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Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

drexel.edu

31–40 of 166 posts

Re: Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

#31
post #22
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hear about keto so often that it must be the best thing ever, however I have no idea what it even is and I got curious! Do you have some links/articles which describe what it is and what positive/negative things can come out of it?

Lately there's been some product pushing from some companies, some "facebook keto" of people only eating fat, and some pushback from mainstream low-fat selling and plant-based food groups, calling it fad, etc. So the area is kind of confusing right now. The best resource I think think of is Keto subreddit FAW which goes over the principles and some misconceptions and so on: https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq Also…

Elimination diets always show short-term results. If someone reduces burger consumption from 5 to 3 a day, he\she will definitely see good results. However, if we have to constantly trick our bodies (starvation) and walk a tightrope (need to avoid even the smallest amounts of carbs or else...) to just keep Keto on track, is it really natural?

Re: Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

#32
post #24

I’ve cut sugar out of my diet almost completely(bar trace amounts and the rare cheat treat). 23kg loss sustained over 16 months on a modified keto diet. Cutting out sugar has been a game changer for me.

I eat mostly fruits, very little vegetables and cooked grains. I have lost 10+ kgs in the past 6 months. I was not obese, but could lose some weight. Refined sugars are detrimental for health. Whole fruits and their sugars are great!

While you're right about sugars, a diet that consists mostly of fruits can't be nutrient complete and therefore is not really good for you.

Re: Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

#33
post #32
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I eat mostly fruits, very little vegetables and cooked grains. I have lost 10+ kgs in the past 6 months. I was not obese, but could lose some weight. Refined sugars are detrimental for health. Whole fruits and their sugars are great!

While you're right about sugars, a diet that consists mostly of fruits can't be nutrient complete and therefore is not really good for you.

I eat a huge variety - fruits, melons, berries... Just curious, what do you think I would be missing?

Re: Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

#34
post #31
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lately there's been some product pushing from some companies, some "facebook keto" of people only eating fat, and some pushback from mainstream low-fat selling and plant-based food groups, calling it fad, etc. So the area is kind of confusing right now. The best resource I think think of is Keto subreddit FAW which goes over the principles and some misconceptions and so on: https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq Also…

Elimination diets always show short-term results. If someone reduces burger consumption from 5 to 3 a day, he\she will definitely see good results. However, if we have to constantly trick our bodies (starvation) and walk a tightrope (need to avoid even the smallest amounts of carbs or else...) to just keep Keto on track, is it really natural?

Define natural please. It’s my belief that industrialized food production has created unnatural availability of foods that largely use unnatural ingredients. Unnatural as in not found readily or at all in nature.

Are you defining natural as ‘conventional 21st century Western diet’? ie what everyone is doing around you.

Re: Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

#35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is exactly it. There's no need to take things to extremes. Any diet that is unsustainable long term is not going to be good for you.

"Any diet that is unsustainable long term is not going to be good for you." I hope this doesn't come across as too pedantic, but I dunno if your maxim holds. For instance, fasting isn't necessarily bad (I think it's quite useful) but clearly it's an unsustainable beyond a certain number of days. Similarly, keto can both be very effective, change your eating preferences, and be done over a span of months even if it's…

> You can enter ketosis long enough to lose some weight and then add back in some carbs at some point... just don't return to whatever habits led you to gain weight in the first place.

That's the key though. Despite using keto or fasting, you still changed your diet. However, the changes you've made are more manageable for the long run.

Re: Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

#36
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Elimination diets always show short-term results. If someone reduces burger consumption from 5 to 3 a day, he\she will definitely see good results. However, if we have to constantly trick our bodies (starvation) and walk a tightrope (need to avoid even the smallest amounts of carbs or else...) to just keep Keto on track, is it really natural?

Define natural please. It’s my belief that industrialized food production has created unnatural availability of foods that largely use unnatural ingredients. Unnatural as in not found readily or at all in nature. Are you defining natural as ‘conventional 21st century Western diet’? ie what everyone is doing around you.

Since everything is sourced from nature, for argument's sake, even plastic can be called natural. However, as far as food is concerned, I have started treating foods that have been manipulated in any way by a human or a machine as unnatural.

All I am saying is that in my opinion Keto does not fit the definition of natural. I eat mostly fruits while I feed my dogs raw meat and organs only.

Re: Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

#37
post #33
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While you're right about sugars, a diet that consists mostly of fruits can't be nutrient complete and therefore is not really good for you.

I eat a huge variety - fruits, melons, berries... Just curious, what do you think I would be missing?

Protein?

Re: Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

#38
post #33
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While you're right about sugars, a diet that consists mostly of fruits can't be nutrient complete and therefore is not really good for you.

I eat a huge variety - fruits, melons, berries... Just curious, what do you think I would be missing?

Fats and proteins (unless you also consume a huge amount of nuts and/or legumes). I think it's quite obvious when you look up the nutritional content of fruits you eat and compare that with recommended daily intake of various nutrients.

Re: Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

#39
post #37
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I eat a huge variety - fruits, melons, berries... Just curious, what do you think I would be missing?

Protein?

Not at all. All the protein a human needs can be sourced from plants and in huge quantities. Even grass has enough protein to help an elephant grow to ~1.5 tonnes.

Re: Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

#40
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have done Keto myself and personally I would not recommend it. I would actually love to do keto forever as I love eating meat but it will pretty much ruin most of your social eating out habits unless you are okay with not going out for things like Sushi (not eating rolls), ice cream etc. I also do powerlifting and my calorie requirements are much higher. Strength wise, my strength took a dip initially but it mostly…

Given that the brain's main source of energy is sugar and the heart's main source of energy is fat, and the complexity of the body's organs, I think any type of diet that limits specific types of energy sources should carry disclaimers. For example, if you are on a keto diet and your diet is well-defined, what are the risks? Fatigue is one thing, but organ damage or otherwise dangerous effects should be discussed fra…

Brain uses both. There's an interesting talk [1] about how brain's ability to use glucose lowers before Alzhaimers disease and others. There seems to be some link between brain diseases and glucose metabolism.

[1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxGiQ7YrUYE

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