Eliminating Sugar From Your Diet

[Dohertysgirl]

Sorry a little off the topic, but when it comes to spots I just want to say that I do not think sugar is the essential reason for bad skin. My skin went quite bad after I moved to London (I've never been bothered before) my guess is as a result of pollution, the difference in climate, the quality of the water I wash and shower in etc.; I did not eat any more sweets than before I moved here, so sugar couldn't really be the reason. However, I started eating Omega 3,6&9 capsules and drinking loads of (bottled)water, and now my skin is completely fine again. Sugar might not be good for your skin, but I know loads of people with really bad skin that does not even touch it.

 

[Whitelinen]

Why do you need "sugary treats" or treats to treat yourself with? I think the food I am eating every day is pretty yummy. I don't think I need any snacks or little treats, or binging on weekends. Eat well and good food all the time, that's my advice

Sugar is not essential for having bad skin. Conditions like acne are not caused by eating something wrong. However, having a healthy diet might very well affect your skin in a positive way, as it is beneficial in many ways. It's wiser to start eating healthy than to have to start eating healthy and eliminating processed sugar when you are on the risk of developing some kind of serious illness. The earlier, the better.

 

[Dohertysgirl]

I agree completely with you Whitelinen, but remember that sugar addiction is as bad as any addiction. I've seen it, people go mad over it.

 

[SiennaInLondon]

Sugar ALWAYS makes my skin bad. And it gives me bags under my eyes. But obviously it is not the only reason for bad skin. That is like saying liver disease in only caused by alcohol. But Dohertysgirl just wanted to throw in her bizarre obsession with London tap water into the mix. She thinks it is 'thick' and out to get her. I think paranoia may be setting in.

 

[Yanka]

Don't know if anyone's said this, but eliminating sugar completely is actually very dangerous for you. You see, the brain needs sugar, it's the energy that makes your brain work. Cutting out all sugar will at some point make your brain use it's natural fat (glia cells i.e) as energy, which can cause it to short-circuit. Bottomline is that you can end up having fits or worse, have basically any kind of mental issues.

So never ever cut out all sugar! Eat fruit daily and do allow yourselves sweets like once a week.

/Anna

I'm sorry this is the most ignorant thing I've ever heard. You obviously don't know what you're talking about. Your brain doesn't need sugar to work, it doesn't even need carbs. The only essential food groups are fat and protein. That's why people can live on atkins for a year and manage to avoid "having fits"

 

[Yanka]

what's to argue? it's a proven FACT that brains function on carbohydrates only.

too much protein(i.e. low carb diets) screw with calcium storage in bones, cause osteoporosis, and kidney stones. awesome.

no argument. you can't argue fact.

I think you should go re-read you big green biology book.

 

[SiennaInLondon]

Erm you can't survive without sugar. I think your comment, providing I have understood it correctly, is somewhat more ignorant than hers. It may be a slower death but it is death nonetheless. Without some carbs in your diet, you are a gonner.

 

[sassy285]

Actually its true, your brain can only function on carbohydrate, or more specifically glucose. Fat cannot fuel your brain because if cant pass the blood-brain barrier. you need a minimum of 50g of carbohydrate to allow your body to function, but generally its recommended that people have at least approx 130g (cant remember the exact figure off the top of my head but its around that).

People on atkins can survive for years without having 'fits' as you put it, because the body begins to break down your muscles, and use it as a source of energy to fuel your brain....thats not a good idea as you dont want to break down lean body mass (muscle). For example, your heart is a muscle and your body will start to break it down, hence often why anorexics often die of heart failure due to starvation, they weaken their heart muscle.

I'm just about finished my post-graduate degree to become a dietitian, this is basically my life. You need Carbohydrate people, aiktens is in my eyes, possibly the worst diet to go on!!!

 

[Whitelinen]

I agree with Sassy and Sienna. Your brain cannot survive without carbohydrates, however it can very well survive without processed, human-made sugar.

Atkins has been proved to be unhealthy for you. I have just read the latest studies on the subject.

 

[lucky star]

I read recently, ( I can't remember the name of the book ) that sugar was the food that contributed the most to the aging of your skin. So, since then I have been trying to eliminate any refined/processed sugars. I don't think I eat a lot anyway, but I do go for a muffin or something like that. So I have been trying harder. ugh, the pressure. So, reading this thread has been great! Yeah, people like moi! I haven’t noticed an improvement yet in my skin, but my fingers are crossed.

 

[FashionGrrrrl]

Around 130 grams of carbs per day sounds right to me. Fruits, veggies and whole grains. I'm not sure why some people don't understand the importance of fibre in the diet, not to mention all the other important nutrients present in these forms of carbs.

Also, who can I believe when looking for nutritional advice? What is a good, unbiased source of information? I've even considered studying nutrition because I find it really interesting, and being a vegetarian I -think- I am doing things right but would really like some reassurance!

 

[Yanka]

Actually its true, your brain can only function on carbohydrate, or more specifically glucose. Fat cannot fuel your brain because if cant pass the blood-brain barrier. you need a minimum of 50g of carbohydrate to allow your body to function, but generally its recommended that people have at least approx 130g (cant remember the exact figure off the top of my head but its around that).

People on atkins can survive for years without having 'fits' as you put it, because the body begins to break down your muscles, and use it as a source of energy to fuel your brain....thats not a good idea as you dont want to break down lean body mass (muscle). For example, your heart is a muscle and your body will start to break it down, hence often why anorexics often die of heart failure due to starvation, they weaken their heart muscle.

