How Bad Is Sugar?

[Steph1]

Ok, so I have come to terms with the fact that for now, at least, gluten-free grains are like gluten Jr, no alcohol, and either no soy, no msg or both.  Oh yeah no chocolate    Plain sugary stuff seems to be ok, though.  Like hard candy, or Talenti Sorbet (omg so good).  Is it likely that even if I don't feel sick or have issues that I notice, that it is still not good for me at the moment?  I don't eat it all the time, but I definitely have been on a candy kick.

 

Eta:  oh milk is out too, though I think a little cheese is ok.

[kareng]

I know this "no added sugar diet" is all the rage right now.  I am sure there are lots of places to get info on it.  Maybe Katie Couric's TV shoe website has info on it.

 

I saw Katie Couric was doing it.  She still seemed to be eating a lot of sugar - more fruits, etc than usual.  But I guess the point of it is no added sugar?

 

You already seem so restricted, why take on a fad diet?  If you don't have a problem with a hard candy or some sorbet - why eliminate more foods?

[BlessedMommy]

I got sick constantly, had back to back bouts of bronchitis, and was sick with various forms of allergies all the time. 

 

Cutting out sugar for a period of time really helped me a lot. My health is improved, my allergies are much better and I can enjoy the spring weather without feeling miserable all the time.

 

I now use some sweeteners very, very sparingly. I can usually tell when I've had too much.

 

If you're not sick and feel fine, though, you may not have to cut it out altogether. I think that low sugar is a good idea for everyone, but using no sweeteners of any kind is difficult.

[FruitEnthusiast]

Sugar isn't good for anyone, especially anyone with immune issues. It causes inflammation and inhibits your immune system. I was over doing sugar and didn't think it was hurting anything until I saw the delayed effect it had on my digestive system. I've completely removed sugar from my diet.

 

Cutting back on sugar isn't a new idea. There have been many books written, over the years, that talk about how damaging sugar is to the body. Everyone has to decide for themselves, but keeping sugar to a minimum can only help you, especially while you're healing.

[GF Lover]

Sugar isn't good for anyone, especially anyone with immune issues. It causes inflammation and inhibits your immune system. I was over doing sugar and didn't think it was hurting anything until I saw the delayed effect it had on my digestive system. I've completely removed sugar from my diet.

 

Cutting back on sugar isn't a new idea. There have been many books written, over the years, that talk about how damaging sugar is to the body. Everyone has to decide for themselves, but keeping sugar to a minimum can only help you, especially while you're healing.

 

Hi FruitE,

 

Do you have research information on sugar and inflammation/immune system or is this your personal opinion?

 

Colleen

[BlessedMommy]

I use the American Heart Association recommendations as my baseline. I try to keep my daily intake of all added sugars (honey, maple syrup, etc. count as added sugar) to around their recommendation--which works out to about 6-9 tsp per day. It's easy to get over that amount without thinking about it, so as a rule of thumb I try to avoid most things with sweeteners, unless it's something that I really enjoy. For example, spaghetti sauce doesn't need sugar, nor does seasonings, etc. I try to stick with buying unsweetened non-dairy milks, etc. 

 

So basically I save my daily allotment of sugar for certain condiments that I really like (such as vegenaise, stir fry sauces, etc.), granola, an occasional treat, etc.

[Steph1]

I don't want to cut it out, I really don't.  Today I have pain in my ear, pressure in my eyes and head, C, joint pain and vertigo.  I just want to feel better.  I had potato salad over the weekend, other than that everything was normal.  Oh I had a few pieces of cheese. I feel like practically everything makes me sick.  I guess it wouldn't kill me to give up excessive sugar for a week.

[BlessedMommy]

I found that once I cut out sugar, my cravings went way down. Now, lots of sugary things seem too sweet to me. I do use some sweeteners in moderation now and it's fairly easy to stop when I need to. I think that going without sugar for a period of time reprogrammed my taste buds.

[Steph1]

Ruth - do you still eat a few servings of fruit each day?  

[BlessedMommy]

Yes, we love fresh fruit and typically consume at least the recommended 2-4 servings, if not more.  We've eaten a lot of fresh berries and melons lately. Yum!

[chocominties]

I've read that sugar can upset your digestive system because certain bacteria feed off of it and then flourish (in a bad way). 

 

All I know is that I rapidly gain weight if I so much as *look* at sugar.  One Vitamin Water 3x in a week was enough to make me gain 5 pounds in said week with no other dietary changes.  I now try to limit my sugar intake.  YMMV.

