Author Topic: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?  (Read 6767 times)

Vidya


https://www.quora.com/What-are-hacks-for-eating-better-healthier

they were written by a Clinical Dietitian, but some sound odd.

Re this: “Eat desserts before a meal if need be and not after your meals. Ever.”

Is this because sugars, whether they be in fruit or in pastry or chocolate, digest much faster? i’ve heard one should never eat fruit after a meal since it putrefies on top of the heavier food, but i’m not sure I believe that.

I often start the day by eating ten almonds, then an orange after that. I don't think i’d want to eat the orange first. The orange is kinda my reward for making it through the ten almonds since i’m not that fond of nuts.

I also eat a couple of cucumbers either before or after the orange.

So really i should be eating the orange first? Except i recall reading elsewhere one should not start the day with something acidic on an empty stomach. Tea and coffee are also bad unless you've drunk water first.

Endless dietary rules, all contradicting each other...
 

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Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #1 on: May 11, 2020, 08:17:57 AM »
Sounds like that person is touching on some Ayurvedic rules regarding food combining.

I choose to enjoy a low-carb, mostly carnivore diet, which happens to be Ayurvedic because you can't combine sugars with meat if you're not eating sugars.

Yes, dietary advice is confusing and people argue about it. Same with writing advice. Publishing advice. Politics. Religion. Science. Blah blah blah. Everything. People argue over everything. Some people think the earth is round. I mean, uh, flat. ;-)  That's no excuse to give up on researching something you care about knowing.
 
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LilyBLily

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #2 on: May 12, 2020, 11:35:52 AM »
You have to consult your own body with these things. Frankly, starting each day forcing yourself to eat nuts you don't much like seems like a lousy way to go. It sets up resentment and entitlement later in the day: "I was good and suffered, so now I can be bad." And so on.

I would not follow this advice about the sequence of what one eats. If I started my dinner with dessert, I wouldn't make it to the main course. I love cake! With frosting! When I'm hungry, it would be folly to give myself permission to eat cake first. Granted, I like ribeyes just as much, but--cake!  grint
 
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Maggie Ann

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #3 on: May 12, 2020, 11:00:58 PM »
You have to consult your own body with these things. Frankly, starting each day forcing yourself to eat nuts you don't much like seems like a lousy way to go. It sets up resentment and entitlement later in the day: "I was good and suffered, so now I can be bad." And so on.

I would not follow this advice about the sequence of what one eats. If I started my dinner with dessert, I wouldn't make it to the main course. I love cake! With frosting! When I'm hungry, it would be folly to give myself permission to eat cake first. Granted, I like ribeyes just as much, but--cake!  grint

Agreed.

Besides which in a couple of years they will reverse themselves. How many times have they said eggs are not good for you, eggs are good for you, eggs are not good for you, and I think currently eggs are good for you. Same with coffee. Same with margarine versus butter.


           
 
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LilyBLily

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #4 on: May 12, 2020, 11:30:26 PM »
<snip>

Agreed.

Besides which in a couple of years they will reverse themselves. How many times have they said eggs are not good for you, eggs are good for you, eggs are not good for you, and I think currently eggs are good for you. Same with coffee. Same with margarine versus butter.

That is so true. I developed my addiction to pasta because the U.S. government told us we should eat pasta. I still feel resentment over that piece of official advice.
 

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Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #5 on: May 13, 2020, 01:07:32 AM »
<snip>

Agreed.

Besides which in a couple of years they will reverse themselves. How many times have they said eggs are not good for you, eggs are good for you, eggs are not good for you, and I think currently eggs are good for you. Same with coffee. Same with margarine versus butter.

That is so true. I developed my addiction to pasta because the U.S. government told us we should eat pasta. I still feel resentment over that piece of official advice.
Yes, the advice keeps changing. I've heard dietitians argue about some of these points. There isn't necessarily a consensus on all of them.

Disclaimer: I am not a dietitian.

Based on what I've seen among family and friends, really strict diets may not be a good idea, except in really extreme circumstances. This is because it's hard for people (except the few really strong-willed among us, or those who could care less about eating) to stick with them. Because your body tends to adjust metabolism to food intake, bouncing in and out of diets may actually be worse than not dieting at all (at least in terms of weight loss).

Over the years, I've tried to develop a diet plan that works for me. That means I can maintain it consistently and avoid gaining weight. Basically, I'm very low cal (but nutritious) for breakfast and lunch. I don't eat between meals. For dinner, I allow myself to eat what I want. (Knowing I can in theory have whatever I want for dinner takes away the urgency of really wanting something because I can't have it. In other words, I don't feel as tempted to overindulge or cheat as I would if I were dealing with very narrow constraints and a list of forbidden foods.) I eat relatively slowly, and if I feel full, I stop eating. (Sometimes one meal becomes two or even in rare cases, three.) If I find myself gaining a pound or two, I cut back a little for a while, and that gets me back to my original weight pretty fast. My former doctor used to say that I would keep creeping up, but his prediction turned out to be untrue, at least so far.

Because every human body is different, it may in some cases be good to experiment and see what works for you.



« Last Edit: May 13, 2020, 01:09:39 AM by Bill Hiatt »


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angela

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Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #6 on: May 13, 2020, 04:44:11 AM »
The biggest hack is to nourish the body by getting it enough protein.

Get at least 1 gram of protein per pound of goal weight. (1 gram of protein, not just 1 gram of protein-foods)

By comparison, our dietary guidelines from government (I'm in Canada, but it's similar everywhere) recommend around 1/3 of that, but keep in mind that is a minimum.

A big mistake people make is thinking the gov't guideline for protein is the goal, as opposed to the absolute bare minimum that, for example, prisons must legally provide for their inmates.


If you're interested in why government guidelines are so messed up, here's a great organization and place to start: https://www.nutritioncoalition.us/news/

« Last Edit: May 13, 2020, 04:48:05 AM by angela »
 
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Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #7 on: May 18, 2020, 07:56:43 AM »
Most people don't get enough fresh/raw/unprocessed veggies.

It's not a magic bullet, but to counter this, I prepare easy-to-eat raw or ready-cooked veggies--I really like radishes, carrots and celery--and eat one or two bites minimum before every intake--before every cup of coffee, before every cookie, before every sandwich or whatever. Then it's not so much of a pain.

Also, vitamin D deficiency is endemic among those who don't work outside, and I have it as confirmed by my lab results. So, I make sure to get enough D and doing so has markedly improved my health and well-being.
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Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #8 on: June 21, 2020, 02:01:26 AM »
I try to eat by the rule: 'Eat what God made. Avoid what man made."

I read that it is a good idea to end a meal with fibre of some sort, which could be fruit or nuts etc. This will help the food you have eaten to move through your digestive system and it will be ready for your next meal  Grin

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notthatamanda

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #9 on: June 21, 2020, 04:56:09 AM »
I try to eat by the rule: 'Eat what God made. Avoid what man made."

