User Post: Sugar: 8 Shocking facts

I couldn't guess how much sugar I have in a day. I don't have any in my coffee. Lately I've been drinking root beer at night, so I definitely get it from that and from any candy I take from the candy bowl at work. Also it's in my Fiber One granola bars. But I'd say on a normal day without the root beer and without the Fiber One bar or candy from the bowl, I do really well. I eat healthy peanut butter without added sugar, I have fruit, nuts, and yogurt for snacks. I'll have to see how much sugar is in my yogurt. But this will make me think more about how much sugar I'm consuming. You're right, it seems to be in everything, doesn't it.

I looked up the sugar content in my Silk yogurt: The second ingredient in the list is organic evaporated cane juice. In the nutrition table, there are 21 grams of sugar listed. So, not quite the healthy snack I imagined, but if that's the only refined sugar I'm getting in my day, I'll let it slide. :)

I've been relatively low carb for the last year and a half. I rarely eat sugar now at all. I haven't had a cold since before I started low carbing. So I definitely see the benefits of passing on the sugar.

I know that sugar's bad for you, but manmade artificial sweeteners are even worse. Why isn't there an article on the buzz about how bad artificial sweeteners are? It's like dumping a bunch of hazardous chemicals into your body.
The only safe sugar substitute I know of is stevia, which you can get in pakcets just like Splenda or Sweet&Low or as a liquid that you use a few drops of. Stevia is potent stuff, though: I once found my tea to be too sweet after a single drop of the liquid form. But I don't like my tea super-sweet, so it's a matter of personal preference.
I personally prefer honey when I sweeten my tea or put something sweet in my oatmeal. I've heard that if you have to have sweetener that stevia, honey, and agave nectar are the healthiest. But this article places honey at the same level of unhealthiness as the other sugars, so I may be wrong.
Also, I think it's horrible that they put hidden sugars in practically everything you buy. I mean, you wouldn't expect there to be sugar in your potato chips, but some flavors do have added sugars. And I've heard that there's only one item on the menu at McDonalds that doesn't have added sugar in it (wish I could remember which one it is!). So you can't get away from sugar.

In addition what was said, I would like to point out something else which was completely overlooked. Sugar is what bacteria feeds on in the intestinal tract, creating yeast, much as yeast in bread. The condition becomes what is called "Candida". This can raise havoc in the body when it runs amuck, manifesting itself as skin lesions most commonly on the hands and feet ( it creates the perfect environment for athletes foot, too). Candida 'Bubbles' of various sizes come up from under the skin, similar to dry puss pockets and finally 'break' on the surface. They will be very sore, and sometimes itchy, they will crack, fester, and the worst may even bleed. Topical creams and ointments may help a little, but do nothing to eliminate the origin of the problem. Drugs such as Ampicillan, Penicillan etc. seem to compound the problem, rather than treat it. The eruptions are from within, and are quite difficult to treat, as Candida is nearly impossible to eliminate totally from one's system, once a person has it, however, it can be conquered and controlled.

This is what sugar did to me: Twenty years ago, I had sore, cracked and near-bleeding hands and feet where the 'bubbles' erupted, and went to my doctor for help. He found I had a "massive yeast infection" in my body. At the time, he did not know much about Candida, and next to nothing about treating it.

I went into a local health food store, and told their consultant what my doctor had found, and showed her my cracked and nearly bleeding hands. She said, "I know what that is. That is Candida, I had it!" When asked what she did to cure it, she told me to read a little book called "The Yeast Syntrome" which I purchased immediately." It was the simplest and the best explanation and recovery plan I ever found.

As I read the book, I was astonished to see myself and my symptoms on nearly every page. I highlighted those which applied to me, for reference. I purchased another copy of the book for my doctor, which I highlighted like mine. He became very interested in it, studied it, as well as other medical literature he had been able to find, and became very knowledgeable about it. He gave me a prescription for Nystatin liquid, which was noted in the book, and closely watched my healing progress.

Treatment basically was changing my diet so as to eliminate yeast (bread etc), sugars (including hidden ones, especially ingredients with "ose" at the end of their name) from the diet, ingestion of additional B vitamins, and most of all, taking the Nystatin liquid (prescription medicine) twice a day. I also took 1 ounce of liquid Acidofilus (sp?),twice daily to restore the 'good' bacteria in my system. It may be hard to find a doctor who is really knowledgable about 'Candida', or is willing to learn about it. Few already know how to treat it. By following the guidelines in the book, I successfully beat it and recovered. Now, I try to keep my sugar intake fairly low. Through the years, I have had a few minor flareups, but know to go right back to the basics to keep it under control.

