# Big Sugar



## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

How the Sugar Industry Shifted Blame to Fat



> The sugar industry paid scientists in the 1960s to play down the link between sugar and heart disease and promote saturated fat as the culprit instead, newly released historical documents show.


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## Legbacon (Jan 20, 2004)

I saw them perform in Brandon MB, pretty good band.


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## dave54 (Jul 1, 2003)

Why the brouhaha over 'newly released documents' when the food science world knew of the paid studies back in the 1990s and before?

Funded studies does not necessarily mean the findings are bogus. You can still have good solid science paid from a biased source. In this case it may be skewed analysis, but the funding source of any study does not automatically imply the findings are biased. Every study is funded by someone.


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

Travis Bickle said:


> I saw them perform in Brandon MB, pretty good band.


:lol: I've seen them too


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## LaneDetroitCity (Nov 10, 2015)

cyclelicious said:


> How the Sugar Industry Shifted Blame to Fat







Sent from my SM-G360P using Tapatalk


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

An interesting article (also from NYT) *How to Stop Eating Sugar*

_I was a lifelong vegetarian, but I had a goal to eliminated dairy products until reaching a plant-based diet (a few years ago). As a result, I've become more conscious of phasing out less healthy foods (eg pop, sugary cereals etc) and replaced with healthier choices. Although I read labels, and try not to overindulge (I do treat myself to a vegan dessert once in a while :) I still found that this article had some good observations for raising awareness and reports some good strategies for guidance. 
_
*The Added-Sugar Problem*
Here's why you eat more sugar than you realize, and why it's a problem.

The first thing to know: Added sugars, of one kind or another, are almost everywhere in the modern diet. They're in sandwich bread, chicken stock, pickles, salad dressing, crackers, yogurt and cereal, as well as in the obvious foods and drinks, like soda and desserts.

The biggest problem with added sweeteners is that they make it easy to overeat. They're tasty and highly caloric but they often don't make you feel full. Instead, they can trick you into wanting even more food. Because we're surrounded by added sweeteners - in our kitchens, in restaurants, at schools and offices - most of us will eat too much of them unless we consciously set out to do otherwise.

*HOW DID WE GET HERE?*
It's not an accident. The sugar industry has conducted an aggressive, decades-long campaign to blame the obesity epidemic on fats, not sugars. Fats, after all, seem as if they should cause obesity. Thanks partly to that campaign, sugar consumption soared in the United States even as people were trying to lose weight. But research increasingly indicates that an overabundance of simple carbohydrates, and sugar in particular, is the No. 1 problem in modern diets. Sugar is the driving force behind the diabetes and obesity epidemics. Fortunately, more people are realizing the harms of sugar and cutting back.

*WHAT TO CUT*
Health experts recommend that you focus on reducing added sweeteners - like granulated sugar, high fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, stevia and molasses. You don't need to worry so much about the sugars that are a natural part of fruit, vegetables and dairy products. Most people don't overeat naturally occurring sugars, as Marion Nestle of New York University says. The fiber, vitamins and minerals that surround them fill you up.

A typical adult should not eat more than 50 grams (or about 12 teaspoons) of added sugars per day, and closer to 25 is healthier. The average American would need to reduce added-sweetener consumption by about 40 percent to get down to even the 50-gram threshold. Here's how you can do it - without spending more money on food than you already do.

*THE GAMEPLAN*
Changing your diet is hard. If your strategy involves thinking about sugar all the time - whenever you're shopping or eating - you'll likely fail. You'll also be miserable in the process. It's much more effective to come up with a few simple rules and habits that then become second nature. (One strategy to consider: Eliminate all added sugars for one month, and then add back only the ones you miss. It's easier than it sounds.)

Above all, most people's goal should be to find a few simple, lasting ways to cut back on sugar. Once you're done reading this guide, we suggest you choose two or three of our ideas and try them for a few weeks.

*1) First Thing in the Morning: Remember, breakfast shouldn't taste like dessert. *

Breakfast is the most dangerous meal of the day for sugar. Many breakfast foods that sound as if they're healthy are in fact laden with sugar. In Chobani Strawberry Yogurt, for example, the second ingredient - ahead of strawberries! - is evaporated cane sugar. And many brands of granola have more sugar per serving than Froot Loops or Cocoa Puffs. In the United States, as the science writer Gary Taubes says, breakfasts have become "lower-fat versions of dessert."

There are two main strategies to ensure that breakfast doesn't become a morning dessert. The first is for people who can't imagine moving away from a grain-based breakfast, like cereal or toast. If you fall into this category, you have to be quite careful, because processed grains are often packed with sugar.

A few grain-based breakfasts with no or very low sugar:

Cheerios. They're quite low in sugar. 
Plain oatmeal. Flavor it with fresh fruit and, if necessary, a small sprinkling of brown sugar. 
Bread. A few breads have no sugar (like Ezekiel 4:9 Whole Grain). A longer list of brands have only one gram, or less, per slice (including Sara Lee Whole Wheat and Nature's Own Whole Wheat). Authentic Middle Eastern breads, like pita and lavash, are particularly good options and a growing number of supermarkets sell them.
Homemade granola. You can also make your own granola and play around with the sugar amounts.
But there is also a more creative alternative. Move away from grain-based breakfasts. If you do that (as I have recently, after decades of eating cereal), avoiding added sugar is easy. My new breakfast routine actually feels more indulgent than my old one. Most days, I eat three or four of the following:

Scrambled or fried eggs
Fruit
Plain yogurt
A small piece of toast
A few nuts
A small portion of well-spiced vegetables, like spinach, carrots and sweet potatoes.

VEGGIES FOR BREAKFAST?
I realize the part about vegetables may sound weird. Maybe morning veggies aren't for you. But maybe you'll be surprised to discover they are, as I was. Remember: In much of the world, including large parts of Asia, breakfast is a savory meal, not a sweet one, just as lunch and dinner are. Vegetables aren't a weird thing to eat for breakfast in China or India. For more breakfast ideas, check out breakfast recipes from Whole30 (a food program that eliminates much more than just sugar).

A final tip: Keep your juice portions small. Real juice doesn't have added sweeteners. But fruit juice is one source of natural sugars that can be dangerous, because of how efficiently it delivers those sugars. You're not eating the stomach-filling fiber of an orange when you drink a glass of orange juice. Keep your juice portions to no more than six ounces, and have only one per day.

