Sugar and Processed Foods (Read 393 times)

Hobie1


    I did the Whole 30 diet and lost 17 pounds.  My sugar cravings, which were awful, are gone.  I don't do the Whole 30 religiously now but it sure worked to kick the sugar addiction.

      I saw Lustig's video a couple of years ago and it was hugely influential.  I think he is absolutely spot on.  He charts a good middle course between the extreme carb restrictive diets like paleo and the now debunked "low fat" diets.  Aside from the weight loss benefits, I've felt grreat since abandoning sugar/HFCS/processed junk.

      Christirei


        My a family made a major nutrition diet shift a few years ago. One thing that helped me was reading classic cookbooks that get back to eating and cooking whole foods. One of my favorites that isn't overwhelming is Nigella Lawsons How to Eat. It's a great book

          Dave, nah, it's not a weight thing.  I'm happy with my weight.  It's a heath thing.  Sugar does some pretty bad stuff to your body, especially the way it is added to so many processed foods.  And anyway, I run for fun, not for chocolate.  

           

          (If you like watching wonky lectures, Robert Lustig from UCSF explains what sugar does to your body, even if you are at a healthy weight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM)

           

          I am pretty sure I don't want to watch that.

          I read a very interesting book called Pandora's Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal. So got the message on processed food in general, I am certainly cognizant of the issues & reasonably careful about it, although not militant.

          Dave

          gpb


            Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

             

            I've really liked Michael Pollan's message and appreciate you posting it here.

            NikoRosa


            Funky Kicks 2019

              The book "Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us"  Michael Moss (Author) is also a great read if anyone needs further motivation to avoid processed foods.

              Leah, mother of dogs

                Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

                 

                Good article, reflects a lot of the concepts in the book I referenced. A key takeaway for me being that ingesting substances which are present in food is not the same thing as eating the food.

                Dave

                SillyC


                  Dave, nah, it's not a weight thing.  I'm happy with my weight.  It's a heath thing.  Sugar does some pretty bad stuff to your body, especially the way it is added to so many processed foods.  And anyway, I run for fun, not for chocolate.  

                   

                  (If you like watching wonky lectures, Robert Lustig from UCSF explains what sugar does to your body, even if you are at a healthy weight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM)

                   

                  Sugnim,  I'm trying to cut back as well, but I'm with everyone else here that says it is SO hard.

                   

                  Are you also going to quit it while running as well?  I keep rationalizing that if I'm actually in the process of depleting my glycogen, or have recently depleted a fair amount of it, that's where the sugar is going to go.

                     

                    Sugnim,  I'm trying to cut back as well, but I'm with everyone else here that says it is SO hard.

                     

                    Are you also going to quit it while running as well?  I keep rationalizing that if I'm actually in the process of depleting my glycogen, or have recently depleted a fair amount of it, that's where the sugar is going to go.

                     

                    It is possible to to replace the glycogen with natural/healthy sources, such as bananas and/or other whole fruits?

                     

                    I know, easier said than done, but when I'm disciplined, I feel my recovery is much better when I replenish with real fruits than with a recovery drink.  I just don't always follow what I know works.

                    SillyC


                       

                      It is possible to to replace the glycogen with natural/healthy sources, such as bananas and/or other whole fruits?

                       

                      I know, easier said than done, but when I'm disciplined, I feel my recovery is much better when I replenish with real fruits than with a recovery drink.  I just don't always follow what I know works.

                       

                      Oh, I'm sure it is possible to replace the glycogen with starch or fruits.  It's just that the sugar is delicious, and I wonder if the effects are AS bad when you're actively active (if that makes sense)?  Can I dodge the ill effects by eating skittles WHILE running?

                       

                      Regarding the HFCS causing appetite increases, I know this to be true for me, and it's pretty drastic.  I really cannot have soda or I'll eat everything in sight.  On the rare occasions when we get a 12 pack of soda, (like for guests)  I'll rapidly gain about 5 pounds.  There aren't that many calories in the case of soda, so it's definitely my appetite increasing.  I use that to my advantage when I run ultras, though.  I'll drink the HFCS and it helps me eat more.

                         

                        Oh, I'm sure it is possible to replace the glycogen with starch or fruits.  It's just that the sugar is delicious, and I wonder if the effects are AS bad when you're actively active (if that makes sense)?  Can I dodge the ill effects by eating skittles WHILE running?