I read that it is a good idea to end a meal with fibre of some sort, which could be fruit or nuts etc. This will help the food you have eaten to move through your digestive system and it will be ready for your next meal  Grin

I go with "Food comes from a farm, not a factory." Most processed food is designed to be hyperpalatable, interesting enough to keep you wanting more, but never ever satisfying. Just knowing corporations are trying to manipulate us makes the processed stuff a lot less appealing.
 
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LilyBLily

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #10 on: June 21, 2020, 12:42:17 PM »
There definitely are incomplete flavors in processed foods that urge one to eat more, trying to get to satisfaction.

We haven't attempted to order processed anything during this self-quarantine period. It has been difficult enough to get food staples.

I'm curious if all the nuts and dried fruits and wild berries I've been eating (antioxidants!) have made any difference in my cholesterol numbers--but not curious enough to buy a home test kit and have to prick my already overly sensitive fingers. I usually go in to the doctor's office and get a blood test once a year just to make sure my sugar numbers remain good (diabetes is in my ancestry). It can wait, but I do wonder. Except for the year plus when I was doing strict Atkins (high protein, very low carb) dieting, I can't think of another lengthy stretch of time when I've basically been on the straight and narrow. (Which does not mean I haven't put honey on my crepes or made brownies.)   
 

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Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #11 on: June 22, 2020, 05:49:59 AM »
I try to eat by the rule: 'Eat what God made. Avoid what man made."

I read that it is a good idea to end a meal with fibre of some sort, which could be fruit or nuts etc. This will help the food you have eaten to move through your digestive system and it will be ready for your next meal  Grin

I go with "Food comes from a farm, not a factory." Most processed food is designed to be hyperpalatable, interesting enough to keep you wanting more, but never ever satisfying. Just knowing corporations are trying to manipulate us makes the processed stuff a lot less appealing.

All true about the manufactured stuff! I've never opened a bag of anything I couldn't finish in one sitting LOL. What most of it is missing is protein. If my body doesn't get enough protein, I'll never stop being hungry.

I'm a fan of Dr. Ted Naiman, who explains that the energy to protein ratio of our food is the big factor when it comes to health and satiety. He recently had a video where he recommended adding protein powder to yogurt for a treat, saying it's an example of a processed food where the processing has actually improved the value. I use a no-sugar (just stevia) whey powder in my yogurt and it's great! I tolerate dairy well, so it's a neat hack for days I haven't yet gotten my goal of 1 gram protein per pound of body weight.



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Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #12 on: June 23, 2020, 03:51:26 AM »
I try to eat by the rule: 'Eat what God made. Avoid what man made."

I read that it is a good idea to end a meal with fibre of some sort, which could be fruit or nuts etc. This will help the food you have eaten to move through your digestive system and it will be ready for your next meal  Grin

I go with "Food comes from a farm, not a factory." Most processed food is designed to be hyperpalatable, interesting enough to keep you wanting more, but never ever satisfying. Just knowing corporations are trying to manipulate us makes the processed stuff a lot less appealing.

All true about the manufactured stuff! I've never opened a bag of anything I couldn't finish in one sitting LOL. What most of it is missing is protein. If my body doesn't get enough protein, I'll never stop being hungry.

I'm a fan of Dr. Ted Naiman, who explains that the energy to protein ratio of our food is the big factor when it comes to health and satiety. He recently had a video where he recommended adding protein powder to yogurt for a treat, saying it's an example of a processed food where the processing has actually improved the value. I use a no-sugar (just stevia) whey powder in my yogurt and it's great! I tolerate dairy well, so it's a neat hack for days I haven't yet gotten my goal of 1 gram protein per pound of body weight.

https://burnfatnotsugar.com/

I follow him (Dr. Naiman) on twitter. I actually only discovered him a few months ago; though, I was already practicing the essence of his diet as it comports with a weight training, LGN lifestyle.
I didn't know he recommended adding protein powder to yogurt but that's something I've been doing for a couple years. I call it 'protein pudding'. I use greek yogurt and whey protein isolate and it blends very well.
Anyway, his book and videos are a good recommendation imo and I 2nd it.  👍
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Vidya

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #13 on: July 28, 2020, 08:15:41 PM »
Do you guys not worry about eating high sugar fruits like bananas? My mother has high sugar levels and to prevent it getting to diabetes, she cut out sweets and high sugar fruits like bananas, mangoes, chikoos on her doctor’s recommendation. She eats the occasional biscuit or chocolate.

My father knew this but blithely continued for years to slice 3 bananas or chikoos into his morning oatmeal. On top of that, he would add a spoonful of sugar. Which pretty much negated the whole idea of the health value of oats.

And for years he was fine. I suspect because he loved to take long daily walks. I think the exercise kept his sugar levels down.

Then he started to get arthritis and painful knees that curtailed his walking. Some months before the lockdown the doc found he was on the verge of diabetes.

So he suddenly gave up all high sugar fruits and started to eat walnuts since that’s supposed to bring down sugar levels. Yeah, like that was going to miraculously reverse the diabetes. But the doc wanted him to try first before putting him on medication.

After the lockdown, he got another test done and found his levels were still high. You can’t abuse your body for years and then expect to reverse the damage in a few months.

So, learning from his example, I have given up bananas and chikoos. I won't give up mangoes since I love them too much, plus they’re only available 3 months of the year.

Google just told me:

“The English words for chiku are sapodilla, noseberry, and mudapples. In India, it is called chickoo and sapota among other names.”
 

Maggie Ann

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #14 on: July 29, 2020, 02:05:15 AM »
Three bananas a day is a bit much but bananas, in moderation, are still healthy.

"For most people with diabetes, fruits (including bananas) are a healthy choice. One exception to this is if you're following a low-carb diet to control your diabetes. Even a small banana contains around 22 grams of carbs, which may be too much for your diet plan."

I have never heard that Consumption of sugar in and of itself, can cause diabetes.

"Consuming sugar is not a direct risk factor for type 2 diabetes, although it can have indirect effects, such as weight gain, that make the condition more likely to develop. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include: being overweight or having a large waist circumference."

Although my mother-in-law believed that if she ate a piece of hard candy a day, she would never develop diabetes. She didn't, so I guess it worked for her.

The men in my family all have type II diabetes. Most of them are on insulin, but the rest of them (including the women) control it with diet and medication.

I myself, eat a quarter or a third of a banana a day, depending how big the banana is. I got a banana slicer from Amazon that cuts it in 6-1/4 inch slices. I put six slices a day on my waffle with a smear of peanut butter. The peanut butter and waffle are worse for my diabetes then the banana is. I don't worry about it because I weigh less than 100 pounds. I take metformin with dinner which keeps my blood sugar level and my A1c is within normal limits.

When I was in the hospital and rehab, they did not give me any medication, but tested my sugar before every meal. The two or three times it went up over 160 I got a shot. Otherwise, the doctors and nurses were happy if I tested 120 to 130. They were unhappy when I dropped below 100 and made me eat.

