It is Time to End the War on Saturated Fats

[Dogwood]

It's no myth that sugar in high dosages is toxic to the human body! According to many reliable unbiased scientific based sources the average U.S. citizen is consuming 60+ lbs of ADDED sugar annually or about 20-22 teaspoons daily or about 18% of daily calories(depends on total daily caloric load). This data is based on ADDED sugar that is basically added to just about EVERY highly processed highly refined intensively packaged food - food like product. Several estimates push the average consumption of refined sugar up well above the 120 lbs per yr mark.

The toxicity level has been far surpassed in the average U.S. citizen's diet. According to many scientific circles it is causing, or at least correlated with increases in illness and disease, lack of quality of life, and problematic imbalances in the human body.

[Pedaling Fool]

It's no myth that water in high dosages is toxic to the human body!

Virtually everything is toxic in too high of a dosage. Look at Iron, who's to say how much iron has caused health issues, but blamed on other things http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/0...ut-of-balance/

However, I get your point, there too much sugar in our foods and I agree with that, but again the real problem is that people eat way too much and don't exercise.


Five Tango's Quote: "I would like to add that while exercise is a great thing,you do not have to be a gymn rat to lose weight if you get off sugar and carbs.Sorry for the rant..............."

You are absolutely correct, you can lose weight without exercise and in my case exercise doesn't really help with losing weight (or keeping it off), the only real way to keep it off is via my diet, meaning mostly to stop eating. However, exercise is crucial in keeping the body healthy and strong.

But in the end, I agree 100%, it's all about diet when losing weight, at least for many of us and definitely is the case with me.




P.S. I don't concentrate so much on restricting carbs, sugars, proteins, fats.... I just concentrate on limiting my eating. Eating three meals per day is wrong. There is something about calorie restriction (to the point where you are hungry -- very hungry), that does the body good. It is that simple.

The body doesn't need near the amount of food we stuff in our mouths, so the question is: Why does the body start the digestion process every time you eat? Why doesn't the food just sit there in your stomach?

[rocketsocks]

I've come to agree with this, all about calories in and portion control. Our body's don't require that much food/fuel to run, o'coarse a sustained long distance hike requires more calories.

[ChrisJackson]

When I got off the sugar drug I lost weight without exercise. Lost roughly a pound a day for 45 days. You can't exercise enough if you have a high sugar diet. It's pointless. Don't know if it's been mentioned yet, but check out Dr. Robert Lustig's "Sugar: The Elephant in the Kitchen".

[Five Tango]

I am pretty sure I read or heard some health authority say that if you drink a regular 12 oz Coke you must walk 1.5 miles to burn it off.Most kids have several per day now plus lots of fatty carbs that they are washing down with them and there is no other outcome other than obesity,juvenile diabetes,and resultant health issues for them.The worst part is that it is all based on ignorance of the facts.And it's likely going to get worse before it gets better,if ever..............Worst of it is that most of us AARP types remember the day when obese kids and overweight kids were rare because we did not have a fast food,snack food,HFCS food based society the way we do now-BUT IT'S BEEN GREAT FOR SALES and PROFITS!

[Dogwood]

"...but again the real problem is that people eat way too much and don't exercise."

It's not that simple. I'm all for exercise and demonstrating personal responsibility when it comes to putting something in our bodies. However, your contention is that the ball is entirely in the public's court. NOT SO! The food industry has to shoulder a good amount of responsibility in getting the public addicted to salt, sugar, artificial sweeteners, additives, like MSG, fat/being fat, OVEREATING, etc so they can sell more food. Fat people eat more food. Thus, fat, even obese consumers are what MANY segments of the food industry desire. THIS IS DONE INTENTIONALLY BY THE FOOD INDUSTRY....just as a heroin dealer has a vested financial interest in creating heroin addicts and shaping their market so they can sell more heroin OR the tobacco industry KNOWS their product is addictive and a KNOWN carcinogen but has a vested interest in creating and shaping a market of addicts to sell more of their poison.