[FruitEnthusiast]

Hi FruitE,

 

Do you have research information on sugar and inflammation/immune system or is this your personal opinion?

 

Colleen

 

Hi Colleen, you asked to see some research…

 

From the CNN Health website:

 

(CNN) March 2014 -- The World Health Organization wants you to stop eating so much sugar. Seriously. The WHO is encouraging people to consume less than 5% of their total daily calories from sugars. Most Americans still consume much more. For an adult at a normal body mass index, or BMI, eating 5% would be around 25 grams of sugar -- or six teaspoons. That's less than is typically found in a single can of regular soda, which contains about 40 grams of sugar.

 

From Dr Weil's website:

 

"It is becoming increasingly clear that chronic inflammation is the root cause of many serious illnesses - including heart disease, many cancers, and Alzheimer's disease. Inflammation is the body's way of getting more nourishment and more immune activity into an area that needs to fend off infection or heal. But when inflammation persists or serves no purpose, it damages the body and causes illness, which we see when the immune system mistakenly targets the body's own tissues in (autoimmune) diseases".

 

"Learning how specific foods influence the inflammatory process is the best strategy for containing it and reducing long-term disease risks. As part of an Anti-Inflammatory Diet, reduce your consumption of foods made with wheat flour and sugar".

[GF Lover]

Hi Colleen, you asked to see some research…

 

From the CNN Health website:

 

(CNN) March 2014 -- The World Health Organization wants you to stop eating so much sugar. Seriously. The WHO is encouraging people to consume less than 5% of their total daily calories from sugars. Most Americans still consume much more. For an adult at a normal body mass index, or BMI, eating 5% would be around 25 grams of sugar -- or six teaspoons. That's less than is typically found in a single can of regular soda, which contains about 40 grams of sugar.

 

From Dr Weil's website:

 

"It is becoming increasingly clear that chronic inflammation is the root cause of many serious illnesses - including heart disease, many cancers, and Alzheimer's disease. Inflammation is the body's way of getting more nourishment and more immune activity into an area that needs to fend off infection or heal. But when inflammation persists or serves no purpose, it damages the body and causes illness, which we see when the immune system mistakenly targets the body's own tissues in (autoimmune) diseases".

 

"Learning how specific foods influence the inflammatory process is the best strategy for containing it and reducing long-term disease risks. As part of an Anti-Inflammatory Diet, reduce your consumption of foods made with wheat flour and sugar".

 

Hi FruitE,

 

Like Dr. Weil's site, most of what I read when researching the subject is opinion and the ol' "research shows" line without providing sources for the information.  In the time I spent looking I could not find any peer reviewed studies or legit research on the good/bad effects of consumption of sugar.  All that I read was about how over consumption of highly refined carbs (sugars) lead to obesity to diabetes and heart disease and they were talking about excessive amount of refined sugar added to processed foods and blood sugar levels.

 

I think with all the "recommendations" on appropriate sugar consumption and how "bad" it is for you drives many people to cut sugar out all together, which "they" say is not good for you either as the body does need some sugars to function (I read that in my search but don't have the source at hand but I think it was Webmd.)  I also read some info from a couple of Pediatricians that newborns will choose a sweet taste over other tastes.

 

I would imagine that the natural sugars in fruits is plenty to sustain us.   I also believe that moderation is the key to everything.  As for myself, I try to maintain a "low" sugar diet per my Oncologist but that is deceiving because "low" is really just the recommended amounts.  

 

I guess in the end it all boils down to not cutting out all sugars but choosing natural ones over processed and limiting "sweets" to a reasonable level.  That said, I do make brownies on occasion, have some ice cream here and there, enjoy a candy bar once in awhile and I am a sucker for Cherry 7Up.  I don't over indulge in sweets, I think of them as "something special" to have.  

 

Colleen

[BlessedMommy]

I agree with us needing natural sugars! I joined a Candida support board and I didn't feel like I fit in there, because the folks there tended to be militant about cutting even natural sugars like fruit or stuff like potatoes. They considered stuff like eating fruit to be "playing with fire."

[GF Lover]

I agree with us needing natural sugars! I joined a Candida support board and I didn't feel like I fit in there, because the folks there tended to be militant about cutting even natural sugars like fruit or stuff like potatoes. They considered stuff like eating fruit to be "playing with fire."

 

Yikes!  Now that is "Extreme".  