When I got home, I tested my sugar before breakfast and it was up over 190 every day. I went back on Metformin but it didn't seem to help. Then I noticed my testing supplies were at least a year out of date. I spent $90 on a new machine and my levels dropped to normal.

           
 
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Vidya

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #15 on: July 31, 2020, 04:26:04 PM »
“Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include: being overweight or having a large waist circumference."

both my parents were skinny when young but then put on weight and now have large tummies.

my father’s a poster boy for how you can eat all the wrong things and yet thrive.

He has a real salt craving. Though he’s had hypertension for years, he still eats a ton of salt. From all the warnings I see in health articles, you’d think he’d have dropped dead of a heart attack years ago.

He used to seem indestructible to me. You know, like that 100 year old who was asked her secret and she said she smoked every day or something. Though my father never smoked.

I used to hope I’d inherited his fantastic constitution.

But I think ultimately eating wrong does come back to bite you. I think what saved him for so long was first, he really did originally have a fantastic constitution, plus the long daily walks helped a lot in controlling his blood sugar.

My worry is, I used to have very little interest in sweets and chocolates, but now I feel stronger cravings for chocolates and eat way more than I used to. At one time I might have eaten chocolates just once a month. Now it’s more like maybe every 2nd or 3rd day. I’m not sure why the change but I need to go back to my healthier diet.
 

Vidya

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #16 on: August 18, 2020, 03:13:02 AM »
I read this:

https://www.quora.com/What-is-it-like-living-in-the-USA-vs-India

one guy said:

Quote
5. It is very easy to get into health problem in USA, as you hardly do any physical activities and the american food normally high on sugar and fats,as compared to india where the food normally has ingredient that give you a balanced diet plus you have to do a lot of physical activities in daily life.

6. In USA the options to stay fit is to go to gym regularly and eat the super expensive healthy food, which i feel is the regular food that you get in india OR you can continue eating the normal american food and later in your life take medicines to stay alive, (which is an expensive option but people normally are covered by Medi-claim here).

why would he say that?

“eat the super expensive healthy food, which i feel is the regular food that you get in india”

really? What could be so different about the regular food in the US? Surely you guys get many of the same fresh fruits and vegetables we do. In what way is your regular food unhealthy?

I also read this:

https://www.quora.com/Is-living-in-the-U-S-better-or-worse-than-living-in-India

someone seems to suggest fresh food and produce arent widespread in the US:

Quote
India - biggest pros that come to mind now -
1. Amazing diversity, genuine, long lasting and honest friendship/relationships that are developed and the spectacularly fresh food and produce available throughout the country. Hardly any food is flash frozen, processed or contains uncertain/hazardous chemicals.
 

Maggie Ann

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #17 on: August 18, 2020, 04:24:59 AM »
McDonald's.
           
 

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Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #18 on: August 18, 2020, 04:38:42 AM »
I read this:

https://www.quora.com/What-is-it-like-living-in-the-USA-vs-India

one guy said:

Quote
5. It is very easy to get into health problem in USA, as you hardly do any physical activities and the american food normally high on sugar and fats,as compared to india where the food normally has ingredient that give you a balanced diet plus you have to do a lot of physical activities in daily life.

6. In USA the options to stay fit is to go to gym regularly and eat the super expensive healthy food, which i feel is the regular food that you get in india OR you can continue eating the normal american food and later in your life take medicines to stay alive, (which is an expensive option but people normally are covered by Medi-claim here).

why would he say that?

“eat the super expensive healthy food, which i feel is the regular food that you get in india”

really? What could be so different about the regular food in the US? Surely you guys get many of the same fresh fruits and vegetables we do. In what way is your regular food unhealthy?

I also read this:

https://www.quora.com/Is-living-in-the-U-S-better-or-worse-than-living-in-India

someone seems to suggest fresh food and produce arent widespread in the US:

Quote
India - biggest pros that come to mind now -
1. Amazing diversity, genuine, long lasting and honest friendship/relationships that are developed and the spectacularly fresh food and produce available throughout the country. Hardly any food is flash frozen, processed or contains uncertain/hazardous chemicals.

Fresh food (beef, chicken, large variety of fish, turkey, and huge varieties of vegetables and fruits) are readily available in the US in every grocery store. Availability isn't the issue.

The issue is the equally broad availability of heavily processed foods, which are also generally more convenient. Most are loaded with extra sugar in various forms (corn syrup, etc). Even worse, prepackaged foods almost universally have wheat added, and not merely as a thickening agent in things where it might be obvious.

You'll find wheat added in chili, in prepackaged shredded beef, in sauces of every sort including barbecue sauce. It's in a lot of prepackaged rice and pringles potato chips. It's added to frozen, prepackaged hash browns and french fries. It's even in some canned fruits.

It adds little taste or consistency to most of these but it's added because it's well-known that gliadin peptides (gliadin is a protein found in wheat) block the satiety hormone leptin (increasing hunger) and also have a mild opioid effect on the brain which stimulates indulgence. They package a little bit of addiction in every product.

We've also probably more fast food restaurants per capita than any country in the world (an assumption; not sure). Fast food uses the above (for ex, McD's fries have both added sugar and are coated in "natural beef flavor" from "wheat and milk derivatives" to increase taste but also hunger and consumption) and more to make tasty, addictive indulgences of every meal. And it's super convenient.

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Jan Hurst-Nicholson

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Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #19 on: August 18, 2020, 05:34:53 AM »


Fresh food (beef, chicken, large variety of fish, turkey, and huge varieties of vegetables and fruits) are readily available in the US in every grocery store. Availability isn't the issue.

The issue is the equally broad availability of heavily processed foods, which are also generally more convenient. Most are loaded with extra sugar in various forms (corn syrup, etc). Even worse, prepackaged foods almost universally have wheat added, and not merely as a thickening agent in things where it might be obvious.

You'll find wheat added in chili, in prepackaged shredded beef, in sauces of every sort including barbecue sauce. It's in a lot of prepackaged rice and pringles potato chips. It's added to frozen, prepackaged hash browns and french fries. It's even in some canned fruits.

It adds little taste or consistency to most of these but it's added because it's well-known that gliadin peptides (gliadin is a protein found in wheat) block the satiety hormone leptin (increasing hunger) and also have a mild opioid effect on the brain which stimulates indulgence. They package a little bit of addiction in every product.

We've also probably more fast food restaurants per capita than any country in the world (an assumption; not sure). Fast food uses the above (for ex, McD's fries have both added sugar and are coated in "natural beef flavor" from "wheat and milk derivatives" to increase taste but also hunger and consumption) and more to make tasty, addictive indulgences of every meal. And it's super convenient.