*2) From the Bottle and Can: Beverages are one of the biggest sources of added sugars in our diets.*

Eliminate soda from your regular diet. Just get rid of it. If you must, drink diet soda. Ideally, though, you should get rid of diet soda, too.

That may sound extreme, but sweetened beverages are by far the biggest source of added sugar in the American diet - 47 percent, according to the federal government. Soda - along with sweetened sports drinks, energy drinks and iced teas - is essentially flavored, liquefied sugar that pumps calories into your body without filling you up. Among all foods and beverages, says Kelly Brownell, an obesity expert and dean of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke, "the science is most robust and most convincing on the link between soft drinks and negative health outcomes."

Get this: A single 16-ounce bottle of Coke has 52 grams of sugar. That's more added sugar than most adults should consume in an entire day.

As for diet soda, researchers aren't yet sure whether they're damaging or harmless. Some scientists think diet soda is perfectly fine. Others, like the Yale cardiologist Dr. Harlan Krumholz, think it may be damaging. Dr. Krumholz recently announced that after years of pounding diet sodas, he was giving them up. There is reason to believe, he wrote, that the artificial sweeteners they contain lead to "weight gain and metabolic abnormalities."

THE SODA ALTERNATIVE

Many people who think they're addicted to soda are attracted to either the caffeine or the carbonation in the drink. You can get caffeine from coffee and tea (lightly sweetened or unsweetened), and you can get carbonation from seltzer, flavored or otherwise.

For many people, the shift to seltzer, club soda or sparkling water is life changing. It turns hydration into a small treat that's still calorie-free. Buy yourself a seltzer maker, as I have, and gorge on the stuff at home, while saving money. Or buy fizzy water in cans or bottles. Sales of carbonated water have more than doubled since 2010, with the brand LaCroix now offering more than 20 different flavors, all without added sugar.

If they're not sweet enough for you, you can also add a dash of juice to plain seltzer. But many people find that they lose their taste for soda after giving it up. And many Americans are giving it up: Since the late 1990s, sales of full-calorie soda have fallen more than 25 percent.

*3) Check Your Pantry : Check the labels of your pantry staples for some easy places to cut the sugar. *

Food makers sneak sugar into more foods than you may realize. It's in many brands of chicken stock, soup, salami, smoked salmon, tortillas and crackers. And most of these foods do not need sweeteners to taste good.

If you take a little time to look at labels - at the grocery store or online - you can quickly learn which staples have sugar and which don't. Here's a sampling of some quick switches you could make:









Tip: If you live near a Trader Joe's, it provides a lot of good, affordable options. Many of its staples have little or no added sweeteners, including some of its house brand sandwich breads, tortillas and bacon.

Try it: When you go to the supermarket, compare various brands, and choose one with little added sugar. Do this once, and then it's easy to make the no-sugar items your default. You no longer have to spend energy thinking about it.

Start with a product's Nutrition Facts table. Some products now include a helpful line listing the amount of "added sugars," in addition to the standard "sugars" line (which includes naturally occurring sugars). The Trump administration has made the "added sugars" line voluntary, however, so you may also need to look at the full ingredient list next to the Nutrition Facts table, to figure out whether a food has an added sweetener. Here's a helpful list of the many sweetener names.

SNACKS
Snacks can all too easily turn into yet another dessert. Many granola bars and power bars are packed with added sugars. The same goes for canned and dried fruits. And don't kid yourself about those flavored Starbucks drinks: They're more like a milkshake than a cup of coffee.

What are better alternatives for snacking? Have some nuts, as Barack Obama famously does. Or popcorn. Or fresh fruit. Or canned fruit that doesn't come soaked in thick syrup.

Several companies have also realized that more people are trying to reduce their sugar intake and have begun offering snack bars without added sweeteners. These options include Larabars and Rxbars.

*4) The Sauce Risk: What's hiding in your ketchup? Sugar, most likely. *

Other than breakfast, sauces and toppings are the biggest stealth sugar risk.

Two of the four biggest ingredients in Heinz Ketchup are sweeteners. The biggest ingredient in many barbecue sauces is high fructose corn syrup. Many pickles - especially those labelled "bread and butter" - are heavily sweetened. Not only does Ragu pasta sauce have added sugar but so does Newman's Own Marinara. Even Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard has some added sugar.

It is easy enough to use sauces without sugar in most cases. These products are good examples of sauces that forgo the sugar:

Maille dijon mustard
Gulden's spicy brown
French's Yellow Mustard 
Prego's Marinara
Victoria pasta sauces
Vlasic Kosher Dill Pickles
Newman's Own Classic Oil and Vinegar salad dressing
As for barbecue sauce: You're probably won't find a good one without sugar. And as a Texan by marriage, I'm not going to suggest you give up barbecue. But no one said that you have to eliminate all sugar from your diet. Cut back on it elsewhere, and you can enjoy your brisket, ribs or pulled pork, slathered in a delicious sauce, without feeling guilty.

MAKE YOUR OWN
Want to control what's in your sauces? Make them yourself. You can quickly and cheaply make your own salad dressing with some combination of olive oil, an acid (like vinegar, lemon or lime), herbs, garlic and shallots. Here's a great, and extremely simple, recipe from my friend Sam Sifton.

While you're at it, try making your own homemade marinara sauce, and impress your friends with ketchup cooked on your own stove.

*5) Don't Ruin it All at the End of a Meal : Dessert doesn't have to be any less sweet if you are cutting back on sugar.*

1. Portion size. Many standard American desserts have become grotesquely large. At Applebee's, the country's largest casual dining chain, a single piece of cheesecake has 1,000 calories (which is half the calories a typical adult should eat in an entire day) and a whopping 21 teaspoons of sugar. Imagine pouring 21 teaspoons of sugar into your mouth after a meal. At Starbucks, a piece of chocolate marble loaf has 490 calories and is also packed with 43 grams of sugar.

The desserts of yesteryear were not nearly so monstrous. Even if you're not a fan of Oreos, which have been around since 1912, they're illustrative. A single Oreo cookie - the regular kind, not "double stuff" or "mega stuff" - has only one teaspoon of sugar. You should think of two or three Oreos, or a different dessert of similar size, as a normal dessert. Anything larger is a big splurge, the sort of indulgence to reserve for special occasions.

