Sugar

[adrina]

So apparently we're supposed to have less than 10% of our daily calories come from added sugar. For a 2000 calorie/day diet that's 180 calories per day - or 45 grams. That's nothing. One 12 ounce can of soda pop has 39 grams of sugar. One 1/2 scoop of basic chocolate ice cream has 17 grams. One 20 ounce bottle of gatorade? 34 grams. One Snickers bar - 20 grams. And those are the obvious ones. Two slices of sandwich size whole wheat bread? 6 grams.

For reference, as I wasn't exactly sure:

Added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added to foods or beverages when they are processed or prepared. This does not include naturally occurring sugars such as those in milk and fruits. The major food and beverage sources of added sugars for Americans are: regular soft drinks, energy drinks, and sports drinks.

What is the difference between "naturally occurring sugar" and "added sugar"? Naturally occurring sugar is the sugar found in whole, unprocessed foods, such as milk, fruit, vegetables, and some grains. One of the most common natural sugars is fructose , which is found in fruit.

One Month Sugar Detox - How and Why

Reducing sugar in your diet can help you drop pounds, improve your health and even give you more radiant skin. "Sugar makes you fat, ugly and old," said Brooke Alpert, a registered dietitian and co-author of "The Sugar Detox: Lose the Sugar, Lose the Weight -- Look and Feel Great." "What we've discovered in the last couple of years is that sugar is keeping us overweight. It's also a leading cause of heart disease; it negatively affects skin, and it leads to premature aging."

So they are saying basically to go cold turkey. First three days - no sugars at all. No fruit, no starchy vegetables, no dairy etc. Just lots of proteins, vegetables and healthy fats. (Even if only three days, I think I'd have a very hard time with that. I eat berries and drink a large glass of milk as part of my breakfast every day.) On day four you can have one apple and one full fat dairy back. But I'd have to wait until week two to get my berries back. In week three you get grains back - oatmeal, quinoa etc. For the wine lovers, that can be put back in late in the first week. Which no big whoop for me as I don't drink. But they're messing with my rye toast for breakfast which displeases me. By week four you can have things like a little bit of ice cream twice a week.

Apparently the figure about 10% of the population is addicted to sugar. By going cold turkey it recalibrates your palate and gives the whole host of health benefits associated with lower sugar intake.

Detoxing from sugar can help you lose weight quickly. "We had over 80 testers from all over the country, and they lost anywhere between 5 to 20 pounds during the 31 days, depending on their weight or sugar addiction," Alpert said. "Many also noticed that a lot of the weight was lost from their midsection. Belts got looser!" Participants also reported brighter eyes, clearer skin and fewer dark circles. They also had more energy and fewer mood swings.

There are challenges and medical considerations before starting, though. Since the first few days of a sugar detox can be challenging, it's important to pick three days during which your schedule will be supportive.
"Depending on how intense your addiction is, you can experience withdrawal symptoms, such as brain fog, crankiness and fatigue," Alpert said. Lustig found that the children in his study experienced anxiety and irritability during the first five days of eliminating sugar and caffeine, though it eventually subsided. "If you feel bad, stop and have a piece of fruit. But if you can push through and stay well-hydrated, you can really break your cycle of sugar addiction," Alpert said.

And of course the usual blah blah disclaimers about diabetics and pregnant women.

10 days without sugar

So they took 43 kids and for ten days cut back the sugar. Apparently they saw improvement in just about every metabolic marker. Lower blood sugar, lower LDL's etc down the line. Even those that did not lose weight still improved their overall health and numbers.

.. all calories are not created equal. As much as we love the simple accounting principles of calorie counting, there are some calories that are simply worse than others, and for most people, sugar is at the top of the list. The table sugar most people know is sucrose, made up of equal parts glucose and fructose. But it is the fructose that is such a bad actor, Lustig told me. The reason why is really fascinating.

