Sugar kills

[malaise]

http://www.northjersey.com/news/health/Excess_sugar_may_double_heart_disease_risk_researchers_say.html
<snip>
As sugar intake increased, risks climbed steeply.

Adults who got at least 25 percent of their calories from added sugar were almost three times more likely to die of heart problems than those who consumed the least — less than 10 percent.

For those who got more than 15 percent — or the equivalent of about two cans of sugary soda out of 2,000 calories daily — the risk was almost 20 percent higher than the safest level.

Sugar calories quickly add up: One teaspoon has about 16 calories; one 12-ounce can of non-diet soda contains has about 9 teaspoons of sugar or about 140 calories; many cinnamon rolls have about 13 teaspoons of sugar; one scoop of chocolate ice cream has about 5 teaspoons of sugar.

[liberal_at_heart]

1. I've cut way back and added a lot of vegetables to my diet, but I still have to have a little bit of

sugar. Today after my salad, half turkey sandwich and orange I had two chocolate chip cookies. So, so good.

[malaise]

3. Same here- lots of fruits and veg

We don't use sugar with coffee or tea, don't drink sodas, but we do eat dessert. Like mom I can't go to bed at night without having something sweet.

[Warpy]

2. If I'm going to ingest 140+ calories of fizzy liquid

I'll drink a beer instead of sugary soda.

Trying to drink that stuff with sugar in it is like trying to drink maple syrup. Gah!

I'm just completely used to either unsweetened flavored seltzer or diet sodas.

[malaise]

4. We only use brown sugar and I make home made drinks

Lots of lemonade and lots of sorrel - we drink a lot of coconut water.

[BrotherIvan]

6. mmm Sorrel and homemade Jamaica!

My friend from Barbados makes Jamaica and it literally looks and tastes like a magic potion. It's also the very best mixer for alcoholic drinks I've ever had. She showed me how to make it, with about a pound of ginger in a large stock pot and the flowers. Oh, I'm drooling just thinking about it. Haven't made it yet though.

That said, thanks for pointing out the dangers of sugar. We've been so scared by saturated fats which are not harmful and loaded down with sugar which really, truly is bad.

[malaise]

8. Made lots yesterday

Sorrel is one of the great drinks.

[BrotherIvan]

10. And healthy too from what I've heard

Jealous

[Warpy]

32. I like turbinado sugar

It's the next to last step in the refining process. While brown sugar has the molasses added back in, turbinado sugar has been through the first centrifuge and still has it naturally. It's about halfway between light brown sugar and white sugar, not quite as strongly flavored and doesn't make my tea weird.

I save the wicked white granules for humming bird energy drink before and after breeding season.

[malaise]

51. I'll have to check that out

Never heard of it before

[mike_c]

5. me too-- can't stand the cloying taste of sugary sodas and such....

I seem to have escaped the human taste for sweets-- I rarely eat or drink them in any form (well, hangs head and thinks of ice cream...).

[Brigid]

9. Do not be ashamed of eating ice cream.

It's the truest sign that there is a god and he loves us.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

29. Alcohol is about the same as sugar: simple carbohydrate empty calories. nt

[Major Nikon]

39. True, but soda doesn't make you a better dancer

[whistler162]

7. It's not as bad as DiHydrogen Monoxide

NOW THAT IS A REAL KILLER!

[Timez Squarez]

11. OMFG!!

We're all gonna die and drown from dihydrogen monoxide!!!

[Ed Suspicious]

25. I guess it depends upon how deep it is and how well we can swim.

[MH1]

12. Some of the worst offenders are foods supposed to be healthy.

Many of the big brands of yogurt have way too much sugar.

I recently discovered a brand called Siggi's which has about half the sugar of most yogurts. Also a trick is to get the plain yogurt and add your own agave - just enough, which will probably be half what Dannon or Yoplait think it should have.

[2banon]

47. TJ's Non-Fat Yogurt with dollop of TJ's Strawberry Preserves (or other)

makes an excellent replacement - I make up several small containers in advance. 1/2 cup of non-fat yogurt with a tablespoon of the chosen preserve . sweetens just enough but not too much.. very low cal, low sugar, low sodium. I eat it with my breakfast, or with my lunch and sometimes as a late night snack to replace ice cream.

[adirondacker]

13. No sugar tonight in my coffee, no sugar tonight in my tea.

It's the new Mother Nature taking over...