2. Habits. I've gone through periods when I ate a bowl of ice cream every night. It's not a great idea.

If you want to keep your sugar consumption under control, you can help yourself by getting out of the habit of having a full artificially sweetened dessert every night. There are other end-of-day rituals that can help you fill the void, like a cup of tea or...

3. Fruit. Fruit is really a miracle food. It's sweet, delicious and full of nutrients and fiber. Yes, it's possible to eat so much fruit that you end up getting too much sugar in your diet. But very few people have this problem. For people who want a sweet every day, fruit is the way to go.

Some tips on picking great fruits?

Eat it fresh. (Here's a guide to seasonality.) 
Experiment with new fruits (like pomelos and papaya). 
Eat it dried (again, Trader Joe's excels here). 
Eat it jarred or canned in the winter. (Just avoid all the fruit that comes with extra sweeteners.) 
The beauty of fruit helps to underscore the overriding point about sugar. It's normal to have some sugar in your diet. The problem is all of the processed sugar that has snuck into the modern diet. It's so prevalent that you need a strategy for avoiding it. Once you come up with a strategy, eating a healthy amount of sugar isn't nearly as hard as it sometimes seems.

sauce https://www.nytimes.com/guides/smar...wp_1=1114831&dclid=CKuA_eraqtoCFUunaQodIBgIXQ


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

A little more about sugar

How to be sugar savvy: Essential tips for avoiding the type 2 diabetes epidemic
5 tips to help you with cravings, lurking sugars and warning signs



> Ice cream, apple pie, crème brûlée; if your mouth is already watering, you can thank your genes. For early humans nutrition was scarce; that's why scientists believe our brains evolved to crave and seek out sweet foods high in survival-friendly calories. Of course this is far less useful now that we can find chocolate bars in every grocery-store checkout lane. Combine that with years of positive social reinforcement (think birthday cake and date-night desserts) and it's no wonder many of us have an unhealthy relationship with sugar. Over time, however, these indulgences can lead to a world of trouble. Not only can bingeing on sugar cause fatigue and weight gain in the short term, but in the long run it can increase your risk of serious diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes-which can shorten your lifespan by up to 15 years. What's more, 1 in 3 Canadians has either diabetes or prediabetes, so being sugar savvy is more important than ever. Here are 5 tips to help you navigate the sweet stuff.
> 
> *1. Don't let your brain trick you*
> 
> ...


sauce https://www.cbc.ca/life/wellness/ho...oiding-the-type-2-diabetes-epidemic-1.4823032


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## deerkiller (Aug 5, 2015)

Ok, but why cut stevia? It is zero calorie, or close, right?


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

deerkiller said:


> Ok, but why cut stevia? It is zero calorie, or close, right?


It's a good question.

I found this study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3198517/ . Right now, more research is still needed before determining the safety of stevia, but is currently considered safe in at least the U.S. and Europe. So, in short, if you're consuming stevia in moderation, you're probably ok.

Here's another article (less detailed) https://examine.com/supplements/stevia/


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

Regarding non-sugar sweeteners, there is some evidence that the sweetness can still cause signals to be sent to the pancreas to start pre-emptively producing insulin. Of course, there's no sugar spike for the insulin to respond to, so the system gets fooled and begins to subtly change in function over years. I'm pretty sure small amounts of stevia probably don't do much damage - if any at all - but it's something to consider. Most of us can process "reasonable" amounts of almost anything. But there are subsets of people who are more affected, and other factors such as age can degrade that ability.

I'm of the opinion though, that the shift from fats to sugar in the diet was a terrible thing for general population health.


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## JDHutch (Sep 29, 2017)

Water, coffee and non-sweetened tea is basically all you can drink if you want to really cut back on sugar. Also eliminate packaged and processed foods because like the article says almost everything has sugar added. New research linking sugar and cancer is scary stuff.


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## plummet (Jul 8, 2005)

I gave up refined sugar 3 years ago. Now im 10kg lighter, dont have the afternoon sleepyness and am fitter, faster, both up and down with more endurance than pre sugar me. I am also more mentally robust with less anxiety. 


Killing refined sugar was a game changer for me. The positives far outweigh the loss of eating chocolate and icecreams. 


Its hard to begin with and the body craves the sugary goodness. Once your body recalibrates to less sugar your taste buds dont like the taste of those sugary treats anymore. Icecream for example becomes sickly. Food that you once felt was bland is now tasty.


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

*Consumption of sugary drinks linked with cancer risk: study*

Consumption of sugary drinks such as soda and fruit juice is linked to a higher risk of developing certain kinds of cancer, researchers reported on Thursday.

The consumption of sugary drinks has exploded worldwide in recent decades and the high-calorie beverages have already been associated with a elevated risk of obesity -- itself recognised as a leading cancer risk factor.

A team of researchers in France wanted to assess the associations between heightened consumption of sugar drinks and the risks of overall cancer, as well as several cancer types, including breast, prostate and bowel cancers.

They surveyed more than 100,000 adults, with an average of age of 42, 79 percent of whom were women.

The participants, who were followed for a maximum of nine years, completed at least two 24-hour online validated dietary questionnaires, calculating their daily consumption of sugar and artificially sweetened beverages as well as 100 percent fruit juices.

Researchers measured the daily intakes of sugary drinks against those of diet beverages and compared them to cancer cases in participants' medical records during the follow-up period.

They found that just a 100 ml increase per day of sugary drinks was associated with an 18 percent increased risk of cancer, and with a 22 percent increase in breast cancer.

Both sugar-sweetened drinks and fruit juices saw a similar higher risk association.

During a follow-up, researchers found 2,193 cases of cancer were diagnosed, the average age at diagnosis being 59 years.

Authors of the study, which appeared in the BMJ medical journal, stressed their work was based on observation and so could not establish the cause of cancer prognoses.

But the sample size was large and they adjusted for a number of other influential factors.

Its authors suggested that, based on their findings, taxing sugary products could have a significant impact on cancer rates.

