Sugar: The Bitter Truth

We should go burn down all the coke plants around the world, and while we're at it, destory all the fruit farms everywhere. And anyone who ever eats sugar again should be shot on sight for exposing us all to the poison FRUCTOSE! Those evil capitalist and their plans to kill us all with their addictive sugary beverages! I mean they forced us all to drink them since birth, we can't help ourselves, we are the mindless masses, oh save us from ourselves!!

TheAngryMob wrote:

We should go burn down all the coke plants around the world, and while we're at it, destory all the fruit farms everywhere. And anyone who ever eats sugar again should be shot on sight for exposing us all to the poison FRUCTOSE! Those evil capitalist and their plans to kill us all with their addictive sugary beverages! I mean they forced us all to drink them since birth, we can't help ourselves, we are the mindless masses, oh save us from ourselves!!

Haha yes!

Or maybe, try not drinking soda.

I agree. Same thing with big tobacco. They've been trying to convince us for years that smokes aren't harmful. And McDonald's - don't even get me started. I am not the person responsible for putting soda, cheeseburgers, and cancer sticks down my pie hole. It's their fault!

soleus wrote:

I agree. Same thing with big tobacco. They've been trying to convince us for years that smokes aren't harmful.

I suppose that's why there has been a health warning on cig packs since 1966.

the problem with high fructose corn syrup is not the sodas and kool-aids we drink to wash down the popsicles we eat. Everyone, even the fatties, know this stuff will make you fat and kill you. Many of them just don't care.

The problem lies in all the other things which contain HFCS that most people don't realize they're eating/drinking. The problem with HFCS is the ketchup you eat, the "fruit juice" you give to your kids, the barbeque sauces, the cheese sauces, the salad dressings, miracle whip, bread, breakfast cereals, the "healthy, low-fat" microwave meals, yogurts. It seems it is in everything. It can be difficult to avoid unless you pay attention and actually eat only whole foods that you prepare yourself. Americans consume so much more sugar than is necessary and well outside what is healthy. And much of that is from the addition of HFCS to so many "food products" available at stores today, many of which tout themselves as being "healthy". While people should pay more attention to what they put into the tank, I feel the public really should be informed as to what this stuff can do to your health if not kept in check.

TheAngryMob wrote:

We should go burn down all the coke plants around the world, and while we're at it, destory all the fruit farms everywhere. And anyone who ever eats sugar again should be shot on sight for exposing us all to the poison FRUCTOSE! Those evil capitalist and their plans to kill us all with their addictive sugary beverages! I mean they forced us all to drink them since birth, we can't help ourselves, we are the mindless masses, oh save us from ourselves!!

Now hold on... I agree with your sentiment, but HFCS is not fructose.

I disagree with the premise that 'everyone knows' that HFCS (and specifically fructose) will make you fat and kill you. I consider myself well educated in general physiology, and I had no idea about the hormonal and metabolic processes that are required for the body to break down HFCS and associated crap.

I would say that almost everyone has been told HFCS and sugar in general is 'bad for you', but since no reasoning is given, people tend to blow it off as hysteria. I know I did.

I've subscribed to the 'a calorie is a calorie' belief for a long time, and as someone who runs off 1500 kcal a day, never really gave shit about eating too much or of what quality. I've gone out of my way for years to make sure I'm consuming 100% fruit juice instead of soda, only to find out that it has been a waste, and a detriment to my health. And I do mean detriment...I have had high blood pressure and extremely high triglycerides with low HDL for many years, despite the fact that I am fitter and healthier than 99.9 percent of the population. And it's probably entirely due to drinking copious amounts of all natural 100% fruit juice!

Seeing this video is probably going to change my life and my eating habits dramatically. Many thanks to whomever posted the link.

A little more balanced and educated take on HFCS.

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2561/is-the-increased-use-of-high-fructose-corn-syrup-responsible-for-the-rise-in-obesity

Fail.

came across this shitty blog while looking for references to the sugar bitter truth video:http://livingthroughnutrition.wordpress.com/

dihydrogen oxide will kill you!!!! be careful. it is EVERYWHERE!!!!!

