How much sugar a day?

[Hapuka]

How much sugar a day should the average human consume? :confused:

Thanx.

[Cait]

Well.. really, that depends.. are we talking refined sugar like in sweets, or natural sugar, like fruit & such?

The thing people tend to forget is that any carbohydrate (simple or complex) eventually breaks down into sugar of one type or another. Your body needs them. And even refined sugars are alright with some moderation, and I'm going to guess that's what you're asking about. And there's no set answer. The only thing you can do is use your head.

Having sweets with every meal = bad
Eating sweets daily inbetween meals = bad

Having a sweet or two in a day, but not everyday is fine. Just remember MODERATION.

[Hapuka]

Yeah, I mean as in refined sugar like what you would find in fizzy drinks and chocolate.

[Cait]

Like I said, there's really no set amount. The thing you have to watch out for is that refined sugar becomes acid when it breaks down, which is why it's not great for you. A little is fine, some every now and then is fine, but making a regular habit of eating (or drinking) it is not good. You've just really got to use common sense on this one.

[Stevebjj]

I like and try to live by the Jack Lelanne philosophy, which is "if Man made it, don't eat it." In other words, the less refined anything you eat, the better off you are... to include sugar.

Of course, this excludes beer and single malt scotch. :D

[Nii]

^That's why I always make sure to hunt my own game and forage my own berries =P

[slipthejab]

As for fizzy drinks... every time you have one you're missing your chance to have a big glass of water. The amount of sugar in the form of corn syrup in most carbonated drinks is just stupid. Give up the fizzy drinks and replace them with water and a more stable form of sugar like that form fruit and you might be surprised at the changes in mood swings and your daily outlook.

Humans are a funny lot... they don't think long term for the most part. But if you consider the amount of fizzy drinks your average westerner has on a daily basis it doesn't seem like much... but when you add that up over a course of years the amount of sugar intake alone is staggering.

[Moi]

As Slip says cut out the fizzy drinks, massive saving in sugar intake straight away.
The hard bit is determining how much sugar is in the processed food you eat. Take some cheap meat products, very little good meat means no taste, so they ladle in the salt as a flavour enhancer, tastes a bit saltly then so they add sugar to offset the salt.:eek:
Eat or at least try to prepare your food from ingredients that God would recognise as his and you won't go far wrong and once you eat in that way recieving no extra added sugar then the odd biscuit or cake won't be a problem:)

[Nii]

If only water tasted as good as fizzy drinks or juice... =/

[prowla]

Obviously the sugar intake goes up on Easter Egg day!

[bulkathos72]

http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/funny-pictures-cat-undercooked-cheeseburger.jpg

lol All the nutrition you need. :D

[Yohan]

I try to avoid it completely. I eat very little. If you eat it, eat it directly after a workout.

[adouglasmhor]

If only water tasted as good as fizzy drinks or juice... =/

It tastes better - there is something wrong with you.

[Gary]

I try to avoid it completely. I eat very little. If you eat it, eat it directly after a workout.
x2 + protein to it.

[Stevebjj]

If only water tasted as good as fizzy drinks or juice... =/Best thing I ever bought was a soda siphon (http://www.isinorthamerica.com/consumer/c_soda.shtml). It's a little more expensive than soda, but I can drink seltzer water straight and it's a lot better for me. I like the bubbles, but don't like the sugar in soda pop.

If I want some flavor, I add a little juice to the bottom of the glass and then fill it up.

I used to be a real sweet tooth, but once I got used to how food actually SHOULD taste, I enjoy it all far more. I don't like things too sweet anymore. It's very much like cigarettes. I smoked for 14 years and once I finally quit them for good, I lost my taste for them completely.

[bulkathos72]

Best thing I ever bought was a soda siphon (http://www.isinorthamerica.com/consumer/c_soda.shtml). It's a little more expensive than soda, but I can drink seltzer water straight and it's a lot better for me. I like the bubbles, but don't like the sugar in soda pop.

If I want some flavor, I add a little juice to the bottom of the glass and then fill it up.

I used to be a real sweet tooth, but once I got used to how food actually SHOULD taste, I enjoy it all far more. I don't like things too sweet anymore. It's very much like cigarettes. I smoked for 14 years and once I finally quit them for good, I lost my taste for them completely.

lol Same with me.:cool:

[Fish Of Doom]

lol Same with me.:cool:

here in arg there's a whole business based around soda siphons, kinda like with milk, where you have a guy taking them house to house.

[Stevebjj]

Glad I'm not the only one. :)

I also really like lemon Perrier. I drink a bottle of that just about every day.

