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Big Sugar Versus Your Body

nytimes.com

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Re: Big Sugar Versus Your Body

#11

Post by ascagnel_ »

beggi wrote: post #5

The author conflates sugar/honey etc (pure carbs - glucose, fructose) and artificial sweeteners like stevia and erythritol which don't have any effect on your blood glucose and really are completely different. I fully agree with the premise of minimizing sugar consumption but I don't think encouraging people to avoid certain artificial sweeteners like stevia etc is helpful - and in fact it's hurting because certain p…

The article is specifically talking about added sugars, and their net effect.

> Big Sugar has paid researchers to conduct misleading — if not false — studies about the health effects of added sweeteners.

The core issue is not the type of sugar, but the nature of it being basically everywhere in packaged foods.

The author also mentions that it's not worth trying to quantify the amount of sugar:

> Don’t agonize over the sugar content of every single thing you eat.

I find the best rule of thumb is to "eat around the outside" -- most American supermarkets push produce, meat, dairy, etc., to the outer walls of the market, and design stores to make you criss-cross the packaged goods aisles in the center. If you focus shopping on fresh foods, you generally will eat better (with a slightly more expensive grocery bill).

Re: Big Sugar Versus Your Body

#12

Post by acomjean »

itpragmatik wrote: post #6

Also would like to know if the author had any younger kids at home. Being a parent I find it difficult and almost impossible to deny my kids of sweet treats few times a week. We end up buying things that kids like but then temptation is very strong and I end up eating some of those treats as well! Also I am addicted to fake sugar (Truvia/Stevia etc). I use them almost everyday. Are they bad than natural sugar or wors…

I'm not sure about artificial sweeteners. I know that in small doses they're probably safe but determining health effects of everything we eat is hard (we eat a lot of different stuff).

I use "splenda (sucralose) [1] the yellow packet" sometimes and I find I don't need very much at all for my tea, as they are significantly sweeter than the real thing. Its basically modified sucrose. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucralose

There is ongoing research about how the body reacts to "sweet taste" vs "carbs" in terms of insulin response. I find the less sweets I eat the less I crave them over time. [2] [2]https://www.health.harvard.edu/diabetes/ask-the-doctor-do-ar...

Re: Big Sugar Versus Your Body

#13

Post by gjem97 »

notheguyouthink wrote: post #3

The article mentions Stevia, but are fake sugars proven to be bad? What about as bad as Sugar? I'm curious because that's my wife's lifeblood for a life without sugar. Without fake sugars.. I don't know what she'd do.

I believe there have been some studies that show that artificial sweeteners affect your insulin response to real sugar, but I think it's far from settled science.

Re: Big Sugar Versus Your Body

#14

Post by lostcolony »

ascagnel_ wrote: post #11
beggi wrote: post #5

The author conflates sugar/honey etc (pure carbs - glucose, fructose) and artificial sweeteners like stevia and erythritol which don't have any effect on your blood glucose and really are completely different. I fully agree with the premise of minimizing sugar consumption but I don't think encouraging people to avoid certain artificial sweeteners like stevia etc is helpful - and in fact it's hurting because certain p…

The article is specifically talking about added sugars, and their net effect. > Big Sugar has paid researchers to conduct misleading — if not false — studies about the health effects of added sweeteners. The core issue is not the type of sugar, but the nature of it being basically everywhere in packaged foods. The author also mentions that it's not worth trying to quantify the amount of sugar: > Don’t agonize over th…

Or put another way, "Don't eat packaged/processed foods. Buy whole foods, and assemble it yourself".

Re: Big Sugar Versus Your Body

#15

Post by igravious »

itpragmatik wrote: post #6

Also would like to know if the author had any younger kids at home. Being a parent I find it difficult and almost impossible to deny my kids of sweet treats few times a week. We end up buying things that kids like but then temptation is very strong and I end up eating some of those treats as well! Also I am addicted to fake sugar (Truvia/Stevia etc). I use them almost everyday. Are they bad than natural sugar or wors…

My daughter has chocolate in the cupboard from Easter this time last year. She has a can of soda maybe once a week and does eat not much candy, when she does it's recognised as a treat and not a part of her normal diet. She does drink smoothies that I'm sure have a good bit of sugar. I never buy products with artificial sweeteners if I can help it and I never use fake sugar (Truvia/Stevia/…) supplements–I'm actually not sure what people put them in, is it coffee and tea? I prefer regular Coke or Pepsi (for instance) to the diet alternatives because I can totally taste the artificial sweetener and it leaves a gross aftertaste in my mouth.

To the people here who have commented that a life without artificial sweeteners is unimaginable to them I am at a loss for words. I do not know what to say to you. I'm not saying that I have an iron will or anything–once you go without for a while you lose the taste for it, it really is that simple I think.Surely it can't be as difficult to kick as say beer or cigarettes?