Ok. this guy did a pretty good job describing his point about how fructose is harder to use by the body.

However, the idea that the coke company puts caffeine and salt in their drinks to "make" you keep drinking is absolute bs!

First of all, Caffeine is not a powerful enough diuretic to dehydrate you; especially when you are drinking water in the drink.

Secondly, the amount of salt in coke is very small(55 milligrams). This is hardly enough to make someone dehydrated; especially when you factor in the water you are drinking the coke.

You took my statement wrong. Sorry if it was ambiguous. What I meant by "everyone knows" was to say everyone already knows that soda and candy and junkfood sweets are bad for you. I did not mean to say that eveyone knows HFCS is bad for you. In fact, in talking to people who do not understand physiology or nutrition, except what they see on tv or in magazines or food labels either have no idea what HFCS is (they don't know fructose is a type of sugar) or think it's just like any other sugar and have no idea about the potential health implications of eating too much of it. Also, most people have no idea how many products contain HFCS. And THIS is the problem of HFCS to the general public - that so many do not know it is in so many of the food products they consume.

No, a calorie is not a calorie. It is not that simple. And fructose contained in actual fruit will not make you fat - you just simply can't eat enough fruit to do that, considering all the fiber you're taking in with it. And 100% fruit juice will probably not make you fat either, unless that's ALL you drink all the time, and you consume huge amounts of it like some people do with drinking water all day long. HFCS is a highly concentrated fructose solution. don't stop drinking real fruit juice, and whatever you do, DO NOT stop eating fruit. But go to whatever length you have to go to eliminate HFCS from your diet. You'll be eliminating a lot of other unwanted junk in the process.

mighty porn stache: The problem with HFCS is the ketchup you eat, the "fruit juice" you give to your kids, the barbeque sauces, the cheese sauces, the salad dressings, miracle whip, bread, breakfast cereals, the "healthy, low-fat" microwave meals, yogurts. It seems it is in everything.

It's not in my fruit juice or breakfast cereals or yogurt or bread. Most of those other products don't sound like "real food" anyway - it'd be shocking it they weren't packed with nasty chemicals.

It's in "everything" only if you buy and eat lots of HFCS-laden crap.

Thanks for the clarification. My big change is going to be increasing the amount of real fruit and vegetables in my diet, and cutting my fruit juice consumption by 75%. Otherwise, I am doing pretty well already. I have been losing my taste for sugar for many years now, so compared to an average American diet, I am already on the low end of HFCS consumption. But, I can and will go lower.

I've been hearing for years that a better diet will improve running performance, but I've never been motivated to make such a change just for that last 1% improvement. I guess I am about to find out if it makes a difference. Cheers.

If you want to get your sweet on, drink diet pop. I drink a 12-pak per day (seriously), but drink no fruit juice at all. I also eat at least 6-10 apples per day. This'll get your sweet on, no problem.

Diet pop has all kinds of substitute chemicals that are potent neuro-toxins, which, of course, reveal their deleterious impact on your brain over many, many years.

HFCS and trans-fats are the two big ones that will ensure our kids become the first American generation not to have a longer average life expectancy than their parents. This will find it's way into mainstream thinking in the full course of time, but, expect serious resistance in the interim.

The Cleveland Clinic is doing some things right, and, insomuch as obesity consumes some 40% of the expense of medicine, than the obese should pay 40% of the cost as far as I'm concerned.

Eat a whole foods diet, replete with vegetables, lean meats, fish, nuts and seeds, fruit, and some alternative grains. What's so hard to figure out about this? We wouldn't be talking about health care reform if people had a clue and executed the plan. And it starts with your own kids, instilling the proper habits without being so draconian that they start "hording" the bad stuff.

Although I disagree slightly will the vilification of 100% fruit juice because of it's sugar content, this is a very well backed presentation and definitely highlights many of the core issues in America today.

However, a low fat diet is important for heart disease as Saturated fat can play with your triglycerides, so I am not sold that LDL is all from carbohydrates and that the AHA helped make us fat.

Thanks for posting the link!