adding sugar

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johndela1
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adding sugar

Post by johndela1 »

I think I must be misunderstanding something. We add oil to slow down the sugar absortbtion of fruit but we also add sugar. Is this correct?

The only place I use sugar is in my coffee. I don't feel the need to put sugar in my juice. I also think sugar isn't something that is natural for us to eat. By natural I mean, what we have evolved or were created to eat. It is something that is relativly new.
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Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

No, we only add sugar if more energy is needed. We might not have evolved to eat sucrose directly, yet it is contained in almost every fruit, next to fructose and glucose, of which sucrose is composed.

So how did we naturally develop to drink coffee? ;)
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Post by Bambi726 »

Are there not any minerals or other nutrients necessary to better utilize sugars that are found in fruits, etc, but not in stripped sugar?

It would make sense to me, on a scientific level, that there are, and that consuming extra pure sugars would eventually deplete whatever minerals are needed to utilize sugars, regardless of how many minerals we get from other whole foods, as the minerals, etc. from those foods would be used to process their own sugars.

For instance, chromium dificiency can lead to impaired glucose tolerance. So, what if the foods we eat only have enough chromium to process the foods that contain the chromium, and not much more? Here's another example, but for Biotin:

"Biotin is a B vitamin needed to process glucose. It has been shown to work synergistically with insulin and independently in increasing the activity of glucokinase. This enzyme is responsible for the first step in glucose utilization. Glucokinase is present only in the liver, where, in diabetics, its concentration is very low.
Supplementation with large quantities of biotin may significantly enhance glucokinase activity, thereby improving glucose metabolism in diabetics. When people with Type 1 diabetes were given 16 mg of biotin per day for just one week, their fasting glucose levels dropped by 50%. Similar results have been reported using 9 mg per day for two months in people with Type 2 diabetes. Biotin may also help reduce pain from diabetic nerve damage." Source: http://www.all-one.com/en/newsletter/ar ... abetes.htm

Here's another article on the metabolization of glucose that may be relevant: cached page from michaelshealth.com

I think our bodies are able to adapt to a certain level of ingenuity when it comes to foods (such as sun-dried foods and cold-pressed oils, which retain the majority of their nutrients), but chemically stripped sugar takes the wisdom out of the equation(IMO), and just doesn't seem to make sense. Is saying that all the body needs for energy is pure glucose overly simplistic? It seems that way to me...perhaps some "rapadura" is in order?

What do you think?


~Amber:D
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Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

I think that we get more than enough nutrients to cope with everything (provided we follow a balanced diet).

It's interesting that you give the examples of chromium and vit B8 (Biotin), because chromium isn't present in most of the fruits, and Biotin is present in most of the fruits. Egg yolks contain both.

Of course nobody knows how much chromium we would actually need, and as such when a deficiency would occur. However chromium is a trace element, needed, but not in quantities like sugars, fats, or protein.

I might be completely wrong, but this is how I see it.
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Post by CurlyGirl »

Here's an idea, John: go to a doctor or naturopath who can conduct a full mineral analysis of your blood and/or hair. Then, follow the diet closely for a few months (including juices with sugar), and go back for another full mineral analysis. You will then be able to see whether your body has indeed been depleted of chromium and other minerals.
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Post by Bambi726 »

Thank you for your input, Oscar and CurlyGirl :D

Yes, I think it would be a great idea to have it analyzed. There are always those nutrients that may take years of slow depletion to show deficiency, though - so it may be difficult to judge within a few months, similar to vegans and B-12 deficiency - :?:

I would say it's likely that enough nutrients are obtained in the Wai diet to process the sugar - especially if nuts are also consumed, as they have quite a different spectrum of nutrients than most fruits, but I suppose I will always question the white sugar addition to fresh squeezed orange juice. Then again I will probably never need any more energy than what the orange juice itself provides, so I don't need to worry about it for my own body - I'm just trying to figure it all out in my head! :wink:

It would be an interesting experiment for someone who has been adding white sugar to add a "whole foods" version of sugar, such as agave nectar or rapadura, in place of the sugar for a time and see if they notice any difference in energy, health levels, skin, etc.

