*RANT* Sugar, sugar, sugar!

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  • JeffseekingV
    JeffseekingV Posts: 3,165 Member
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  • mrmagee3
    mrmagee3 Posts: 518 Member
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    sshepro wrote: »
    Once ingested, sugar is sugar in the body. Doesn't matter the source or the process, the body responds to it the same. Also, eating veggies gives you all the vitamins and minerals you get from eating fruit.

    That is factually incorrect. Fructose and glucose do in fact follow very different metabolic pathways. One can argue whether that makes one "better" or "worse", or "indifferent", but you cannot argue that the body processes both of them the same.

  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    sshepro wrote: »
    Once ingested, sugar is sugar in the body. Doesn't matter the source or the process, the body responds to it the same. Also, eating veggies gives you all the vitamins and minerals you get from eating fruit.

    can all cells that absorb glucose for energy do the same for fructose?

  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    Now we have something- because YES- that is a different conversation- and typically one worth having.
    -
    I recognize that I'm moving from the discussion of "bad" versus "bad for me" a little bit with this response, and I think that's likely going to go down the road of semantics, so I'm attempting to distill it down to the end point of the conversation, which is to say, what people do, why they do it, and what my reaction to it should be.

    I honestly think that's probably a more worth while conversation for people in addressing how they move forward and dealing with said issue foods on a day to day situatinos.

    The psychological aspect of food and how we consume it is going to vary indeed person to person and I agree should not be over looked. That to me is a vastly different conversation than if something is inherently good or bad for you.
    Mmm. Addiction is a tough thing, and it might be where the analogy breaks down a bit. If "self discipline" was an effective strategy for people who have addiction issues, there wouldn't be a need for rehab or counseling services
    Ah yes.
    Well. they DO need self discipline- but I think the counseling services are dealing with the mental aspect of why they do what they do- and helping develop a system to self regulate- which includes self discipline- it's not just a one shot answer. I would agree with that.

    But. That does not mean- sugar is BAD for you. it is not bad for your body.

    The way you engage with it- to me is a difference conversation.
  • runner475
    runner475 Posts: 1,236 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Can you comment in spite of being in jail? I thought you lose those rights.

  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    MrM27 wrote: »
    MrM27 wrote: »
    MrM27 wrote: »
    JoRocka wrote: »
    MrM27 wrote: »
    EWJLang wrote: »
    MrM27 wrote: »
    jgnatca wrote: »
    A diabetic does not process honey any differently than refined sugar. One is refined by the honey bee. Sugars from fruit are slowed down by the added fiber and are therefore safer for the diabetic (in moderation). There is so much misinformation here. I would advise recently diagnosed insulin resistant and pre-diabetic people to erase their brains of anything read here and take a class on diabetic menu planning.

    I grew up in the West Indies where they grow sugar cane. I imagine it would take a while to chew out the sugar straight from the cane, which would slow it's absorption. Not to mention wear down the teeth. I've tried.

    What about the people that don't have diabetes? Because it seems like every time a sugar conversation comes up we hear "In diabetics and insulin resistant" but what about the non?

    People without The Beetus can safely eat sugars according to their psychological preferences. So, you know, if it causes you emotional turmoil, don't eat it. But, even if you are trying to lose weight, if it fits in your calorie plan, it won't cause you to gain wait any more than any other type of food with the same calorie total.

    The diabetic and insulin resistant caveat "keeps coming up" because that is the only biological reason to cut sugar.

    So then why does it need to end up at diabetes every time people start with the whole fruit is good, refined sugar is bad or fructose alarmist come up. Someone says they are addicted or generally wants to reduce it because they "know" it's bad for us, a bunch of people come in and say it's not, then people pop in..........Diabetes!!!! All roads seem to lead to diabetes.

    Why are the responses from the "sugar is sugar" crowd is the same whether someone says " I know it's bad for us", or "I know it's bad for me"? As if responders have a clue what is bad for someone else.

    the rebuttal doesn't change just because the the question comes in a different form.

    And as we always say- outside of medical conditions- it's not relevant.

