Is a small/moderate amount of added sugar really THAT bad
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Sugar is sugar, sugar isn't toxic or fattening, but you need a certain amount of a range of nutrients every day without going over on calories over time, and foods with added sugar tend to be both easy to like and easy to overeat, and overeating low-nutrient foods makes it harder to get in enough nutritious foods - so it's best to limit intake of so-called junk foods.
Bad nutritional advice, as in random advice without context, is what's bad. It can make you anxious and the anxiety can lead you to make overall bad decisions.
A little sugar makes your Greek yogurt palatable enough so you actually eat it.
I hope that what you got out of this, is that you need to be critical to what you read, and that you can and should make your eating decisions yourself, freely and without guilt.2 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I know there other people out there like me, but we're few in number compared to the legions.
I don't like Nutella.
I've never had it.1 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I know there other people out there like me, but we're few in number compared to the legions.
I don't like Nutella.
I've never had it.
Best not to tickle the dragon.4 -
Sugar is, like all indulgences, not really bad so long as you consume it in moderation. I have a personal rule where I try to eat things where I can actually read the ingredients and know what I'm consuming - as such, I try to make sure that sugar isn't at the top of the list for most of my meals, especially since I have a sweet tooth and could eat my weight in pudding and cakes without a buzz.
There's no hard-set rule on how much is okay. Just use your judgement and exercise self-control.
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For instance, blended Greek yogurt. I've heard it's better to buy plain yogurt and add stuff to make it taste better. But, no matter what I put in it, it just doesn't taste that good to me. I like the blended yogurt better. There's 6 grams of sugar in the container I ate. Is it REALLY that bad for you?
I do try to steer clear of most processed foods in general. My sugar is usually below goal, most of that coming from fruits and other natural sources. But if I eat a blended yogurt or some salad dressing with a bit of added sugar, is it honestly that harmful?
i cannot stand plain yogurt, and even with fresh fruit, its not good. so i choose Fage or Danon Fit and Lite - delicious and i fit it in perfectly with my macros per day. I'm not going to buy something healthy and then squirm around to force myself to eat it.. coz i wont eat it and it will be a waste. so i just allow for those calories and love my food.
I have a little bit of brown sugar that i add to oatmeal to make it taste better. i just record it in my MFP calories.
some foods have high calories and they can be tricky and add up, i.e. mayo has too much calories for me, so i have to watch that i dont easily eat 5 TBS of salad dressing on a salad. so you just have to account for all these things in your foods.
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I think there is nothing wrong with small amounts of sugar until suddenly there is. Some will be fine with sugars and others no longer are. TBH, I wish I had cut back decades before and then perhaps my middle aged health would be better.
The only way to truly know if added sugars are not a problem for you is to use a glucose monitor. Test before eating and then 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after eating. If you just experience a mild rise in BG, you are fine. If it is going up quite a bit and into the 6s and higher, your body is not handling it well. Repeated high, and prolonged high, BG can lead to health problems.
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HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »So, using those Australian figures we can guess that Nutella is two-thirds sugar and palm oil. Yummy.
I have stopped eating Nutella and most commercial peanut butters. It has nothing to do with the sugars. The palm oil production is the main contributor to deforestation of the orangutan's habitat so I no longer buy anything with palm oil in it. Personal thing, I just love orangutans
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HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »So, using those Australian figures we can guess that Nutella is two-thirds sugar and palm oil. Yummy.
I have stopped eating Nutella and most commercial peanut butters. It has nothing to do with the sugars. The palm oil production is the main contributor to deforestation of the orangutan's habitat so I no longer buy anything with palm oil in it. Personal thing, I just love orangutans
Nuttvia... It's a palm oil free alternative to Nutella. And I've never seen PB with palm oil! Do you not have natural ones available in your supermarket?
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livingleanlivingclean wrote: »HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »So, using those Australian figures we can guess that Nutella is two-thirds sugar and palm oil. Yummy.