Re: Big Sugar Versus Your Body

#16

Post by jakewins »

beggi wrote: post #5

The author conflates sugar/honey etc (pure carbs - glucose, fructose) and artificial sweeteners like stevia and erythritol which don't have any effect on your blood glucose and really are completely different. I fully agree with the premise of minimizing sugar consumption but I don't think encouraging people to avoid certain artificial sweeteners like stevia etc is helpful - and in fact it's hurting because certain p…

> on't have any effect on your blood glucose and really are completely different

Source for this? My understanding is that the link between non-caloric artificial sweeteners (NAS) and diabetes is growing increasingly clear. For instance:

NAS linked to glucose intolerance (pre-diabetic hyperglacemia): https://www.nature.com/articles/nature13793

NAS unlikely to be healthy alternative to sugar for prevention of type 2 diabetes: http://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h3576.full

Re: Big Sugar Versus Your Body

#17

Post by TACIXAT »

I go through full withdrawal cutting out sugar, and it was the only thing that got me to actually stop going back to it. It took me about 3 times going back and forth and the last time I decided I really didn't want to go through the process of getting sick again.

I used to eat a few bowls of ice cream each day. I'd drink tons of root beer and cream soda. I still miss it every so often, but I know it's the right choice for me given how my body reacts to it.

I have found that I have no problems with monk fruit. The first time I tried it, it didn't really taste sweet. There was more just an after taste that I was unfamiliar with. After having it a few times though, my tongue must have adapted because it is a sweet flavor to me now. I don't crave it and have no negative side effects when I stop eating it.

It feels pretty liberating to cut out the stuff that you have cravings for. I was definitely a slave to caffeine and sugar and I'm glad to be free from those traps now.

Re: Big Sugar Versus Your Body

#18

Post by deyan »

I can confirm at least one part of this story with a personal anecdote:

As a child, I absolutely loved, craved, was addicted to Coca Cola. A liter a day, perhaps more. Coming to the US, I noticed that it tasted different because of substituting sugar with high fructose corn syrup. No problem - I switched to Mexican Coca Cola (the one in a glass bottle) - and carried on.

Fast forward to after grad school, I wanted to get in a better shape, without giving up sweets entirely (I definitely have a sweet tooth). So the first thing I did is to not buy coke. I could still get it if I wanted - the local 7-11 was literally across the street from my place. But it was no longer convenient - I had to get dressed and cross the street, deal with the line, the cashier, pay more for my guilty pleasure, etc. I still went, but definitely less and less frequently.

Fast forward a few years and coke started to taste very "heavy" to me. It had this aftertaste that I never noticed before but could no longer shake off. I found myself frequently unable to finish a bottle of coke. My cravings started getting less and less pronounced. This downward (well, upward in terms of health) slope continued and today I no longer crave Coca Cola at all, drinking it perhaps 5 times a year, if that. And even then I can't really do more than a few sips.

I look back on this and it honestly feels a bit surreal, knowing that my starting point was (multiple) liters per day and true joy and love for that sugary drink.

So progress is definitely possible as long as I took care to make the right choice the easy choice. Don't go hungry to the supermarket. Don't buy things because that makes them easily available, testing your willpower, which is inevitably finite. Make a few basic rules to follow rather than agonize over every small decision and feel guilty afterwards (just like the article said). Simple stuff like that.

Some things will stick, others won't, but that's okay. The key is to keep trying to get better and healthier, without losing the small pleasures in life without which, let's be honest, is this even worth it?!

Good luck to everyone on their personal journeys.

Re: Big Sugar Versus Your Body

#19

Post by sevensor »

esterly wrote: post #7

'Redo your pantry' is an important section in the linked article. My wife is really good about finding pointing out sugar in sauces that seem healthy [1], tomato sauce, catsup, etc., and finding sure free alternatives [1] https://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/10-hidde...

I was sad to learn that sauces like ketchup are mostly sugar. Even sriracha is quite sugary.

Re: Big Sugar Versus Your Body

#20

Post by derefr »

beggi wrote: post #5

The author conflates sugar/honey etc (pure carbs - glucose, fructose) and artificial sweeteners like stevia and erythritol which don't have any effect on your blood glucose and really are completely different. I fully agree with the premise of minimizing sugar consumption but I don't think encouraging people to avoid certain artificial sweeteners like stevia etc is helpful - and in fact it's hurting because certain p…

Under the scientific consensus (as presented in the book reviewed here: http://slatestarcodex.com/2017/04/25/book-review-the-hungry-...), I believe the logic is that "chronic exposure" to the sensory experience of sweetness itself does something to the brain involving the body's leptin set-point.

It's definitely something that needs to be proven experimental to apply to these artificial sweeteners as well (and there's already research saying that e.g. artificial sweeteners don't cause the brain to mask tiredness from exercise in the way real sugar does.)

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