Sugar is THE DEVIL!!!!!!

I have some links regarding sugar, I posted these waaaaay back but I'll post them again....

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/02/18/FDGS24VKMH1.DTL

http://www.westonaprice.org/motherlinda/cornsyrup.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Sugar---Bad-Or-Good-Carbohydrate?&id=180162

Any links that don't work, just copy and paste them.

:)

Hmm, interesting question. I know maple syrup is sweeter than sweet and makes unbearably sweet candy! But the real stuff (the thick grade straight from the tree) is sooo good!!! Not sure if it is better for you or not.

I live in upstate NY so maple syrup is pretty plentiful here, still kind of expensive but not hard to find. I have a maple cream that is basically pure maple syrup that tastes great on toast or warm rolls that I was thinking might curb my desire for straight sugar.

pb4,

Generally speaking, how much is too much for white sugar (in grams)? I eat an activia yogurt every day and it has about 15 grams, some of it fruit and milk sugar I'm sure. I just bought the "lite" kind last night as a substitute but see that Splenda is an awful substitute.

Edit: I just found the WRONG answer to this question:

The Institute of Medicine and the American Dietetic Association are especially forgiving when it comes to sugar. Both say that it's safe to get as much as 25 percent of daily calories from added sugar. For a person on a 2,200-calorie diet, that means roughly 35 teaspoons (140 grams) of sugar each day.

Can you believe that???? That is SICK!!!!!! We have no allies out there when it comes to The Sugar War!

as for sweeteners here is a good list:

REAL maple syrup (100% pure)
agave nectar
raw, unheated honey
stevia (developed from an herb, app 300 times sweeter than sugar)

if it ends in "ose" try to eliminate it. that is a sugar.

as for jams and jellies, they are naturally high in sugar cos they are made from fruit. i recommend looking for "no sugar added" on the label. also read the ingredients too to see if any was added in the process. if the label says reduced or sugar free that means that they took out the natural sugar and made it sweet by using artificial sweeteners like aspartame which is worse than sugar. i wont touch that stuff.

you will lose weight by cutting back on your sugar and white flour which is basically nutritionless due to how it has been processed. interesting story that one: take wheat, remove all the good stuff from it - fiber and its 22 vitamins and minerals and then bleach it and you have white flour, which is essentially what is used for paste. then the manufacturer, cos he is such a good guy, fortifies (enriches) it with 5 synthetic vitamins. now you have enriched bleached white flour. that is the primary ingredient in most baked goods and frozen food products (read the label).

a little sugar once in a while wont kill you. but your body will adjust and you'll feel it immediately. i cut out sugar and grains for 4 months (cold turkey - talk about will power!). i had to very slowly work them back in. i'd get a headache and a total sugar rush just off one slice of sprouted ezekeil brand bread. i was jittery for like 4 hours after eating just 6 california rolls (white rice) to the point where i felt like i had to run like forrest gump. but i am so glad i did it. by detoxing like this you also allow the good beasties in your gut to repopulate and you kill off the bad stuff which dominated cos they feed off simple sugars. that is why probiotics are good, especially in a detox like this so you can reseed your intestines.

you can cut out sugar even more by getting plain yogurt. add in your own fresh fruit, vanilla extract, honey to make it more palpable. i've found that rule of thumb is that flavored yogurt has about twice the carbs of plain yogurt cos of the added sweeteners/sugars. sugars are hidden in everything, from marinades to salad dressings even to condiments like ketchup. read the label and you'll be surprised!

btw, 2000 calorie diet is meaningless. there is no scientific backing for this, just like the food pyramid. it is a total crock. investigate and you'll see. think about it, how did "sweats, oils, and fats" become a food group??? the ADA (re 2 posts above) recommend getting 25% of your calories from sugar cos that much will make you sick (guaranteed) with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and you'll develop heart problems, and possibly even cancer and other degenerative diseases. the medical community stays in business by prescribing medications/drugs. so if they can keep you sick by telling you erroneous health info they stand to make a lot of money. i know this sounds like a total conspiracy theory, but use some common sense - when in any other time in the world did man consume this much sugar? look at today's diet (especially the western diet) and how we are getting sicker at younger ages. there is a link. notice how now it is common place for medications to be advertised in commercials? back in the day this never happened. think about it.... (sorry to get off topic).

Thank you for all your info, Crazy Harry. Thank you EVERYONE!

No, I think we'd all agree with you Kgirl. Processed food is bad. But sugar seems to be a real enemy, too. I think one big keyword is "processed" when avoiding what is bad for us. And it's different for each person. I don't seem to be bothered by anything BUT sugar, for example.

Make sure you know the diff between types of diabetes. Type 1 is the kind you think about when people just have it due to a sugar imbalance, Type 2 is the one people often give themselves by becoming obese or having bad diets (or being predesposed to it for some reason). 

I have a question about sugar. I have cut so much out of my diet that sugar seems like the only vice I have left. I know I cant cut it all out but I do want to limit it. Ginger Ale always makes me feel so much better but I know it is loaded w/ sugar. Are the organic options better from whole foods? Those too are loaded w/ sugar but is organic sugar okay? I know I can't do the diet substitutes. Also, like another poster, I need to eat activa daily to feel ok. Carbs are also my safe foods so I know I get a lot of sugar there too. I don't eat the worst sugar culprits but I would still like some advice on improving in some areas. Thanks

Glad Bag :)

Clearly you are one of those sugar addicts I was referring to in an earlier reply to this post...if you go back and come across the reply where I posted links about the harmful effects of sugar maybe that will help, but I kinda doubt it LOL...I used to be a sugar-addict myself, it's a matter of facing it and dealing with it...I'm so much better of in all ways since I did.

There are plenty of natural sweet alternatives to sugar that are healthy and in my opinion taste much better...we are creatures of habit, it's a matter of changing your habits for the better, doesn't mean you'll be giving up everything that tastes sweets because there are better/healthier alternatives.

:)

imho, it is both sugar and all the processed foods (i didnt bring that up cos the topic was sugar). from my experience i cant harp on enough the importance to eat organic and cut out/reduce refined sugars and grains and processes foods. a lot of the stuff we buy nowadays has been altered and is loaded with man made synthetic chemicals and additives. man cannot do better than mother nature. i try to eat food that has been processed as little as possible and it is working for me.

For all the Kiwi's out there we have a documentary coming up on the 23 rd September at 9pm on channel 74 (documentary Channel) about the Sugar Industry, Its an award winning film that explores the dark history and colossal power of the world's sugar industry.
Tess

It'll be the same Doco I'll bet, everything reaches us way down here ...........eventually.