"This large, well-designed study adds to the existing evidence that consumption of sugary drinks may be associated with increased risk of some cancers," Graham Wheeler, senior statistician of the Cancer Research U.K. said of the study.

sauce https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/consu...-risk-study-1.4503470?cache=yes?autoPlay=true

Link to study https://www.bmj.com/content/366/bmj.l2408


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## Sid Duffman (Oct 5, 2015)

plummet said:


> I gave up refined sugar 3 years ago. Now im 10kg lighter, dont have the afternoon sleepyness and am fitter, faster, both up and down with more endurance than pre sugar me. I am also more mentally robust with less anxiety.
> 
> Killing refined sugar was a game changer for me. The positives far outweigh the loss of eating chocolate and icecreams.
> 
> Its hard to begin with and the body craves the sugary goodness. Once your body recalibrates to less sugar your taste buds dont like the taste of those sugary treats anymore. Icecream for example becomes sickly. Food that you once felt was bland is now tasty.


I gave up refined sugar at the new year based on one of your posts in another thread (the no alcohol challenge). I'll echo everything you said here. I've never felt better! Afternoon drowsiness is gone. Cravings are much reduced. Fruit tastes much sweeter (and indulgent). Focus and mental clarity is better. Mood is better and more stable. . .

A few weeks in, I was having problems staying asleep, and would usually wake up for a few hours in the middle of the night. (Despite that, I still felt better and more awake during the day). Looked into it, and I wasn't alone. It seems carbs are involved with serotonin production (via insulin and tryptophan transport into the brain). https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/...iet/201411/chasing-away-insomnia-bowl-oatmeal

After a few more weeks, my body adapted, and the sleeping is no longer a problem. Feeling so good I don't expect to ever go back to eating refined carbs. the hardest part has been others' reactions/shock when they hear you aren't eating sweets/bread/pasta, and their insistence that you have some cake.


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## plummet (Jul 8, 2005)

Sid Duffman said:


> I gave up refined sugar at the new year based on one of your posts in another thread (the no alcohol challenge). I'll echo everything you said here. I've never felt better! Afternoon drowsiness is gone. Cravings are much reduced. Fruit tastes much sweeter (and indulgent). Focus and mental clarity is better. Mood is better and more stable. . .
> 
> A few weeks in, I was having problems staying asleep, and would usually wake up for a few hours in the middle of the night. (Despite that, I still felt better and more awake during the day). Looked into it, and I wasn't alone. It seems carbs are involved with serotonin production (via insulin and tryptophan transport into the brain). https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/...iet/201411/chasing-away-insomnia-bowl-oatmeal
> 
> After a few more weeks, my body adapted, and the sleeping is no longer a problem. Feeling so good I don't expect to ever go back to eating refined carbs. the hardest part has been others' reactions/shock when they hear you aren't eating sweets/bread/pasta, and their insistence that you have some cake.


That is excellent news man. I happy that its working well for you.

For the record i still eat long chain refined carbs like bread, pasta, oats etc I have ditched the refiend sugars, cafene and alcohol. It is important to note that different foods will spike blood sugar levels for different people. As an example i am fine with bread where several of my buddies put on weight if they eat bread.

So you need to experiment and find what works for you. That said refined single sugars are universally bad.

I agree with reaction reaction from other people. And even when they know you dont do sugar and you have told them many times they still offer sugar packed snacks!... Such is life.

I still feel great. The impact does not dull off over time. I'm just running at a constant higher performance all round.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

whiskey and bacon for me... peak performance


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

If you want a better sleep.... some food for zzzzzzz 

*How Foods May Affect Our Sleep*









This has not been a very good year for sleep.

With the coronavirus pandemic, school and work disruptions and a contentious election season contributing to countless sleepless nights, sleep experts have encouraged people to adopt a variety of measures to overcome their stress-related insomnia. Among their recommendations: engage in regular exercise, establish a nightly bedtime routine and cut back on screen time and social media.

But many people may be overlooking another important factor in poor sleep: diet. A growing body of research suggests that the foods you eat can affect how well you sleep, and your sleep patterns can affect your dietary choices.

*Researchers have found that eating a diet that is high in sugar, saturated fat and processed carbohydrates can disrupt your sleep, while eating more plants, fiber and foods rich in unsaturated fat - such as nuts, olive oil, fish and avocados - seems to have the opposite effect, helping to promote sound sleep.*

Much of what we know about sleep and diet comes from large epidemiological studies that, over the years, have found that people who suffer from consistently bad sleep tend to have poorer quality diets, with less protein, fewer fruits and vegetables, and a higher intake of added sugar from foods like sugary beverages, desserts and ultra-processed foods. But by their nature, epidemiological studies can show only correlations, not cause and effect. They cannot explain, for example, whether poor diet precedes and leads to poor sleep, or the reverse.

To get a better understanding of the relationship between diet and sleep, some researchers have turned to randomized controlled trials in which they tell participants what to eat and then look for changes in their sleep. A number of studies have looked at the impact of a diverse array of individual foods, from warm milk to fruit juice. But those studies often have been small and not very rigorous.

Some of these trials have also been funded by the food industry, which can bias results. One study funded by Zespri International, the world's largest marketer of kiwi fruit, for example, found that people assigned to eat two kiwis an hour before their bedtime every night for four weeks had improvements in their sleep onset, duration and efficiency. The authors of the study attributed their findings in part to an "abundance" of antioxidants in kiwis. But importantly, the study lacked a control group, so it is possible that any benefits could have resulted from the placebo effect.

Other studies funded by the cherry industry have found that drinking tart cherry juice can modestly improve sleep in people with insomnia, supposedly by promoting tryptophan, one of the building blocks of the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin. Tryptophan is an amino acid found in many foods, including dairy and turkey, which is one of the reasons commonly given for why so many of us feel so sleepy after our Thanksgiving feasts. But tryptophan has to cross the blood-brain barrier to have any soporific effects, and in the presence of other amino acids found in food it ends up competing, largely unsuccessfully, for absorption. Studies show that eating protein-rich foods such as milk and turkey on their own actually decreases the ability of tryptophan to cross the blood-brain barrier.

One way to enhance tryptophan's uptake is to pair foods that contain it with carbohydrates. That combination stimulates the release of insulin, which causes competing amino acids to be absorbed by muscles, in turn making it easier for tryptophan to cross into the brain, said Marie-Pierre St-Onge, an associate professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the director of the Sleep Center of Excellence at Columbia.

