Who knows about sugar?

November 21, 2018, 10:51 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Fenris:
quote:
Originally posted by TigerDore:
quote:
Originally posted by brecaidra:
I would add erythritol to this list. It's similar to xylitol but with a smaller molecular structure, so it's easier to digest.

Thanks for that info, brecaidra. I meant to add that too much xylitol can upset your stomach. I wasn't aware of erythritol.

If you have dogs be careful. Some of these sweeteners, like Xylitol, are deadly poison for dogs.

Yes, dogs are unable to process Xylitol. I'm not aware of any of the others being a problem, but I've heard of lots of people rushing their dogs to the vet after they've stolen a Xylitol treat.

November 21, 2018, 10:57 AM

esdunbar

quote:
Originally posted by cas:
I work with a guy who I would say eats a normal amount of carbs, but he probably eats above average. He's constantly eating whole bags of chips, popcorn and pretzels. He eats candy every day, many times all day. And I'm talking sugar! I've never seen a grownup eat Pixie Stix, but this guy in his late 50's downs them daily. lol His body fat is very low, his blood glucose levels and his teeth are fine.
I'm the exact opposite in what I can eat, unfortunately I learned it about 40 years too late. Several times in the past I'd cut out added sugar, all soda. ice tea etc, candy, cake etc... You know how much weight I lost? Between none and 5 lbs each time. Woopie! (and I drank a LOT of soda daily, thousands of calories).
It wasnt till I combined it with low carbs and intermittent fasting that I lost any weight. His body and my body obviously don't work the same way. lol

His body is very sensitive to insulin. Yours isn't. That's the only difference. Your bodies work the exact same.

Your body simply has to release a lot more insulin to deal with the sugar in your blood than his does. Since he requires very little insulin to push that sugar into cells, his body can go back to burning stored fat much sooner than yours can.

insulin...it's all about the insulin.

November 21, 2018, 11:01 AM

When my mother baked using recipes given to her or from a book or magazine she would halve the amount of sugar. No one knew the difference. I do the same.

November 21, 2018, 01:10 PM

sakata8242

quote:
Originally posted by thumperfbc:

I read time and again that stuff is all "chemically identical" or whatever, and I get it... But at the same time, I think there is a lot we don't know and I think our bodies are even more sophisticated than we give them credit for. We don't know what we don't know, and the chances that we know it all is pretty much zero. So while current science may say HFCS and honey are the same thing, I'm a skeptic.

The sugar is chemically the same. What's different is the other compounds and substances found in a natural food like honey or fruit, vs. a highly refined food like pure white sugar or HFCS. This is where the "we don't know what we don't know" comes in. It's perhaps a subtle distinction, but important. Fructose is fructose. BUT -- the fructose and other forms of sugar found in countless natural foods do not exist in isolation and are not consumed in isolation like a refined sugar product.

November 21, 2018, 01:17 PM

Strambo

quote:
Originally posted by esdunbar:
quote:
Originally posted by cas:
I work with a guy who I would say eats a normal amount of carbs, but he probably eats above average. He's constantly eating whole bags of chips, popcorn and pretzels. He eats candy every day, many times all day. And I'm talking sugar! I've never seen a grownup eat Pixie Stix, but this guy in his late 50's downs them daily. lol His body fat is very low, his blood glucose levels and his teeth are fine.
I'm the exact opposite in what I can eat, unfortunately I learned it about 40 years too late. Several times in the past I'd cut out added sugar, all soda. ice tea etc, candy, cake etc... You know how much weight I lost? Between none and 5 lbs each time. Woopie! (and I drank a LOT of soda daily, thousands of calories).
It wasnt till I combined it with low carbs and intermittent fasting that I lost any weight. His body and my body obviously don't work the same way. lol

His body is very sensitive to insulin. Yours isn't. That's the only difference. Your bodies work the exact same.

Your body simply has to release a lot more insulin to deal with the sugar in your blood than his does. Since he requires very little insulin to push that sugar into cells, his body can go back to burning stored fat much sooner than yours can.

insulin...it's all about the insulin.

That and also, just because the guy is "skinny" doesn't mean he is "healthy." Wonder if he has a fatty liver and lots of fat around all his organs (the worse kind). He could be just a few years from things starting to go off the rails...

November 21, 2018, 01:55 PM

MNSIG

quote:
Originally posted by sakata8242:The sugar is chemically the same. What's different is the other compounds and substances found in a natural food like honey or fruit, vs. a highly refined food like pure white sugar or HFCS. This is where the "we don't know what we don't know" comes in. It's perhaps a subtle distinction, but important. Fructose is fructose. BUT -- the fructose and other forms of sugar found in countless natural foods do not exist in isolation and are not consumed in isolation like a refined sugar product.

I think that's very true. Pretty hard to get fat eating apples, not so hard eating Snickers even though both contain sugar.

November 21, 2018, 02:20 PM

apprentice

For starters I'm not a diabetic, and I'm pretty happy with my overall health right now. It has taken about a year, and I wasn't starting off as far behind as some, but it has been a struggle at times.

As for the topic, reducing my sugar intake is just one part of my overall diet change that I'm trying to maintain. While I think it does help, I'm not a real nutrition scientist so I have no way of knowing how much.

What I believe is more important is not beating myself up if I have some now and then. Constant stress over what we eat can't be beneficial either. Just my thought, and likely worth what you paid for it.

November 21, 2018, 02:51 PM

signewt

another issue I've seen discussed in various 'authoritative sources' is the actual length of the digestive apparatus. A gut with otherwise 'normal function' that is 20% longer has more transit time for the bolus & more digestive opportunity to extract any potential calorie regardless of food source.

November 21, 2018, 03:05 PM

Strambo

quote:
I think that's very true. Pretty hard to get fat eating apples, not so hard eating Snickers even though both contain sugar.

Sugar aside, the nature of the food comes into play. A medium apple is 72cals, a large 100. Snickers is 250. So it is hard to eat 2.5-3.5 apples in a sitting vs. a Snickers, not to mention the fiber in the apple slows sugar absorption and makes you feel fuller.