 

Colleen

[FruitEnthusiast]

I think with all the "recommendations" on appropriate sugar consumption and how "bad" it is for you drives many people to cut sugar out all together, which "they" say is not good for you either as the body does need some sugars to function (I read that in my search but don't have the source at hand but I think it was Webmd.) 

 

I would imagine that the natural sugars in fruits is plenty to sustain us.   I also believe that moderation is the key to everything. 

 

I guess in the end it all boils down to not cutting out all sugars but choosing natural ones over processed and limiting "sweets" to a reasonable level.  I don't over indulge in sweets, I think of them as "something special" to have.  

 

Colleen

 

Exactly. You have said it here better than I did. I read the same thing on WebMD about how we need to have the natural sugar in fruits in our diet. I don't want to give anyone the idea that I suggest removing fresh fruit, it's good for you.

 

I was talking about having refined sugar in moderation, or any concentrated sugar. Sometimes it seems to make sense that if fresh whole fruits are good, then unsweetened fruit juice is just as good, but it actually has the same amount of sugar per oz as soda. One source for that info is from the Harvard School of Public Health website.

 

Like you say sweets are meant to be a treat, something special. I believe also that moderation is the key to everything.

[JamieRmusic]

Sugar feeds the wrong kinds of bacteria in the gut which is a bad thing. So if you are serious about healing then the professionals suggest that you get off sugar completely until properly healed, but dark honey seems to be ok in moderate amounts.

[GF Lover]

Please explain who the "Professions" are.  If you read some research you will learn that the body NEEDS some sugar to function properly.

 

Colleen

[cyclinglady]

I disagree, Colleen. Yes, your body needs some sugar, but it will convert even protein into glucose. How else did the Eskimos survive? Let's face it. The typical Western diet contains too much added sugar. We are up to 160 pounds per person in the U.S. That seems pretty excessive. Check out this lecture from UC San Francisco.

Open Original Shared Link

It is just "food for thought".......

[JamieRmusic]

I agree with cyclinglady on this one. Your body will produce everything except the 11 amino acids that it cannot produce. This is why meats are such a great source of protein, but we don't need to eat as much as most people do. Oviously we can get it from specific plants and other foods like quinoa and so forth (lysine is an example that quinoa is rich off of, which is hard to get outside of meat). All I'm saying that a well balanced meal is required to fill the spectrum, and meat can make it easier. Myself have debated going vegan once I am fully healed due to the fact I can't stand the way our food is being treated. We are so disconnected, and it feels like the stuff just comes out of nowhere. Poor animals...

I believe everything that is "not-so-good-for-you" In moderation is "ok", but if you are in a healing process from celiacs then it is suggested not to. The body will manage to get rid of most toxics and has an amazing ability to filter stuff. Except when your GI tract is broken and you get everything into your bloodstream.

Check out Gluten Summit which is hosted by the wonderful Dr. Tom'o Bryan who has a good grasp of A.I (auto immune) diseases. Thyroid Sessions has a lot of good information too. SCD Lifestyle is run by two who have celiacs and have struggled most of their lives. After figuring out what it was and gotten a grasp on it they became physicians and are now on the road to help more people. 

I suggest checking Gluten Summit as they have a list of all the doctors and practitioner they have interviewed. Over 40 who specialise in their own unique part of the body, but all related to A.I or celiacs.

[BlessedMommy]

^Being celiac and vegetarian is totally doable. I'm vegetarian and still find that I have a ton of gluten free food options.

[FruitEnthusiast]

SCD Lifestyle is run by two who have celiacs and have struggled most of their lives. After figuring out what it was and gotten a grasp on it they became physicians and are now on the road to help more people.

 

It's a very helpful and informative site. They explain why they recommend removing grains, starches, and all added sweeteners, except honey for a time to heal, then certain foods can be added back in gradually. It is an extreme approach, which is what it sometimes takes to get well.

 

This diet is recommended by Dr. Pimentel who heads the GI Motility Program at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles, CA. There main objective is to control the excess bacteria in the gut. Sugars are what the bacteria feed on. I have a friend who is a patient of his and she's doing much better following the SCD diet.

 

I don't technically follow the diet myself, but I have had to remove all the foods they do anyway because I can't tolerate them, including refined and concentrated sugars. So my diet is basically the same diet.

 

I was vegetarian for the first year and a half after going gluten-free. Eventually I found I didn't feel well and added chicken back into my diet. Some people do better than others on a vegetarian diet.