I think portion size may be one of the big culprits.  :icon_rolleyes:

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JRTomlin

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #20 on: August 18, 2020, 05:37:28 AM »
Actually, most frozen French fries, hashbrowns, etc. no longer contain wheat because of widespread demand for gluten-free food. You still have to check the product labels though because some still do. As someone who becomes very ill at even miniscule gluten exposure, believe me, this is a change that I appreciate. There are still many foods that you wouldn't expect with wheat or cross contamination with wheat. Even some candies. In the UK Branson Pickles have gluten. 🙄🤦
 

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Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #21 on: August 18, 2020, 05:42:30 AM »
Actually, most frozen French fries, hashbrowns, etc. no longer contain wheat because of widespread demand for gluten-free food. You still have to check the product labels though because some still do. As someone who becomes very ill at even miniscule gluten exposure, believe me, this is a change that I appreciate. There are still many foods that you wouldn't expect with wheat or cross contamination with wheat. Even some candies. In the UK Branson Pickles have gluten. 🙄🤦

Haven't had Branston Pickles for many years. Don't think I've ever seen them for sale in SA  :icon_sad:

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JRTomlin

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #22 on: August 18, 2020, 06:03:50 AM »
I used to love it with a pub lunch back in the day so I bought some not realising it. I was seriously disappointed. Even brown sauce has gluten in it! *sniffles*

But there are a lot more things that those of us who either want to or must avoid wheat and gluten can eat, so that's good.
« Last Edit: August 18, 2020, 06:05:58 AM by JRTomlin »
 

angela

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Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #23 on: August 18, 2020, 10:40:33 AM »
...
I have never heard that Consumption of sugar in and of itself, can cause diabetes.
...

Before it was renamed the less victim-blame-y "type 2" diabetes, the name for the illness was Sugar Diabetes, and it was well known that sugar and starches caused it. But then insulin came along, and there was medicine to sell, and the public's memory is very short.

It's easy to shrug off the old-timey doctors, with all their wacky leeches and such, but they weren't wrong about everything.

I wish I'd known more about this preventable and reversible type of diabetes when my first cat was diagnosed with it. We gave the poor fellow twice-daily injections, all while unknowingly feeding him the same carb-heavy (veterinarian-purchased) pet food that had made him sick in the first place.

Getting humans to change their diet is hard, but he was a cat! He would have eaten what we gave him.

Maggie Ann, I'm glad your numbers are better with your up-to-date meter, and with you taking great care of yourself!
 
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JRTomlin

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #24 on: August 18, 2020, 11:00:56 AM »
That is was colloquially called 'sugar diabetes' did not mean it was caused by sugar. It was in fact originally called adult onset diabetes because more often than not adults get it. I'm not sure why you think 'type 2' is 'blamey'. It just distinguishes the two different types of diabetes. Both are serious and neither are someone's 'fault'.

Type 2 diabetes tends to be hereditary and it happens a large percentage of people in my family have it. I am one of the lucky ones who doesn't have it. My father did. My grandmother and several of my uncles did. My daughter does. Some have been overweight or given to eating sugar, some not. It is entirely to do with an inability of the body to produce enough insulin to maintain normal glucose levels.

For some people losing weight or watching what they eat allows them to control it. For others, like my daughter and in fact everyone in my family who has had it, it is very difficult to control and requires insulin. It tends to be the luck of the hereditary draw.
« Last Edit: August 18, 2020, 11:11:56 AM by JRTomlin »
 

Maggie Ann

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #25 on: August 18, 2020, 11:18:08 AM »
...
I have never heard that Consumption of sugar in and of itself, can cause diabetes.
...

Before it was renamed the less victim-blame-y "type 2" diabetes, the name for the illness was Sugar Diabetes, and it was well known that sugar and starches caused it. But then insulin came along, and there was medicine to sell, and the public's memory is very short.

It's easy to shrug off the old-timey doctors, with all their wacky leeches and such, but they weren't wrong about everything.

I wish I'd known more about this preventable and reversible type of diabetes when my first cat was diagnosed with it. We gave the poor fellow twice-daily injections, all while unknowingly feeding him the same carb-heavy (veterinarian-purchased) pet food that had made him sick in the first place.

Getting humans to change their diet is hard, but he was a cat! He would have eaten what we gave him.

Maggie Ann, I'm glad your numbers are better with your up-to-date meter, and with you taking great care of yourself!

My great-grandfather Was the first that we know of to have diabetes in the family. That was in the days before insulin. My grandmother and mother called it sugar diabetes.

My blood sugar was down to 95 this morning and I've been hungry all day. Luckily, I keep a good supply of those nice roasted veggies in the freezer for when I get the munchies. But that's not good for getting my blood sugar up. So I did something that I haven't done for maybe a year, I had a slice of whole-wheat toast with butter. Sometimes, you just have to have the carbs.

           
 

JRTomlin

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #26 on: August 18, 2020, 11:33:06 AM »
I developed gestational diabetes when I was pregnant which was a serious problem. As is typical of gestational diabetes, it went away after delivery. However it made me at even higher risk for type 2 diabetes than my family health record would indicate. So I have a pretty intimate acquaintance with diabetes.
 

LilyBLily

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #27 on: August 18, 2020, 11:36:01 AM »
It's important to remember that type 2 diabetes is a circulatory disease. The mere ingestion of sugar will rot your teeth but won't directly give you diabetes. Eating the sugar while lying on the couch could. I can't comment on a cat getting diabetes except that indoor pets often don't get enough exercise.

Eating sugar itself or products with sugar in them really has little to do with diabetes directly since starches are digested as sugars, anyway. The body only recognizes protein, fat, and sugar. Everything digestible other than protein and fat turns into sugar in the body. That's why some people try to eat vegetables and fruits from the low end of the glycemic index, not because peas are bad for you, but because peas have a lot of sugar in them already. Fresh peas you might have grown in your own garden in a very organic manner, too. They fix sugar. Same with carrots and onions.

Diabetes is on both sides of my family and killed several of my forebears. The diabetic diet my father was given definitely helped to kill him, loaded as it was with carbs. Doctors have been ignoring the health benefits of high protein and low carbs for many decades. The threat of diabetes with its typical amputations has hung over my generation in my family like the sword of Damocles, but so far so good. We walk a lot and we do it daily. Nobody has been advised to take metformin yet.
 
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idontknowyet

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #28 on: August 18, 2020, 11:50:13 AM »
It's important to remember that type 2 diabetes is a circulatory disease. The mere ingestion of sugar will rot your teeth but won't directly give you diabetes. Eating the sugar while lying on the couch could. I can't comment on a cat getting diabetes except that indoor pets often don't get enough exercise.

Eating sugar itself or products with sugar in them really has little to do with diabetes directly since starches are digested as sugars, anyway. The body only recognizes protein, fat, and sugar. Everything digestible other than protein and fat turns into sugar in the body. That's why some people try to eat vegetables and fruits from the low end of the glycemic index, not because peas are bad for you, but because peas have a lot of sugar in them already. Fresh peas you might have grown in your own garden in a very organic manner, too. They fix sugar. Same with carrots and onions.