[bulkathos72]

lol kind of funny I just had a piece of chocolate and diet coke and now I am dizzy. I guess you got to build a tolerance. I think I am gonna stick with an orange for dessert. Next time like I normaly do.

[Nii]

Woah! Those soda siphons sound so awesome! This is the first I've heard of it. I'm assuming the market never took off for it here in Australia. To my understanding, it makes non-fizzy drinks... fizzy, right? Now to find a place to buy it.

[Victoria]

Well.. really, that depends.. are we talking refined sugar like in sweets, or natural sugar, like fruit & such?

The thing people tend to forget is that any carbohydrate (simple or complex) eventually breaks down into sugar of one type or another. Your body needs them. And even refined sugars are alright with some moderation, and I'm going to guess that's what you're asking about. And there's no set answer. The only thing you can do is use your head.

Having sweets with every meal = bad
Eating sweets daily inbetween meals = bad

Having a sweet or two in a day, but not everyday is fine. Just remember MODERATION.

Aye.

All carbohydrates, including the 'simple sugars', monosaccharides and disaccharides, whether from rice or from sweets or from fruit or from milk, are broken down into glucose for the body to use (and store).

You need glucose to function. As far as your body is concerned glucose is glucose. Where you get the glucose from is up to you, whether healthy, from complex carbs such as rice that take time to break down into glucose, or fruits which break down that little quicker etc. - or more unhealthy options such as table sugar, fizzy drinks and candies, simple carbohydrates.

All these things end up as glucose. The main difference is the time it takes your body to break down these foods into the preferred fuel, glucose. Hapuka you've mentioned the glucose index before, maybe take another look at it ;)

In terms of insulin the high sugary fizzy pops and sweets are bad because they absorb too quickly (and they're bad for your teeth of course ;) ).


As for how much sugar you should have.... *shrug* :confused: Common sense, get your glucose from more healthy sources and avoid all the sweets and pops you can! The body can do a pretty good job of regulating it's glucose levels (within reason) so I wouldn't worry about it. If you're asking the question for weight loss then cut out 'sugar' from pops and sweets. Trust me, your body will let you know if it's lacking in glucose :p

[NaughtyKnight]

I guess by "Sugar" you mean Sucrose. The real answer is none, but thats not really realistic in this day and age, when EVERYTHING has sucrose in it.

1 main reason to limit your Sucrose level is it competes with Vit C for absorbtion into the body. This apparently reduces the effectiveness of your immune system.

Not all sugars were made equal, and there are MANY different types.

[Yohan]

Quickly absorbed sugars like sucrose and EDIT dextrose EDIT are not bad. Just like everything else, there is a time to eat quickly absorbed carbs. In this case, it's right after a workout. They aren't bad for you, it just depends on your goals.

[Victoria]

Quickly absorbed sugars like sucrose and glucose are not bad. Just like everything else, there is a time to eat quickly absorbed carbs. In this case, it's right after a workout. They aren't bad for you, it just depends on your goals.
Everything in moderation.

As I said, it all gets turned into glucose by your body, whether it's straight glucose you're consuming or complex carbhydrates.

I don't know to comment on glucose consumption with more 'professional' work outs and training, but for the average Joe a lot of quickly absorbing sugar is bad and can cause a lot of health problems.

[Yohan]

Everything in moderation.

As I said, it all gets turned into glucose by your body, whether it's straight glucose you're consuming or complex carbhydrates.

I don't know to comment on glucose consumption with more 'professional' work outs and training, but for the average Joe a lot of quickly absorbing sugar is bad and can cause a lot of health problems.

For the average joe - a lot of quickly absorbing sugar is bad.

Here's the short and skinny of it.

During periods of intense exertion your body releases the hormone LPL into your muscles. LPL causes your muscle tissues to suck up all the nutrients from your blood stream and used them to recover energy in your muscles. Soon after the workout (think .5-1 hours) LPL levels drop off in your muscles and pick up in your fat cells.

If you consume quickly absorbed carbs immediately after a workout they will get sucked up by your muscles, helping to contribute positively to your body composition.

[g-bells]

Natural sugars ie fruits 2-4 servings any other kind none if possible but if not as little as possible>

[Victoria]

For the average joe - a lot of quickly absorbing sugar is bad.
Probably sums up the thread.


Here's the short and skinny of it.

During periods of intense exertion your body releases the hormone LPL into your muscles. LPL causes your muscle tissues to suck up all the nutrients from your blood stream and used them to recover energy in your muscles. Soon after the workout (think .5-1 hours) LPL levels drop off in your muscles and pick up in your fat cells.

