sugar in large quantities. Their energy improved, moods stabilized and the fat started peeling off. (stayed below 25-50 grams a day)

The choice is ultimately yours, but from personal experience, sugar is easily the best thing you can cut out of your nutrition to get the most noticeable results.

There is no physiological requirement for sugar; all human nutritional needs can be met in full without ... sugar. It is a worthless nutrient, unless you enjoy the negative consequences that accompany consuming it in large quantities.

And sodium is the devil, and fat is wicked, and don't eat red meat, it's instant death. Screw all that stuff, I will eat it all. I just log and stay under and so far that works just fine. Moderation is key. Again, moderation. If you eat 10 pounds of sugar, it is you that have the evil craving, it's not sugars fault.

That should just about kill this thread. Thanks.

As a long term diabetic one would expect me to say how bad sugar is, and i mean all sugar, not just refined or added or natural but all of it.

But to put it in perspective, sugar is like a loaded gun clocked and ready to fire.

By itself, if put in the hands of an expert that knows what their doing with it and can handle it professionally, it is perfectly safe.

Unfortunately 90% of people have no idea what they doing with it, it is in so many foods, and drinks and labeled as healthy or put in such a way it makes a product look like it low sugar when really it not, and people get trapped into a cycle of far too much consumption of it.

For instance:

One professional dietician at hospital I go to, one that deals with diabetic patients like myself, she always said to me, cut out fats, medium proteins, and make your diet mainly carbs.

Have as much fruit as you wish because it is very good for you, same with veg, fill your plate up with veg.

3 years ago, my diabetes was so bad my glucose meter just showed H1, my blood sugars were too high to register.
I was also going blind and at point of needing laser surgery.

I came onto a site like MFP, and started to look at all the fruit and veg I was eating like instructed, and yes my overall carbs wasn't that high, but the sugars OMG, with all the fruit and low fat foods and veg, sugars were over 300 a day.

After that I cut out fruit completely, cut out most veg, and never touch low fat foods now unless it shows full sugar content, and guess what, turned my diabetes from totally out of control to perfect control.
In 2 weeks had halved it, in 4weeks was in normal levels, was so remarkable the change my doctor sent me for a 2nd lot of blood tests as they thought first lot had been messed up at the lab.

Also reversed the damage behind my eyes to almost clear in 4 months.

And to this day, I still can't get my diabetic nurse to understand all sugars are the same.

Now I want to say this, just to be fair and impartial.....

As long as you have 100% perfect health with no increased genetic links for PCOS/Diabetes on either side of family, and your active and able to burn off the glucose as you ingest it, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with sugar at all, it not a devil, it an awesome source of energy when working out, and for those lucky enough to be able to handle it, it fantastic.

Now diabetes has always been around, so has obesity, but was never anywhere near as bad until the invention of corn syrup and low fat foods, and both have been on a growing scale ever since.

The fact that the FDA allow a product to show trans fats as zero as long as in the portion size it's 0.49g or less, so it really makes ya wonder just what else in our modern food is getting hidden in same way.

Food for thought.....

Anyway, that's just my opinion rightly or wrongly, let the discussion continue hopefully in a nice, polite & respectful way.

Blessed be