Diabetes is on both sides of my family and killed several of my forebears. The diabetic diet my father was given definitely helped to kill him, loaded as it was with carbs. Doctors have been ignoring the health benefits of high protein and low carbs for many decades. The threat of diabetes with its typical amputations has hung over my generation in my family like the sword of Damocles, but so far so good. We walk a lot and we do it daily. Nobody has been advised to take metformin yet.

There is quite a bit of research going into this topic. I watched several ted talks about it and read a few case studies on pub med.

Basically what the new thought process is you can eat as much sugar as you want if you're healthy and never develop diabetes. It all has to do with a weakness in your liver/pancreas  something they believe people are probably born with which is a reason it seems to run in families.

And yes everything that isn't fat or protein basically turns into sugar in your system(some fibers can't be processed at all and will simply travel through your system before being expelled). Though if needed protein can turn into sugars as well.
My grandfather was diagnosed with type 2 at a young age (right after he got out of the military, got married and started having kids) he died with all his limbs. He would have kept his eye sight except he volunteered to be a test subject early on for Lasik -- it didn't go well.
« Last Edit: August 18, 2020, 12:30:30 PM by idontknowyet »
 

JRTomlin

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #29 on: August 18, 2020, 12:26:14 PM »
It's important to remember that type 2 diabetes is a circulatory disease. The mere ingestion of sugar will rot your teeth but won't directly give you diabetes. Eating the sugar while lying on the couch could. I can't comment on a cat getting diabetes except that indoor pets often don't get enough exercise.

Eating sugar itself or products with sugar in them really has little to do with diabetes directly since starches are digested as sugars, anyway. The body only recognizes protein, fat, and sugar. Everything digestible other than protein and fat turns into sugar in the body. That's why some people try to eat vegetables and fruits from the low end of the glycemic index, not because peas are bad for you, but because peas have a lot of sugar in them already. Fresh peas you might have grown in your own garden in a very organic manner, too. They fix sugar. Same with carrots and onions.

Diabetes is on both sides of my family and killed several of my forebears. The diabetic diet my father was given definitely helped to kill him, loaded as it was with carbs. Doctors have been ignoring the health benefits of high protein and low carbs for many decades. The threat of diabetes with its typical amputations has hung over my generation in my family like the sword of Damocles, but so far so good. We walk a lot and we do it daily. Nobody has been advised to take metformin yet.
My daughter has managed her rather difficult to manage diabetes best on a high protein low carb diet but she still needs meds to completely manage it. It is a pretty complex condition with no one 'right' way to control it, but to minimise damage it is really important to control it.
 
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LilyBLily

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #30 on: August 18, 2020, 01:26:44 PM »
<snip>
My daughter has managed her rather difficult to manage diabetes best on a high protein low carb diet but she still needs meds to completely manage it. It is a pretty complex condition with no one 'right' way to control it, but to minimise damage it is really important to control it.

Yes, control is important. One can lose a critical amount of eyesight and there's no way to regain it that we know of now. Peripheral neuropathy is no fun, either.   

I didn't know until I edited a book on diabetes that type 1 was even more horrible. Until recently, there was no way to stop the sugar numbers from going seriously awry while asleep. Every night was doing damage. We have much better medicines now than in the past, but it's still a terrible disease in all its forms.
 

idontknowyet

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #31 on: August 18, 2020, 01:29:04 PM »
They are also finding just like with Type 2 people with Type 1 can help control their number and lower the amount of medicine as well as the massive swings in bg levels using a low carb diet.
 

Luke Everhart

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Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #32 on: August 18, 2020, 02:21:00 PM »
That is was colloquially called 'sugar diabetes' did not mean it was caused by sugar. It was in fact originally called adult onset diabetes because more often than not adults get it. I'm not sure why you think 'type 2' is 'blamey'. It just distinguishes the two different types of diabetes. Both are serious and neither are someone's 'fault'.

Type 2 diabetes tends to be hereditary and it happens a large percentage of people in my family have it. I am one of the lucky ones who doesn't have it. My father did. My grandmother and several of my uncles did. My daughter does. Some have been overweight or given to eating sugar, some not. It is entirely to do with an inability of the body to produce enough insulin to maintain normal glucose levels.

No, sorry, but what you're referring to (in bold) is type 1 diabetes, not type 2. Type 1 is congenital and has a hereditary component. In type 1 the body is incapable of producing adequate insulin.
In type 2 diabetes, insulin production is normal. The dysfunction is an acquired resistance to insulin by the body's cells over time so that it takes more and more insulin to precipitate the cellular absorption of glucose from the blood into the cells. Insulin isn't the issue, per se, it's the increased cellular resistance to insulin.

Type 2 was called adult onset because until very recently it never appeared in children. Since the 1980s, the per capita rate of type 2 diabetes in the US has increased over 800%. No genetic shift in the population can account for this. As both the new prevalence in children and the dramatic increase in the general population in recent decades attest (and, as per the medical definition and understanding as well) type 2 diabetes is behavioral, not congenital and not hereditary in the traditional sense; though, genetic components can make one more or less sensitive to the behaviors that induce it.

Type 2 diabetes is, except in extreme cases of prolonged neglect, mediated by diet and exercise. Diet, to reduce the acute glycemic load (the amount of sugar whether from sugar directly or the breakdown of more complex carbs) in the blood stream. Exercise, primarily to increase insulin sensitivity but also to burn glucose.

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notthatamanda

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #33 on: August 18, 2020, 11:03:55 PM »
More than 60 genetic regions have been identified to date that affect the risk of type 2 diabetes, yet all of them together account for only 10% to 15% of the genetic background of the disease.

Source:  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23762204/#:~:text=Moreover%2C%20type%202%20diabetes%20has%20a%20substantial%20hereditary,15%25%20of%20the%20genetic%20background%20of%20the%20disease.

15% of type 2 diabetes is genetic is a statistic I have seen over and over. It may be impossible for people who got crap in the genetic lottery to prevent diabetes via diet and exercise but it is even more important that they try. It can be really hard for a fit, active, healthy eating person with type 2 to get a proper diagnosis these days because it comes as a surprise to even medical people.

It did tend to be mostly hereditary but as obesity levels have risen, so did type 2. It is horrifying to me that we are seeing this in children now.
 
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LilyBLily

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #34 on: August 18, 2020, 11:42:38 PM »
My health goal in life is to die with both feet. Too many of my relatives died with none.

The increasing dietary folly of the American public is tragic, and it is tragic that the same bad-for-us foods have been very successfully exported to other parts of the world. For most Americans, there are huge arrays of healthier foods easily available, so it comes down to personal choice. No one has the excuse that they "didn't know" what was healthy versus what was not. If I thought I could get away with it, I'd gladly eat Oreos for breakfast, so I do understand the lure.
 
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idontknowyet

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #35 on: August 19, 2020, 12:32:25 AM »
My health goal in life is to die with both feet. Too many of my relatives died with none.