I have stopped eating Nutella and most commercial peanut butters. It has nothing to do with the sugars. The palm oil production is the main contributor to deforestation of the orangutan's habitat so I no longer buy anything with palm oil in it. Personal thing, I just love orangutans
Nuttvia... It's a palm oil free alternative to Nutella. And I've never seen PB with palm oil! Do you not have natural ones available in your supermarket?
We do and I will buy it for a recipe but I read labels closely and don't buy it often. Basically, most of the blended ones have palm oil, even the spreadable "natural" ones. Jif is one of the few that use cottonseed and/or rapeseed oil instead of palm fruit oil. Earth balance, Skippy, and many others use the palm oil.0 -
livingleanlivingclean wrote: »HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »So, using those Australian figures we can guess that Nutella is two-thirds sugar and palm oil. Yummy.
I have stopped eating Nutella and most commercial peanut butters. It has nothing to do with the sugars. The palm oil production is the main contributor to deforestation of the orangutan's habitat so I no longer buy anything with palm oil in it. Personal thing, I just love orangutans
Nuttvia... It's a palm oil free alternative to Nutella. And I've never seen PB with palm oil! Do you not have natural ones available in your supermarket?
We do and I will buy it for a recipe but I read labels closely and don't buy it often. Basically, most of the blended ones have palm oil, even the spreadable "natural" ones. Jif is one of the few that use cottonseed and/or rapeseed oil instead of palm fruit oil. Earth balance, Skippy, and many others use the palm oil.
I'm in aus.... We have lots of palm oil free options!1 -
I can't see the point of testing for blood glucose after ingesting sugar since the cause of insulin resistance isn't linked to the ingestion of it.
https://niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes/prediabetes-insulin-resistance6 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I can't see the point of testing for blood glucose after ingesting sugar since the cause of insulin resistance isn't linked to the ingestion of it.
https://niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes/prediabetes-insulin-resistance
Very true. Testing is only necessary if you already have BG issues.1 -
livingleanlivingclean wrote: »HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »So, using those Australian figures we can guess that Nutella is two-thirds sugar and palm oil. Yummy.
I have stopped eating Nutella and most commercial peanut butters. It has nothing to do with the sugars. The palm oil production is the main contributor to deforestation of the orangutan's habitat so I no longer buy anything with palm oil in it. Personal thing, I just love orangutans
Nuttvia... It's a palm oil free alternative to Nutella. And I've never seen PB with palm oil! Do you not have natural ones available in your supermarket?
Basically, most of the blended ones have palm oil, even the spreadable "natural" ones.
Lots of them don't. I prefer nut butters that are just the nuts or, sometimes, the nuts plus salt, and haven't had trouble finding them.
Probably cheaper to just do nuts in the food processor, though. I do that too, sometimes.
I'm currently obsessed with walnut butter.1 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »livingleanlivingclean wrote: »HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »So, using those Australian figures we can guess that Nutella is two-thirds sugar and palm oil. Yummy.
I have stopped eating Nutella and most commercial peanut butters. It has nothing to do with the sugars. The palm oil production is the main contributor to deforestation of the orangutan's habitat so I no longer buy anything with palm oil in it. Personal thing, I just love orangutans
Nuttvia... It's a palm oil free alternative to Nutella. And I've never seen PB with palm oil! Do you not have natural ones available in your supermarket?
Basically, most of the blended ones have palm oil, even the spreadable "natural" ones.
Lots of them don't. I prefer nut butters that are just the nuts or, sometimes, the nuts plus salt, and haven't had trouble finding them.
Probably cheaper to just do nuts in the food processor, though. I do that too, sometimes.
I'm currently obsessed with walnut butter.
I started reading labels in the grocery and was surprised at how few of the natural ones are just peanuts (or peanuts and salt). I do put peanuts in the blender when I do my African groundnut stew.
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I know there other people out there like me, but we're few in number compared to the legions.
I don't like Nutella.
I like hazelnuts. I can't stand - as in, often get nauseous from - hazelnut flavored things.0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I know there other people out there like me, but we're few in number compared to the legions.
I don't like Nutella.