    There is no way you could know that.
    So outside of a medical condition how would sugar be bad for skmeone?

    Personal preference. Personal beliefs. Personal psycohology. Personal opinion.

    Personal everything you just listed and something being physically bad for them is 2 different things. Nice try.

    LOL I see what you did there.

    LOL I see what you tried there.

    Nice back pedal.

    Oh really? How so? Let's see what kind of explanation you come up with.

    How would sugar be bad, suddenly became being physically bad. After I gave non-physical reasons why it would be bad. Let's see how you will twist that around.

    That was not backpedaling... that was clarifying.
  • levitateme
    levitateme Posts: 999 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I saw this show on the food network, or maybe it was the travel channel, w/e - they went to a factory that produces molasses and turbinado "raw" sugar. Both of these are repeatedly mentioned by clean eaters as being "better for you" than white sugar.

    What I found out: both of those things are extremely processed. Like 7-8 processes to get to the finished product.

    Sugar is sugar is sugar. None of it is bad for you in a balanced diet.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    bottomline: if you can not see a dietitian .. get the AMERICAN DIABETES MEAL PLAN FROM THE AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION.. it gives you the meal plan along with what is a serving.. it also helps you plan out you meals for the day..

    What if you don't--I know this is hard to believe--have diabetes? Do you still have to plan your meals based on the American Diabetes Meal Plan?
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    levitateme wrote: »
    I saw this show on the food network, or maybe it was the travel channel, w/e - they went to a factory that produces molasses and turbinado "raw" sugar. Both of these are repeatedly mentioned by clean eaters as being "better for you" than white sugar.

    What I found out: both of those things are extremely processed. Like 7-8 processes to get to the finished product.

    Sugar is sugar is sugar. None of it is bad for you in a balanced diet.

    Not sure about turbinado, but molasses has quite a few essential minerals in it.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Lezavargas wrote: »
    I dont concern myself too much when its naturally occuring sugar, i'd just track your refined and stay under in your calories, just my opinion though :)

    hmmm so one form of sugar is better than another???

    care to expound on that...?

    Well, like the WHO said, the issue isn't really sugar itself, whatever kind. It's the likelihood that people are eating lots of calories that contribute nothing but energy when their lifestyle is such that they don't need more energy (in other words, they aren't very active). Thus, for the average person, one way to prevent getting fat and make sure that you get adequate nutrients is to limit (not eliminate) high calorie foods that contain few nutrients. Often, though of course not always, food items with added sugar are such items, so that's something worth watching.

    I'd add that if you have other ways to monitor your calories and ensure that you are getting an overall healthy balanced diet, then don't worry about it. It's just one possible rule of thumb that might help people do that.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    levitateme wrote: »
    I saw this show on the food network, or maybe it was the travel channel, w/e - they went to a factory that produces molasses and turbinado "raw" sugar. Both of these are repeatedly mentioned by clean eaters as being "better for you" than white sugar.

    What I found out: both of those things are extremely processed. Like 7-8 processes to get to the finished product.

    Sugar is sugar is sugar. None of it is bad for you in a balanced diet.

    Not sure about turbinado, but molasses has quite a few essential minerals in it.
    What I like is brown sugar, a lot of folks try to make it out to be more healthy for you than white sugar.

    Except it's white sugar with molasses added back in. lol.
  • mrmagee3
    mrmagee3 Posts: 518 Member
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    JoRocka wrote: »
    That does not mean- sugar is BAD for you. it is not bad for your body.

    I think that's the core of our disagreement.

    Person A, when they eat candy, would generally say that they don't find candy satiating -- instead, they find it makes them want more candy. Whether it be lack of willpower, self-discipline, whatever, they find it incredibly difficult to eat one or two candies and put the rest back into the box.

    Person B, finds candy satiating. They eat one or two, put the box away, and don't feel the need to touch it any more.

    Physically, assuming all else is equal between Person A and Person B, their bodies are going to convert the sugar to glucose and use it for energy, storing what isn't used.