Because our bodies use glucose as the preferred energy source, it is easily metabolized and used just about everywhere and the extra is stored in our muscles or liver as glycogen. Unfortunately, this is not the case with fructose, which is metabolized in only one place -- the liver. And, because the liver can only handle so much fructose at a time, the extra gets converted into fat. Your liver starts to accumulate fat, which is wildly unhealthy. Even worse, the excess fat spills out into your blood stream, increasing your risk of heart disease and strokes.

It used to be sugar was a rarity in our diet, but now we consume on average 130 pounds per year. And apparently fructose is a bit bastardy in that it doesn't suppress our hunger hormone. So we don't really ever feel full from it.

Maybe it's because I'm getting a little bit wiser with my older, but I've been looking at stuff like this lately. Yes I still have my couple bites of dark chocolate every day but I find myself cutting back or retooling in other ways. Instead of crackers, I'll opt for the handful of nuts. I find I feel better for it.

 

[EternallFantasies]

You're not supposed to get 10%... etc. it may be a ceiling, but zero is just fine.

Ur supposed to get ur sugar from fruits mainly, and some vegetables, and meats.

That's what ur supposed to.

 

[magicalmoments]

You're not supposed to get 10%... etc. it may be a ceiling, but zero is just fine.

Ur supposed to get ur sugar from fruits mainly, and some vegetables, and meats.

That's what ur supposed to.

I'm a layman on the body chemistry side of things but I've been told that the body doesn't care what the source of sugar is, it simply converts all sugars and carbohydrates we consume to glucose. I'm told that glucose is the only sugar that the human body can use.

So... If that is true it doesn't matter whether it's fructose, sucrose or lactose, it is all converted to glucose once you swallow it.

 

[EternallFantasies]

I'm a layman on the body chemistry side of things but I've been told that the body doesn't care what the source of sugar is, it simply converts all sugars and carbohydrates we consume to glucose. I'm told that glucose is the only sugar that the human body can use.

So... If that is true it doesn't matter whether it's fructose, sucrose or lactose, it is all converted to glucose once you swallow it.

That is most probably correct since the mitochondria in the cells, that give each cell energy, feed on glucose.

We're made up of cells.

 

[La damnee elle la licorne]

 

[EternallFantasies]

I used to do sugar fasts. It's incredible how easy it is to get a sweeter tooth without noticing, espeviLly if like me you love fruit.

I have endocrine disorders ? Thankfully not diabetes) and sugar fasts are no longer enough, I very rarely get to enjoy even fruit with joyful abandon. It's the truth; sugar is sugar; and my body recognises it as such and fruit and carbs are always something I will have to be careful with. My dietitian also points out to people to remember what is in their glass and the specialist I see recently described this as the 'hidden donut'. Because people think of it as what they have along side their meal not a part of their meal.

I am really lucky that I like cooking for others

( the benefit of fruit over cake is fruit usually comes with fibre and some vitamins! )

Which endocrine disorder, and how old r u if u dont mind.

 

[La damnee elle la licorne]

 

[EternallFantasies]

I mind

No problemo.

PM me if you feel I may be of assistance.

 

[La damnee elle la licorne]

 

[EternallFantasies]

Are you an endocrinologist or neuroendocrinologist?

Nope.

Like I said, PM me if you feel I could be of assistance

 

[EternallFantasies]

Thanks, I don't mean to be spiked, but I don't see how you could help me via a forum, and I feel medical advice better offered by people who can, you know....see me.

I almost asked last week if there were a dentist on the board for some general advice but then reminded myself of the silliness of this and decided if all my teeth fell out. C'est la vie. A vie triste ma.....

The "specialist" isn't always your only bet; nor the best one for that matter.

But if you feel well, and are happy. Then you're in good hands no worries.

 

[IrezumiKiss]

Are you an endocrinologist or neuroendocrinologist?

 

[EternallFantasies]

You'd trigger hormones in her no one ever knew existed.