If you consume quickly absorbed carbs immediately after a workout they will get sucked up by your muscles, helping to contribute positively to your body composition.
Although I would be interested in reading more about sugar and LPL after exercise - I can't find anything helpful on the subject. I know if I consumed a bottle of Lucozade after exercise I'd be found unconscious an hour later in a hypo.

I still fail to see how consuming any significant amount of quickly absorbed carbs (I assume you mean mono or disaccharides) can be a good thing, even after exercise. Replenish the stores yes, with water, protein, your body is going to want to re-stock glycogen stores, repair muscles etc. But excess glucose is bad news.

[Yohan]

Probably sums up the thread.


Although I would be interested in reading more about sugar and LPL after exercise - I can't find anything helpful on the subject. I know if I consumed a bottle of Lucozade after exercise I'd be found unconscious an hour later in a hypo.

I still fail to see how consuming any significant amount of quickly absorbed carbs (I assume you mean mono or disaccharides) can be a good thing, even after exercise. Replenish the stores yes, with water, protein, your body is going to want to re-stock glycogen stores, repair muscles etc. But excess glucose is bad news.

http://nymag.com/news/sports/38001/

Read. Read it all.

[g-bells]

http://nymag.com/news/sports/38001/

Read. Read it all.

once again yohan, you can't get all your knowledge via article in magazines.

[Yohan]

once again yohan, you can't get all your knowledge via article in magazines.

The article is taken from a book and it's pretty well sourced though it has no bibliography. I'm pretty well convinced of the validity of what they are saying in the article because it largely stacks up with older ideas - like eating directly after a workout, using pre workout supplements, workout drinks and post workout shakes. Additionally, I structure my diet around the ideas in that article and my weight is dropping like a stone, and I get away with cheating a good bit because I do it after my biggest workouts.

[g-bells]

The article is taken from a book and it's pretty well sourced though it has no bibliography. I'm pretty well convinced of the validity of what they are saying in the article because it largely stacks up with older ideas - like eating directly after a workout, using pre workout supplements, workout drinks and post workout shakes. Additionally, I structure my diet around the ideas in that article and my weight is dropping like a stone, and I get away with cheating a good bit because I do it after my biggest workouts.

just because your eating like that does'nt mean your eating healthy. Can you eat like that for the rest of your life? Once you stray from it, i bet you'll find it harder to keep that well deserved weight loss off.

It's like the low carb fad, sure it works and it is designed for sedimentary people, but once they stop eating like that their weight usually comes back with an additional amount added.

A well balanced diet is something that can be adjusted as your needs and tastes change and it can be a lifestyle

[Victoria]

http://nymag.com/news/sports/38001/

Read. Read it all.

From Page 1. This is common knowledge and has been for some time. There IS such thing as an overweight 'fit' person and exercise does not guarantee fat loss at all.

From Page 2. Now it's sounding increasingly like a justification for sitting on your backside instead of exercising. Of course exercise doesn't work 'fat loss miracles' alone. This article also ignores important factors such as metabolism after exercise.

From Page 3. Metabolism and common sense. So far he's done nothing but state the obvious.

From Page 4. Ok. Almost to the point now...

From Page 5. I wouldn't say LPL is irrelevant, but I do think it's negligible and picking at straws. Your body will want to replenish stores used during exercise, as we're on the subject of sugar I'll use the glycogen stores. I can see where a theory of downing sugar to replenish these stores would come from, but I don't think it's a good thing to be doing. When you down a glucose load, your pancreas is going to think "holy crap what's all this? Quick send out the troops to evacuate! Code red boys!" and you're going to get an insulin spike. The insulin will shunt the excess blood sugar into your cells and out of your blood stream, some to where it's needed, the excess will be stored and your blood sugar will now be relatively low. Glycogen stores are also used in an attempt to prevent the blood sugar crash caused by the excess insulin that your glucose binge has induced. So you may end up back at square one with depleted glycogen stores, and a bunch of cells thinking "we don't like these insulin spikes, maybe we shouldn't let it in in future, let's become insulin resistant".

I like this part, "it's quite possible that we get fat not because we eat too much or exercise too little but because we secrete too much insulin".
Why do we secrete too much insulin? Unless you're one of the small percentage of people unlucky enough to have an insulinoma, then excess insulin is due to excess glucose in the blood stream. I wonder how that got there! D'oh.


Ok, to sum up the whole 5 pages. In my opinion, the article states the obvious at best. Takes a long time to get to the point with a lot of unnecessary jargon in there.
When it finally does get to the point however, the point made is nothing new. I wouldn't say insulin is the "primary regulator in how fat we get", but it is said to be the storage hormone. Excess insulin does contribute to weight gain when shunting excess glucose out of the blood stream quickly, with nowhere to go the energy is stored. This has been a theory on the subject of obesity for some time, Google has a LOT on the subject. So far the most common answer to this known problem is as the article suggests, diet. Cut out the simple sugars, get your calories from fibre and protein, wholegrains, fruits and veggies instead of simple carbohydrates and processed foods. This is a very common diet these days and from experience this helps with a lot more than just weight loss.
Glucose and insulin is also where the famous GI diet fits in (I would recommend it for a look).

