Sugar: The Bitter Truth [video]

[liberty2897]

Ran across this video today. It is pretty long and kind of technical in parts, but very interesting. This guy states that fructose is actually a poison and goes through the chemistry proof (way over my head). Also says that fructose is processed by the body almost identically as ethanol, but not metabolized by the brain (so no buzz). He states that even though fructose meets the definition of a toxic substance, it is a chronic effect on the liver and not a acute one, so it won't get classified this way. Hi also states that the government (USDA / FDA) doesn't want to talk about this because of the obvious economic effects. I thought it was interesting.

I'm curious what others here think of it.

[Indy Vidual]

I eat sugar, but it's a bad habit.
Not just fructose, any type of processed "white" sugar is really unhealthy for you.
Also, the "modern" fake ones are even worse.



EDIT:
Do NOT read this book!
Here is a classic:
Natural Health, Sugar and the Criminal Mind
http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Health.../dp/B000E1RPBC

[Working Poor]

I believe these processed, and highly refined shares have something to do with the rampant mental health issues. I cannot watch the video so I do not know if it was mentioned. Not to mention what it is doing to the whole endrocrine system

[KevinR]

Amazing vid!!

[farreri]

I can't speak for the really processed sugars like HFCS (I don't eat any), but I eat a lot of fruit now, I mean a LOT, and also use Trader Joe's evaporated cane juice sugar and I'm as slimmer than ever. It's my believe if you go high carb, you have to go low fat and vise versa to avoid gaining too much weight. I think that high carb/low fat is healthier than low carb diets. Who knows what I'll think in a couple years from now?!

[liberty2897]

I have always been a believer in the "a calorie is a calorie", 3500 Calories = 1lb school of thought. Last time I decided to loose weight, I counted calories, estimated my metabolic rate based on activity, age, weight, gender, etc. I kept a spreadsheet and it worked almost exactly as expected. I just tried to find foods that I wouldn't get sick of and stuck with the same routine where I knew almost exactly the calories I was consuming each day. Looking back though, by limiting the number of calories per day, I (unconsciously) eliminated foods containing HFCS because I really wanted those limited calories to count in taste and satisfying hunger. I also quit drinking alcohol during the weight loss period. I gained the weight back after starting to drink alcohol again.

The thing I find most interesting about this video is the assertion that fructose is processed by the body almost the same as ethanol (alcohol). He is saying that it overloads the liver and basically just gets stored as fat. Any biochemistry types here that can confirm what he is saying in the video is correct?

My new year resolution is to quit drinking alcohol (again), but I think I may have to add HFCS to the list as well. I'm not a huge sugar fan, but they put that corn syrup stuff in almost everything.

[ClydeCoulter]

We eat organic raw cane sugar here (except for my wifes cola habbit). I've heard that the brain needs sugar, not sure what type(s).

[farreri]

The thing I find most interesting about this video is the assertion that fructose is processed by the body almost the same as ethanol (alcohol). He is saying that it overloads the liver and basically just gets stored as fat.

Can't speak about alcohol (don't drink), but if that were true about fructose, where's all the obsese fruitarians?

[farreri]

I've heard that the brain needs sugar, not sure what type(s).

Glucose, the brain's preferred fuel source. The body craves sugar for energy, not fat.

[WilliamShrugged]

I like stevia. so $#@! sugar lol

[Acala]

Glucose, the brain's preferred fuel source. The body craves sugar for energy, not fat.

Debateable. Ketones are actually a cleaner fuel for the brain. The body craves sugar because it strives to keep blood glucose levels in a certain narrow range. When you eat sugar, blood glucose sails over the top of the safe range causing a panic insulin dump. The insuling strips the glucose out of the blood stream and stores it as fat. Then the glucose level in the blood is low, triggering sugar craving. The low blood glucose also triggers an inflammatory response. This then causes a corticol dump. It is a hormone roller coaster.

People who get off the sugar/insulin roller coaster don't crave sugar.

[malkusm]

I'd rather have sugar than aspartame or any of the other substitutes, by a long shot. Preferably raw/organic sugar, of course, but I'd rather have processed sugar than a chemical.

[malkusm]

^ That said, I'm fortunate enough to live in a place where there are a lot of non-glucose/HFCS alternatives...

[farreri]

Debateable. Ketones are actually a cleaner fuel for the brain. The body craves sugar because it strives to keep blood glucose levels in a certain narrow range. When you eat sugar, blood glucose sails over the top of the safe range causing a panic insulin dump. The insuling strips the glucose out of the blood stream and stores it as fat. Then the glucose level in the blood is low, triggering sugar craving. The low blood glucose also triggers an inflammatory response. This then causes a corticol dump. It is a hormone roller coaster.

People who get off the sugar/insulin roller coaster don't crave sugar.

My two immediate questions are:

1 - Then why doesn't the body crave fat for energy?
2 - Where's all the obese fruitarians?

I think there is a fat connection everyone is missing when it comes to sugar and health problems.