Anyway, you guys are great - just thought I'd let you know :mrgreen:

~Amber
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Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

Yeah I can understand the aversion towards table sugar, as it's processed and seemingly far from nature. On the other hand, we're not eating any vegetables, which are regarded as essential to a healthy diet by most people (including me until 8 months ago). ;)

And thanks for the compliment! :D
johndela1
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Post by johndela1 »

Oscar wrote:No, we only add sugar if more energy is needed. We might not have evolved to eat sucrose directly, yet it is contained in almost every fruit, next to fructose and glucose, of which sucrose is composed.

So how did we naturally develop to drink coffee? ;)
why not just eat more of the fruit if more energy is needed? Sucrose is something I typcally avoid, I don't think it has any benefits except that it tastes good. I drink coffee as a special treat it is not a staple food, so I don't worry about a small amount of sugar in my coffee, but to add sugar all the time seems like an unhealthy thing to do.

Maybe, I'm confused because I am trying to follow this type of diet for my heqalth and not for acne prevention.
johndela1
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Post by johndela1 »

Oscar wrote:Yeah I can understand the aversion towards table sugar, as it's processed and seemingly far from nature. On the other hand, we're not eating any vegetables, which are regarded as essential to a healthy diet by most people (including me until 8 months ago). ;)

And thanks for the compliment! :D
huh? How does not eating vegies realte to eating sugar? Are you saying that what is taught here is not what most people think? If so, I can see the logic in not eating vegies, but adding tablel sugar to my fruit doesn't really make sense to me.
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Post by johndela1 »

CurlyGirl wrote:Here's an idea, John: go to a doctor or naturopath who can conduct a full mineral analysis of your blood and/or hair. Then, follow the diet closely for a few months (including juices with sugar), and go back for another full mineral analysis. You will then be able to see whether your body has indeed been depleted of chromium and other minerals.
I'm not worried about messing up my mineral balance or anything. I just avoid table sugar because I see it as empty calories.
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RRM
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Post by RRM »

Correct, they are empty calories (in the sense that they dont come with other nutrients), but they are nutrients.
Your brain cannot function a single second if it hasnt sufficient glucose at its disposal.
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Post by CurlyGirl »

Indeed, RRM. As they say in some parts of the U.S. - word, brother!
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Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

johndela1 wrote:Sucrose is something I typcally avoid, I don't think it has any benefits except that it tastes good.
So you don't eat fruit?
johndela1 wrote:Are you saying that what is taught here is not what most people think?
Yes, that was what I was saying.

This diet seems very strict, but isn't. You don't have to add sugar, you don't have to drink juice, you don't have to eat nuts, etc. But you can if you want/need it.
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Post by CurlyGirl »

Oscar wrote:This diet seems very strict, but isn't.
Indeed. I personally find I have plenty of room to 'manoeuvre' within the boundaries of Wai country. :-) In the beginning, I didn't think I needed OJ at all, then I discovered how practical it was, so I started consuming juice with OJ (no sugar), now I've adapted once more and I find I like to get my fruit sugars from whole and dried fruits rather than juice. Perhaps in the future I'll experiment with juices again... who knows? This is an organic process, subject to the whims and physiological requirements of the individual.
johndela1 wrote:Maybe, I'm confused because I am trying to follow this type of diet for my health and not for acne prevention
Yes, perhaps this alters your perspective somewhat, since you don't have to be TOO careful about various recommendations that acne-sufferers have to follow very carefully for positive results. But as far as the sugar issue is concerned, so long as you are consuming small amounts of glucose/fructose regularly, there is very little danger that you will burden your pancreas or develop any symptoms of insulin overshoot. In a way you have to 'un-learn' everything you have been told about refined sugar (i.e. glucose). Pure sugar is only dangerous within the context of a diet (e.g. SAD) that already promotes insulin overshoot thanks to a high proportion of cooked starch-foods, and doesn't provide any means (e.g. correct proportions of fat) to buffer the body against the effects of the sugar/starch.
johndela1
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Post by johndela1 »

Oscar wrote:
johndela1 wrote:Sucrose is something I typcally avoid, I don't think it has any benefits except that it tastes good.
So you don't eat fruit?
johndela1 wrote:Are you saying that what is taught here is not what most people think?
Yes, that was what I was saying.

This diet seems very strict, but isn't. You don't have to add sugar, you don't have to drink juice, you don't have to eat nuts, etc. But you can if you want/need it.
No, maybe I am wrong but I thought sucrose was table sugar and the sugar in fruit was fructose.

If I'm wrong on that then I should be more specific. I don't avoid fruit only table sugar.
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