    Now, person A and person B want to lose weight. Since they're sensible people, they believe that calorie restriction is the way to do it. Things that help them along their path of sensible calorie restriction, I'll deem to be "good". Things that hurt them in their journey down this path, or threaten to derail them, I have no problem deeming as "bad".

    For person A, "candy in moderation", given that it's previously been a huge struggle for them, simply causes more pain than the candy is worth. So they avoid it. Person B, with no such problems, incorporates candy occasionally and has no issue. Both maintain the same calories, both lose the same weight.

    That's the distinction I make in my mind -- I think we would both agree that, for person A, "not eating candy" is a reasonable reaction to their issues they've had (though certainly not the only one). Certainly, they don't need candy as part of a healthy diet, and people should be free to pick and choose their own battles. Do we have consensus on that?

    Where we diverge, is that I feel it's reasonable for person A to say, "candy is bad for me" because of those struggles, as an explanation to the "why don't you eat candy" question, because I feel that "bad" can relate to negative ramifications that are physical, psychological, or emotional. You believe that the statement can only hold true for negative ramifications that are direct physical result of ingesting the candy.

    We'll likely not change each others minds on that one (which I hope I've articulated your point correctly), but if our thoughts for how person A can respond to their situation are in alignment, it at least demonstrates the semantic nature of our disagreement.

  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
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    7166795490_c6ec304fed.jpg

    To this entire thread.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    mrmagee3 wrote: »
    sshepro wrote: »
    Once ingested, sugar is sugar in the body. Doesn't matter the source or the process, the body responds to it the same. Also, eating veggies gives you all the vitamins and minerals you get from eating fruit.

    That is factually incorrect. Fructose and glucose do in fact follow very different metabolic pathways. One can argue whether that makes one "better" or "worse", or "indifferent", but you cannot argue that the body processes both of them the same.

    Well, that's alright. I know of not a single food, natural or man-made, that only has one or the other in it.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    levitateme wrote: »
    I saw this show on the food network, or maybe it was the travel channel, w/e - they went to a factory that produces molasses and turbinado "raw" sugar. Both of these are repeatedly mentioned by clean eaters as being "better for you" than white sugar.

    What I found out: both of those things are extremely processed. Like 7-8 processes to get to the finished product.

    Sugar is sugar is sugar. None of it is bad for you in a balanced diet.

    Not sure about turbinado, but molasses has quite a few essential minerals in it.

    Also, I have no idea how commercial molasses is made but my grandmother used to make her own molasses. I'm not really sure of the process because the stuff is too strong a taste for me so I never asked, but she cooked it up in a big pot.
  • SapiensPisces
    SapiensPisces Posts: 1,001 Member
    edited January 2015
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    levitateme wrote: »
    I saw this show on the food network, or maybe it was the travel channel, w/e - they went to a factory that produces molasses and turbinado "raw" sugar. Both of these are repeatedly mentioned by clean eaters as being "better for you" than white sugar.

    What I found out: both of those things are extremely processed. Like 7-8 processes to get to the finished product.

    Sugar is sugar is sugar. None of it is bad for you in a balanced diet.

    Not sure about turbinado, but molasses has quite a few essential minerals in it.

    Also, I have no idea how commercial molasses is made but my grandmother used to make her own molasses. I'm not really sure of the process because the stuff is too strong a taste for me so I never asked, but she cooked it up in a big pot.

    Good strong molasses is wonderful in meat glazes and baked beans.

    Now I'm hungry, again...

    Carry on with sugar rant (err debate)
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    mrmagee3 wrote: »
    JoRocka wrote: »
    That does not mean- sugar is BAD for you. it is not bad for your body.

    I think that's the core of our disagreement.

    Person A, when they eat candy, would generally say that they don't find candy satiating -- instead, they find it makes them want more candy. Whether it be lack of willpower, self-discipline, whatever, they find it incredibly difficult to eat one or two candies and put the rest back into the box.

    Person B, finds candy satiating. They eat one or two, put the box away, and don't feel the need to touch it any more.

