General Poker Discussion Poker Forums

I know that DC is full of health minded people, some of whom may have done some real research on this (Rob, n0whereman, others?).

Anyone have general advice on pro's/con's or general health benefits/hazards of sugar, artificial sweeteners (like sweet-n-low, equal, etc..), sugar in the raw (cane sugar), honey and any other?

Thanks in advance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W40yHDFxkAY Some unbiased research.

Moderate and you are fine (real men drink coffee black).

research paper or for your own knowledge?

It's a pretty tough topic to research in a fully unbiased way, so I recommend cobbling together as many resources as you can but by and large trying to be moderate about everything you read/see.

Here's a good read: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-definitive-guide-to-sugar/

I've heard that some of the things that Gary Taubes ("Why We Get Fat") has to say are interesting, but generally speaking I find that authors like that tend to take an approach of focusing on the lowest common denominator; for example, a friend of mine who read his book was SUPER vigilant about trying to avoid Fructose entirely for a while because it only metabolizes in the liver, and is very easily converted to fat stores. What she had either not read or skimmed over, unfortunately, is the benefits it provides in replenishment of glycogen stores, and the role it can provide in preventing immediate depletion of said stores.

All that said - the gist I've found is that whenever possible, you should avoid sweetening things. But keep in mind that life is meant to be enjoyed. Learn to avoid sweets whenever possible, but when you're absolutely dying for a cookie, it's ok to cheat.

Rob

research paper or for your own knowledge?

Actually looking for someone else whose doctor told them that they their blood sugar was a little on the high side. He asked me if sweet-n-low was better than sugar. I told him that I'd heard some negative stuff about artificial sweeteners and thought that honey might be the best bet or sugar in the raw (which is probably processed somewhat as well) would probably work in a pinch. But I realized that I had no factual basis for why I thought that.

I had to ask, for giggles. I have a friend who is getting his masters in nutrition right now - really sharp guy, and I just remember him saying carbohydrates (especially simple sugars) are not near as healthy as they are pointed out to be (my gf can't fathom that fruits can be bad -> they are "natural").

Since meeting my girlfriend I have been consuming way more fruit than I used to and I have gained much more fat than I ever had in a year period with the same activity level..........really gets me wondering.......

I usually stay away from anything that's artificial and go for natural sugar, including honey - I am biased as my father works for the sugar industry.

I do not have great links to send you, but I could always contact my friend and I am sure he has an absurd amount of information regarding these issues. If you really are interested, I could contact him and see if he could provide me with some articles.....?

I lost 120 lbs eating zero carbohydrates whatsoever- sugar is poison Really though sugar is pretty bad for you in every way- it has a ton of calories per gram (as do all carbs) yet does nothing to fill you up. I have had a million conversations with doctors who all want to know how I lost 120 lbs then either berate me for going on Atkins diet or think its the greatest thing on earth and tell me that sugar is responsible for most of the health problems in this country. I tend to agree that sugar causes nothing but problems for people.

As for the artificial sweeteners there is so much info on them its tough to tell what is truthful or meaningful or whatnot. Clearly they are in such widespread use if there was a significant health risk something would be showing up by now.

RSS not working Rob?

oh well, I guess this post should do the job, really interested, as I use sweet n low alot

If you really are interested, I could contact him and see if he could provide me with some articles.....?

I'd appreciate it thanks!

I'd eaten minimal carbs in the last in the last 2 weeks then drunk 1L of coke last night and tripped pretty hard.

So there's my evidence sugar is a drug, and a pretty good one at that.

I lost 120 lbs eating zero carbohydrates whatsoever- sugar is poison

Congrats! That's great work.

Really though sugar is pretty bad for you in every way- it has a ton of calories per gram (as do all carbs)

Not true at all. Carbs = ~4calories/gram. Protein = ~4 calories/gram. Fat = ~9 calories/gram.

yet does nothing to fill you up.

Much more true. Satiety from carbs is unlikely unless it's from tons of leafy greens or whatever. Use fats and protein for satiety.

As for the artificial sweeteners there is so much info on them its tough to tell what is truthful or meaningful or whatnot.

I agree that the jury is still out on artificial sweeteners, but I don't think they're awesome.

Clearly they are in such widespread use if there was a significant health risk something would be showing up by now.

Just like with trans fats as of maybe 2008? Health risks can take decades to manifest themselves.

I just texted my friend about getting some good articles, i will post them in here when he gets back to me. Hopefully soon - the semester is starting off for him this week

a good sweetener is Stevia. its natural, and requires only a drop to have the same sweetening effects as sugar.

I've heard that some of the things that Gary Taubes ("Why We Get Fat") has to say are interesting, but generally speaking I find that authors like that tend to take an approach of focusing on the lowest common denominator; for example, a friend of mine who read his book was SUPER vigilant about trying to avoid Fructose entirely for a while because it only metabolizes in the liver, and is very easily converted to fat stores. What she had either not read or skimmed over, unfortunately, is the benefits it provides in replenishment of glycogen stores, and the role it can provide in preventing immediate depletion of said stores.

All that said - the gist I've found is that whenever possible, you should avoid sweetening things. But keep in mind that life is meant to be enjoyed. Learn to avoid sweets whenever possible, but when you're absolutely dying for a cookie, it's ok to cheat.

Rob

It's strangely appropriate that you mention Gary Taubes, since I've been going over this for the past day or so.

I think ultimately sweeteners are best kept away from your normal food, but if you want to make something that's supposed to be sweet, put whatever you want in it! As a singular anecdotal example, some of my friends tried to make some paleo coconut ice cream this weekend in their fancy new ice cream maker. The recipe calls for zero sweetening of any kind (no stevia, no honey, agave nectar, nothing). It tasted a lot like coconut, and not at all like a dessert.

My recommendation has always been essentially this: There's no need to eat chocolate coated sugar bombs for every meal - If you keep most of your food to non-processed stuff (eg meat veggies fruits nuts dairy and some rice/beans etc) you'll be just fine. That said, feel free to live your life and not worry about a meal (or 10) killing you. If you like a teaspoon of sugar in your coffee, go for it. If you want a big slice of cheesecake once a week, make it the best cheesecake ever. If chocolate coated sugar bombs happen to be your cereal of choice, have a huge bowl once in a while. I don't think the delivery vehicle of the sweetener (ie sugar vs honey vs whatever) is really that important.