 

[La damnee elle la licorne]

 

[La damnee elle la licorne]

 

[EternallFantasies]

So you suggest I pm you for advice with information with no idea in which way you feel you might help me?

I appreciate the offer, really I do, I am not being sarcastic. But I will pass. Thanks.

No problemo.

 

[adrina]

You're not supposed to get 10%... etc. it may be a ceiling, but zero is just fine.

Ur supposed to get ur sugar from fruits mainly, and some vegetables, and meats.

That's what ur supposed to.

Yes, that is correct 0 is less than 10.

Obviously that is not what happens. The American diet for the most part is crap. Somewhere between The Wall of Sugar in every single American grocery store and the sugar added to everything from bread to salad dressing, it is very safe to say that the majority of Americans are above that 10% and no where near 0%.

I'm a layman on the body chemistry side of things but I've been told that the body doesn't care what the source of sugar is, it simply converts all sugars and carbohydrates we consume to glucose. I'm told that glucose is the only sugar that the human body can use.

So... If that is true it doesn't matter whether it's fructose, sucrose or lactose, it is all converted to glucose once you swallow it.

See that bit on fructose. I thought that was interesting. How excess gets converted straight to fat. So all sugars are not really equal.

 

[EternallFantasies]

......................

 

[EternallFantasies]

.......................................

forget it.

 

[adrina]

I used to do sugar fasts. It's incredible how easy it is to get a sweeter tooth without noticing, espeviLly if like me you love fruit.

I have endocrine disorders ? Thankfully not diabetes) and sugar fasts are no longer enough, I very rarely get to enjoy even fruit with joyful abandon. It's the truth; sugar is sugar; and my body recognises it as such and fruit and carbs are always something I will have to be careful with. My dietitian also points out to people to remember what is in their glass and the specialist I see recently described this as the 'hidden donut'. Because people think of it as what they have along side their meal not a part of their meal.

I am really lucky that I like cooking for others

( the benefit of fruit over cake is fruit usually comes with fibre and some vitamins! )

When I was going through my periodontal thing I cut out cookies, crackers, potato chips etc. Not because of the sugar but because of the inflammation. When I got that under control I started to indulge. I noticed though that I didn't feel so hot. Digestationally, being tired etc. So now I've been scaling way back purposefully and I find that I feel better.

I heard once that the Catholic church way back when was heavily vested in sugar. Ha.

Personally I would have a very difficult time living without fruit. I could if I had to. But I do like my berries and apples. I'm also a sucker for that pomegranate juice. I'm grateful I've never been a soda pop fan. Never liked the carbonation. My worst "donut" is probably all the cream I put in my coffee.

 

[adrina]

Where did I try to tell you 0 is less than 10 bubble head?

That bit was on glucose.

Sheesh.. did u know alcohol too metabolizes as sugar?

You have the manners and social skills of a troglodyte. Perhaps you could start your reformation without being so condescendingly insufferable from the get-go.

If you want to call someone a bubble head, perhaps you could actually comprehend what is being said. The article I quoted specifically says that fructose gets metabolized in the liver only and the extra gets converted to fat.

Yes I do.

 

[EternallFantasies]

What i realize if the kind of places i put myself in, and the kind of people that I allow to call me an idiot.

Maybe I need one place like that in my life. It surely helps to rationalize things.

 

[EternallFantasies]

You have the manners and social skills of a troglodyte.

Blame it on feminism. Equality = equal & reciprocal treatment.

 

[adrina]

Blame it on feminism. Equality = equal & reciprocal treatment.

So then I asked to be condescended to when posting this topic?

Elle asked for unsolicited medical advice?

I asked you to misunderstand and call me names?

Because of feminism.

Indeed. Own your fucking behavior and quit hijacking my thread. You're an asshole and feminism has nothing to do with it.

 

[EternallFantasies]

So then I asked to be condescended to when posting this topic?

I asked you to misunderstand and call me names?

Because of feminism.

If your attention span is limited to a thread at a time, then no.

I respect that each has his capacity.