Sugar

Do you have a sweet tooth?
Do you consciously avoid sugar?
Do you think cutting sugar could improve your life?
Do you think your diet has more or less sugar than the average American?
Do you prefer any international food options because of their differing sugar content?

Story about a family cutting out sugar for a year, and their perceived health benefits.

Her Family Stopped Eating Sugar for A Year, and This is What Happened | The Mind Unleashed

We are always hunting for food items that have no added sugar or corn syrup. It's very hard. We do a lot of from-scratch cooking, yes. We shop at a local grocery store that has a lot of international and natural food options. We're not anti-sugar, but we prefer to have no sugar in things that shouldn't have sugar. (my husband works for a candy company - we love sugar, just as a treat and not as a main component of our diet.)

Oh - and more on international food options: puffed bazmati rice instead of rice krispies. Frozen Indian meals instead of Stauffer's. Marinated extra firm tofu instead of tofurky and other processed products... There seem to be so many more international food options with less sugar. The American guys at the lab are always teasing the international students who bring in "candy" that doesn't taste sweet. I think it's good - it's definitely designed for a different palate. What's your palate like? Sweet or salty?

 

It's not really no-sugar, as the author suggests a couple times in the article, if one is still consuming fruit, milk, or beer, among other things. I feel like a less savvy reader would miss the part where she said that they wouldn't eat a sweet thing unless the sweetness was "attached to its original source."

I don't eat a lot of sweet things these days unless I make them myself (a rule I picked up from Michael Pollan), though I still need to figure out how to make a Fig Newton, and I will still buy ice cream as an occasional treat. Right now, the only sweet treat we have in the house is a box of Fig Newtons I bought as a surprise for my husband (they're his favorite). It's probably the first box of cookies I've bought for home (we sometimes buy cookies for camping) in several years.

I agree with your observation about other palates. I love Japanese confectionery, and it's considerably less sweet. One of my favorite treats is mitarashi dango The sauce is sweet, salty, and savory, so it is extremely satisfying. I also really love daifuku; Westerners might find the filling of anko a little odd at first, given that it's sweet, mashed-up azuki beans. I've made daifuku from scratch, and it takes less sugar than most Western baked goods. I think I used about a cup, total, including the filling of tsubu-an; chocolate chip cookies, exclusive of the chocolate, take 1.5 cups. One of my favorite candies of all time are these ume candies:



They're not particular sweet (umeboshi are salted, pickled plums, after all), but rather sour, salty, and finally, they fade to a subtle sweetness. They're very satisfying compared to other candies, and I think it's because they hit so many taste sensations. They're a great palate cleanser. I need to buy more. I like getting people to try them along with Dubbel Zoute licorice--Dutch salty licorice, which is not really sweet at all, pretty salty, and will cure anything (so said my grandfather).

 

Sorry, if the sources include Mercola, I'm going to just dismiss that out of hand.

Also, I don't see people throwing up when they drink grape juice, which is just as sugary as Coca Cola. Apple juice is only a little less sweet.

 

Yes, thank you snowy.

 

Furthermore:

Diabetes Myths: American Diabetes Association®

As for me, I need to cut out sugar and several grams of relatively empty carbohydrates in general. I tend to use these too much as filler, which crowds out a lot of potential nutrition in my diet.

I'm an impulsive eater, and eating poorly only perpetuates this habit. I need to make some changes.

 

I have a family member who was diagnosed with Type 1 later in life (mid-twenties); I frequently have to specify that it is Type 1 because people will just go off about how this person must have done it to themselves. Then I have to explain what Type 1 is, as there is so much misinformation out there about diabetes, and that the twenties are a hot time for autoimmune disorders, period. That said, even a person on Type 1 can benefit from a balanced diet low in sugar, as it can mean the difference between needing shots and being able to use an insulin pump instead. The end result of a healthy diet for anyone with diabetes, regardless of type, is usually needing less medication.

 

My dad is quite fit. He is also a diabetic (Type 2). It drives me bonkers when people assume if you're fit and healthy that you're not going to have blood sugar issues. Genetics is a huge component, even with type 2. I know it will affect me some day. I plan my diet so it minimizes my likelihood of contracting the disease, but I know it's going to catch up to me no matter what.

 

Dr. Mercola is a holistic quack that puts out a natural living publication, and has reviews for holistic dentists, doctors,etc. Dr. Oz got a lot of flack from featuring Dr. Mercola a while back.

 

Holy shit. Being the guy Dr. Oz received flak for featuring must really suck. I mean, it's Dr. Oz.

 

Glad someone caught that.

 

Speaking of Mercola and his tinfoil-hat wearing ways, one of the myths he perpetuates is that microwaves are harmful and a terrible way to cook vegetables, since they're basically irradiating our food. These "articles" on microwaves lure unsuspecting and not-so-critical thinkers into believing they're true, when in fact, it's quite the opposite: cooking vegetables in the microwave is one of the best ways to cook them. It requires minimal water, and therefore the nutrition within the vegetables isn't lost the way it would be with boiling or even with steaming on the stovetop. A couple tablespoons of water in the bottom of the dish is all cooking in the microwave requires. Oh, but no--we're IRRADIATING our FOOD! My husband, who has considerable expertise in microwave chemistry, has to explain to people that that isn't how microwaves work, and that there are plenty of other sources of microwaves in the world (wireless communications, radar, GPS, remote sensing). No, your microwave is not leaking radiation into your house; it's fully shielded. We're exposed to microwaves ALL THE TIME in everyday life.

My MIL almost went on an anti-microwave kick for a while. My husband laughed at her when she told him what she'd been reading. She looked at him doubtfully for a moment until he was all, "Mom. I have a Master's degree in what amounts to microwave chemistry--do you even know this guy's credentials?" Ugh.

 

John Oliver rips into Big Sugar (which, coincidentally, is also the name of one of my favourite bands):


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MepXBJjsNxs

 

For the fat time of day...I think I'd rather just eat fat. At the very least, it's satiating.