The increasing dietary folly of the American public is tragic, and it is tragic that the same bad-for-us foods have been very successfully exported to other parts of the world. For most Americans, there are huge arrays of healthier foods easily available, so it comes down to personal choice. No one has the excuse that they "didn't know" what was healthy versus what was not. If I thought I could get away with it, I'd gladly eat Oreos for breakfast, so I do understand the lure.

I wouldn't say no one. There is a large population of uneducated people in the united states without the same access to food and educational tools as the rest. This is especially true in poorer urban areas. Food deserts are a real thing in America.

There are some people including children now that have never eaten a piece of fruit except in school. Which makes me shake my head when our school systems want to be able to remove the healthy options and allow more kids to receive French fries with their meals because its too expensive.
 
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JRTomlin

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #36 on: August 19, 2020, 03:13:21 AM »
This is true. Try shopping in many urban areas especially if you are dependent on public transportation.
 

LilyBLily

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #37 on: August 19, 2020, 04:18:05 AM »
This is true. Try shopping in many urban areas especially if you are dependent on public transportation.

I have shopped in urban areas and was always dependent on public transportation or my own two feet. In urban areas, women buy shopping carts, and there are cheap delivery services by local kids. There also are high-end delivery services for the more affluent. As I think I said above, people often shop outside their neighborhood and take a car service (indie cab) home. If they're too poor to do that, they're also too poor to buy fresh vegetables and fruit even if such are in their immediate neighborhood.

Before fast food was available, the poorest people ate starch--Niagara brand, usually--to feel full. Now they eat McDonalds, which has arguably more food value. That cohort will always be at great risk of eating the wrong foods because they don't have money to buy better food. Politicians are always trying to starve the poor by cutting food assistance benefits, and anyone who applies for food assistance suffers an endless bureaucratic nightmare.

The bad food epidemic is driven by the middle class, not the poor. McDonalds is cheap; frozen Texas Toast is not. Ounce for ounce, you get a better deal at McDonalds. The goal of the poor is to get calories and feel full. The goal of those with more money is to satisfy food addictions; they can always buy enough food to feel full. Combine the two and you have TV shows about 600-pound people who can't walk anymore and who get their relatives to bring them vast quantities of fast food.   

As for access to educational tools, anyone with access to a television or the internet can learn about good foods versus bad ones. Anyone. I see plenty of poor people where I live and they all have cell phones, so they have access. Will they try to learn something? That's a cultural issue, and it can get highly political. Do the public schools no longer teach home ec? When I was a child, they did, and anyone could learn the basics about using cooking tools and preparing healthy meals.   

My local farm store sells lots of fresh foods, and it also sells candy and baked goods made with hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup, two food additives known to be dangerous and/or worthless. That's the conundrum; amid genuine plenty, we also have a large amount of poisons available. Don't get me started on the chemicals the farmers put on the crops.

 
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JRTomlin

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #38 on: August 19, 2020, 04:51:59 AM »
"The goal of the poor is to get calories and feel full. "

Here we agree. However, for a time that educated me being from an affluent family, I went through a period of being poor with a child to feed and assure you that dragging a cart through an urban area stuffed with enough food to feed a family for a week while the frozen and refrigerated items ruin is ... a serious problem. Nor is fast food necessarily cheaper. Texas Toast may be more expensive. It is not healthier. I could feed myself longer and healthier on a bag of beans cooked with some inexpensive ham bits (IF the ham bits did not spoil on the way home) and a bag of greens (getting squashed).

But we will both go away from this with our own opinion, so I'll leave it at that.
 
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idontknowyet

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #39 on: August 19, 2020, 05:05:08 AM »
No most public schools do not offer home ec any more. Nor do they spend any real time going over even the food charts that government currently endorses.  You might have a teacher or two spend a day here or an hour there on the topic. 

I do agree that the middle class is actually increasing the convenience food market. After 40-60 hours of work who has time to cook, clean, shop, care for the lawn, spend meaningful time with your kids and any of the dozen or so other things that need to get done in your time off. That's assuming you don't bring work home with you.

Not to mention the people that are working 2-3 jobs to pay their bills because who wants to pay for an employees benefits so lets make everyone part time. You only have so much you can do in 24 hours something needs to give.
 

Luke Everhart

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Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #40 on: August 19, 2020, 06:08:35 AM »
In the spirit of eating better/healthier, here's one of my fav morning coffee variations. It's a latte-like food 'hack' with all the froth and none of the carbs.
Get a single serve blender (they're $20 bucks or so at the Zon/Walmart/Target)
Drop in a raw egg
Add a bit of black, hot coffee
Blend for about 5 secs (it'll be very frothy)
Pour into your mug then top it off with some straight black coffee
Add a spot of heavy cream if you want to thicken a bit

A latte-like, frothing mug of coffee with some protein, lots of vitamin goodness from the egg, and no carbs 😋👍☕️

(yeah, it's not sweet. I don't like sweetened coffee; but, if you do, then add a bit of erythritol (a sugar alcohol) or an artificial sweetener I suppose)
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Vidya

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #41 on: August 19, 2020, 10:19:04 AM »
Luke, I read it’s dangerous to eat raw eggs. Too much risk of salmonella.
 

idontknowyet

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #42 on: August 19, 2020, 10:32:24 AM »
Salmonella is always a risk with raw eggs, but it's fairly rare around here.

Body builders have been eating raw eggs for decades. Not to mention all the cookie dough eaten every year.

Bullet proof coffee that he is talking about is a very common drink in the Keto community. It's high in fat and protein while giving you a morning boost without having to waste time to cook a meal.
 

Maggie Ann

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #43 on: August 19, 2020, 12:13:10 PM »
Luke, I read it’s dangerous to eat raw eggs. Too much risk of salmonella.

My dad used to make egg nog with raw eggs quite often and he'd share with me.
           
 
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LilyBLily

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #44 on: August 19, 2020, 12:20:40 PM »
Luke, I read it’s dangerous to eat raw eggs. Too much risk of salmonella.

My dad used to make egg nog with raw eggs quite often and he'd share with me.

Mine, too. Raw eggs and a lot of white sugar and nothing else. I never knew it was a drink until years later.
 

LilyBLily

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #45 on: August 19, 2020, 12:44:52 PM »
Didn't intend to start an argument.

I always thought it was fascinating that with her own personal chef and with an unlimited budget for food and with her incredible intelligence, Oprah still struggles with her weight. We can't always do the best for ourselves no matter how hard we try or what our circumstances are. 
 

Luke Everhart

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Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #46 on: August 19, 2020, 02:21:13 PM »
Luke, I read it’s dangerous to eat raw eggs. Too much risk of salmonella.

The worst odds I've read on the risk of salmonella from raw eggs is from a Forbes piece and even it was 1 in 20,000. It's very rare. But then, it does depend on the source of eggs. We are pretty heavily regulated about that sort of thing in the US.
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Luke Everhart

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Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #47 on: August 19, 2020, 02:26:11 PM »
Salmonella is always a risk with raw eggs, but it's fairly rare around here.

