ATLANTA (Feb. 2, 2012) – The article “The toxic truth about sugar”¹ incorrectly uses the terms fructose and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) interchangeably.  Often confused with high fructose corn syrup (which contains nearly equal amounts of glucose and fructose and is handled by the body in the same way as sucrose), fructose has a low glycemic index, and does not cause surges and dips in blood glucose levels.  Fructose is the sweetest of the nutritive sweeteners, so less is needed to sweeten foods and beverages, resulting in calorie savings.  Although dietary fructose consumption has increased in recent decades, relative consumption of fructose compared to other sugars has remained constant.

References

1. Lustig RH SL, Brindis CD. The toxic truth about sugar. Nature. 2012;482:27-29.
2. Dolan LC PS, Burdock GA. Evidence-based review on the effect of normal dietary consumption of fructose on development of hyperlipidemia and obesity in healthy, normal weight individuals. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2010;50(1):53-84.
   
3. Livesey G. Fructose ingestion: Dose-dependent responses in health research. J Nutr. 2009;139(6):1246S-1252S.
   
4. Garber AK LR. Is fast food addictive? Curr Drug Abuse Rev. 2011;4:146-162.
   
5. Lustig R. Fructose:  Metabolic, Hedonic, and Societal Parallels with Ethanol. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010;110:1307-1321.

ATLANTA (Feb. 2, 2012) – The article “The toxic truth about sugar”¹ incorrectly uses the terms fructose and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) interchangeably.  Often confused with high fructose corn syrup (which contains nearly equal amounts of glucose and fructose and is handled by the body in the same way as sucrose), fructose has a low glycemic index, and does not cause surges and dips in blood glucose levels.  Fructose is the sweetest of the nutritive sweeteners, so less is needed to sweeten foods and beverages, resulting in calorie savings.  Although dietary fructose consumption has increased in recent decades, relative consumption of fructose compared to other sugars has remained constant.

References

1. Lustig RH SL, Brindis CD. The toxic truth about sugar. Nature. 2012;482:27-29.
2. Dolan LC PS, Burdock GA. Evidence-based review on the effect of normal dietary consumption of fructose on development of hyperlipidemia and obesity in healthy, normal weight individuals. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2010;50(1):53-84.
   
3. Livesey G. Fructose ingestion: Dose-dependent responses in health research. J Nutr. 2009;139(6):1246S-1252S.
   
4. Garber AK LR. Is fast food addictive? Curr Drug Abuse Rev. 2011;4:146-162.
   
5. Lustig R. Fructose:  Metabolic, Hedonic, and Societal Parallels with Ethanol. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010;110:1307-1321.

ATLANTA (Feb. 1, 2012) –  Findings presented in a new study titled “Diet Soft Drink Consumption is Associated with an Increased Risk of Vascular Events in the Northern Manhattan Study” examining a possible link between diet soft drink consumption and risk of vascular events is critically flawed.  

• This study was observational, so it was designed to show an association, not prove cause and effect.

• The study was conducted on a specific urban population with an average age of 69.  Those participants may suffer from an increased vascular risk due to age; thus the study findings are unlikely to be relevant to the general population.  The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health notes that one of the risk factors for heart disease and stroke is being 55 years and older for men and 65 years or older for women.

• Subjects who frequently consumed diet soft drinks were also more likely to have high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, increased triglycerides, larger waist size as well as a higher body weight to height ratio, and previous cardiac and vascular disease initially, which may have been the reason they were drinking diet soda. 

• Although researchers tried to control for many variables, it is entirely possible that other factors not control for that may have influenced results.  The authors admitted, “some residual confounding… may be present.” 

• Even though the authors noted a link between daily diet soda consumption (at least one drink a day) and the rate of vascular events, statistically, that association was very weak.  Curiously, there was no link between “light” diet soda consumption (for example, 6 drinks per week) and vascular events.

Low-calorie sweeteners are some of the most thoroughly studied food ingredients in the food supply. The safety of low-calorie sweeteners has been reaffirmed time and again by leading health and regulatory groups worldwide. For more information about low-calorie sweeteners, visit: www.caloriecontrol.org. For more expert opinions discussing this study, click here.

All those little bouts of purging sugar from my kitchen ended badly. I kept caving. How is it possible to go almost 3 years without sugar and then have this much trouble quitting again?

My hope is that with 2 months of juicing I will know better than to dabble with sugar. If I play with sugar, it wins. If I abstain from sugar, I win.

Quitting sugar changed my life once. I know quitting again will have the same profound affects. It’s what motivates me this time around. Valuable lesson learned? I really can’t balance moderation with sugar, I wish I could. It’s easier to just go without it 100%.

Check out this interview:

How Avoiding Refined Sugar Changed a Woman’s Life

By Beth Hubrich, RD, CaloriesCount Contributor 

• Make your resolutions realistic!  Losing 10 pounds in 2 weeks is probably not going to happen.  Chances are good that you didn’t gain weight overnight, so don’t expect to lose weight overnight, either.  A more realistic goal is a weight loss of 1-2 pounds a week.  It may not sound exciting, but you’re more likely to keep off the weight. 

• Lose the “quick fix” mentality.  Sure, swearing off carbs and desserts may be doable for a month or so, but it’s probably not something you can stick with over the long term.  Short term strategies can result in weight loss, but chances are good that if it is not a lifestyle change, the weight will eventually creep back.