I don't buy that BS study of misdirection that Mickey Dees did having a customer eat 30 days of food, afterwards with supposedly no detriment to the persons's health, saying its all a personal choice in what we eat absolving themselves of being responsible for their unhealthy addictive low quality massively processed and highly refined foods they mass sell to the public.

[Pedaling Fool]

"...but again the real problem is that people eat way too much and don't exercise."

It's not that simple. I'm all for exercise and demonstrating personal responsibility when it comes to putting something in our bodies. However, your contention is that the ball is entirely in the public's court. NOT SO! The food industry has to shoulder a good amount of responsibility in getting the public addicted to salt, sugar, artificial sweeteners, additives, like MSG, fat/being fat, OVEREATING, etc so they can sell more food. Fat people eat more food. Thus, fat, even obese consumers are what MANY segments of the food industry desire. THIS IS DONE INTENTIONALLY BY THE FOOD INDUSTRY....just as a heroin dealer has a vested financial interest in creating heroin addicts and shaping their market so they can sell more heroin OR the tobacco industry KNOWS their product is addictive and a KNOWN carcinogen but has a vested interest in creating and shaping a market of addicts to sell more of their poison.

Actually it is that easy. The idea that things like sugar is addictive is just crazy and that mindset only creates a victim mentality. If anyone should be addicted to sugar it's me, I've had more than my fair share, but I don't get the shakes when I force myself to go without.

There are plenty more like-minded people out there with you that believe people are NOT in control of their lives. The Biggest Loser show may be just another stupid reality show, but still it shows that sugar is not addictive and this issue of weight control is simply a matter of self control. All people need is education. However, keep telling them it's not their fault and certain foods are addictive and you'll only create a bunch of "victims".

I don't buy that BS study of misdirection that Mickey Dees did having a customer eat 30 days of food, afterwards with supposedly no detriment to the persons's health, saying its all a personal choice in what we eat absolving themselves of being responsible for their unhealthy addictive low quality massively processed and highly refined foods they mass sell to the public.

I never paid much attention to that and it is probably a bunch of BS.

However, on the flip side so, was the documentary, Supersize Me​ by Morgan Spurlock.

[Five Tango]

On behalf of the food industry I must point out that low sugar and low salt products have been offered in the past but the public has spoken-they don't want it.The facts are that most people think they are overweight because they do not exercise enough.I know,I was one of them until I learned that you really are what you eat and that eating less and making the correct choices is what it takes to manage your weight.People eat like they do for lots of reasons,some of which are psychological,hence the term "comfort foods" etc.It is what it is.Exercise is a wonderful thing but it is not nearly as effective as discipline and eating the less fattening foods in the first place.

[Dogwood]

The food industry purposefully uses salt, sugar, fat, food additives, etc to habituate people to foods containing these. Them when food NOT containing these is offered consumers aren't having their dietary habits catered to, WHICH THE FOOD INDUSTRY INSTILLED IN CONSUMERS!

Water being toxic in high dosages is NOT a fair analogy to the process of placing high dosages of addictive and habituating chemicals and compounds in highly refined highly processed food like products or into a culture's diet. Humans are not generally perceived as being addicted to water.

[Dogwood]

If sugary foods was not so addictive and habit forming why are sweeteners, including sugar, added SO FREQUENTLY OFTEN IN LARGE AMOUNTS to so much highly refined highly processed food like products? for it's awesome nutritional content? I don't think so. :confused

[MuddyWaters]

thru hikers are positive proof, you can eat whatever you want, and lose weight. As long as you excercise enough.
Vitamin and micronutrient deficiencies aside.
People are fat, because they eat more than they need.
This is because its cheap, readily available, and they have no self control.
Its interesting to go to other countries and see fruit stands selling fruit on the street for snacks
No way that would work here. Maybe sugar infused fruit smoothies in yuppie areas.