Body builders have been eating raw eggs for decades. Not to mention all the cookie dough eaten every year.

Bullet proof coffee that he is talking about is a very common drink in the Keto community. It's high in fat and protein while giving you a morning boost without having to waste time to cook a meal.

Yes, it is.
However, bulletproof coffee is a little different; it uses butter as a central ingredient (and often MCT oil (medium chain triglycerides)). I've tried it but prefer just a blended egg with no butter, sometimes with a bit of cream.
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Vidya

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #48 on: August 19, 2020, 03:24:41 PM »
Quote
My local farm store sells lots of fresh foods, and it also sells candy and baked goods made with hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup, two food additives known to be dangerous and/or worthless. That's the conundrum; amid genuine plenty, we also have a large amount of poisons available. Don't get me started on the chemicals the farmers put on the crops.

is high fructose corn syrup in all sweets, chocolates, biscuits, and baked goods or can you avoid it by reading the labels?

I don't think I’ve ever read high fructose corn syrup on any food label here. Of course I’ve often read hydrogenated oils. Can’t escape those unless one totally gives up all processed foods. 
 

Vidya

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #49 on: August 19, 2020, 03:31:49 PM »
Quote
I always thought it was fascinating that with her own personal chef and with an unlimited budget for food and with her incredible intelligence, Oprah still struggles with her weight. We can't always do the best for ourselves no matter how hard we try or what our circumstances are. 

Lily, Oprah has said in the past she has a very slow metabolism. She also suggested she was an emotional eater and it sounded like she might have used food as comfort due to the abuse she endured as a child—being raped by both her uncle and his son, getting pregnant, miscarrying.

I also read African Americans are genetically disposed to putting on weight just as Indians are often genetically disposed to being skinny.

And often people in hot climates have a beanpole shape since that was what kept them coolest while people in cold climates needed extra layers of fat for insulation.
 

Luke Everhart

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Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #50 on: August 19, 2020, 03:58:08 PM »
Quote
My local farm store sells lots of fresh foods, and it also sells candy and baked goods made with hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup, two food additives known to be dangerous and/or worthless. That's the conundrum; amid genuine plenty, we also have a large amount of poisons available. Don't get me started on the chemicals the farmers put on the crops.

is high fructose corn syrup in all sweets, chocolates, biscuits, and baked goods or can you avoid it by reading the labels?

I don't think I’ve ever read high fructose corn syrup on any food label here. Of course I’ve often read hydrogenated oils. Can’t escape those unless one totally gives up all processed foods.

No, it's not in all those. It's quite common but you can find any of those things on your list without it.
The thing about high fructose corn syrup is... odd.
It's implicated as harmful to health (particularly in regards to fatty liver) because of the 55% fructose content (the remaining 45% is glucose). And it's true that fructose, unlike glucose, passes from the small intestines into the liver to be metabolized there rather than being transported to cells from the blood stream like glucose; and, yes, that's bad because excess is converted to fat (lipogenesis) and both contribute to fatty liver and increases triglyceride levels generally.

But the oddities about the concern over HFCS are several:
Sucrose (table sugar) is 50% fructose and 50% glucose. Not a huge difference in the fructose percentage and that fructose makes the same demands and has the same deleterious effects on the liver and metabolic health.
Fructose is a sugar found in high amounts in all fruit ,and many contain a much higher percentage than high fructose corn syrup's 55%. Apples are almost 75% fructose, as far as sugar content. Most melons are similar. Bananas, peaches, grapefruits, oranges, and grapes all range from 45-60% fructose.
Honey is, on average, 50% fructose, though different sources of honey vary and it can be as low as 40% to as high as 60% or so.
So... while it's true that high fructose corn syrup is bad for you, it's only the case because of the sheer quantity of it we can consume without even knowing it because it's added to so many things.
« Last Edit: August 19, 2020, 04:00:36 PM by Luke Everhart »
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Vidya

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #51 on: August 19, 2020, 07:25:31 PM »
Luke, what you said about high fructose corn syrup surprised me, and also alarmed me since my parents eat apples under the assumption they’re low sugar and safe.

so I googled to see which fruits are high and low in fructose.  It sounds like the fructose in fruit is safe:

Quote
What fruits are high in fructose?
Fructose content of food

    Fruit and fruit juices: apple, cherry, grape, guava, litchi, mango, melon (honeydew and watermelon), orange, papaya, pear, persimmon, pineapple, quince, star fruit. ...
    Most dried fruit, including currant, dates, dried fruit or health bars, figs, raisins.

What fruits are low in fructose?
People who have fructose intolerance should limit high-fructose foods, such as juices, apples, grapes, watermelon, asparagus, peas and zucchini. Some lower fructose foods — such as bananas, blueberries, strawberries, carrots, avocados, green beans and lettuce — may be tolerated in limited quantities with meals.

Is Apple high in sugar?
Apples Only Moderately Affect Blood Sugar Levels

Apples do contain sugar, but much of the sugar found in apples is fructose. When fructose is consumed in a whole fruit, it has very little effect on blood sugar levels ( 7 ). Also, the fiber in apples slows down the digestion and absorption of sugar.

I’m not fond of apples and seldom eat them. I like oranges, grapes, and mangoes.

I’ve always been very glad I never took to tea or coffee because if I had, I’d have have taken sugar with it. It amazes me that people can take a whole teaspoon of sugar in every cup of tea or coffee. That sounds like such a huge sugar overload.

On the other hand, I eat 2 or 3 helpings of white rice practically every day, so what do I have to be complacent about? I read the acceptable limit is 2 or 3 helpings a WEEK. Again, I devoutly hope I have inherited my father’s constitution and can eat any garbage without it having any negative effect for decades at least. My mother often fell sick even when younger, but I seldom do, so I doubt I’ve inherited her constitution.

Which oil do you guys cook with? I use sunflower oil for curries and frying.

I tried cooking with peanut oil and didn't like the taste. It has a strong peanut smell while sunflower oil is more unobtrusive.


Google says:

Quote
Which oil is best for heart?

Good choices include olive oil, flaxseed oil, sesame oil and avocado oil – choose an oil that you can afford and like the taste of, for these dishes.

Which oil is healthiest for frying?

canola oil

Oils that contain lower levels of linoleic acid, such as olive and canola oil, are better for frying. Polyunsaturated oils, such as corn, sunflower, and safflower, are best for using in dressings rather than cooking with.
 

Maggie Ann

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #52 on: August 19, 2020, 10:08:30 PM »
Luke, I read it’s dangerous to eat raw eggs. Too much risk of salmonella.

My dad used to make egg nog with raw eggs quite often and he'd share with me.

Mine, too. Raw eggs and a lot of white sugar and nothing else. I never knew it was a drink until years later.

Also cinnamon and vanilla.
           