Dr. St-Onge has spent years studying the relationship between diet and sleep. Her work suggests that rather than emphasizing one or two specific foods with supposedly sleep-inducing properties, it is better to focus on the overall quality of your diet. In one randomized clinical trial, she and her colleagues recruited 26 healthy adults and controlled what they ate for four days, providing them regular meals prepared by nutritionists while also monitoring how they slept at night. On the fifth day, the subjects were allowed to eat whatever they wanted.

The researchers discovered that eating more saturated fat and less fiber from foods like vegetables, fruits and whole grains led to reductions in slow-wave sleep, which is the deep, restorative kind. In general, clinical trials have also found that carbohydrates have a significant impact on sleep: People tend to fall asleep much faster at night when they consume a high-carbohydrate diet compared to when they consume a high-fat or high-protein diet. That may have something to do with carbs helping tryptophan cross into the brain more easily.

But the quality of carbs matters. In fact, they can be a double-edged sword when it comes to slumber. Dr. St-Onge has found in her research that when people eat more sugar and simple carbs - such as white bread, bagels, pastries and pasta - they wake up more frequently throughout the night. In other words, eating carbs may help you fall asleep faster, but it is best to consume "complex" carbs that contain fiber, which may help you obtain more deep, restorative sleep.

"Complex carbohydrates provide a more stable blood sugar level," said Dr. St-Onge. "So if blood sugar levels are more stable at night, that could be the reason complex carbohydrates are associated with better sleep."

One example of a dietary pattern that may be optimal for better sleep is the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes such foods as vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, seafood, poultry, yogurt, herbs and spices and olive oil. Large observational studies have found that people who follow this type of dietary pattern are less likely to suffer from insomnia and short sleep, though more research is needed to confirm the correlation.

But the relationship between poor diet and bad sleep is a two-way street: Scientists have found that as people lose sleep, they experience physiological changes that can nudge them to seek out junk food. In clinical trials, healthy adults who are allowed to sleep only four or five hours a night end up consuming more calories and snacking more frequently throughout the day. They experience significantly more hunger and their preference for sweet foods increases.

In men, sleep deprivation stimulates increased levels of ghrelin, the so-called hunger hormone, while in women, restricting sleep leads to lower levels of GLP-1, a hormone that signals satiety,

"So in men, short sleep promotes greater appetite and desire to eat, and in women there is less of a signal that makes you stop eating," said Dr. St-Onge.

Changes also occur in the brain. Dr. St-Onge found that when men and women were restricted to four hours of nightly sleep for five nights in a row, they had greater activation in reward centers of the brain in response to pepperoni pizza, doughnuts and candy compared to healthy foods such as carrots, yogurt, oatmeal and fruit. After five nights of normal sleep, however, this pattern of stronger brain responses to the junk food disappeared.

Another study, led by researchers at King's College London, also demonstrated how proper sleep can increase your willpower to avoid unhealthy foods. It found that habitually short sleepers who went through a program to help them sleep longer - resulting in their getting roughly an hour of additional sleep each night - had improvements in their diet. The most striking change was that they cut about 10 grams of added sugar from their diets each day, the equivalent of about two and a half teaspoons.

The takeaway is that diet and sleep are entwined. Improving one can help you improve the other and vice versa, creating a positive cycle where they perpetuate one another, said Dr. Susan Redline, a senior physician at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and a professor of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School who studies diet and sleep disorders.

"The best way to approach health is to emphasize a healthy diet and healthy sleep," she added. "These are two very important health behaviors that can reinforce each other."

sauce https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/10/...38e515a775a5a2886440eb9cf77#commentsContainer


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## acer66 (Oct 13, 2010)

I went on a crusade against added sugar and went from ~230 to ~200lbs within 9month doing nothing else differently.
Craving for sweet stuff went away pretty fast but I tried some amaretto in my coffee which I used to do quite frequently just recently and my teeth were screaming.
My dental hygienist was also impressed how much less deep my pockets in my gums are.
I am done with that crap.


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

Saccharin, sucralose and aspartame...Diet coke just has aspartame. My understanding is the term "artificial sweetener" is used to describe a man-made sweetener, not a naturally occurring one. So I don't believe Stevia is included except for the 3 listed. Also keep in mind this this study is focused on cell culture and doesn't have a control group. My impression is artificial sweetners are still bad you.

*Study shows potential dangers of sweeteners*

New research has discovered that common artificial sweeteners can cause previously healthy gut bacteria to become diseased and invade the gut wall, potentially leading to serious health issues.

The study, published in the _International Journal of Molecular Sciences,_ is the first to show the pathogenic effects of some of the most widely used artificial sweeteners - saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame - on two types of gut bacteria, E. coli (Escherichia coli) and E. faecalis (Enterococcus faecalis).

Previous studies have shown that artificial sweeteners can change the number and type of bacteria in the gut, but this new molecular research, led by academics from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), has demonstrated that sweeteners can also make the bacteria pathogenic. It found that these pathogenic bacteria can attach themselves to, invade, and kill Caco-2 cells, which are epithelial cells that line the wall of the intestine.

It is known that bacteria such as E. faecalis which cross the intestinal wall can enter the blood stream and congregate in the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen, causing a number of infections including septicaemia.

This new study discovered that at a concentration equivalent to two cans of diet soft drink, all three artificial sweeteners significantly increased the adhesion of both E. coli and E. faecalis to intestinal Caco-2 cells, and differentially increased the formation of biofilms.

Bacteria growing in biofilms are less sensitive to antimicrobial resistance treatment and are more likely to secrete toxins and express virulence factors, which are molecules that can cause disease.

Additionally, all three sweeteners caused the pathogenic gut bacteria to invade Caco-2 cells found in the wall of the intestine, with the exception of saccharin which had no significant effect on E. coli invasion.

Senior author of the paper Dr Havovi Chichger, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Science at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: "There is a lot of concern about the consumption of artificial sweeteners, with some studies showing that sweeteners can affect the layer of bacteria which support the gut, known as the gut microbiota.

"Our study is the first to show that some of the sweeteners most commonly found in food and drink - saccharin, sucralose and aspartame - can make normal and 'healthy' gut bacteria become pathogenic. These pathogenic changes include greater formation of biofilms and increased adhesion and invasion of bacteria into human gut cells.