I'm just about finished my post-graduate degree to become a dietitian, this is basically my life. You need Carbohydrate people, aiktens is in my eyes, possibly the worst diet to go on!!!

Are you serious??? You're doing a postgrad in nutrition and you never heard of gluconeogenesis of fat and dietery protein? This is basic, high-school biology. here is a quote from Principles of Anatomy and Physiology, by Gerard J. Tortora and Sandra Reynolds Grabowski

"Both triglyceride molecules and protein molecules may be broken down and converted to glucose in the liver. The process by which new glucose is formed from noncarbohydrate sources is called gluconeogenesis. In the process of gluconeogenesis, glucose is formed from lactic acid, certain amino acids, and glycerol portion of triglyceride molecules".

As for "having fits" (it was someone else who said it earlier in the thread), breaking down muscles, malfunctitiong of the brain etc... If you don't eat carbs, but eat sufficient amounts of fat and protein, the body uses the latter to maintain muscles and uses fat to convert it into keton bodies to feed your brain. Basically. I'm not here to argue the merits of Atkins or lowcarb or nocarb diets, but someone mentioned the lifestyle of eskimos and chukchis, who live on virtually no-carb diet during long winter months, when they feed on lard, fish and deer meat. Nevertheless, they are healthy and active. Im sure your textbooks says that certain amount of carbs are "recommended" but I am suprised it doesn't tell you that you don't need to eat them to survive.

 

[laurette]

I have been sugar free (refined sugar), drinking 2-3 ltrs/days, eating a lot of veggies and fruits for a month and I felt so great! Then I got sick and totally craved chocolate, the thing is that once I start I can not stop so I ate 200g chocolate, the next day 50g and now my skin broke out again, I feel slumpy
so from now on I'll start again.

 

[tott]

Well said, TheFLUFFER!

When people say that you need carbs to survive, that too much protein is dangerous and that low carb diets will kill you, I simply wonder why...?

Maybe because they're picturing a low carb diet which is also low fat? I would be the first one to agree that this would be a very unhealthy diet that will kill you, probably sooner than later...

A healthy low carb diet is made up of moderate amounts of protein, large amounts of fats and few carbs. If you cut carbs, you need to replace them with fats. Simple as that.

This is what really frustrates me: Often when you ask "pro-carb" persons how people like the eskimo, the massai or the chukchi have managed to survive on a diet with very little or no carbs, they simply ignore the question...

And for the record, I don't believe that carbs necessarily are evil or bad for you. For instance, the Kitava people get quite a lot of carbs from fruits and root vegetables, along with saturated fat from coconuts and protein from fish, and they are very healthy. (Of course, their carbs aren't processed like the ones we eat in the Western world.)

 

[Whitelinen]

It's funny how this has turned into a low-carb vs. pro-carb debate To be honest it is the same to me what people do to themselves. If I don't have to pay the taxes to cover their future health problems, then fine.

 

[Yanka]

It's funny how this has turned into a low-carb vs. pro-carb debate To be honest it is the same to me what people do to themselves. If I don't have to pay the taxes to cover their future health problems, then fine.

It didn't. I think you didn't read it carefully. The only thing I was debating is wether you can survive without carbohydrates, I wasn't trying to advocate atkins or whatever. Nothing pisses me off more than people who try to pass their ignorant assumptions for scientific fact.

 

[Whitelinen]

Well, I do have scientific facts that Atkins is bad for you.

The ones who are here suggesting that low-carb is healthy for long term, how long have you been on it? Do you think you would think it's a great thing in one year's time? On five years time? After ten years?

I doubt many of aren't Eskimo. Many of these nations who do survive on low-carb diet are developed a little bit differently. Their bodies are used to functioning that way. I wouldn't say everyone's body works like that.

I believe all this hate for carbs is a fad. It's like people hating bread, and thinking it is the highest evil on this Earth.

 

[lukewarm]

Anyone else ever wake up one day and sweet stuff seems to sicken you? For the past couple of months, sugar and meat has repulsed me. I genuinely feel ill when I think about ingesting either. All I drink is water, but I have to say, my skin has never looked so nice. I feel good, it is an insane transformation. Seriously, water+no meat/sugar=dewy, supple skin.

 

[lukewarm]

Well, I do have scientific facts that Atkins is bad for you.

The ones who are here suggesting that low-carb is healthy for long term, how long have you been on it? Do you think you would think it's a great thing in one year's time? On five years time? After ten years?

I doubt many of aren't Eskimo. Many of these nations who do survive on low-carb diet are developed a little bit differently. Their bodies are used to functioning that way. I wouldn't say everyone's body works like that.

I believe all this hate for carbs is a fad. It's like people hating bread, and thinking it is the highest evil on this Earth.

Do people still think this way, really? The healthiest way to live is everything in moderation. I should have clarified, by no meat, I mean no greasy red meat, or chicken. I used to love it, and now I just don't like the thought of it, but I don't think eating this form of protein is unhealthy. Maybe if you don't like to exercise, grains and pastas aren't great for you. Assuming everyone does basic exercise, you need carbs for energy.

 

[Whitelinen]

Do people still think this way, really? The healthiest way to live is everything in moderation. I should have clarified, by no meat, I mean no greasy red meat, or chicken. I used to love it, and now I just don't like the thought of it, but I don't think eating this form of protein is unhealthy. Maybe if you don't like to exercise, grains and pastas aren't great for you. Assuming everyone does basic exercise, you need carbs for energy.

You need carbs regardless of your excersize routine.

Many people still believe in low-carb and fads, many haven't even heard of "everything in moderation".

Pasta is not bad for you if its done from whole grains, the same with bread.