Why the hate on Sugar?
Options
Replies
-
awasko1218 wrote: »I wonder if it is because when you eat sugar, you want to eat more sugar....and then more sugar to feel like you got your fix...and then MORE, coupled with the fact that the average american eats a lot of processed food, and hidden in processed foods is sugar? So it isn't necessarily the SUGAR that makes people unable to lose weight, but the processed sugar hidden in food that you don't think should even contain sugar that makes you crave more of it, which ruins your willpower, and then you just give up and eat the whole box of chex mix? Er, I mean, not that that's ever happened to me.... Just saying.
Am I the only person on these boards that can eat sugar and not go off on a Oreo cookie bender? I ate 16 grams of white, granulated sugar in my plain oatmeal and I'm not scarfing all the cookies and chocolate in the container right next to me.
No, you are not. I've never binged on anything. But, you also have to be aware that there are a high number of people, on MFP and not, that do have a problem with binge eating. And that sugar is a common trigger for those binges.
That is only one reason to make a general recommendation for cutting sugar though. Most people eat too much sugar and obesity has become epidemic in many parts of the world. That alone is reason enough to suggest cutting back. Too much is bad.0 -
FoCoAlphaNerd wrote: »The idea of "addiction to sugar" always drives me nuts. As cute as those little puff pieces on the today show are, sugar is not more addictive than [insert scare drug here]. Watch someone with a real addiction go through detox and then tell me again how you're a "choco-holic."
for real ..
walk in to AA and say hi my name is so and so and I am addicted to sugar ….and see what the reaction is...
Maybe the same thing that would happen if you walked into an OA meeting and said hi my name is so and so and I am addicted to alcohol??
Or into a cardiologist and said my toe hurts.0 -
Is it sugar though? I suspect that someone that binges from sugar would be consuming copious amounts of fruit all day long or just plain sugar, but do they? I'm inclined to think it's the highly palatable foods that have a combination of sugar/fat/salt/refined carbs that people find appealing.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »awasko1218 wrote: »I wonder if it is because when you eat sugar, you want to eat more sugar....and then more sugar to feel like you got your fix...and then MORE, coupled with the fact that the average american eats a lot of processed food, and hidden in processed foods is sugar? So it isn't necessarily the SUGAR that makes people unable to lose weight, but the processed sugar hidden in food that you don't think should even contain sugar that makes you crave more of it, which ruins your willpower, and then you just give up and eat the whole box of chex mix? Er, I mean, not that that's ever happened to me.... Just saying.
Am I the only person on these boards that can eat sugar and not go off on a Oreo cookie bender? I ate 16 grams of white, granulated sugar in my plain oatmeal and I'm not scarfing all the cookies and chocolate in the container right next to me.
No, you are not. I've never binged on anything. But, you also have to be aware that there are a high number of people, on MFP and not, that do have a problem with binge eating. And that sugar is a common trigger for those binges.
That is only one reason to make a general recommendation for cutting sugar though. Most people eat too much sugar and obesity has become epidemic in many parts of the world. That alone is reason enough to suggest cutting back. Too much is bad.
0 -
As a binger, it doesn't even have to be highly palatable foods. Carbs are easy to snack on, and it's a lot of what I will binge on because it's around the house. Trying to not keep food in the house leads to strange binges - a can of corn with stir fry sauce, rice with soy sauce, a can of soup (straight from the can, no need to heat), etc. True binging isn't about the food at all, it's a mental compulsion.neanderthin wrote: »
Is it sugar though? I suspect that someone that binges from sugar would be consuming copious amounts of fruit all day long or just plain sugar, but do they? I'm inclined to think it's the highly palatable foods that have a combination of sugar/fat/salt/refined carbs that people find appealing.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »awasko1218 wrote: »I wonder if it is because when you eat sugar, you want to eat more sugar....and then more sugar to feel like you got your fix...and then MORE, coupled with the fact that the average american eats a lot of processed food, and hidden in processed foods is sugar? So it isn't necessarily the SUGAR that makes people unable to lose weight, but the processed sugar hidden in food that you don't think should even contain sugar that makes you crave more of it, which ruins your willpower, and then you just give up and eat the whole box of chex mix? Er, I mean, not that that's ever happened to me.... Just saying.