 

Luke Everhart

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Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #53 on: August 20, 2020, 03:11:26 AM »
Luke, what you said about high fructose corn syrup surprised me, and also alarmed me since my parents eat apples under the assumption they’re low sugar and safe.

so I googled to see which fruits are high and low in fructose.  It sounds like the fructose in fruit is safe:

Quote
What fruits are high in fructose?
Fructose content of food

    Fruit and fruit juices: apple, cherry, grape, guava, litchi, mango, melon (honeydew and watermelon), orange, papaya, pear, persimmon, pineapple, quince, star fruit. ...
    Most dried fruit, including currant, dates, dried fruit or health bars, figs, raisins.

What fruits are low in fructose?
People who have fructose intolerance should limit high-fructose foods, such as juices, apples, grapes, watermelon, asparagus, peas and zucchini. Some lower fructose foods — such as bananas, blueberries, strawberries, carrots, avocados, green beans and lettuce — may be tolerated in limited quantities with meals.

Is Apple high in sugar?
Apples Only Moderately Affect Blood Sugar Levels

Apples do contain sugar, but much of the sugar found in apples is fructose. When fructose is consumed in a whole fruit, it has very little effect on blood sugar levels ( 7 ). Also, the fiber in apples slows down the digestion and absorption of sugar.

I’m not fond of apples and seldom eat them. I like oranges, grapes, and mangoes.

I’ve always been very glad I never took to tea or coffee because if I had, I’d have have taken sugar with it. It amazes me that people can take a whole teaspoon of sugar in every cup of tea or coffee. That sounds like such a huge sugar overload.

On the other hand, I eat 2 or 3 helpings of white rice practically every day, so what do I have to be complacent about? I read the acceptable limit is 2 or 3 helpings a WEEK. Again, I devoutly hope I have inherited my father’s constitution and can eat any garbage without it having any negative effect for decades at least. My mother often fell sick even when younger, but I seldom do, so I doubt I’ve inherited her constitution.


The fructose in apples is the same fructose as high fructose corn syrup, honey, etc.
But, yes, fructose from all sources does not raise blood sugar nearly as much as glucose. It actually has a lower glycemic index than not only glucose but most starchy foods (like rice). So from a blood sugar point of view, it's better even if from HFCS.

The health impact of fructose is owing primarily to it being processed by the liver rather than absorbed directly from the blood stream. Fructose is implicated as a major factor in fatty liver disease and elevated triglycerides.

So, as with many things in diet, it's a mixed bag; and, of course, quantity consumed is a major consideration.

Here is a little piece on fructose from Harvard health publishing:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/abundance-of-fructose-not-good-for-the-liver-heart
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Luke Everhart

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Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #54 on: August 20, 2020, 03:27:20 AM »

Which oil do you guys cook with? I use sunflower oil for curries and frying.

I tried cooking with peanut oil and didn't like the taste. It has a strong peanut smell while sunflower oil is more unobtrusive.


Google says:

Quote
Which oil is best for heart?

Good choices include olive oil, flaxseed oil, sesame oil and avocado oil – choose an oil that you can afford and like the taste of, for these dishes.

Which oil is healthiest for frying?

canola oil

Oils that contain lower levels of linoleic acid, such as olive and canola oil, are better for frying. Polyunsaturated oils, such as corn, sunflower, and safflower, are best for using in dressings rather than cooking with.

I only use olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil, whether for cooking or adding cold (like olive oil on salad).
For cooking, avocado oil (it has a higher smoke point than olive oil) is reasonably good imo; but, if you don't buy into the long discredited Ancel Keys nonsense about saturated fat and CVD, then coconut oil is great and I often use it.
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Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #55 on: August 21, 2020, 01:54:00 AM »
Quote from: Luke Everhart link=topic=3662.msg76302#msg76302 date=1597858040


[/quote

I only use olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil, whether for cooking or adding cold (like olive oil on salad).
For cooking, avocado oil (it has a higher smoke point than olive oil) is reasonably good imo; but, if you don't buy into the long discredited Ancel Keys nonsense about saturated fat and CVD, then coconut oil is great and I often use it.

I also use olive oil and coconut oil (not the deodorised oil as that can destroy some of the health benefits). Sesame oil is also a good choice for certain recipes.

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idontknowyet

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #56 on: August 21, 2020, 04:18:53 AM »
Butter (I mean the real stuff made from cream.)
Olive oil EVOO cold pressed only
Lard (aka bacon fat)

I am not a purist when it comes to eating. I've been known to enjoy a quest cookie or other yummy snack, but for the most part I try to stick to healthy oils. Yes I consider animal fats a healthier oil than most any processed fat. Yes I've checked my cholesterol and all that. I'm in the lowest risk groups..
 

Vidya

Re: what do you think of these hacks for eating better/healthier?
« Reply #57 on: August 21, 2020, 05:49:41 PM »
Luke, thanks for that article on fructose from Harvard health publishing. You said:

Quote
And it's true that fructose, unlike glucose, passes from the small intestines into the liver to be metabolized there rather than being transported to cells from the blood stream like glucose; and, yes, that's bad because excess is converted to fat (lipogenesis) and both contribute to fatty liver and increases triglyceride levels generally.

and yes, Harvard health says:

Quote
The entry of fructose into the liver kicks off a series of complex chemical transformations. (You can see a diagram of these at health.harvard.edu/172.) One remarkable change is that the liver uses fructose, a carbohydrate, to create fat. This process is called lipogenesis. Give the liver enough fructose, and tiny fat droplets begin to accumulate in liver cells (see figure). This buildup is called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, because it looks just like what happens in the livers of people who drink too much alcohol.

what I’d like to know is, even if I intake excess fructose, will tiny fat droplets really begin to accumulate in MY liver cells?

Because my body’s an anomaly. It never got the message that when I intake calories, they’re supposed to be stored as fat. It burns up everything I eat and stores nothing as fat.

So would my liver even be able to accumulate any fat?

I really want to know.

I also want to know something else. Can you please post again that article you showed me explaining why some people can’t gain weight? I meant to save it but forgot. What I found most appealing about it was the info that such people also metabolize sugar better.

If that is true, it may be what prevents me getting diabetes thanks to my hopeless rice addiction.
 
am I doomed to get diabetes because I am unable to overcome my rice addiction, and eat 2 to 3 servings a day?

But the majority of Indians eat as I do. They don't all get diabetes. Unless they do in their old age. Who’s keeping track? Maybe they all get it. All I know is India is said to be the diabetes capital of the world thanks to our high carb diet.

And maybe the fact my body burn up all calories also means it will burn up sugar or metabolize it before it can do me any harm? I really want to know that that’s the case.

Who could tell me? are there doctors in the US who could know?

I keep reading the meat in the US is full of hormones. Don't you guys worry about getting cancer? I feel like I might have asked this question before. Or did I just think of asking it but I forgot to actually ask, since I don't recall any replies.