I'm a real sugar addict who's been trying to kick the habit for the past year. I've completely changed my diet (no white carbs, lots of vegetables), ramped up the exercise and have lost 20 pounds - thought it's not always been easy. On a good day I can stick to my plan and go all day without anything sweeter than a piece of fruit, but after dinner it seems to crumble - I just have to have something sweet. Dark chocolate, while tasty, doesn't stop the craving. I've been going round and round about what's the best option. I'd given up artificial sweeteners and switched to a little honey in a cup of tea, but that doesn't always do the trick. Lately I've been using splenda - either eating a diet fudgesicle (or two) or having some sweetened tea or coffee. Sometimes I have a small handful of dried fruit (cranberries, which probably have sugar) or dried apricots. I'm trying to lower my triglyceride levels and keep the weight loss going. I'm puzzled by the recent news that diet soda can lead to weight gain - I don't understand what's going on in the body to make that happen. So here's a question - if you must have something sweet, is it better to have honey, dried fruit or a little artificial sweetner - Brett if you know, can you advise? Thanks!

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use agave nectar instead! tastes just as good and is very low on the glycemic index (not a "bad" sugar)

I'm addicted to sugar in a most major way. The only way I can stay away from it is to completely cut it out of my diet and then see any again. lol I'm a fan of a lower-carb diet (Just cutting out the bad carbs, most sugar, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and anything made with white flour) but it only takes a thought of a bottle of Pepsi to throw me off my eating plan. Do any of you have any idea how many things we eat that have HFCS in them? Practically everything! Check that loaf of healthy 12 grain bread. There are only a very few brands that don't load it with HFCS. It's ridiculously hard in this day and age to try to cut all the sugar out of your diet.

I read a long time ago that if sugar had been invented in the last twenty or thirty years it would be a controlled substance. I can see that. I also tend to believe that sugar and HFCS being added to everything is an evil plot to get us all addicted to it.

After a few weeks of cutting it all out you'll find out that things you normally don't consider sweet will taste so much sweeter like green peppers, for instance.

Dang evil sugar. :/

About 3 to 5 teaspoons a day. I know. Decaf, black (as in no cream, no fat, no dairy) coffee and regular black tea.
I did Sweet N Low in high school, lots of it, and that was just awful.
I've tried stevia and stevia extracts and it tastes like the green powder that it is. Giving up the morning coffee is probably the next step.
You'll find me in the pasture, under a tree, nibbling bark and grasses; hopefully they too, have not been treated with chemicals, deadly toxins or coughed on by someone with swine flu. Hope I don't get bitten by a deer tick while I'm out there, cause you know what they say about deet. Sigh.

Also- caffeine is evil and makes your blood sugar go wild! So putting down sugar is not the complete solution! You must put down the caffeine too!

I learned how to eat my sugar during the day while Iam at work because that's when I burn the most calories

To all who are particularly concerned about the statement about cancer: Here are three sites that explain:
http://www.nancyappleton.com;
http://www.thedietchannel.com/Cancer-and-Diet-Does-Sugar-Feed-Cancer.htm; http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/sugar-and-cancer-is-there-a-connection.htm

All of these state that just like all cells, cancer is fed by sugar. Limiting sugar is helpful for cancer patients in that it helps diminish excess insulin in the body which may encourage cancer cells to grow more, which is not a good thing.

I feel the best way to avoid execss suger in take is to avoid tea and coffie with sugger at all you may take your normal diet as usual but dont forget most of the carbohydats content some sugger .

For those of you who mention the "craving' at the end of a day: the next time you have a phyiscial, ask about pre-diabeties and your blood sugar levels. It may be the source of the craving. Just a thought.

I should post this up where I can see it... preferably on the soda machine in my office... that way it will make me think twice about getting my Dr. Pepper for the day... which I was drinking while reading this... :/

One of the most important facts left out of the article...Sugar causes CAVITIES. Sugar is a fermentable carbohydrate and feeds the cavity-causing bacteria in your mouth. Therefore, the higher frequency of daily sugar consumption and the longer the sugar stays in your mouth (hard candy, sugar gum, slowly drinking/sipping sodas/juice, etc) increases your chances of getting cavities filled at the dentist.

It's all about moderation. If you like sugar in your coffee- skip that cola or lemonade with lunch. If you REALLY enjoy a desert after dinner, don't indulge in condiments that contain a lot of sugar (bbq sauce, salad dressings, etc.) throughout the day. Seems pretty simple to me. Allot yourself a few sweet things throughout the day and limit your self to them. Cut out extra sugar where you can.

Thanks helpunow. You make an interesting request, and yes, I will write one sometime soon..just for you :) The fact is that milk, as we all know, has lactose in it. Lactose actually has sugar in it...it is sweet. So, if you can wean yourself down to just the milk part, you would still have some of the sugar that you want, but it will be more natural than if you add the white stuff. Does that help?

I try to limit my sugar, but I love chocolate as much as the next girl. I try to balance that with dark chocolate for my sweet tooth.

However, I try to not use the "fake" sweeteners either. The chemicals aren't great for you and they make you crave even more sweets.

Better to just try to buy organic foods that don't add sugar or corn syrup, like at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. Because I have a food allergy, I always check ingredients anyway and that's the best way to watch what you consume. If you can get in a habit of checking, you'd be suprised by how easy it is! And then it's not about "dieting" but instead choosing the healthier version of the foods you like. :)