Am I the only person on these boards that can eat sugar and not go off on a Oreo cookie bender? I ate 16 grams of white, granulated sugar in my plain oatmeal and I'm not scarfing all the cookies and chocolate in the container right next to me.
No, you are not. I've never binged on anything. But, you also have to be aware that there are a high number of people, on MFP and not, that do have a problem with binge eating. And that sugar is a common trigger for those binges.
That is only one reason to make a general recommendation for cutting sugar though. Most people eat too much sugar and obesity has become epidemic in many parts of the world. That alone is reason enough to suggest cutting back. Too much is bad.
It's much easier to rack up the calories with highly palatable foods, and if I have a lot of them around, I seem to fall into binges easier.0 -
tedboosalis7 wrote: »When I quit eating processed foods and sucrose, I lost 50 pounds.
You know what works even better, at least in America?
Keep strict kosher.
*Any* plan that eliminates large sources of calories can get you to a deficit - which means its not the thing that's being eliminated that makes the difference - it's the act of elimination that causes the "magic".
I'm far too lazy to keep kosher. Too many stones to boil. And I can't afford two fridges. AND WHY CAN'T I EAT CHICKEN AND CHEESE SINCE CHICKENS AREN'T MAMMALS?!?!?!0 -
neanderthin wrote: »
Is it sugar though? I suspect that someone that binges from sugar would be consuming copious amounts of fruit all day long or just plain sugar, but do they? I'm inclined to think it's the highly palatable foods that have a combination of sugar/fat/salt/refined carbs that people find appealing.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »awasko1218 wrote: »I wonder if it is because when you eat sugar, you want to eat more sugar....and then more sugar to feel like you got your fix...and then MORE, coupled with the fact that the average american eats a lot of processed food, and hidden in processed foods is sugar? So it isn't necessarily the SUGAR that makes people unable to lose weight, but the processed sugar hidden in food that you don't think should even contain sugar that makes you crave more of it, which ruins your willpower, and then you just give up and eat the whole box of chex mix? Er, I mean, not that that's ever happened to me.... Just saying.
Am I the only person on these boards that can eat sugar and not go off on a Oreo cookie bender? I ate 16 grams of white, granulated sugar in my plain oatmeal and I'm not scarfing all the cookies and chocolate in the container right next to me.
No, you are not. I've never binged on anything. But, you also have to be aware that there are a high number of people, on MFP and not, that do have a problem with binge eating. And that sugar is a common trigger for those binges.
That is only one reason to make a general recommendation for cutting sugar though. Most people eat too much sugar and obesity has become epidemic in many parts of the world. That alone is reason enough to suggest cutting back. Too much is bad.
But if you cut sugar, you would likely cut these foods, correct?0 -
gottcha. No doubt it's psychosomatic by nature.
As a binger, it doesn't even have to be highly palatable foods. Carbs are easy to snack on, and it's a lot of what I will binge on because it's around the house. Trying to not keep food in the house leads to strange binges - a can of corn with stir fry sauce, rice with soy sauce, a can of soup (straight from the can, no need to heat), etc. True binging isn't about the food at all, it's a mental compulsion.neanderthin wrote: »
Is it sugar though? I suspect that someone that binges from sugar would be consuming copious amounts of fruit all day long or just plain sugar, but do they? I'm inclined to think it's the highly palatable foods that have a combination of sugar/fat/salt/refined carbs that people find appealing.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »awasko1218 wrote: »I wonder if it is because when you eat sugar, you want to eat more sugar....and then more sugar to feel like you got your fix...and then MORE, coupled with the fact that the average american eats a lot of processed food, and hidden in processed foods is sugar? So it isn't necessarily the SUGAR that makes people unable to lose weight, but the processed sugar hidden in food that you don't think should even contain sugar that makes you crave more of it, which ruins your willpower, and then you just give up and eat the whole box of chex mix? Er, I mean, not that that's ever happened to me.... Just saying.
Am I the only person on these boards that can eat sugar and not go off on a Oreo cookie bender? I ate 16 grams of white, granulated sugar in my plain oatmeal and I'm not scarfing all the cookies and chocolate in the container right next to me.
No, you are not. I've never binged on anything. But, you also have to be aware that there are a high number of people, on MFP and not, that do have a problem with binge eating. And that sugar is a common trigger for those binges.
