Sugar Is KILLING Us - Seriously

[MikeBiDude]

Doc, what is the single most important thing I can do to achieve a healthier weight," I would tell him to eat less. I wouldn't tell him to eat more fruit.

So if the overweight patient was eating fast food, fettuccine Alfredo, French fries, beef 5x a week...you’d say “but don’t eat fruit”!

[Rudynate]

So if the overweight patient was eating fast food, fettuccine Alfredo, French fries, beef 5x a week...you’d say “but don’t eat fruit”!

 

 

I specified "the single most important thing." "But don't eat fruit" is a second thing. I believe, (and this only my belief, albeit a well-informed belief) that even on the crappy diet you described, losing an appreciable amount of bodyfat would produce objective and subjective improvements in the guy's health. I completely agree that the degree of improvement would be limited by the guy's crappy diet, but I think he would feel better and objective measures of health such as his blood pressure and lipid profile would improve.

Edited November 26, 2018 by Rudynate

[MikeBiDude]

I specified "the single most important thing." "But don't eat fruit" is a second thing.

My reply was serious “tongue in cheek”

[Rudynate]

My reply was serious “tongue in cheek”

 

 

Once I get going, it's hard to step down off of the soapbox.

[LivingnLA]

And human bodies are subject to the Laws of Thermodynamics. I'm not arguing that other aspects of nutrition aren't vital to health. I'm arguing that it's all for naught in the absence of moderation. I saw a young man over Thanksgiving, whom I have known since he was approximately ten years old. He has always been on the chubby side. The last several years he has got religion about eating right and goes to rather extreme lengths to eat clean. The thing is, when I saw him over the holiday, he was the heaviest I've ever seen him. When he got religion about eating right he some how missed the Gospel of Moderation.

 

Yup, which is why I said that when I said the only time calories matter is with regard to weight gain/loss/management. Beyond that, diversity and variety of vegetables and fruits are beneficial. Further, if you're a committed Vegan, that lifestyle implicitly includes calorie management if it's based on raw fruits and vegetables simply because calorie concentration is lower in natural raw foods.

 

I would challenge the young man's "religion about eating right" because it sounds like he's eating far too much of the wrong foods.

[LivingnLA]

If I were a physician and I had an overweight patient and the patient asked me, "Doc, what is the single most important thing I can do to achieve a healthier weight," I would tell him to eat less. I wouldn't tell him to eat more fruit.

 

I would say, "it depends" because I have no idea about the patient's specific case. There are genetic factors to consider, various illnesses and environmental factors. But, as I have said repeatedly in this thread, moderation matters. Diversity, variety, and quality of food matters. Generally speaking, processed "food" is a less healthy choice, but the specifics of the patient's life come into play too.

[Rudynate]

Yup, which is why I said that when I said the only time calories matter is with regard to weight gain/loss/management. Beyond that, diversity and variety of vegetables and fruits are beneficial. Further, if you're a committed Vegan, that lifestyle implicitly includes calorie management if it's based on raw fruits and vegetables simply because calorie concentration is lower in natural raw foods.

 

I would challenge the young man's "religion about eating right" because it sounds like he's eating far too much of the wrong foods.

 

 

I would say that he's eating far too much.

[+ PapaTony]

Calories are calories, whether they come from bluberries or cheese danish. If one consumes enough fruit to create a calorie excess, he will gain weight. My fitness coach just designed a weight gain diet for me. Where did some of the excess calories come from? Fruit and fruit juices.

True but this discussion wasn’t about calories and weight gain.

[Rudynate]

True but this discussion wasn’t about calories and weight gain.

 

 

No it was about the evils of sugar. But such a topic will inevitably meander, possibly to include the subject of calories and weight gain. And of course, one of the most commonly cited evils of sugar is the fact that it is empty calories, having no other nutritional value than its calories.

[marylander1940]

True that...excess calories not good.

 

But I saw a doctor on TV at some point in my past...that had an ounce of Hershey’s chocolate and an Apple side-by-side.

Although the same calories (for this discussion say 125) the Apple had far greater benefits, “burned” some calories by virtue of digestion via its fiber, no fat etc.

 

So yes “calories are calories”, fruits have sugars, but smarter choices make a difference too.

 

Not only that but natural sugar is always good for fuel/energy!

