How damaging is having too much sugar in your diet?
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rheddmobile wrote: »nickiphillips1 wrote: »I would not trade diet soda for regular soda. Diet soda is not good for you either. There are no nutrients and the fake sugar is not a substance your body knows how to digest. Also, it makes you crave sugar.
Why not drink water. Water is the best thing for you.
I will agree that drinking water is the best thing for you.
However what's even better is... success!
So if the OP can switch from pop to water, great; but switching from normal pop to diet pop means less calories and (a few) less dental cavities and for many people the second switch has a higher chance of success.
I am assuming a desire for fizz or caffeine or something sweet without the calories hence the suggestion to drink some diet pop instead. But again: more power to water (and cheaper too is using tap water) if the OP goes that way!
As for diet pop not being good for you, that is more interesting. It absolutely is void of nutrients... and so is water... well, water has some trace elements... and so does diet pop which is just flavoured and fizzed water!
I always have some trouble understanding the "fake sugar is not a substance your body knows how to digest" argument... that's exactly WHY we eat fake sugar. BECAUSE we can't digest it. You get the taste and you don't get the calories. Win-Win baby! <-- if it was digestible, then it would be converted to energy and fail in its most basic function, that of being calorie free!
The only problem is, several studies have found that swapping to diet soda leads to long term weight gain, not loss, for most people, because it causes cravings which leads them to eat more calories. It would be nice if diet soda led to diet success, but there's evidence this is not usually the case.
for some people it may cause cravings, thats not the case with everyone. I have been on my journey to get healthier and more fit(losing fat) almost 5 years, and I drink diet sodas and other diet drinks.The most I have gained back is 5-7 lbs and a lot of that tends to be water retention that comes and goes.
There is evidence that diet soda leads to diet success ask anyone here who has lost weight and replaced high calorie drinks with diet drinks. most of those "studies" are done on rats and not humans,for one some of them are articles and not real scientific studies. and what effect something has on rats doesnt mean its going to be that way in humans.
weight gain comes from eating too much food(including high calorie drinks) and even those who do not drink diet soda can have cravings that lead them to overeat. before I started drinking diet drinks I had cravings,I cant blame it on the diet foods because I didnt eat them at the time I became overweight.I have some of the same cravings now,diet drinks hasnt changed any of that.
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rheddmobile wrote: »nickiphillips1 wrote: »I would not trade diet soda for regular soda. Diet soda is not good for you either. There are no nutrients and the fake sugar is not a substance your body knows how to digest. Also, it makes you crave sugar.
Why not drink water. Water is the best thing for you.
I will agree that drinking water is the best thing for you.
However what's even better is... success!
So if the OP can switch from pop to water, great; but switching from normal pop to diet pop means less calories and (a few) less dental cavities and for many people the second switch has a higher chance of success.
I am assuming a desire for fizz or caffeine or something sweet without the calories hence the suggestion to drink some diet pop instead. But again: more power to water (and cheaper too is using tap water) if the OP goes that way!
As for diet pop not being good for you, that is more interesting. It absolutely is void of nutrients... and so is water... well, water has some trace elements... and so does diet pop which is just flavoured and fizzed water!
I always have some trouble understanding the "fake sugar is not a substance your body knows how to digest" argument... that's exactly WHY we eat fake sugar. BECAUSE we can't digest it. You get the taste and you don't get the calories. Win-Win baby! <-- if it was digestible, then it would be converted to energy and fail in its most basic function, that of being calorie free!
The only problem is, several studies have found that swapping to diet soda leads to long term weight gain, not loss, for most people, because it causes cravings which leads them to eat more calories. It would be nice if diet soda led to diet success, but there's evidence this is not usually the case.
Actually it's because of a placebo effect... "I drank Diet soda so I deserve 2xwhoppers and large fries" vs I drank a diet soda and had my usual whopper and shared a large fry with my wife and cut 600 calories off my lunch.
That's what the studies actually showed.12 -
rheddmobile wrote: »nickiphillips1 wrote: »I would not trade diet soda for regular soda. Diet soda is not good for you either. There are no nutrients and the fake sugar is not a substance your body knows how to digest. Also, it makes you crave sugar.
Why not drink water. Water is the best thing for you.
I will agree that drinking water is the best thing for you.
However what's even better is... success!
So if the OP can switch from pop to water, great; but switching from normal pop to diet pop means less calories and (a few) less dental cavities and for many people the second switch has a higher chance of success.
I am assuming a desire for fizz or caffeine or something sweet without the calories hence the suggestion to drink some diet pop instead. But again: more power to water (and cheaper too is using tap water) if the OP goes that way!
As for diet pop not being good for you, that is more interesting. It absolutely is void of nutrients... and so is water... well, water has some trace elements... and so does diet pop which is just flavoured and fizzed water!
I always have some trouble understanding the "fake sugar is not a substance your body knows how to digest" argument... that's exactly WHY we eat fake sugar. BECAUSE we can't digest it. You get the taste and you don't get the calories. Win-Win baby! <-- if it was digestible, then it would be converted to energy and fail in its most basic function, that of being calorie free!