That is only one reason to make a general recommendation for cutting sugar though. Most people eat too much sugar and obesity has become epidemic in many parts of the world. That alone is reason enough to suggest cutting back. Too much is bad.
It's much easier to rack up the calories with highly palatable foods, and if I have a lot of them around, I seem to fall into binges easier.
0 -
neanderthin wrote: »
gottcha. No doubt it's psychosomatic by nature.
As a binger, it doesn't even have to be highly palatable foods. Carbs are easy to snack on, and it's a lot of what I will binge on because it's around the house. Trying to not keep food in the house leads to strange binges - a can of corn with stir fry sauce, rice with soy sauce, a can of soup (straight from the can, no need to heat), etc. True binging isn't about the food at all, it's a mental compulsion.neanderthin wrote: »
Is it sugar though? I suspect that someone that binges from sugar would be consuming copious amounts of fruit all day long or just plain sugar, but do they? I'm inclined to think it's the highly palatable foods that have a combination of sugar/fat/salt/refined carbs that people find appealing.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »awasko1218 wrote: »I wonder if it is because when you eat sugar, you want to eat more sugar....and then more sugar to feel like you got your fix...and then MORE, coupled with the fact that the average american eats a lot of processed food, and hidden in processed foods is sugar? So it isn't necessarily the SUGAR that makes people unable to lose weight, but the processed sugar hidden in food that you don't think should even contain sugar that makes you crave more of it, which ruins your willpower, and then you just give up and eat the whole box of chex mix? Er, I mean, not that that's ever happened to me.... Just saying.
Am I the only person on these boards that can eat sugar and not go off on a Oreo cookie bender? I ate 16 grams of white, granulated sugar in my plain oatmeal and I'm not scarfing all the cookies and chocolate in the container right next to me.
No, you are not. I've never binged on anything. But, you also have to be aware that there are a high number of people, on MFP and not, that do have a problem with binge eating. And that sugar is a common trigger for those binges.
That is only one reason to make a general recommendation for cutting sugar though. Most people eat too much sugar and obesity has become epidemic in many parts of the world. That alone is reason enough to suggest cutting back. Too much is bad.
It's much easier to rack up the calories with highly palatable foods, and if I have a lot of them around, I seem to fall into binges easier.
And that said, I've been trying to work on keeping moderate amounts of trigger foods in my diet to try and limit the mental effects. I've been doing a lot better with ice cream for the most part.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »FoCoAlphaNerd wrote: »The idea of "addiction to sugar" always drives me nuts. As cute as those little puff pieces on the today show are, sugar is not more addictive than [insert scare drug here]. Watch someone with a real addiction go through detox and then tell me again how you're a "choco-holic."
for real ..
walk in to AA and say hi my name is so and so and I am addicted to sugar ….and see what the reaction is...
Maybe the same thing that would happen if you walked into an OA meeting and said hi my name is so and so and I am addicted to alcohol??
Or into a cardiologist and said my toe hurts.
I fail to see your point.
if someone truly believes that they are addicted to sugar then they should check themselves into rehab....0 -
Another reason for the hate on sugar is because of the way food manufacturers handle the stuff. Food scientists came up with this great substitute for cane sugar years ago, it is called high fructose corn syrup. It is cheap and it takes less of the stuff to sweeten foods than cane sugar requires.
There are two problems with it, the first is that while it may start out as corn syrup as the name implies, chemically it looks nothing like corn syrup, unless you consider the hydrogen and carbon atoms that make it up. The second is that it does not metabolize in the body the same way sugar does. Regular sugar, sucrose or glucose can be metabolized by any cell in the body, the only place the fructose from high fructose corn syrup can be metabolized is in the liver. This may be a cause of the increase in problems such as high triglycerides and fatty liver disease issues.
A few years ago, the corn industry ran a series of ads where they tried to have people believe that "sugar is sugar". This is not necessarily the case.
In moderation, almost all foods have a place in your diet, the things that I would stay away from are the over processed foods that come in packages.
Since most baked goods contain the high fructose corn syrup in them, I would stay away from them. If you have a sweet tooth, find a local bakery that still bakes in house, or learn how to bake from scratch. Other than decorations, there is no real secret to baking, it is just a chemistry formula and a set of directions. Anyone that has a kitchen with an oven and can follow directions can learn how to bake.