                         

                        Regarding the HFCS causing appetite increases, I know this to be true for me, and it's pretty drastic.  I really cannot have soda or I'll eat everything in sight.  On the rare occasions when we get a 12 pack of soda, (like for guests)  I'll rapidly gain about 5 pounds.  There aren't that many calories in the case of soda, so it's definitely my appetite increasing.  I use that to my advantage when I run ultras, though.  I'll drink the HFCS and it helps me eat more.

                         

                        It makes sense, and I struggle with that all the time. My weakness is icecream, more so than plain sugary snacks. I'll justify a trip to culvers after a run cuz "I need to replenish a bunch of calories..."

                         

                        I agree with the HFCS.   Bad stuff...

                         

                        Simple sugars, such as gels have their place. It gets right into the system and provides energy.

                        SillyC


                           

                          It makes sense, and I struggle with that all the time. My weakness is icecream, more so than plain sugary snacks. I'll justify a trip to culvers after a run cuz "I need to replenish a bunch of calories..."

                           

                          I agree with the HFCS.   Bad stuff...

                           

                          Simple sugars, such as gels have their place. It gets right into the system and provides energy.

                           

                          I like the ice cream, too, but I'm happy to limit portion sizes of that.  A friend of mine who is diabetic got me in the habit of eating it with a baby spoon out of an espresso cup.  It sounds like one of those miserable crazy diet tricks, but I was surprised at how well that worked.  Ice cream is great to taste, and your mouth sort of doesn't know whether it's got a whole mouthful or just a baby spoon of it.  It takes a while to eat that way, and at the end, your stomach will feel a lot better than if you ate a huge sundae.

                           

                          I really like the sugar-sugar.  Candies like nerds, gobstoppers, Good&Plentys, Gummy bears.... those are my weaknesses.

                          tom1961


                          Old , Ugly and slow

                            I eat very little fast food,

                            I don't eat white bread and rarely eat chips or other salty snacks.

                             

                            But I never could give up sugar.

                            first race sept 1977 last race sept 2007

                             

                            2019  goals   1000  miles  , 190 pounds , deadlift 400 touch my toes


                            sugnim

                               

                              Oh, I'm sure it is possible to replace the glycogen with starch or fruits.  It's just that the sugar is delicious, and I wonder if the effects are AS bad when you're actively active (if that makes sense)?  Can I dodge the ill effects by eating skittles WHILE running?

                               

                              Regarding the HFCS causing appetite increases, I know this to be true for me, and it's pretty drastic.  I really cannot have soda or I'll eat everything in sight.  On the rare occasions when we get a 12 pack of soda, (like for guests)  I'll rapidly gain about 5 pounds.  There aren't that many calories in the case of soda, so it's definitely my appetite increasing.  I use that to my advantage when I run ultras, though.  I'll drink the HFCS and it helps me eat more.

                               

                              According to this Lustig fellow at UCSF, you can't undo the effects of too much sugar, even by running.  He says that the way sugar (fructose in particular) is metabolized in the body is the problem.  Your body stores the sugar in the liver, and it has effects on your body they was that alcohol does, only you don't get the same buzz because alcohol is metabolized in the brain & fructose is metabolized in the liver.  The damage is done to your internal organs by the metabolization of excess sugar, not the fat where your body stores excess energy.  The video I mentioned earlier really is interesting, although it is long and wonky.  I typically shrug off stuff like this, but Lustig is a very well-respected doctor and researcher and his findings have been presented in some pretty prestigious journals.  Here is an easier article to read, aimed more at lay-folk like myself rather than scientists & doctors: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-lustig-md/sugar-toxic_b_2759564.html)

                               

                              It seems to me that there is so much added sugar to most processed foods that if we eat those, we are already taking in too much sugar so it won't matter if we only have a small sundae or 1 soda.  There is sugar added to bread, yogurt, cereal, granola bars, tomato sauce, etc.  So, my goal is to quit the sugar by stopping most processed foods that have added sugar and drastically cutting back on sweets (cake is for birthdays, not Saturdays; cookies are for Xmas, not Tuesdays, etc.)


                              #artbydmcbride

                                I have read that the deadliest combination is sugar and fat together in the same item or meal.  So sugar only (Skittles, gu etc.) and oils alone (olive oil, bruscetta) aren't as bad as those when combined (cheescake, milk chocolate, ice cream)

                                 

                                Runners run