[Dogwood]

If you're suggesting people are in absolute "control" of their lives and NOT influenced BY DESIGN by the food industry, and a host of others, that would sound really crazy and naïve.

[Dogwood]

The good news is that food preferences can change. We can break the junk food cycle as adults and develop better food preferences in adolescents. We don't have to always have that super sugary drink or food habit.

Excess sugar in the Western diet has ben shown to be complicated in obesity alarmingly so even in adolescent obesity and diabetes.

[Sarcasm the elf]

The good news is that food preferences can change. We can break the junk food cycle as adults and develop better food preferences in adolescents. We don't have to always have that super sugary drink or food habit.

Excess sugar in the Western diet has ben shown to be complicated in obesity alarmingly so even in adolescent obesity and diabetes.

Happy 10,000th post!!!

[MuddyWaters]

If you're suggesting people are in absolute "control" of their lives and NOT influenced BY DESIGN by the food industry, and a host of others, that would sound really crazy and naïve.

People have free choice.
Most know the difference, weve been teaching it in schools for 40 years
They are too lazy to go out of the way to obtain healthier choices
They are too weak to resist the sated feeling from quick carbohydrates
They really dont value their health and well being over immediate satisfaction

they arent necessarily ignorant and moldable by the food industry. They are just weak and ambivalent about it.

Similar to smoking and drinking alcohol regularly. There is a segment of the population who prefer short term rewards over long term benefits.

[Sarcasm the elf]

People have free choice.
Most know the difference, weve been teaching it in schools for 40 years
They are too lazy to go out of the way to obtain healthier choices
They are too weak to resist the sated feeling from quick carbohydrates
They really dont value their health and well being over immediate satisfaction

they arent necessarily ignorant and moldable by the food industry. They are just weak and ambivalent about it.

I have to partially disagree.

A person's diet and tastes are primarly developed during childhood, a time when they have almost no control over what they are allowed to eat. To make matters worse School lunch programs have been used as a dumping ground for cheap sugar, fat, dairy and fried food for decades, I remember learning about the four food groups and later the food pyramid in the classroom only to be shuffled down to the cafeteria and served heaping styrofoam trays of everything we were just taught was bad for us, as well as a small side of peas. However I am just lucky that my schools covered nutrition in depth, in a lot of districts it has barely been on the curriculum.

I am also lucky to not only live in an a suburban area where people are big into fitness, farmers markets and whole foods, but also to own a car so that I can easily navigate the sprawl and access these places. My friends who live in the inner city and can't afford a car have very limited options in regards to where they can realistically shop and they have much easier access to places that primarily sell processed foods than to places that sell fresh produce that isn't half spoiled on a bodega shelf.

Saying people have free choice is one thing, but when we have a system that is setting the general public up for overwhelming failure, then turning around and saying "well you had the option not to fail" is kind of a cop-out.

[Five Tango]

Anybody here eat eggs without salt and pepper on them?Just checking............

[Odd Man Out]

And now, back to the OP... Here are some good references to read. I find this to be an excellent site with advice based on sound research, which is hard to find in the nutrition world.

http://authoritynutrition.com/?s=saturated+fat

[Another Kevin]

Anybody here eat eggs without salt and pepper on them?Just checking............

I seldom add salt to eggs. Pepper is another story, but I haven't heard a lot about pepper's being harmful. I'm sure there's some study out there, because you can find a study condemning everything.

Moderation in all things. Including moderation.

[Dogwood]

"People have free choice."

What does that mean for you?

Consider, are choices truly made in complete freedom without a myriad of groups and individuals clamoring all over themselves to influence the choices of others? Are these influences always known to us?

Maybe, choices are not so freely decided upon! Maybe, free choice is an illusion.

Do you not suppose the powerful influential food industry lobby, and associated segments of the food industry, affect gov't nutritional info, food programs, suggestions, etc? Have you considered the nutritional info taught to you in the public school system has bee tainted and base in favo of segments of the food industry and their paid mouthpieces in medical academia and political circles?