The only problem is, several studies have found that swapping to diet soda leads to long term weight gain, not loss, for most people, because it causes cravings which leads them to eat more calories. It would be nice if diet soda led to diet success, but there's evidence this is not usually the case.
Unless those studies proved that diet soda turns people into zombies with no free will, they are meaningless to the individual.9 -
T2 Diabetes (the kind you get as an adult) is NOT about "your pancreas getting worn out from processing all that sugar" It's about your cells becoming insulin resistant and not registering the insulin that your pancreas is making.
And that's not the result of too much sugar per se. It's a complex interaction of diet, excess body weight, sleep deprivation, cortisol/stress levels, and physical activity level. With increasing amounts of research suggesting that excercise may be as important, or more important, than diet -- staying active keeps your cells responsive to insulin.6 -
nickiphillips1 wrote: »I would not trade diet soda for regular soda. Diet soda is not good for you either. There are no nutrients and the fake sugar is not a substance your body knows how to digest. Also, it makes you crave sugar.
Why not drink water. Water is the best thing for you.
I don't expect my zero-calorie beverages to provide any nutrition, so the fact that diet soda doesn't have any is completely irrelevant to me.
Why does my body need to "know" how to digest artificial sweetener?
Diet soda doesn't make me crave anything. In fact, it often satisfies my cravings for something sweet. Stop throwing this around like it is some kind of universal experience.3 -
janejellyroll wrote: »nickiphillips1 wrote: »I would not trade diet soda for regular soda. Diet soda is not good for you either. There are no nutrients and the fake sugar is not a substance your body knows how to digest. Also, it makes you crave sugar.
Why not drink water. Water is the best thing for you.
I don't expect my zero-calorie beverages to provide any nutrition, so the fact that diet soda doesn't have any is completely irrelevant to me.
Why does my body need to "know" how to digest artificial sweetener?
Diet soda doesn't make me crave anything. In fact, it often satisfies my cravings for something sweet. Stop throwing this around like it is some kind of universal experience.
Besides, you body knows very much how to digest the artificial sweeteners that are not sugar alcohols.2 -
stevencloser wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »nickiphillips1 wrote: »I would not trade diet soda for regular soda. Diet soda is not good for you either. There are no nutrients and the fake sugar is not a substance your body knows how to digest. Also, it makes you crave sugar.
Why not drink water. Water is the best thing for you.
I don't expect my zero-calorie beverages to provide any nutrition, so the fact that diet soda doesn't have any is completely irrelevant to me.
Why does my body need to "know" how to digest artificial sweetener?
Diet soda doesn't make me crave anything. In fact, it often satisfies my cravings for something sweet. Stop throwing this around like it is some kind of universal experience.
Besides, you body knows very much how to digest the artificial sweeteners that are not sugar alcohols.
I don't see why the body wouldn't "know how to digest" an artificial sweetener such as aspartame, which is composed of two amino acids commonly found in many other foods. What wizardry is this?0 -
estherdragonbat wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »endlessfall16 wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »There's nothing wrong with eating fruit. It contains vitamins and fibre. Sugary drinks are one of the worst things you can consume. Liquid sugar and empty calories with no nutritional value at all.
But the diabetes isn't because of sugar. It's much more likely because of your weight.rheddmobile wrote: »It's all fun and games until someone gets diabetes!
Which I did, this past winter, and it sucks, so be happy you stopped now. You're young and more than likely you have escaped any bad effects, but a checkup is a good idea anyway.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Of course sugar causes diabetes. If you consume too much sugar over a long period of time your pancreas gets worn out trying to produce enough insulin to deal with it and the end result is type 2 diabetes. Your liver takes all the excess sugar and turns what the body doesn't need for energy at that moment and turns it into fat. The fat produced is partly LDL cholesterol which in turn blocks your arteries and causes strokes and heart attacks. Your liver also starts to store fat which is not good. The sugar industry has attacked and tried to discredit every scientist who has tried to make this known to society.
No, eating sugar doesn't CAUSE diabetes.
I agree. Excess body fat can also mess with insulin secretion. It's a double edged sword. Over consumption of sugar will contribute heavily to both scenarios. If your level of consumption is under control then fine, no it won't cause type 2 diabetes on it's own. Sadly for some people that's not the case. Type 2 diabetes used to be something associated with age but now people are getting it younger all the time. Sugar is hidden in so much of the foods we eat and manufacturers hide it under the guises of so many different names. They put it in foods specifically aimed at dieters and label them fat free to fool us.
I have never understood the bold - even if you don't know that some of the ingredients are sugar, it says right on the package nutrition label (in the US at least) how much sugar is in the food. How can it be hidden if it's right there on the label?
And there's no food item I could think of where you'd be surprised there is sugar in it and there's a substantial amount.
Probably not surprised that there is, but usually surprised about the amount. That's one of the factors that make people fat. They underestimate. Kinda like, regular whole apple is under-tasty. Caramel, choco covered apple is the standard.