[Art_from_Ark]

34. That song takes me back

to carefree summer days of swimming at the municipal pool, which had a juke box (3 songs for a quarter).

[Baclava]

14. Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker

I think I heard that in a song

[Bernardo de La Paz]

30. It's a complete poem by Ogden Nash. nt

[Coyotl]

15. I'm really enjoying agave for my sweetner. I get it in bulk

next to the honey in bilk at my grocer. Of course, too much is a bad thing too.

"The fructose content of commercial agave syrups has been measured at between 59 and 90 percent, which is even more than high fructose corn syrup in its fructose content by weight" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_nectar

[RebelOne]

16. There hasn't been any sugar in my house for years.

I only use Splenda.

And since I am an ice cream junkie, I buy ice cream with no sugar added.

[lindysalsagal]

17. Been off the stuff for months. Paid for it at christmas...

A month later, I'm back down to the pre-gorge weight.

When I'm off it I feel better: No highs and lows, and no cravings. It's a huge relief . Easier, now that there are really great artificial sweeteners.

Off the wheat and all carbs, so much easier.

[adirondacker]

21. I gave up sugar to a large degree last year due to a lab indicating high tryglicerides

and low ldl. My doctor recommended getting off all sugar, carbs, and included many of the fruits I enjoy. My diet ended up consisting of protein and vegetables. I was riding a bike about 100 miles a week and I felt about 10 years younger. I fell into a rut with unemployment, but plan on going back to the routine as soon as I start work next week.

I was a sugar junkie when I was younger, but I carefully weigh the consequences now. I could take statins and partake, but I'd rather not at this point for both cost and side effects.

[Awknid]

35. I was always under the impression

That artificial sweeteners are worse for you than sugar. Is that no longer the case?

[lindysalsagal]

50. That's entirely personal. They don't make me crave carbs, and I'm not worried

about them, otherwise.

But for me, there's no such thing as a few carbs or a little sugar: I'm a sugarholic, so I'm happier without any, no carbs except my green veggies.

[nomorenomore08]

18. Yes, but to be more specific, *excessive refined sugar* is what kills.

I'm a sugar junkie, but I try to restrict myself to fruit juice/iced tea and homemade baked goods as much as possible.

[Major Nikon]

40. I would frame it as excessive simple carbohydrates

Juice, sugar in tea, and most baked goods still contain a lot of simple carbohydrates. While they may not be as bad as refined sugar, the effect is still similar. The more complex the carbohydrate is, the less glycemic load on your body.

[nomorenomore08]

41. I absolutely realize that juice has just as much sugar as soda. And I do drink both.

But at least the juice has nutrients - i.e. isn't empty calories - so I justify it to myself that way.

[Major Nikon]

45. The problem with most juice is that people tend to like it with the fiber filtered out

Sugar is still a nutrient, but certainly refined sugars have very little nutritional value when used as supplemental sweeteners. With certain juices you are getting considerably more vitamins and antioxidants, but the sugar content is still quite high relative to everything else. Many(if not most) nutritionists still have a dim view toward the excessive consumption of filtered juices for the same reason as soda. The content of sugar relative to everything else is still too high.

http://www.mcw.edu/NDTN/Overweight/DietInterventions/EliminationofJuiceEmptyCalories.htm

[yawnmaster]

19. I love chocolate ice cream, but I love mint chocolate chip even more!!!

two scoops after dinner will reduce my stress hormones, which are known killers.

[AlbertCat]

22. but I love mint chocolate chip even more!!!

Hell yeah!

And the damn grocery store keep putting those mint-chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches on sale. It's their fault. They're trying to kill me!

[yawnmaster]

28. They are trying to make us happy AND kills us!!! eom

[Awknid]

36. I'm told that my grandmother told my mother

"Don't bring flowers to my grave. Instead, bring ice cream and eat it with me in mind."

[yawnmaster]

49. I like that way of thinking. eom

[PasadenaTrudy]

20. We all gotta go somehow...n/t

[Mr.Bill]

23. The article doesn't seem to be seeing

any difference between sugar and high fructose corn syrup, which is what most sodas use for sweetener.

[quakerboy]

48. I suspect

future research will find there's not a huge difference between either table sugar, or hfcs, or the carbohydrates we dont like to think of as sugar, in our pasta and bread and rice and whatnot, at least in terms of its implications for heart disease.