Example:

Paula Deen to Confess She Has Type 2 Diabetes
The queen of cream and carbs might have to make major life change.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/paul...betes-15360701

[opal]

I like stevia. so $#@! sugar lol

I like stevia too.. been using it for years (way before it became popular) but using it in recipes really doesn't work well for me. I attempted lemon curd a couple days ago.. ended up with lemon puddle

[ZENemy]

Ive posted this video here before, it changed my life, I hope to see this video EVERYWHERE.

Avoid the four white man made foods. (there is much more to avoid but these four are key)

White refined table salt
White refined Sugar
White Flour/Bread
White / bleached wheat

Cutting those four items has changed my life and I already was a healthy eater (or I thought I was) I was in good shape already but cutting these four items yielded me a six pack that would make the guys from 300 jealous! . Its hard for me to list all the positivity that came into my health after cutting WHITE SUGAR.

The point of this video is to AVOID; Processed, man made sugar. The video nor I make any claim that one should cut NATURAL sugars, its the refined WHITE crap that people are eating (as well as HFCS). My eating always changes but right now I eat about 70% fruit, 20% veggies and 10% meat and at 31 years of age I am competing with 17 year olds in martial arts AND dance.

[Zippyjuan]

Some think that our craving for sugars (stronger in females than in males) is hereditary. Ripe fruits were good sources of nutrition and some fiber along with the sweetness and our desire for sweets encouraged us to consume them. The troubles came when we started separating the sugars from the other good factors of the fruits and vegetables.

[ZENemy]

Some think that our craving for sugars (stronger in females than in males) is hereditary. Ripe fruits were good sources of nutrition and some fiber along with the sweetness and our desire for sweets encouraged us to consume them. The troubles came when we started separating the sugars from the other good factors of the fruits and vegetables.

Well said!

[farreri]

Everybody seems to be letting fat off the hook.

[Zippyjuan]

It goes in cycles. For a while it was fat which was seen as the problem. Then sugars which got replaced by high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweetners as alternatives. Now people are back to demanding sugar again. The Atkins diet said you need more protein (people ignored the low fat part of his plan so they decided fats were OK too) and anti- anything with carbs in it (complex and simple carbs or sugars got lumped together). Then Paleo eating came along and the Organic craze. Always something new to sell more diet books, special foods, and products or supplements. They seem to keep coming back to the same thing- eat a variety of foods and don't do too much of any one thing.

[ZENemy]

Anyone that enjoyed that video or the like should read this.

http://www.amazon.com/How-Eat-Move-B.../dp/1583870067

Fat, carbs, blah blah, its all bull$#@!. You need to learn to eat a balance of different foods, you need to learn to eat for YOUR activity level. Are you a lazy person that sits around watching tv all day? I do not recommend this but if its your forte then you should be eating around....1100-1200 calories a day (generic number here, don't take it literal) but....how many calories per day do you think TV watchers eat? 3-5000 and I'm betting its not great food.

THIS is healthcare, not sure stupid insurance mandate.

[jj-]

Debateable. Ketones are actually a cleaner fuel for the brain. The body craves sugar because it strives to keep blood glucose levels in a certain narrow range. When you eat sugar, blood glucose sails over the top of the safe range causing a panic insulin dump. The insuling strips the glucose out of the blood stream and stores it as fat. Then the glucose level in the blood is low, triggering sugar craving. The low blood glucose also triggers an inflammatory response. This then causes a corticol dump. It is a hormone roller coaster.

People who get off the sugar/insulin roller coaster don't crave sugar.

Not only sugar releases insulin. Egg protein is a strong insulin activator. Consumption of eggs releases insulin and lowers blood sugar, and it's better to have something sweet before eating eggs to avoid the "hormone roller coaster". Not eating sugar would increase cortisol more than having sugar before eggs.

[jj-]

If you like sweets, avoiding them and punishing yourself is foolish. Sugar is beneficial if one has efficient thyroid function. The problem is that a lot of people have low thyroid function due to the consumption of polyunsaturated fats, especially vegetable oils. But if you avoid significant sources of polyunsaturated fats, thyroid function and overall health will improve, and sugar will have a beneficial effect.

[opal]

so frustrating! most of the health advise is for hypoactive thyroid.. mine's hyper.. multinodual goiter.. hate the way the meds for that make me feel too - like a slug

[Todd]

bump.

Watched this last night. Must see.

The wife bought a book recently called the 10 day detox, which aims to remove all sugar from your body and cleanse you. She followed it completely. I did so a little bit. The thing is that I felt tons better after only 3 days on this even doing it half hearted.

If you don't have time to watch it all, here is a great condensed version.

[Working Poor]

I'd rather have sugar than aspartame or any of the other substitutes, by a long shot. Preferably raw/organic sugar, of course, but I'd rather have processed sugar than a chemical.

Processed sugar is a chemical and if you go without it long enough you can tased all the chemicals used to process it instead of the sweet taste.