Really? Where are carnival-type candied apples standard over regular ol' apples?
At Mrs. Prindables.
I think @endlessfall16 is extrapolating the existence of candied fruit to somehow mean that's the typical way they're eaten. Perhaps specific to the US?
If so, I've never experienced that. The only time I've seen that kind of treat widespread is on a holiday when it seems like everyone is gifted (or gifting) treats - candied fruit included.
I'm in the US and the last time I saw someone eating candied fruit was around Christmas. One of my co-workers brought dried apricots dipped in chocolate, but that was definitely a special holiday thing. I can't remember the last time I saw it before that. Day-in-day-out, the people I see eating fruit are just eating regular old undipped and uncandied fruit.
Once a week, I make dessert and I try to make it something that I can enjoy during the week if there are any leftovers. Meaning, shooting for about 200 calories or less per serving. So, more than a few of my recipes are... not candied fruit, but boozy fruit. And sometimes, a bit of both. Like if you take 4 seedless oranges and peel and section them, then pour a blend of 1/4 cup (60 mls) orange liquer or brandy and 1/2 cup (120 mls) orange marmalade over them and refrigerate? 8 servings at about 100 calories each.
(This week, I just made apple sauce in the crock-pot, though.)
A few months ago I made apple butter with apple brandy in the crock pot. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.1 -
I've been loosing weight drinking soda stream and it's not diet just way less calories and sugars then normal soda. Like a full bottle of soda stream is 50 calories and only 10g of sugar. I enjoy making it. But if u don't do soda stream then normal diet soda is fine.0
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kshama2001 wrote: »estherdragonbat wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »endlessfall16 wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »There's nothing wrong with eating fruit. It contains vitamins and fibre. Sugary drinks are one of the worst things you can consume. Liquid sugar and empty calories with no nutritional value at all.
But the diabetes isn't because of sugar. It's much more likely because of your weight.rheddmobile wrote: »It's all fun and games until someone gets diabetes!
Which I did, this past winter, and it sucks, so be happy you stopped now. You're young and more than likely you have escaped any bad effects, but a checkup is a good idea anyway.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Of course sugar causes diabetes. If you consume too much sugar over a long period of time your pancreas gets worn out trying to produce enough insulin to deal with it and the end result is type 2 diabetes. Your liver takes all the excess sugar and turns what the body doesn't need for energy at that moment and turns it into fat. The fat produced is partly LDL cholesterol which in turn blocks your arteries and causes strokes and heart attacks. Your liver also starts to store fat which is not good. The sugar industry has attacked and tried to discredit every scientist who has tried to make this known to society.
No, eating sugar doesn't CAUSE diabetes.
I agree. Excess body fat can also mess with insulin secretion. It's a double edged sword. Over consumption of sugar will contribute heavily to both scenarios. If your level of consumption is under control then fine, no it won't cause type 2 diabetes on it's own. Sadly for some people that's not the case. Type 2 diabetes used to be something associated with age but now people are getting it younger all the time. Sugar is hidden in so much of the foods we eat and manufacturers hide it under the guises of so many different names. They put it in foods specifically aimed at dieters and label them fat free to fool us.
I have never understood the bold - even if you don't know that some of the ingredients are sugar, it says right on the package nutrition label (in the US at least) how much sugar is in the food. How can it be hidden if it's right there on the label?
And there's no food item I could think of where you'd be surprised there is sugar in it and there's a substantial amount.
Probably not surprised that there is, but usually surprised about the amount. That's one of the factors that make people fat. They underestimate. Kinda like, regular whole apple is under-tasty. Caramel, choco covered apple is the standard.
Really? Where are carnival-type candied apples standard over regular ol' apples?
At Mrs. Prindables.
I think @endlessfall16 is extrapolating the existence of candied fruit to somehow mean that's the typical way they're eaten. Perhaps specific to the US?
If so, I've never experienced that. The only time I've seen that kind of treat widespread is on a holiday when it seems like everyone is gifted (or gifting) treats - candied fruit included.
I'm in the US and the last time I saw someone eating candied fruit was around Christmas. One of my co-workers brought dried apricots dipped in chocolate, but that was definitely a special holiday thing. I can't remember the last time I saw it before that. Day-in-day-out, the people I see eating fruit are just eating regular old undipped and uncandied fruit.
Once a week, I make dessert and I try to make it something that I can enjoy during the week if there are any leftovers. Meaning, shooting for about 200 calories or less per serving. So, more than a few of my recipes are... not candied fruit, but boozy fruit. And sometimes, a bit of both. Like if you take 4 seedless oranges and peel and section them, then pour a blend of 1/4 cup (60 mls) orange liquer or brandy and 1/2 cup (120 mls) orange marmalade over them and refrigerate? 8 servings at about 100 calories each.
(This week, I just made apple sauce in the crock-pot, though.)
A few months ago I made apple butter with apple brandy in the crock pot. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
Recipe? I made apple butter a few weeks ago but with apple brandy? that sounds terrific.1
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