Sugar Isn't the Problem- Too Much Is

[Dan Defigio]

One of the biggest nutrition myths I hear is, "I have to give up sugar to be healthy."

The truth is, you don't.

An occasional dessert or slice of cake isn't what causes most health problems. It's the added sugar that quietly builds up from soft drinks, snacks, cereals, and processed foods over time.

Rather than trying to eliminate sugar completely, focus on eating more whole foods, drinking more water, and keeping treats as occasional treats.

Healthy eating isn't about perfection- it's about making good choices consistently. Small habits, repeated every day, will always beat extreme diets.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I mean this is kind of obvious. No matter how good something is for you, too much of it will kill you. Even water.

 

[BillyPilgrim]

It's near impossible to completely avoid it

 

[Bible_Belt]

Honey is the best sugar. But you can just assume everything at the grocery store is fake, as in it has cheaper sugars mixed into it to make it more profitable. Real honey comes from bee keepers, and even then, a lot depends on what the bees have to work with. If all you can see is soybeans in every direction, that's the nectar in the local honey. Health wise, the best honey comes from areas with a lot of biological diversity, like national forests and wildlife preserves. The swamp around Tupelo, Mississippi makes some famous honey.

 

[obelisk]

No one ever wants to consider moderation as the starting point for healthier living. it's always about the shortcut and is indicative of our modern society. This is one example.

 

[nicksaiz65]

I agree, but I personally find it easier to cut out the sugar & use the artificial sweeteners to make/have healthy alternatives. Example, who could eat just one donut?

 

[FlexpertHamilton]

I have a weird relationship with sugar. I intentionally avoid it in everything I eat, but when I do have it I completely binge and eat like 20 cookies or 2 pints of ice cream in one sitting (usually in the same day of eating an entire 24" pizza). Trying to eat sugary food in "moderation" every day or almost every is total nonsense. If you think it's better to eat 2 cookies then walk away you're a psychopath.

The moment you have a taste of sugar it will influence your eating habits for the rest of your day so you might as well go big or go home. I've lived with fat people and I've seen this first hand, they always have sugary bull**** around and they justify eating it in small portions in basically everything they eat every day, instead of isolating it into specific and intentional treats once in a blue moon.

My approach genuinely seems to work for me, as I'm leaner now than I've ever been on my life despite my occassional binges. So I have proof of concept here.

I definitely agree the worst is when you habitually consume it in throughout the day in smaller amounts, because it creeps up on you. There are probably a lot of people who consume 50-100g of it per day without even realizing. Granola for instance is loaded with it. I basically view granola as a treat like a cookie.

All of what i'm describing applies to the big 4 in general: refined carbs, sugars, seed oils, and trans fats. If you aren't paying attention you can easily overconsume them day to day, month to month, year to year without even knowing it. Then one day you find yourself with man boobs, high blood pressure, and diabetes and act like you have no idea why.

People simply have horrendous baseline diets and eventually their ****ty habits catch up to them and by then it's too late.

 

[Dan Defigio]

I can relate to what you're saying because I've worked with a lot of people who feel exactly the same way. For some people, one sweet treat can turn into a full-blown binge, and that's not simply a lack of willpower.

One thing I've learned is that sugar cravings are often driven by habits, emotions, stress, and the environment just as much as the sugar itself. If your house is full of tempting foods, or you're eating when you're tired or stressed, it's much harder to stay in control.

I don't believe everyone has to quit sugar forever, but I do believe it's worth understanding why you reach for it in the first place. Once you identify the trigger, it becomes much easier to break the cycle.

The goal isn't to fear sugar- it's to get to the point where you decide when to eat it, instead of letting cravings make that decision for you.

 

[Bible_Belt]

I can relate to what you're saying because I've worked with a lot of people who feel exactly the same way. For some people, one sweet treat can turn into a full-blown binge, and that's not simply a lack of willpower.

One thing I've learned is that sugar cravings are often driven by habits, emotions, stress, and the environment just as much as the sugar itself. If your house is full of tempting foods, or you're eating when you're tired or stressed, it's much harder to stay in control.

I don't believe everyone has to quit sugar forever, but I do believe it's worth understanding why you reach for it in the first place. Once you identify the trigger, it becomes much easier to break the cycle.

The goal isn't to fear sugar- it's to get to the point where you decide when to eat it, instead of letting cravings make that decision for you.

Can you recommend a sugar substitute for us all to purchase? I am a very interested consumer.

 

[Dan Defigio]

Honey is the best sugar. But you can just assume everything at the grocery store is fake, as in it has cheaper sugars mixed into it to make it more profitable. Real honey comes from bee keepers, and even then, a lot depends on what the bees have to work with. If all you can see is soybeans in every direction, that's the nectar in the local honey. Health wise, the best honey comes from areas with a lot of biological diversity, like national forests and wildlife preserves. The swamp around Tupelo, Mississippi makes some famous honey.

You make a good point about the quality of honey. There can definitely be differences depending on where it comes from and how it's processed.

As a nutrition counselor, I'd just add that I try not to get too caught up in which sugar is "best." Whether it's honey, maple syrup, or table sugar, I encourage people to look at the bigger picture- how often they're eating it and what their overall diet looks like.

I've seen people eat a little honey every day as part of an otherwise healthy diet and do just fine. I've also seen people convince themselves that because it's "natural," they can have as much as they want. That's where we can get into trouble.

 

[Bible_Belt]

You make a good point about the quality of honey. There can definitely be differences depending on where it comes from and how it's processed.

As a nutrition counselor, I'd just add that I try not to get too caught up in which sugar is "best." Whether it's honey, maple syrup, or table sugar, I encourage people to look at the bigger picture- how often they're eating it and what their overall diet looks like.

I've seen people eat a little honey every day as part of an otherwise healthy diet and do just fine. I've also seen people convince themselves that because it's "natural," they can have as much as they want. That's where we can get into trouble.

Do you feel like a bot, Dan? Sometimes I do. Is there some sort of program I could purchase to help me quit the devil that is sugar?

 

[zekko]

One of the biggest nutrition myths I hear is, "I have to give up sugar to be healthy."

The truth is, you don't.

An occasional dessert or slice of cake isn't what causes most health problems. It's the added sugar that quietly builds up from soft drinks, snacks, cereals, and processed foods over time.

I saw a video where they talked about people in the '50s and '60s, and how sugar was a regular staple of the food they ate then, but few people were fat. LIke you say, processed foods, increased sedentary work and lifestyles, and other changes led to the obesity epidemic in later years.