"These changes could lead to our own gut bacteria invading and causing damage to our intestine, which can be linked to infection, sepsis and multiple-organ failure.

"We know that overconsumption of sugar is a major factor in the development of conditions such as obesity and diabetes. Therefore, it is important that we increase our knowledge of sweeteners versus sugars in the diet to better understand the impact on our health."









Study shows potential dangers of sweeteners


New research has discovered that common artificial sweeteners can cause previously healthy gut bacteria to become diseased and invade the gut wall, potentially leading to serious health issues. The study, published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, is the first to show the...



www.eurekalert.org


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## RideVT (Aug 24, 2018)

dave54 said:


> Why the brouhaha over 'newly released documents' when the food science world knew of the paid studies back in the 1990s and before?
> 
> Funded studies does not necessarily mean the findings are bogus. You can still have good solid science paid from a biased source. In this case it may be skewed analysis, but the funding source of any study does not automatically imply the findings are biased. Every study is funded by someone.


If a study is funded by an entity with a financial interest in the outcome of that study, then the study is inherently corrupted by that interest, full stop.

That would be like saying that a study with a sample size of, like, 3 people is not inherently inaccurate. Sure, those results _could_ theoretically turn out to be accurate, but that 3-person study itself does not prove anything. The only way to determine results with any degree of certainty would be to repeat the study with a vastly larger sample size.


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## plummet (Jul 8, 2005)

Well, I'm still refined sugar free. That's now 6 years and counting........


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## acer66 (Oct 13, 2010)

The op's article is behind a pay wall for me now.
I found this and I hope its the same.


https://c1-preview.prosites.com/33132/wy/docs/How%20the%20Sugar%20Industry%20Shifted%20Blame%20to%20Fat%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf


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## RMCDan (Feb 28, 2008)

cyclelicious said:


> My impression is artificial sweetners are still bad you.


I think the jury is still out on whether being a fat sugar drinker is worse for you than being a normal-weight diet drinker, with the evidence somewhat trending towards the former. Neither is the preferred alternative by a mile. If you want to drink a soda occasionally as a treat I'd recommend the sugar version because artificial sweeteners taste disgusting.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

bike riding the hills of Harvard, Ma, used to go by the Apple Orchards in a 40 mile loop, then downhill past the Veryfine plant, and behind veryfine were always 4 or 6 of these disgusting greasy tank cars filled with HFCS

there you go folks, your 'natural apple juice' and whatnot...jam packed with goodies from these things


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

Sugar is addictive. I see the evidence in people's shopping carts. Get off the Sugar Train completely and you will lose cravings, and lose weight. Natural fats are your friend and will assist you with resisting over-eating.


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

^^^^
It really is addictive. I've been titrating back on adding in simple syrup to my cocktails, but I've hit a brick wall.

Kidding aside, I noticed a long time ago that if I can drop high glycemic index carbs for a few days, my cravings for them drops significantly - but it takes a few days!


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

Sugar is an ongoing issue and this was a good time to resurrect this topic. Thanks Judy.

Fortunately, I'm not much of a sweets person, but I have an equally bad habit in salty things like chips. These types of processed foods demands notable discipline on my part to manage responsibly.


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## acer66 (Oct 13, 2010)

MSU Alum said:


> ^^^^
> It really is addictive. I've been titrating back on adding in simple syrup to my cocktails, but I've hit a brick wall.
> 
> Kidding aside, I noticed a long time ago that if I can drop high glycemic index carbs for a few days, my cravings for them drops significantly - but it takes a few days!


That is also my experience and once the taste buds are off sugar long enough other stuff like carrots taste way sweeter for me.

I do not really have a sweet tooth anyway but I ate a lot of stuff with added sugar.
Fortunately that is a thing of the past but if I slip once in a blue moon my teeth are screaming like a banshee to keep me in check.


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## Sid Duffman (Oct 5, 2015)

A few years ago I gave up refined sugar completely. I was amazed at how great I felt, and afternoon energy lulls vanished. After a while (maybe a couple of months), I no longer had any sugar cravings and fruit tasted like candy.

Fast-forward a few years and I've slowly slipped back into a sugar addict. Even though I know it makes me feel so much better, sustained healthy eating is hard! I'm glad to see this thread bumped. It's inspired me to kick the sugar habit again. I know this probably won't be my last rodeo, but if I go a little bit longer with each effort, eventually it will be a lifestyle change.


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## tick_magnet (Dec 15, 2016)

I'm a fan of moderation and "the dose makes the poison". I think cutting adding sugar is probably a good thing for most americans who are clearly overdosing. But for endurance athletes, cutting sugar is often overkill and probably prevents you for refilling you glycogen stores quickly after long or intense rides. I'm not saying drink cokes and eat cookies while watching Netflix. But if you are doing two hour rides and or doing intervals and you are avoiding sports drinks or gels that contain sugar, you are headed in the wrong direction imo. I go wild with sugar during and within an hour after rides whether it's gummy bears, or recovery drinks and my Triglycerides in my blood lipid panel is 58. If you are ODing on sugar, an elevated Triglyceride is where it will show up (>150).


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

More studies on the negative effects of sugar... this time artificial sweeteners

*Artificial sweeteners tied to increased heart risk, new study finds*








Participants in the study who had a higher intake of total artificial sweeteners had an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared to non-consumers.


Artificial sweeteners are added to thousands of foods and beverages – soft drinks, yogurts, pancake syrups, jams, baked goods, frozen desserts, chewing gum, candy – to help us satisfy our sweet tooth with fewer (or zero) calories and no added sugar.

But the effect of artificial sweeteners on body weight and health has long been debated.

Short-term randomized controlled trials have mostly shown that, when substituted for sugar-sweetened beverages, artificially-sweetened drinks help prevent weight gain.


Findings from numerous observational studies, however, suggest that over the long-term, a regular intake of these substances can have harmful effects on cardiometabolic health including increased waist circumference, elevated blood sugar, insulin resistance and inflammation.

Now, new research published in The British Medical Journal adds to growing evidence that a high intake of artificial sweeteners may harm cardiovascular health.

*The latest findings*
For the study, researchers examined the link between artificial sweetener intake and risk of cardiovascular disease in 103,388 participants enrolled in the NutriNet-Santé study, an ongoing nutrition and health study conducted among adults living in France.

