Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar • Hacker News Board

Re: Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

#101

Post by msiyer » Thu, May 09, 2019, 2:05 PM UTC

kaoD wrote: post #75

msiyer wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The elephant thing was an example. Humans too can get whatever they need from plant sources. The day humans start eating raw fresh or rotten meat and find enjoyment in that is the day I will accept that humans are meant to eat other animals. Also, if you are downvoting me thinking that I am some vegan activist, you are wrong. I am from Asia where relying on fruits and vegetables is or at least was till a few decades…

> The day humans start eating raw fresh or rotten meat and find enjoyment in that is the day I will accept that humans are meant to eat other animals. Sushi. Shrimp. Spanish ham and other cold meats like chorizo. Steak tartare. Jerky. Many fermented meats that I don't know the name of. My brother even loves eating raw meatballs. We cook, not because we aren't meant to eat meat, but for the better taste and easier dig…

People far wiser than you advocated against eating animal flesh. Ham (pig flesh) is especially a big no-no in many religions for a reason.

Cooking is inferior. You cannot better nature. It just is not possible.

Re: Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

#102

Post by mvid » Thu, May 09, 2019, 2:08 PM UTC

nradov wrote: post #97

rv-de wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

if it isn't bad for you then it's not an addiction. addictive behavior is by definition always harmful. drinking water is hence not an addiction but a necessity.

Water intoxication will kill you. Almost anything can be harmful in excessive quantities.

That is pedantic. There is no realistic scenario where your brain will compel you to consume so much water you suffer long term detriment

Re: Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

#103

Post by ZeroFries » Thu, May 09, 2019, 2:08 PM UTC

There's actually not that much evidence moderate sugar intake is bad for you, at all. All this talk about "sugar" swings is completely off base, IMO, especially considering most starches are much higher on the GI and II scales than sugars. Fructose is low GI, and most of it is converted to glucose in the gut, anyway. Higher consumption is converted to fat, but most vilifying sugars promote fat, so what's the difference? If anyone can link me evidence that moderate sugar intake promotes worse blood sugar regulation (compared to saturated fat, especially) in healthy, non-diabetic populations, would love to see it.

FWIW, I've had anywhere from <30g total carbs in my diet, to moderate sugar/carb intake, to very high (300+g sugar [mostly from fruit], 500+ carb) diets. The very low carb diets were the worst for my energy levels (and yes, I did intake plenty of electrolytes, and was on it for 12+ weeks). Moderate carb feels best, to me, as an active, healthy body-weight male, for what anecdotal evidence is worth.

Re: Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

#104

Post by msiyer » Thu, May 09, 2019, 2:12 PM UTC

jtreminio wrote: post #100

msiyer wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fats and proteins are available in fruits. I eat legumes occasionally and nuts etc. very rarely. The funniest thing is, once your system is reset, many foods that seem OK cause troubles. I could eat a lot of onions and garlic in the past. Now, they trouble me a lot.

Having problems with onions or garlic is a common sign of IBS.

It is a sign of my system being cleaner than it was before. Onion and garlic are extremely potent medicines. They are not food. They have antibiotic properties and kill bacteria. Our guts have microbes. Now, connect the dots...

Re: Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

#105

Post by jtreminio » Thu, May 09, 2019, 2:19 PM UTC

msiyer wrote: post #104

jtreminio wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having problems with onions or garlic is a common sign of IBS.

It is a sign of my system being cleaner than it was before. Onion and garlic are extremely potent medicines. They are not food. They have antibiotic properties and kill bacteria. Our guts have microbes. Now, connect the dots...

Garlic and onions are high in fructans which trigger IBS in millions of people a day.

My wife enjoyed and _loved_ galic for 30+ years before her IBS kicked in. Garlic is extremely bad for IBS because bacteria gorge themselves and produce a ton of gas, which causes horrible intestinal pain.

A study [0] recommends garlic and onions as key foods to restore a healthy, balanced microbiome.

I have never heard anyone before you claim that garlic or onions will kill bacteria. Rather, they let a specific kind flourish.

[0] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5470704/

Re: Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

#106

Post by scarecrowbob » Thu, May 09, 2019, 2:21 PM UTC

senux wrote: post #35

scarecrowbob wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"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.

True.

But I don't know if I wold have made the dietary changes if I hadn't lost the 50 lbs. And I would not have lost that weight on my current diet, I don't think.

So my point that there are useful short-term diets still seems tenable to me.

Re: Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

#107

Post by stronglikedan » Thu, May 09, 2019, 2:25 PM UTC

mvid wrote: post #102

nradov wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Water intoxication will kill you. Almost anything can be harmful in excessive quantities.

That is pedantic. There is no realistic scenario where your brain will compel you to consume so much water you suffer long term detriment

> There is no realistic scenario

Admittedly pedantic, but apparently a contest to win a Wii is one such realistic scenario.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jan-14-me-water...

Re: Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

#108

Post by stronglikedan » Thu, May 09, 2019, 2:27 PM UTC

ZeroFries wrote: post #103

There's actually not that much evidence moderate sugar intake is bad for you, at all. All this talk about "sugar" swings is completely off base, IMO, especially considering most starches are much higher on the GI and II scales than sugars. Fructose is low GI, and most of it is converted to glucose in the gut, anyway. Higher consumption is converted to fat, but most vilifying sugars promote fat, so what's the differen…

Hear, hear!

I couldn't imagine cutting sugar out completely, or anything non-processed for that matter. It just seems like a miserable way to live, but to each their own, I guess.

I personally like to enjoy everything nature has to offer, just in moderation. Portion control using non-processed ingredients is the only sustainable diet I've ever successfully implemented, and I've tried a great many.

Re: Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

#109

Post by inciampati » Thu, May 09, 2019, 2:28 PM UTC

johnkpaul wrote: post #73

nindalf wrote: post #64

For the first 3.5 months of this year I was completely off artificial sugar. That meant fruit was ok, but any kind of dessert wasn't. It was hard initially but after a couple of weeks it was easy. I didn't feel the craving to eat dessert like I always did. I also felt much better and more productive now that my insulin levels were more stable than before. On my previous diet I had regular sugar highs and lows (which…

Awesome, congrats! I'm at 2.5 years of no artificial and as close to 0 "natural sugar" as possible. I don't have any fruit and I don't drink milk but have the lactose in cheese sometimes. I also have tomatoes sometimes so there is a little glucose in that. Generally, if I could, I'd have 0 -ose completely. It's done wonders for my A1C and weight. It definitely gets easier after the original weaning. Now it doesn't ev…

Out of curiosity, what kind of foods are your staples?

Re: Training the Brain to Eat Less Sugar

#110

Post by adrianhel » Thu, May 09, 2019, 2:32 PM UTC

msiyer wrote: post #33

senux wrote: 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?

Vitamin B12 for one. I'd hazard a guess that you'd get too little iron and omega 3 as well.