I like hazelnuts. I can't stand - as in, often get nauseous from - hazelnut flavored things.
SAME.0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I know there other people out there like me, but we're few in number compared to the legions.
I don't like Nutella.
I like hazelnuts. I can't stand - as in, often get nauseous from - hazelnut flavored things.
SAME.
My brother is allergic to hazelnuts (full blown anaphylaxis). no other tree nuts bother him, neither do peanuts. He quickly learned the french word for it when he and my SIL moved to Paris for a year.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »livingleanlivingclean wrote: »HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »So, using those Australian figures we can guess that Nutella is two-thirds sugar and palm oil. Yummy.
I have stopped eating Nutella and most commercial peanut butters. It has nothing to do with the sugars. The palm oil production is the main contributor to deforestation of the orangutan's habitat so I no longer buy anything with palm oil in it. Personal thing, I just love orangutans
Nuttvia... It's a palm oil free alternative to Nutella. And I've never seen PB with palm oil! Do you not have natural ones available in your supermarket?
Basically, most of the blended ones have palm oil, even the spreadable "natural" ones.
Lots of them don't. I prefer nut butters that are just the nuts or, sometimes, the nuts plus salt, and haven't had trouble finding them.
Probably cheaper to just do nuts in the food processor, though. I do that too, sometimes.
I'm currently obsessed with walnut butter.
I started reading labels in the grocery and was surprised at how few of the natural ones are just peanuts (or peanuts and salt). I do put peanuts in the blender when I do my African groundnut stew.
When I first started buying them ('90s), I think most of the natural ones were just nuts (or peanuts) and salt, and now more of them (as the market got bigger and more of the new buyers perhaps dislike the separation or are motivated just by sugar fear) do have some palm oil, but in the stores I go to it's still easy to find ones with nothing but nuts.
(Now I'm thinking of that old commercial, "nothing but net," sigh.) ;-)0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »livingleanlivingclean wrote: »HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »So, using those Australian figures we can guess that Nutella is two-thirds sugar and palm oil. Yummy.
I have stopped eating Nutella and most commercial peanut butters. It has nothing to do with the sugars. The palm oil production is the main contributor to deforestation of the orangutan's habitat so I no longer buy anything with palm oil in it. Personal thing, I just love orangutans
Nuttvia... It's a palm oil free alternative to Nutella. And I've never seen PB with palm oil! Do you not have natural ones available in your supermarket?
Basically, most of the blended ones have palm oil, even the spreadable "natural" ones.
Lots of them don't. I prefer nut butters that are just the nuts or, sometimes, the nuts plus salt, and haven't had trouble finding them.
Probably cheaper to just do nuts in the food processor, though. I do that too, sometimes.
I'm currently obsessed with walnut butter.
I started reading labels in the grocery and was surprised at how few of the natural ones are just peanuts (or peanuts and salt). I do put peanuts in the blender when I do my African groundnut stew.
When I first started buying them ('90s), I think most of the natural ones were just nuts (or peanuts) and salt, and now more of them (as the market got bigger and more of the new buyers perhaps dislike the separation or are motivated just by sugar fear) do have some palm oil, but in the stores I go to it's still easy to find ones with nothing but nuts.
(Now I'm thinking of that old commercial, "nothing but net," sigh.) ;-)
Remember when GNC would grind it for you right in the shop?0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I can't see the point of testing for blood glucose after ingesting sugar since the cause of insulin resistance isn't linked to the ingestion of it.
https://niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes/prediabetes-insulin-resistance
I disagree. Elevated BG causes damage. Many, many people may be regularly elevating their BGto unhealthy levels and have no diagnosis of IR or T2D.
After an OGTT, I had a BG of over 9 at 1 hour. At two hours it had over halved itself. By that test, I gave no diabetic BG because it was not still high at 2-hours post glucose drink. BG was still disturbingly high.
More knowledge about how your body responds to food can't hurt.
And IR is being shown to be related to carb intake in some people, and by carb it is often referring to the less nutritious carbs like sugars and highly refined grains (carbs are not nutritiously equal).4
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