• Be more active, all the time and everywhere.  Hitting the gym and working with a personal trainer are great, but there are other ways to “sneak in” physical activity as well.   Skip the closest parking place and opt for one farther away, walk your child to a playdate instead of driving, take the stairs at work instead of the elevator, etc.  You may also want to look into a pedometer.  Tracking your “steps” and making a goal to increase those steps is an easy and attainable way to be more active and help burn calories. 
• Keep it simple and make it specific.  Instead of saying “This year I vow to lose 30 pounds” say “By May I want to lose 5 pounds.”  Although you may want to lose 30 pounds, if you set smaller, more attainable goals you will be more likely to reach that smaller goal, which will spur you on to the larger goal. Find easy ways to cut calories by making simple substitutions.  Did you know that just cutting 150 calories a day over the course of a year could result in a 5-10 pound weight loss!  

• Reward yourself and give yourself a break. Sometimes the best laid plans are well, just plans.  Life gets hectic, work gets busy and pretty soon Spring will be here.  If you find yourself “off track” cut yourself some slack and don’t beat yourself up.  Re-evaluate your goals, find out where you got “tripped up” and get back on track. 

 Americans Will Eat 30 Million Pounds of Snacks and Enough Fat to Equal the Weight of 13,000 NFL Offensive Linemen!

The goal is to try juicing for a month or two and see how it helps with sugar cravings, energy, my sleep cycle and my weight (which has skyrocketed since moving to Texas–go figure!).

My husband is on board with this, too. Amazing.

We watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead together and when it ended we looked at each other and shared an ah-hah moment. We still have to do our research to see how this will be done, the health benefits/risks, etc. We’re really not-knowers when it comes to juicing.

Any tips?

The goal is to try juicing for a month or two and see how it helps with sugar cravings, energy, my sleep cycle and my weight (which has skyrocketed since moving to Texas–go figure!).

My husband is on board with this, too. Amazing.

We watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead together and when it ended we looked at each other and shared an ah-hah moment. We still have to do our research to see how this will be done, the health benefits/risks, etc. We’re really not-knowers when it comes to juicing.

Any tips?

It was easier to go without sugar for 3 years than it has been to give it up for a month at a time. The holidaze were the worst! I think people wanted to watch me feast on the white stuff. Every imaginable favorite dessert of mine was homemade and waiting for me when I returned to the northwest for Christmas.

On the flight to Portland I turned down freshly baked chocolate chip cookies (Frontier Airlines) and ate from a healthy pre-packed lunch. I was superior and not going to give in.

What is it about being home for the holidaze, surrounded by family and friends with fragrant homemade goodies and sweets everywhere?

Sweet tooth trumped Willpower. I don’t understand this, because I was solidly off sugar for 3 years!

Let the justifications begin: I wanted to have a good time with everyone else and not be the only one not eating Mom’s hot cinnamon rolls with frosting. I struggle with moderation, so once I let myself have a little sugar, nothing was off limits. I loitered in the kitchen every day in search of delicious ways to feed the monster.

Everything tasted absolutely heavenly but it didn’t take long for my sweet tooth to become satiated. But the next day my tolerance for sweet had increased, and the day after that I had three cinnamon rolls in one day, not counting other goodies during the day.

If I’m going to indulge, I do not want to feel bad about it. Feeling guilty ruins things, doesn’t it? So I made a mental note that after returning from the holidaze I would go back to being a devout non-sugarist. Until then, I would enjoy finishing off my stocking candy. Which led to making peanut brittle, then a chocolate espresso cheesecake (I am going to attempt this with a less-refined sweetener next time) for my husband, and then I made a lemon pound cake which I substituted for lunch.

The other day I looked through my cupboards to purge the demons, and Jeff quickly set up the video camera. Although I wasn’t looking my best and would have liked to shower/do hair/make-up etc. (I mean, I am posting this on my blog!) I appreciated Jeff’s quick reaction to the spontaneous moment and let it be.

 http://vimeo.com/35040868

It was easier to go without sugar for 3 years than it has been to give it up for a month at a time. The holidaze were the worst! I think people wanted to watch me feast on the white stuff. Every imaginable favorite dessert of mine was homemade and waiting for me when I returned to the northwest for Christmas.

On the flight to Portland I turned down freshly baked chocolate chip cookies (Frontier Airlines) and ate from a healthy pre-packed lunch. I was superior and not going to give in.

What is it about being home for the holidaze, surrounded by family and friends with fragrant homemade goodies and sweets everywhere?

Sweet tooth trumped Willpower. I don’t understand this, because I was solidly off sugar for 3 years!

Let the justifications begin: I wanted to have a good time with everyone else and not be the only one not eating Mom’s hot cinnamon rolls with frosting. I struggle with moderation, so once I let myself have a little sugar, nothing was off limits. I loitered in the kitchen every day in search of delicious ways to feed the monster.

Everything tasted absolutely heavenly but it didn’t take long for my sweet tooth to become satiated. But the next day my tolerance for sweet had increased, and the day after that I had three cinnamon rolls in one day, not counting other goodies during the day.

If I’m going to indulge, I do not want to feel bad about it. Feeling guilty ruins things, doesn’t it? So I made a mental note that after returning from the holidaze I would go back to being a devout non-sugarist. Until then, I would enjoy finishing off my stocking candy. Which led to making peanut brittle, then a chocolate espresso cheesecake (I am going to attempt this with a less-refined sweetener next time) for my husband, and then I made a lemon pound cake which I substituted for lunch.

The other day I looked through my cupboards to purge the demons, and Jeff quickly set up the video camera. Although I wasn’t looking my best and would have liked to shower/do hair/make-up etc. (I mean, I am posting this on my blog!) I appreciated Jeff’s quick reaction to the spontaneous moment and let it be.

 http://vimeo.com/35040868