 

True but this discussion wasn’t about calories and weight gain.

 

True but threads evolve and sometimes get hijacked (I'm not saying that happened to this one).

[+ MasssageGuy]

This is a very interesting article.

 

Essentially, eating processed food is killing our ancestral microbiome.

 

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-the-western-diet-has-derailed-our-evolution-1101393416

 

"When he fed mice a fiber-poor, sugary, Western-like diet, diversity plummeted. (Fiber-starved mice were also meaner and more difficult to handle.) But the losses weren’t permanent. Even after weeks on this junk food-like diet, an animal’s microbial diversity would mostly recover if it began consuming fiber again."

Edited November 27, 2018 by MasssageGuy

[+ MasssageGuy]

I wonder if kids fed sugary diets are meaner and more difficult to handle?

[+ MasssageGuy]

I know, you are tired of hearing this...

 

However, we are all connected and it is so important that we are aware of the impact something that is harmful to our health.

 

[+ PapaTony]

No it was about the evils of sugar. But such a topic will inevitably meander, possibly to include the subject of calories and weight gain. And of course, one of the most commonly cited evils of sugar is the fact that it is empty calories, having no other nutritional value than its calories.

All true as applied to extracted sugars, not so true regarding naturally occurring fructose in fruits. As stated earlier I’m fully vegan and part of my dietary plan is no less than 5 servings of fruit each day.

 

https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/how-to-eat-fruit

 

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/food-groups/fruit-and-diabetes

 

https://www.masteringdiabetes.org/fruit-for-diabetes/

Edited November 27, 2018 by PapaTony

[Rudynate]

All true as applied to extracted sugars, not so true regarding naturally occurring fructose in fruits. As stated earlier I’m fully vegan and part of my dietary plan is no less than 5 servings of fruit each day.

 

https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/how-to-eat-fruit

 

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/food-groups/fruit-and-diabetes

 

https://www.masteringdiabetes.org/fruit-for-diabetes/

 

What does that 5 servings of fruit do for your waistline?

[+ PapaTony]

What does that 5 servings of fruit do for your waistline?

I’m 50 lbs lighter today than 4 years ago.

I’m 6’1”, 184, 32” waist

[Rudynate]

I’m 50 lbs lighter today than 4 years ago.

I’m 6’1”, 184, 32” waist

 

Congratulations!!

[+ PapaTony]

Congratulations!!

Thank you.

[+ PapaTony]

https://nutritionfacts.org/2017/06/08/how-much-nutrition-education-do-doctors-get/

[+ MasssageGuy]

https://nutritionfacts.org/2017/06/08/how-much-nutrition-education-do-doctors-get/

Michael Greger M.D. is an awesome dude.

 

He is worth listening to and learning from.

[+ PapaTony]

Michael Greger M.D. is an awesome dude.

 

He is worth listening to and learning from.

Absolutely!

[+ MasssageGuy]

’m convinced that I can still control the amount of belly fat that accumulates by the choices I make.

 

Great Job! There is so much added sugar in all the processed foods we consume. Amazing results from eating whole foods and reducing added sugar consumption.

 

Thanks for feedback on your quest.

[+ MasssageGuy]

Sweet Revenge Turning the Tables on Processed Food (no vegetarian/vegan propaganda)

 

For years we have been told that type 2 diabetes, liver and heart disease are caused by eating too much--it's all our fault. Dr. Robert H. Lustig explains that the problem is the quality and not the quantity of the food we eat. The real culprit is processed food, loaded with added sugar and stripped of its natural fiber and nutrients.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z-_6JgMiwA

[+ oldNbusted]

I wonder if kids fed sugary diets are meaner and more difficult to handle?

 

 

I've heard speculation that effect is smaller than the physiological impact that since the adults are expecting kids to act up, they will proceed to do so.

[Rudynate]

Sweet Revenge Turning the Tables on Processed Food (no vegetarian/vegan propaganda)

 

For years we have been told that type 2 diabetes, liver and heart disease are caused by eating too much--it's all our fault. Dr. Robert H. Lustig explains that the problem is the quality and not the quantity of the food we eat. The real culprit is processed food, loaded with added sugar and stripped of its natural fiber and nutrients.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z-_6JgMiwA

 

It still our fault. We make our own food choices. And the information that will allow people to make better choices is out there for anyone who's interested.