[Victoria]

The article is taken from a book and it's pretty well sourced though it has no bibliography. I'm pretty well convinced of the validity of what they are saying in the article because it largely stacks up with older ideas - like eating directly after a workout, using pre workout supplements, workout drinks and post workout shakes. Additionally, I structure my diet around the ideas in that article and my weight is dropping like a stone, and I get away with cheating a good bit because I do it after my biggest workouts.
If you're consuming large amounts of glucose for some reason you might find you'll lose more weight by swapping and getting those calories from something not so quickly absorbed as glucose. The only time I'd take glucose (or anything quickly absorbed) is when my blood sugars are low and the quick fix is needed for medical reasons.

Honestly, spikes in insulin like that are bad news. Have a read around the subject of excess glucose and insulin if you haven't already.

[NaughtyKnight]

Spiking your blood sugar at times is actually pretty useful. After your brutal weights session you should be consuming HIGH Gi carbs with your protein. The insulin spike draws the nutrients directly from the blood into the cells that need them. Thats the main reason why creatine is recomended with high gi carbs, hell, you can ever buy creatine with insulin mimikers.

[Victoria]

Spiking your blood sugar at times is actually pretty useful. After your brutal weights session you should be consuming HIGH Gi carbs with your protein. The insulin spike draws the nutrients directly from the blood into the cells that need them. Thats the main reason why creatine is recomended with high gi carbs, hell, you can ever buy creatine with insulin mimikers.
It does seem to be a common thing to do among lifters. I'm still not convinced that more good than bad comes from it though, I'll look more into how these bodybuilding sites have come to that conclusion. I still see this causing serious health problems in the long run (and short run if your blood sugar drops as a result :rolleyes:).

So I'll rest my case on more professional body builders/lifters using insulin spikes when it's needed. But still not budging when it comes to every other Joe Bloggs who picks up a bar, especially when they're wanting to lose weight as well, not only will the insulin want to store all that glucose but they'll likely develop a resistance and maybe even become type 2 diabetic.

[NaughtyKnight]

Please... Over 3/4s of the world are sleep deprived. Lack of sleep is a bigger cause of diabetes then spiking your blood sugar, deliberatly, 3x a week after you lift weights. Its the most efficient way to get your body to suck nutrients out of the blood, and into the muscles than need them. Its highly regarded by many sports coaches and pro BBs. Your body wont like it, but homeostasis is what your body was built for, its the same as intentionally staying out in the sun when your body is hot, or drinking alcohol, with obvious more benefits.

[Victoria]

Lack of sleep is a bigger cause of diabetes? Research suggests it's a contributing factor yes, but not the biggest one.

Insulin resistance then, for sake of argument, as a precursor to type 2 diabetes. This develops when cells in the body become resistant to insulin, as I don't doubt you know. Excess insulin causes cells to become resistant, meaning more and more insulin is needed for the job until the condition progresses further into, for example, diabetes.

And what would happen if this excess insulin taken drove your blood sugars down a little too far? Hopefully there'll be someone around to help out or call an ambulance. Some family members are type 1 diabetic, some type 2, I myself am hypoglycemic - when a non diabetic is taking insulin it sets serious alarm bells ringing. I'd love to hear what a professional endocrinologist would have to say on the subject.

I've seen nothing to convince me that this excess glucose and excess insulin loading after work outs is more a good thing than a bad thing. I don't doubt it works for what it's meant for, I don't know enough about body building to doubt, but what about the consequences? I wouldn't do it, but if others want to then that's up to them, go ahead.

I also wouldn't advise anyone to do this without getting checked out by a doctor first, getting back on topic, Hapuka. Some people have underlying medical conditions they may or may not know about where consuming excess glucose or insulin can cause serious problems. As I said before, if I was to do that I'd be unconscious within the hour.

[NaughtyKnight]

ROFL!!!

Stop sensationalising it. Taking high GI foods after a workout, 3x a week, is not the same as drinking a super sized coke 3x a day. If you got insulin dependence as easily as your saying, the whole world would be diabetic.

There are sooooooo many sources that spamming them would be pointless.

[g-bells]

Diabetes is the result of Type l ( the pancreas does'nt or has never worked properly) or Type ll ( the pancreas over time does'nt produce as it once did)

It's hereditary

excuse my spelling