    Physically, assuming all else is equal between Person A and Person B, their bodies are going to convert the sugar to glucose and use it for energy, storing what isn't used.

    Now, person A and person B want to lose weight. Since they're sensible people, they believe that calorie restriction is the way to do it. Things that help them along their path of sensible calorie restriction, I'll deem to be "good". Things that hurt them in their journey down this path, or threaten to derail them, I have no problem deeming as "bad".

    For person A, "candy in moderation", given that it's previously been a huge struggle for them, simply causes more pain than the candy is worth. So they avoid it. Person B, with no such problems, incorporates candy occasionally and has no issue. Both maintain the same calories, both lose the same weight.

    That's the distinction I make in my mind -- I think we would both agree that, for person A, "not eating candy" is a reasonable reaction to their issues they've had (though certainly not the only one). Certainly, they don't need candy as part of a healthy diet, and people should be free to pick and choose their own battles. Do we have consensus on that?

    Where we diverge, is that I feel it's reasonable for person A to say, "candy is bad for me" because of those struggles, as an explanation to the "why don't you eat candy" question, because I feel that "bad" can relate to negative ramifications that are physical, psychological, or emotional. You believe that the statement can only hold true for negative ramifications that are direct physical result of ingesting the candy.

    We'll likely not change each others minds on that one (which I hope I've articulated your point correctly), but if our thoughts for how person A can respond to their situation are in alignment, it at least demonstrates the semantic nature of our disagreement.

    nope- I'm with you. We have I think reached a logical and reasonable consensus. (WOOT- think that's a big thing on MFP!)

    I personally wouldn't say "bad"- only because I - in my own world- like to move away from terms like "junk" unhealthy etc etc etc- but yes- I can understand how it's something someone would avoid because it's bad in a broader sense - and why they would say- I can't do sugar in X, Y Z form- it's bad for me."

    I would hope- also for them they would understand- or begin to understand and move toward a healthy way of dealing with that so they could engage with said trouble food in am more moderate fashion. hope being the operative word- and understand that fundamentally the food is not bad for them on a physical level.


    That being said- I also understand the need to separate from things you have an unhealthy relationship with and also to use words that people who don't engage in these types of topics will understand.... so - to a completely generic- cold conversation if someone asks me what I eat- I'll typically say I eat in moderation- count calories and I make sacrifices for junk food.

    Now- I don't honestly think it's junk food- but it's easier than explaining- it's a higher calorie price and it means I'm going to be hungry- or doing some extra running for it- but I don't inherently think it's junk- sometimes it's just easier for conversation to say that.

  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
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    If she has PCOS and is pre-diabetic, she most certainly DOES have a medical reason to consume less sugar, eat fewer carbs and to try to consume fruits that are lower on the GI index.

    I can definitely gain weight by eating fruit--I generally gain ten pounds every June when there is tons of good, cheap, fresh fruit around. I also have these two diseases and have found over time that I can eat a ton of non-starchy vegetables, but that I need to limit myself to one serving of lower-GI fruit a day. My fasting BS is 70 and my A1C is 5.0 because I eat this way.

    Bananas are basically nature's cupcakes. A large banana has nutrition that isn't much different from a cupcake in terms of carb content and GI rating--it will spike your blood sugar almost as much. Just because it is natural doesn't make it good for everybody. Can normal, healthy people eat bananas? Of course. However, people with metabolic issues should probably avoid them for the most part or try to have a very small serving when indulging in bananas.

    I hate bananas, but LOVE plantains...almost as bad! I have them once or twice a year and gain weight every time.
  • runner475
    runner475 Posts: 1,236 Member
    edited January 2015
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    JoRocka wrote: »
    natural does not automatically mean better.

    Are we talking about food? Can you give an example of where this would fit?
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    runner475 wrote: »
    JoRocka wrote: »
    natural does not automatically mean better.

    Are we talking about food? Can you give an example of where this would fit?

    my first question would be, what is unnatural food?

    It would have to be solely made from organic compounds not found in nature. For the life of me, I can't think of one, even though I'm sure tofurkey might be close.