Evidence seems to be showing that our tolerance is actually fairly low, and that the excess causes inflammation, leading to heart disease. (and ironically that all the "low fat" diets recommended by various health groups are actually backfiring in a major way)

Vegetables. Green things probably ought to be the bulk of our diet. Meat or protein to round it out, and the bare minimum of carbohydrates to provide additional calories when needed based on the actual physical work our bodies do in a day.

[Jamaal510]

24. The key is to eat it in moderation,

along with exercising daily and having a balanced diet. For those who are suggesting giving up sugar cold-turkey, that is not necessary. Having sweets is fine as long as one doesn't overindulge.

[nomorenomore08]

42. +1

Precisely. You'd almost think eating sweets was a sin or something.

[TheDebbieDee]

26. I think they should put warning labels on sugar, like we do

With cigarettes...

[nadinbrzezinski]

27. We have cut way back

But that means making a lot of things from scratch that otherwise you would buy pre prepared.

If you asked me about cooking when I was 20 I would laugh. These days I just cook, we feel better too.

[L0oniX]

31. Aspartame makes my brain feel good! Hmmm yummy cancer and seizures

Need a good alternative!

[nomorenomore08]

43. Luckily there's also stevia. I drink "diet" Vitamin Water sweetened with that stuff and it's great.

I don't go near most diet sodas - I'll take corn syrup over synthetic chemical shit any day.

[DeSwiss]

33. K&R!!!

- And even worse is HFCS because they slip that shit into everything. And it's all made from fucking GMO corn.

[center][/center]

[nomorenomore08]

44. What's strange is that it's found in stuff that isn't remotely (or at least not obviously) "sweet."

Ketchup, bread, hell, I'm surprised they haven't found a way to pump it into meat and cheese yet. That would be the most addictive sandwich ever created.

[DeSwiss]

46. It's a cheap filler.

They even use it in pastry products and cakes and such in place of some of the flour.

Again, because it's cheaper for Big Business.

There's more profit for Big Investment Bank.

And in the end, more death and disease.

- And so Big Pharma's there waiting in the wings with a stretcher for ya, to squeeze out what's left.......

[Stuart G]

37. I've cut way back on sweets.

It has not been perfect, but no ice cream, candy, cookies, doughnuts, cake or pie for over 3 years and 6 months. Occasionally, I have some diet soda or even regular soda, but not often. I feel better, but still have cravings and dreams about it. I am trying to get rid of extra salt in the diet, that is not easy..Here is a great book on this addiction

Salt, Sugar and Fat, How the Food Giants Hooked Us

Michael Moss...now in paper back.


http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/books/salt-sugar-fat-by-michael-moss.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/salt-sugar-fat-how-the-food-giants-hooked-us-by-michael-moss/2013/03/22/50d0dc06-8768-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394_story.html

Interview with above author

[JI7]

38. i seemed to develop a sweet tooth as i got older

it's weird because i was more into hot spicy stuff when i was a kid and could not eat too many sweets.

it is the opposite now.

usually it's the other way around.

[grahamhgreen]

52. And high fructose corn syrup is even worse!

[CoffeeCat]

53. I TRIED to give up sugar...

...because I had read how dangerous it is.

I don't eat sweets, cookies or packaged sweet stuff, nor do I drink soda/pop.

The sugar I tried to give up is the sugar you can't see. Sugar is in nearly everything people!

Many yogurts have just as much sugar as a Snickers Bar. Look on labels and packaging. Sugar is used to make things taste better. Ketchup is loaded with it. Even Campbell's Tomato Soup has a ton of sugar. Many packaged meals that you wouldn't think of as "sweet" are loaded up with sugar. Tomato sauces, salad dressings, bread and cereals. Many cereals that are positioned as "healthy" are loaded up with sugar.

I think the sugar addiction is fueled greatly by these hidden sugars. Anyone can give up cookies, candy, etc. and feel that they don't eat sugar. But TRY reading labels and avoiding sugars. You learn two things: It's nearly impossible to avoid sugar because they put it in EVERYTHING; 2.) You will experienced withdrawals when you try to give it up. I got foggy and I felt lethargic and almost sick.

We are addicted to this stuff, and food companies do this intentionally--to keep us buying and consuming their products.