Participants, who were followed for close to a decade, provided three days’ worth of 24-hour diet records, which included brand names of products, at the start of the study and every six months thereafter. The researchers calculated participants’ intakes of total artificial sweeteners (from foods, beverages and tabletop sweeteners), as well as intakes of different types of artificial sweeteners.

Diet soft drinks accounted for half (53 per cent) of artificial sweeteners consumed. Other important contributors were tabletop sweeteners (30 per cent) and flavoured dairy products, such as yogurt and cottage cheese (8 per cent). Aspartame, acesulfame potassium and sucralose represented most of the total artificial sweetener intake.

Participants who had a higher intake of total artificial sweeteners had an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared to non-consumers. The average daily artificial sweetener intake among people classified as “higher consumers” was 77 mg, equivalent to roughly two packets of tabletop sweetener or 200 mL of diet pop.

Aspartame intake was linked to a greater risk of stroke; sucralose and acesulfame potassium were associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease.


The researchers accounted for several factors tied to cardiovascular risk including age, family history, smoking, physical activity and diet components.

*Strengths, caveats*
The study’s strengths include its large sample size and high quality dietary data. The researchers collected repeated 24-hour diet records, which are known to be more precise than food frequency questionnaires typically used in nutrition studies.

One limitation of this study is that the findings show correlations only; they don’t establish a cause-and-effect relationship.

As well, it’s possible that some participants assessed as higher consumers at the start of the study had increased artificial sweetener intake in response to having risk factors for cardiovascular disease and may have already been in poorer cardiovascular health.








Artificial sweeteners may activate sweet taste receptors in the gut, which can alter the body’s regulation of blood glucose.


*How artificial sweeteners may harm*
These new findings are consistent with those from several other large observational studies that investigated the association between artificially sweetened soft drinks and cardiovascular disease risk.

There are plausible ways in which artificial sweeteners may increase heart risk. Previous studies have linked artificially sweetened beverages to metabolic syndrome, a collection of risk factors for cardiovascular disease that can include abdominal obesity, elevated blood pressure, high blood triglycerides, increased blood sugar and low HDL (good) cholesterol.

Artificial sweeteners may also activate sweet taste receptors in the gut, which can alter the body’s regulation of blood glucose.

And experimental studies have shown that some artificial sweeteners alter the composition of the gut microbiome in a direction that can lead to inflammation and glucose intolerance.

*What to do?*
Due to a lack of consensus on whether the habitual use of non-sugar sweeteners is effective for long-term weight loss, or tied to other long-term health effects, in July the World Health Organization proposed a draft guideline recommending that “non-sugar sweeteners not be used as a means of achieving weight control or reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases.”

If you’re a daily consumer of artificial sweeteners, I do advise cutting back. That doesn’t mean it’s necessary to completely avoid them; there is no evidence that occasional use is harmful.

Replace soft drinks with sparkling water, unsweetened flavoured carbonated water or plain water with a wedge of citrus fruit.

If you add a packet of sweetener to coffee, tea or hot cereal, cut back gradually and incrementally. Ditto for real sugar.


Replace artificially sweetened yogurt with plain yogurt; sweeten it with fruit.

The good news: your taste buds will come to prefer a less sweet taste.









Artificial sweeteners tied to increased heart risk, new study finds


There’s growing evidence that a high intake of artificial sweeteners – added to thousands of foods and beverages including soft drinks, yogurts, baked goods and candy – may harm cardiovascular health




www.theglobeandmail.com


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## 2sharp7 (Aug 29, 2013)

cyclelicious said:


> Sugar is addictive. I see the evidence in people's shopping carts. Get off the Sugar Train completely and you will lose cravings, and lose weight. Natural fats are your friend and will assist you with resisting over-eating.


I agree 100% and I lost a bunch of weight, partly by going sugar free. It is so addictive that it still calls out to me from time to time. I've recently begun to allow treats here and there, but I have to be careful otherwise it will take over my life!! The other day, after a long single speed ride, I needed to go the bike shop on my way home. The bike shop happens to be right next to a Crumbl cookie store. I decided WTH, I deserve it, and went in to get a cookie. I ended up getting 2 and regretted it half way through the first one!


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

^ I think a treat once once in a while is just a treat. Making a conscious effort to eliminate it like reading content labels (, choosing alternatives, cutting it out where we can etc. Sugar is the one that is killing us. Fat at least fills you up so you don't overeat as much. Sugar actually makes you feel more hungry creating an endless desire to keep pouring calories in. Sugar is our enemy. Fat is just an unhealthy friend.


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## WHALENARD (Feb 21, 2010)

Popped in for a read. Good thread 👍


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## smashysmashy (Oct 18, 2013)

/me eats a tub of ice cream...

What?


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## rockcrusher (Aug 28, 2003)

cyclelicious said:


> ^ I think a treat once once in a while is just a treat. Making a conscious effort to eliminate it like reading content labels (, choosing alternatives, cutting it out where we can etc. Sugar is the one that is killing us. Fat at least fills you up so you don't overeat as much. Sugar actually makes you feel more hungry creating an endless desire to keep pouring calories in. Sugar is our enemy. Fat is just an unhealthy friend.


This is a great thread! I used to be a pastry chef and it harkened from my desire to consume sugar. I have to say, and I have seen scientific evidence supporting this, is as a kid my mother was really strict on whether we could have sugary treats, cereals, and candy. Restricting children from access to sugary treats has been proven to be something that makes them covet that item much more as they age. For me it was to the point that I would steal from the local corner store, I would love visiting relative not to visit them but because we usually had soda, and I would over eat sugary treats ad nauseum (which can still be a problem). 

I have raised my kids the opposite way, they have access to sugary treats, regularly and easily available in our kitchen and refrigerators and my kids are very even with their consumption of these things, eating when they want and eating in moderation. The amazing thing is often we will find a bag of halloween candy in their rooms months after halloween, whereas I would race to consume my candy as fast as I could handle it and it rarely lasted more than a few days. 

I swear junk food companies know this and probably spend time ghost writing articles in parenting magazines regarding how bad it is to feed your children junk food and then sit back and relish the moment when these people have their own incomes and go crazy. 