Lastly, you don't want to confuse high fructose corn syrup with corn syrup, they are two very different things.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »FoCoAlphaNerd wrote: »The idea of "addiction to sugar" always drives me nuts. As cute as those little puff pieces on the today show are, sugar is not more addictive than [insert scare drug here]. Watch someone with a real addiction go through detox and then tell me again how you're a "choco-holic."
for real ..
walk in to AA and say hi my name is so and so and I am addicted to sugar ….and see what the reaction is...
Maybe the same thing that would happen if you walked into an OA meeting and said hi my name is so and so and I am addicted to alcohol??
Or into a cardiologist and said my toe hurts.
I fail to see your point.
if someone truly believes that they are addicted to sugar then they should check themselves into rehab....
Why? People quit smoking without rehab. Is it not addictive?0 -
FoCoAlphaNerd wrote: »The idea of "addiction to sugar" always drives me nuts. As cute as those little puff pieces on the today show are, sugar is not more addictive than [insert scare drug here]. Watch someone with a real addiction go through detox and then tell me again how you're a "choco-holic."
When I was going through addiction counseling for my binge eating, we would go around the circle and tell our story. I always felt bad going after the person who talked about snorting blow off the belly of a hooker.
Cause I'd have to follow it with "I can't eat just one cookie."
for real ..
walk in to AA and say hi my name is so and so and I am addicted to sugar ….and see what the reaction is...
I do on a regular basis. I've been going for 10 years. The reception -- and the program -- is excellent.
I recommend it for anyone who is willing to go to any length to help themselves.
eta: Addiction isn't just about chemical dependency. There's a whole framework of behavior that occurs. It's possible to be an addict without being chemically dependent upon something -- gambling, for instance.0 -
DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »FoCoAlphaNerd wrote: »The idea of "addiction to sugar" always drives me nuts. As cute as those little puff pieces on the today show are, sugar is not more addictive than [insert scare drug here]. Watch someone with a real addiction go through detox and then tell me again how you're a "choco-holic."
When I was going through addiction counseling for my binge eating, we would go around the circle and tell our story. I always felt bad going after the person who talked about snorting blow off the belly of a hooker.
Cause I'd have to follow it with "I can't eat just one cookie."
Ha, that made me laugh. Glad you've been able to find help for your binge eating. I'm still trying to work through my issues on my own; it has it's ups and downs...0 -
Sugar is empty calories. Sugar feeds cancer. Sugar produces candida yeast which causes all kinds of problems. My doctor said he would rather me have a little sugar than the substitutes which, by the way, are bad for you! I use local raw honey in my coffee. It is all about moderation though.0
-
Correct, but what they are actually trying to get people to do is reduce highly refined foods, but using sugar as the catalyst. Obviously they mean for people to replace those foods with less refined and highly palatable foods and to consume more whole foods. Unfortunately the media and academia to a lesser degree has taken that platform to either support a bias against a single ingredient or where the media is concerned to sensationalize a story to sell readers and with that said the diet industry is amuck with charlatans. Sugar isn't the problem, it's in the dosage and if someone is consuming copious amounts of sugar, aka refined and highly processed and calorific foods, then it really isn't rocket surgery to conclude they may be consuming too much of it and also come to the conclusion they should reduce it.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »neanderthin wrote: »
Is it sugar though? I suspect that someone that binges from sugar would be consuming copious amounts of fruit all day long or just plain sugar, but do they? I'm inclined to think it's the highly palatable foods that have a combination of sugar/fat/salt/refined carbs that people find appealing.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »awasko1218 wrote: »I wonder if it is because when you eat sugar, you want to eat more sugar....and then more sugar to feel like you got your fix...and then MORE, coupled with the fact that the average american eats a lot of processed food, and hidden in processed foods is sugar? So it isn't necessarily the SUGAR that makes people unable to lose weight, but the processed sugar hidden in food that you don't think should even contain sugar that makes you crave more of it, which ruins your willpower, and then you just give up and eat the whole box of chex mix? Er, I mean, not that that's ever happened to me.... Just saying.
Am I the only person on these boards that can eat sugar and not go off on a Oreo cookie bender? I ate 16 grams of white, granulated sugar in my plain oatmeal and I'm not scarfing all the cookies and chocolate in the container right next to me.
No, you are not. I've never binged on anything. But, you also have to be aware that there are a high number of people, on MFP and not, that do have a problem with binge eating. And that sugar is a common trigger for those binges.
