Damn, do I hate supposed health articles like this.

[Silent3]

I think there is definitely something to the idea of reducing sugar, but articles like this drive me crazy. Anecdote treated as evidence, no bothering to even speculate how much other changes in diet and daily habits that couldn't help but happen at the same time were part of what happened, no wondering if just reduction instead of elimination would be sufficient, no curiosity about why, or even how, added sugar could or would be so very different from already-there sugar to the human body, the over-the-top labeling of sugar as "toxic", etc.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/my-health-story/year-of-no-sugar-one-family-grand-adventure/

And of course no consideration of how a person's own self-knowledge that they're doing a difficult thing is going to make them all the more sure that, yes, they are being rewarded for their effort, coloring their self-assessment about how they feel.

[jeff47]

1. Nuance is hard

Back in the 60s, studies figured out that a balanced diet with lots of fiber, fruits and vegetables, coupled with moderate exercise, lead to better health.

The result of that was to declare fat the demon slaughtering us all. Leading to mistakes like margarine. And producing such superfoods as low-fat Pop Tarts.

Then in the 00s, studies figured out that a balanced diet with lots of fiber, fruits and vegetables, coupled with moderate exercise, lead to better health.

The result of that was to declare sugar the demon slaughtering us all. There's already low-sugar Pop Tarts. And Cargill is telling us what's "natural" and "healthy" to put in our coffee instead.

Lots of people are looking for the one magic cure, when it's really the combination of everything in the diet, along with regular moderate exercise. Because one magic cure is easier to do - you only have to switch your Pop Tarts instead of doing all the rest of the program.

Plus if you're really hardcore about denying yourself the demon food, you can feel superior.

[silverweb]

2. Sugar's the easy thing to blame.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]My understanding is that a diet high in the wrong kinds of fats, high blood triglycerides, and some of our modern-day food additives lead to increased insulin resistance, complicating metabolism and increasing obesity.

Virtually all of our processed foods contain obscene amounts of fat, salt, and sugar because those are the tastes we're conditioned to crave and the food industry wants us to buy their processed crap.

Telling people to lay off the junk they enjoy so much could start riots. Remember NYC suggesting limiting the size of soft drinks? Remember Michelle Obama's "dictatorial" efforts to restrict the "freedom" of school children by feeding them actually healthy food and removing unhealthy items?

It's much easier in our dumbed-down society to just blame sugar and tell people to avoid it (except in processed foods, of course), rather than explain why they should stop eating unhealthy food-like substances (as if most would stop anyway).

The real answer, as usual, is a diet of simple, healthy, unprocessed "real" food and moderate exercise.

Wikipedia's got a decent article on the subject with plenty of more in-depth references for those interested:
[font face="Arial"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin_resistance[font face="Verdana"]

[Warpy]

3. Yes, medically ignorant people try fad diet, feel better because they

are no longer living on processed foods and takeout. What a surprise. Blame increased well being on avoiding only one ingredient, typical.

Throw in self righteousness combined with medical ignorance and you're got all the material you need for a bang-up article. Pass GO, collect fee.