If I can ever find the info I will come back and post it. Needless to say when you search for limits to sugar and kids on the google you get a lot of articles regarding how you should be doing this. 

As a final point, my son would rather eat fatty foods than sugary foods, my daughter when given the choice will always reach for fruit vs. processed sugar foods. Every time. My son a little less, he does prefer Dr Pepper occasionally but I think he is getting something from the caffeine vs. the sugar as he is now a teen and caffeine is something his peers talk about a lot I think.


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## rockcrusher (Aug 28, 2003)

Restricting access to palatable foods affects children's behavioral response, food selection, and intake


ABSTRACT. Background: Restricting children's access to palatable foods may appeal to parents as a straightforward means of promoting moderate intakes of foods h




academic.oup.com





They showed this on a PBS show which for the life of me I can't find. The children were left with an unattended plate of sweets and fruits. Kids that had been restricted on sugar sweets would gorge on the sweets when the researcher had to "leave for a minute" whereas the children that were comfortable with access to sweets would look through the plate, maybe pick a candy or eat the fruit instead.
Thankfully I watched this prior to having kids and it changed how I raised my kids and I am hoping because of it they can have a healthier adult outlook regarding food and their behaviors around it.


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## tick_magnet (Dec 15, 2016)

A light touch approach definitely worked for my kids. We taught them the basic principles of healthy eating but didn't restrict them when they wanted treats. So after they have their fill of junk food, they will almost always return to healthy eating for extended periods without us prompting them. Also, my wife grew up in a household where her mom was fanatical about healthy eating. Now as adults, all her siblings are overweight and eat nothing but junk. My wife is the healthiest one possibly because she was the youngest and so the mom had eased up by then. 

Ironically, I grew up in a household where my parents had zero restrictions on junk food. Hell, I grew up on Arby's, MacDonald's, Burger King, Coke, and Doritos. Now I won't touch that **** and don't miss it.


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## WHALENARD (Feb 21, 2010)

Anecdotally, My friends that grew up in a strict diet household have very unhealthy eating habits as an adult. On the flip side, all my overweight friends have overweight parents so there's that too.


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## smashysmashy (Oct 18, 2013)

WHALENARD said:


> Anecdotally, My friends that grew up in a strict diet household have very unhealthy eating habits as an adult. On the flip side, all my overweight friends have overweight parents so there's that too.


My diet is 75% sugar and i'm fine.

_twitch_


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## tick_magnet (Dec 15, 2016)

WHALENARD said:


> Anecdotally, My friends that grew up in a strict diet household have very unhealthy eating habits as an adult. On the flip side, all my overweight friends have overweight parents so there's that too.


True. I don't think enabling bad eating habits is a good idea. I think you still have to educate your kids without being a tyrant about it.


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## rockcrusher (Aug 28, 2003)

tick_magnet said:


> True. I don't think enabling bad eating habits is a good idea. I think you still have to educate your kids without being a tyrant about it.


Responding to this, we are definitely on the educate about food side of things. We rarely eat out, prepare our food from ingredients, have the kids assist in making the food, and our kids have a healthy enjoyment of vegetables and fruits, including eating brussel sprouts which they both enjoy. They like desert things but in moderation and they like chips and such but also in moderation. I wish my parents had done similar for me so that instead of the first time having fruity pebbles being in my 20's I could have figured out as a kid that they suck.


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## WHALENARD (Feb 21, 2010)

rockcrusher said:


> Responding to this, we are definitely on the educate about food side of things. We rarely eat out, prepare our food from ingredients, have the kids assist in making the food, and our kids have a healthy enjoyment of vegetables and fruits, including eating brussel sprouts which they both enjoy. They like desert things but in moderation and they like chips and such but also in moderation. I wish my parents had done similar for me so that instead of the first time having fruity pebbles being in my 20's I could have figured out as a kid that they suck.


I think that's the way. I reckon kids mostly emulate or rebel against their parents. Leading by example is probably the only way to achieve emulation. 

I grew up on Tang, Velveeta, and evaporated milk, yet somehow prioritized health at a pretty young age. Looking back that probably had the biggest overall positive impact on my life's trajectory.


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## tick_magnet (Dec 15, 2016)

The other concern nowadays is the rise of eating disorders among young teens especially girls. Too much emphasis on restrictive eating or control over healthy eating can lead some teens down a dark path. I would say half of my daughters friends are on the razor's edge of falling into this. It's amazing how little this is talked about. I was watching Peter Attia's podcast (I respect him a lot for the depth of his research on longevity) where he talked about scolding his pre-teen daughter for wanting some ice cream. At first I thought it was a satire and surely he couldn't be serious but it turned out he was and I just face palmed.


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## rockcrusher (Aug 28, 2003)

tick_magnet said:


> The other concern nowadays is the rise of eating disorders among young teens especially girls. Too much emphasis on restrictive eating or control over healthy eating can lead some teens down a dark path. I would say half of my daughters friends are on the razor's edge of falling into this. It's amazing how little this is talked about. I was watching Peter Attia's podcast (I respect him a lot for the depth of his research on longevity) where he talked about scolding his pre-teen daughter for wanting some ice cream. At first I thought it was a satire and surely he couldn't be serious but it turned out he was and I just face palmed.


Certainly the impact that parents put on kids when they are critical or even just aggressive with their direction to their kids regarding food is massive. 

We have a child that doesn't eat much and he is easily distracted especially when eating, which is partly to blame or attribute to our open food policy in the house. We leave food available, all types, and if they want to eat it we let them eat it. Sure it bites us in the ass sometimes, like when he decides he is hungry and hour before dinner, eats a bunch of chips or a bowl of ice cream, and the shows up a dinner to eat like spoonful of dinner but calories in are calories in. 

We worry about giving him a complex because we are constantly reminding him to eat and kids will often rebel against instances of control by parents by leveraging that point, which in our case would result in the exact opposite that we want, which is him consuming less calories. We have laid way off telling him to eat to avoid this and just accept that this is what he does and we will need to be extra careful on weekends where we have things planned that require calories (mountain biking and skiing and tennis or his ultimate frisbee) and just ensure that food is available at times when he will eat it. 

I do see a lot parents complain about their kids eating such unbalanced meals but then fail to lead by example by choosing bad options themselves. Kids see things, you have to lead and hope that they will follow.


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)




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