Natural sugars

ricktrill wrote: »

Natural sugars are great, and they're especially needed if you're doing weight training or other rigorous exercise. People tend to look at carbohydrates as bad, but the good carbs such as fruit, brown rice, whole grain bread, etc, are vital for developing muscle. What's truly important is WHEN to eat your carbs. You want to center intake around your workouts so your muscles don't get taxed as much and you'll recover faster. On days that you don't workout, you'll want to keep the carb intake lower, but take in more good fats like avocados, nuts, etc. A good starting point would be 40/40/20: 40% calories from protien, 40% Carbs, 20% good fats. Just keep learning and keep pushing!

This isn't exactly true. The nutrient timing of carbohydrates around workouts is mostly fitness myth and the benefits are very much overstated. Your total macronutrient intake for the day is FAR more relevant to your results than timing is. While some people train better eating some carbs before a workout, and it's good to have a meal at some point after a workout, timing the majority of your carbs around workouts is far less important than simply hitting your macro goals. It places unnecessary focus on something that only makes small difference, if any, on results.

Also macro ratios are very outdated and not optimal for most people. Macros should be based around weight and goals not a cookie cutter ratio. Using ratios you are saying a 300 lb man and a 135 lb women require the same ratio of protein, carbs, and fats. They usually do not. A much better approach is to find your calorie goal based on your TDEE, eat 0.6-0.8 grams of protein per lb you weigh minimum (lower end if overweight/obese, higher end if lean) 0.3-0.5 grams of fat per lb you weigh minimum, and fill the remaining calories as you see fit (usually with carbs). That is more personally tailored than a simple one size fits all ratio.

I quit tracking sugar and track fiber instead.

ricktrill wrote: »

In all of the years that I've been training, studying and helping people; I've found that giving out long, exhaustive explanations about how and why certain things shouldn't be done, only serves to intimidate them and does more negative than positive. I'm familiar with the information you've provided, but I can only speak from my own personal experiences. I understand that all experiences are different, and different macro and micro nutrients are going to be required for people depending on goals, weight, gender, body type, genetics, etc. This is the reason I kept the explanation short, and provided a sort-of template information for doing something in the immediate while also answering simply that fruit sugars aren't a negative. This is also the reason I included the qualifier "keep learning," because there many schools of thought on this particular subject, and it's important for everyone to find what works for them.

So basically what you're saying is you gave less then optimal advice because most people aren't smart enough to understand something slightly more complicated (ratio vs simple mathematical equation) and that personal experiences are more important than evidence based guidelines supported by research?

In for teaching @vismal how to help people.

matean444 wrote: »

I do believe sugar is a problem. Simple or complex carbohydrates turn into sugar in the body. In fact, a slice of whole wheat bread causes higher glycemic reaction than white flour bread.

New, and also old research long buried but now revived strongly suggests that sugar is the culprit in the great increase diabetes, heart and cancer issues, etc., because of the inflammation all carbohydrates cause.

As for fructose, including "natural" raw honey and agave that so many health food places use, is one of the worse sugars.

A quote from Maria Emmerich

"The only organ in your body that can take up fructose is your liver. The first thing that eating fructose does is causing an increase in uric acid. Fructose inhibits nitric oxide, which would otherwise reduce our blood pressure.

This is why fructose is famous for causing hypertension (high blood pressure).

Fructose also initiates what’s known as lipogenesis, excess fat production. And the third thing that fructose does in the liver is it initiates an enzyme that inhibits our insulin receptors. That means your insulin levels all over your body have to rise…causing a whole slew of problems, including weight gain.Between 1970 and 2003 our average consumption of fructose increased from less than half a pound per year to 56 pounds per year. We were never designed to take in so much fructose. Even some natural sweeteners have lots of fructose. From 90 to 97 percent of the sugar in agave nectar is fructose. Up to half of the sugar in some varieties of honey is fructose."

You may want to do your own research on sugar, to get an answer that satisfies your concerns.

Most of what you are stating is not proven by science. Diabetes is not caused by sugar. In fact, most organizations have accredited the causes of getting diabetes are physical inactivity, genetics and obesity.

Lipogenesis occurs any time after you eat a meals. Insulin is released anytime you eat carbohydrates or protein. So you eat a meal, your body starts to break down food, your pancreas will sense glucose and your body will release insulin to regulate blood sugars. So your body increase enzymes to store fat and inhibit the fat burning hormone (HSL - hormone sensitive lipase). So for a given period, your body will store nutrients and stimulate muscle protein synthesis. So yes, your body creates new fat and builds muscle. At some people, your body will regulate itself and will enter lipolysis (fat burning) as insulin is removed from your system. So overall, your body will cycle between lipogenesis and lipolysis. If your have more time of the later (energy deficit) you will lose weight; as shown below.



So people think, lets minimize insulin since insulin causes the suppression of HSL and induces lipogensis. Well, the bad news is, you have several other hormones/enzymes that can suppress HSL. Dietary fat stimulates Ascylation Stimulating Protein (ASP), which will suppress HSL and stimulate insulin. And if that isn't enough, you have one enzyme that will be stimulated by both carbs and fat and will induce lipogenesis; that is glucose-dependent insulinotrophic peptide (GIP).

The thing is, our bodies are designed to store. You can follow low carb, plant-based, paleo, flexible, or whatever diet you want, at the end of the day, the amount of calories will determine weight status and dietary compliance will determine longevity.