That is only one reason to make a general recommendation for cutting sugar though. Most people eat too much sugar and obesity has become epidemic in many parts of the world. That alone is reason enough to suggest cutting back. Too much is bad.
But if you cut sugar, you would likely cut these foods, correct?0 -
Oh, the only thing good about sugar is it makes things taste good.0
-
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »neanderthin wrote: »
Is it sugar though? I suspect that someone that binges from sugar would be consuming copious amounts of fruit all day long or just plain sugar, but do they? I'm inclined to think it's the highly palatable foods that have a combination of sugar/fat/salt/refined carbs that people find appealing.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »awasko1218 wrote: »I wonder if it is because when you eat sugar, you want to eat more sugar....and then more sugar to feel like you got your fix...and then MORE, coupled with the fact that the average american eats a lot of processed food, and hidden in processed foods is sugar? So it isn't necessarily the SUGAR that makes people unable to lose weight, but the processed sugar hidden in food that you don't think should even contain sugar that makes you crave more of it, which ruins your willpower, and then you just give up and eat the whole box of chex mix? Er, I mean, not that that's ever happened to me.... Just saying.
Am I the only person on these boards that can eat sugar and not go off on a Oreo cookie bender? I ate 16 grams of white, granulated sugar in my plain oatmeal and I'm not scarfing all the cookies and chocolate in the container right next to me.
No, you are not. I've never binged on anything. But, you also have to be aware that there are a high number of people, on MFP and not, that do have a problem with binge eating. And that sugar is a common trigger for those binges.
That is only one reason to make a general recommendation for cutting sugar though. Most people eat too much sugar and obesity has become epidemic in many parts of the world. That alone is reason enough to suggest cutting back. Too much is bad.
But if you cut sugar, you would likely cut these foods, correct?
Based on that rather lopsided advice, there would be no reason to cut the salty/fatty foods, which tend to be just as palatable and cheap and easily available, and thus play into the same issues (which not all overweight people have), if one focused just on sugar. McD's fries aren't exactly healthy or (more to the point) low calorie or nutrient dense, but they don't have sugar.
That's why the endless posts obsessing about sugar and what a demon it is--which clearly are related almost entirely to the current cultural freak out about sugar and some rather mindless "documentaries"--are so tiresome and unhelpful. (We'd have the same posts about fat if the internet and MFP had developed earlier.) Obviously, what someone who wants to cut calories should do is look at their own diet, see where they are consuming excess calories and perhaps failing to consume adequate nutrients, and correct. Mostly this is common sense or the basic stuff we learned in elementary school (MyPlate or the pyramid, eat your vegetables, get some protein). I continue to think that for a great many people doing this seems (a) boring, and (b) unappealing (lots seem to be quite picky), so it's easier to think there's some magic solution such as quitting sugar, which somehow is responsible for them being overweight (couldn't be overeating or personal choices!) and dropping will allow them to be thin without thinking about it.
Of course, if sugar was that big a part of their diet it could lead to a significant deficit and weightloss if they don't add in enough other calories from non sugary foods, but if sugar was a really significant part of their diet and they do nothing but demonize it and decide they can't ever eat it, that seems like a recipe for failure.
But, sure, people should try what they want to try and I could be wrong. Common sense and thinking about overall diet seems easier and more pleasant as a lifelong thing to me, though.0 -
grandmama1945 wrote: »Sugar is empty calories. Sugar feeds cancer. Sugar produces candida yeast which causes all kinds of problems. My doctor said he would rather me have a little sugar than the substitutes which, by the way, are bad for you! I use local raw honey in my coffee. It is all about moderation though.
"Sugar is bad for you, except this sugar."
0 -
No no, it's not those sugars, it's the other sugars, duh.grandmama1945 wrote: »Sugar is empty calories. Sugar feeds cancer. Sugar produces candida yeast which causes all kinds of problems. My doctor said he would rather me have a little sugar than the substitutes which, by the way, are bad for you! I use local raw honey in my coffee. It is all about moderation though.
Sorry but that's just flat out wrong. If you really believed that so strongly then why would you still eat sugar? Your doctor wants you to get cancer? Vegetables, brown rice and fruits cause cancer?
0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.7K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.8K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 395 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.3K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 960 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions