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I was watching a video on YouTube dealing with consciousness and other topics which is beside the point of this post... when the person mentioned how foods affect the mind, and specifically that sugar made the mind fuzzy. Well basically he explained it gets you "high" for a few hours and then its a roller coaster of mind clarity and non-clarity for two weeks more even if you stop sugar altogether.

He explained how sugar is added to everything because it sells better, and that we are addicted to it. So we don't even realize we are hazy most of the time.

I remembered also there was a discussion on this board recently about High-Fructose Corn. I found interesting videos on the subject.

But the mind clarity altering effects of sugar is what really caught my attention.

I was wondering if anybody here stopped the "refined" sugars and noticed any such effects?

STOP SUGAR!!???????????THIS IS MADNESS!!!!!!

phantombk201 Wrote:STOP SUGAR!!???????????THIS IS MADNESS!!!!!!

THIS IS MADNESS? THIS IS SUGAR!!!!!!!!

^ ^^ lol


I watched both of those few months ago, but I ignored them since my usual diet consisted of mostly meat, bread and sweets...

But now, after I started eating all kinds of foods again(like normal people) I wonder if I should cut back on sweets just for the sake of mind clarity, since I often feel hazy :/ I'll probably try it if someone who went with it confirms the benefits.

Remind me of an article I saw on fark the other day.

Fark Headline: "Sugar doesn't make kids hyperactive says scientist while peeling daughter's hands, several stickers and a glue gun from her face"

Actual link: http://www.patspapers.com/story_stack/it...onnection/

Apparently sugar affecting your mood (not sure how this relates to clarity) is just a myth.
But then again, I didn't really read it, or watch the attached video, so what do i know?

I'm not sure of the effects to your mind, but I'm glad that since March I haven't been consuming pop very much. Occasionally, maybe 3 times a month, I'll drink a Diet Coke. One regular Coke or Pepsi is possible every 4 months, but now it just makes me feel a bit disgusted. One of my friends drinks at least 2 pops a day. Since he's graduated from high school, we're both 2 years out of HS, I can see how that would translate to such weight, as is mentioned in your first video linked, "Sugar: The Bitter Truth." So his mind must be... really fuzzy/hazy, huh. I typically drink water or coffee, so I should just cut out the coffee as well.

I have experimented with lowering sugar intake and feel more energetic over a day.

Sugar is probably one of the only things you could safely cut out completely from your diet... Unless for some reason you need to quickly increase your blood glucose level. But even then, there are better alternative to refined sugars..

What about naturally-occuring sugars? Such as in raisins? I eat Raisin Bran everyday for breakfast so...

Minimizing—mostly eliminating—HFCS, and to a lesser extent in the process reducing the intake of processed sugars has had a huge positive impact on my energy levels, stabilizing them, and in this way improving the clarity of my thoughts, for sure. There's a lot of debate about HFCS I've little interest in though I'm more convinced by the science trot out by health nuts than the corn industry, I just go by what my personal reactions are to adjusting my diet around the legitimately bad or scapegoated HFCS, and I'm not looking back.

Food is a drug. Be a drug snob. ;p

I pretty much don't eat processed sugar. I rarely have sweet stuff or pops. I don't put sugar in my tea. The majority of food I eat don't contain sugar as an ingredient. But I eat an apple in the morning and the sugar in fruits, fructose, is the worst kind of sugar in terms of the speed it is absorbed. Even worse than HFCS which is a mix of fructose and glucose.

Some people here in the states take sugar like CRAZY though. They continuously consume sugar throughout the day. If you eat rice like that, it will still be a problem.

I've tried to cut HFCS out of my life too. I used to consume 2 to 3 cans of soda a day. I liked the boost I got from the caffeine and sugar in the afternoon. About a year and a half ago I switched to tea and I feel my energy levels are more stable now. I feel less tired in the afternoon than I used to. I only drink 3 cups a day and I stop around 2 pm. I also eat more fruit now.

I do feel lethargic and down sometimes after eating something really sweet. Unfortunately, I love sugar too much stop eating it -.-
Actually, eating lots of sugar before going to sleep can make weird things happen. Like sleep paralysis and hallucinations (if you're awake and dreaming at the same time).

Asriel Wrote:Apparently sugar affecting your mood (not sure how this relates to clarity) is just a myth. But then again, I didn't really read it, or watch the attached video, so what do i know?

I would like to say that in my experience sugar DID affect my mood. A few years ago when I was having really bad mood swings ( not just PMS swings ;P) I kept a food diary and almost every time I had sugar was when I would have a bad mood.

As for clarity, I find I am able to function way better when I haven't had sugar. I hardly eat any now. But I prefer fresh fruits anyway. Sugar is just kind of disgusting to me now. I think some of that's related to not eating a lot of it for a really long time. My body knows it's not good for me, so just looking at it kind of makes me nauseous. But that's mostly processed stuff. I still like homemade things, like pies and stuff. But soda pop and candy and stuff, kind of make me sick looking at it.

Apparently sugar does the same thing to your liver that alcohol does. Probably because alcohol IS just sugar.

Oh I also find that when I eat a lot of fiber (fresh fruit and veggies) that I feel waaay better than when I don't.

masaman Wrote:I pretty much don't eat processed sugar. I rarely have sweet stuff or pops. I don't put sugar in my tea. The majority of food I eat don't contain sugar as an ingredient. But I eat an apple in the morning and the sugar in fruits, fructose, is the worst kind of sugar in terms of the speed it is absorbed. Even worse than HFCS which is a mix of fructose and glucose.

Some people here in the states take sugar like CRAZY though. They continuously consume sugar throughout the day. If you eat rice like that, it will still be a problem.

Fruit is a naturally prepackaged food with a low glycemic index and is also healthy in other ways. HFCS, on the other hand, is Frankenstein's monster and will turn you into a giant torpid twinkie. Other processed sugars are Frankenstein's monster's little brothers.

BTW I just noticed the history of Wikipedia being edited by health nuts vs. corn industry employees. The latter are winning at the moment. Ah, the politics of knowledge in the 21c.

By the way, apparently there are concerns with HFCS's environmental footprint: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co...03294.html

nest0r Wrote:

masaman Wrote:I pretty much don't eat processed sugar. I rarely have sweet stuff or pops. I don't put sugar in my tea. The majority of food I eat don't contain sugar as an ingredient. But I eat an apple in the morning and the sugar in fruits, fructose, is the worst kind of sugar in terms of the speed it is absorbed. Even worse than HFCS which is a mix of fructose and glucose.

Some people here in the states take sugar like CRAZY though. They continuously consume sugar throughout the day. If you eat rice like that, it will still be a problem.

Fruit is a naturally prepackaged food with a low glycemic index and is also healthy in other ways. HFCS, on the other hand, is Frankenstein's monster and will turn you into a giant torpid twinkie. Other processed sugars are Frankenstein's monster's little brothers.

BTW I just noticed the history of Wikipedia being edited by health nuts vs. corn industry employees. The latter are winning at the moment. Ah, the politics of knowledge in the 21c.

By the way, apparently there are concerns with HFCS's environmental footprint: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co...03294.html

GI of fruits vary but they are generally high.
http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_food...z14wWLaOas
I eat fruits in the morning precisely for that reason. It kicks in quick. While taking too much HFCS is definitely bad, I thing taking anything at that rate is bad anyways.

Hi, I'd lie to mention there is another piece of this glycemic puzzle and that is glycemic load. Glycemic load is the amount of carbs within a food ie
"The glycemic load considers the serving size of the food and calculates the number of carbohydrates in that particular serving of food."
(http://type1diabetes.about.com/od/foodan...c_load.htm)
"The carbohydrate in watermelon, for example, has a high GI. But there isn't a lot of it, so watermelon's glycemic load is relatively low."

source: (http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm).

masaman Wrote:

nest0r Wrote:

masaman Wrote:I pretty much don't eat processed sugar. I rarely have sweet stuff or pops. I don't put sugar in my tea. The majority of food I eat don't contain sugar as an ingredient. But I eat an apple in the morning and the sugar in fruits, fructose, is the worst kind of sugar in terms of the speed it is absorbed. Even worse than HFCS which is a mix of fructose and glucose.

Some people here in the states take sugar like CRAZY though. They continuously consume sugar throughout the day. If you eat rice like that, it will still be a problem.

Fruit is a naturally prepackaged food with a low glycemic index and is also healthy in other ways. HFCS, on the other hand, is Frankenstein's monster and will turn you into a giant torpid twinkie. Other processed sugars are Frankenstein's monster's little brothers.

BTW I just noticed the history of Wikipedia being edited by health nuts vs. corn industry employees. The latter are winning at the moment. Ah, the politics of knowledge in the 21c.

By the way, apparently there are concerns with HFCS's environmental footprint: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co...03294.html

GI of fruits vary but they are generally high.
http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_food...z14wWLaOas
I eat fruits in the morning precisely for that reason. It kicks in quick. While taking too much HFCS is definitely bad, I thing taking anything at that rate is bad anyways.

Whaa... ? No, GI of fruits is mostly low. If it helps as a starter reference, check out: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/e...emic_index

From what I've read HFCS is worse for reasons other than simply 'you just need to do everything in moderation', but I'll leave those scientific arguments about how the body processes it differently, with more negative impacts, for people with a vested interest.

I also basicaly cut out the processed sugar stuff, and junky snack foods. It's funny how when you stop eating crap with lots of chemicals added it becomes super nasty - try eating a Dorito after you have only had real corn chips for six months = you can really tasty the artificiality.

My diets not the best, but I do eat organic produce and try to eat a heap of greens every night. The morning ritual I have going is nice= start with lemon in water, then have a probiotic fruit drink called "good belly", then eat a pile of grapes (add new Japanese vocabulary too at this stage which takes about an hour). Then I make some kind of hot cereal with walnuts, or have regular cereal, sprouted wheat bagel, etc (some kind of carbs). I feel like the digestion kind of smoothly takes off with this routine, and gives me a base to start my day with.

I absolutely think the type and quality of food, and the timing and combining of what we eat has a huge impact on clarity and energy levels. It's too bad most people I see eat super poorly. I certainly need to improve my eating habits too.

Anyone ever notice a higher frequency of BAD dreams occurring after eating sugar before bed? I have noticed it a time or two, and my Mom and ex-girlfriend also have the same thing.

Anything that incudes words like 'clarity' and 'fuzzy', as well as anything about self-improvement style nutrition, sets my skeptical alarm bells ringing.

I don't buy it.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/1...290496.php

I remember this recent Hoebel study sparked tonnes of debate; I read the original paper after I noticed commentary on it on Wikipedia became rife with weasel words that tried to make it seem like the article wasn't damned of HFCS at all—upon reading it, I found it quite damning. Too lazy to look up the original, but as for the controversial press release:

http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archi.../91/22K07/

One relevant debatable section: "High-fructose corn syrup and sucrose are both compounds that contain the simple sugars fructose and glucose, but there at least two clear differences between them. First, sucrose is composed of equal amounts of the two simple sugars -- it is 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose -- but the typical high-fructose corn syrup used in this study features a slightly imbalanced ratio, containing 55 percent fructose and 42 percent glucose. Larger sugar molecules called higher saccharides make up the remaining 3 percent of the sweetener. Second, as a result of the manufacturing process for high-fructose corn syrup, the fructose molecules in the sweetener are free and unbound, ready for absorption and utilization. In contrast, every fructose molecule in sucrose that comes from cane sugar or beet sugar is bound to a corresponding glucose molecule and must go through an extra metabolic step before it can be utilized."

I came to the anti-HFCS through personal experience that I validated/corroborated with surprise at the vehemence leveled at this mysterious 'high fructose corn syrup' that I discovered, through an elimination process, to be an ingredient that affected my appetite, mood, energy, thoughts, etc. So I certainly read it all with a preset bias that Corn Refiners commercials won't do much to overturn.

Tzadeck Wrote:Anything that incudes words like 'clarity' and 'fuzzy', as well as anything about self-improvement style nutrition, sets my skeptical alarm bells ringing.

I don't buy it.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/1...290496.php

1996?

I'm esp. skeptical about all research on 'mood' and the like, I just go by how food affects me personally, like a 'drug'. I'm quite sensitive to it and thus a 'drug snob'. ;p

Here's Surwit's recent activities: http://www.dukehealth.org/health_library...et_and_low - My inner cynic, the dark passenger ;p, is mildly roused by Surwit, somehow... Maybe his editors are to blame, using the word 'Revolution': http://books.google.com/books?id=UWlhtQHJOZAC

nest0r Wrote:1996?

It's actually hard to find any good information on either side of the debate--when you type anything into google you get thousands of "100 reasons sugar is bad for you" sites that contain absolutely no real information.

In general, nutrition is something that people lie about often--don't believe anything that doesn't mention specific details about the methods used in the studies that are cited (I know nest0r's already heard me harp on about nutrition, my bad for being so boring). The article I posted was not only pretty old, but also kinda mediocre--yet it at least in some way satisfied this. I didn't look for very long, but there's so much crap information about this topic that I didn't have it in me to parse through it.

Don't worry Tzadeck, the age of the dietitian is coming and we'll all get sorted out. Right after cigarette boxes are covered entirely by images of tumors and rotten teeth.

BTW: Twinkie diet helps nutrition professor lose 27 pounds

The ultimate goal, of course, is this.

.

I'll chime in with the abstainers. Processed stuff is gross; cutting out raw sugar was one of the best ideas I ever had. ;p This from someone who used to have a large intake.

I think alot of people just don't try to quit, which is a shame. Food affects us more than we'd expect.