Sugar Nation - by Jeff O'connell

Leonidas said:
Go check out the labels on the "healthy" energy bars - I spent 20 minutes one day reading the labels on every one they had and realized they should change the name to, "candy bar".
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And many, if not most, use soy for the protein component...
 
harley said:
Lots of sugar in coleslaw. I love it, but haven't been able to eat since the big D. I've tried making it myself without sweetener, and it's pretty nasty. Well, not really nasty, but just sort of a cabbage carrot mayo vinegar salad. Not the same thing at all. Maybe I'll try it again with Splenda, see how that works out.

The one that really teed me off was when I found out that Vitamin Water has 33 grams of sugar per bottle. I started drinking it (years ago) after workouts for the vitamins and such. I knew it was sweetened, since I could taste it. But 33 grams of sugar?
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Funny timing - I had a group over today and smoked a pork shoulder and served it with coleslaw. I am not big on sweets, and as far as I know, all the coleslaw that I liked that my family made was w/o sugar. DW said when she makes coleslaw, she salts the shredded cabbage, weights it over a colander for 15 minutes, and then rinses it. This supposedly eliminates the bitterness. Then just add some mayo and vinegar, no sugar (and coriander says I and my Aunt, but DW says no).

So maybe the salting would remove the bitterness that you detect. For my tastes, some shredded carrot provides all the sweetness I need.

For flavored drinks, I like the LA Croix brand of carbonated water. Either plain with a twist of lemon/lime, or their flavored orange or grapefruit - which apparently only uses the essence of oil of orange and grapefruit - no sugar added, but plenty of flavor. I can carbonate my own water, so I'm looking for ways to get that orange-oil taste (zest comes close).


-ERD50
 
Leonidas said:
You fell for the ole "Package some crap and call it something healthy trick".
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+1 - Our schools now are requiring that kids bring in 'healthy' snacks for birthday treats. But who decides what is 'healthy'? Seems like anything labeled "low fat" or "no sugar" is considered "healthy", but is it? Most of the stuff with those labels appears to be crap to me.

-ERD50
 
SJ1_ said:
I had no clue they put it in coleslaw.

I actually went in a restaurant where they did not have one side dish that did not have "tons of sugar" in it.
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your average commercial salad dressing has a lot of sugar in it. the cole slaw you usually see has lots of dressing in it. so... there you go..
 
tmm99 said:
Have you ever tried Xylitol? I have Xylitol made from 100% birch tree (Ultimate Sweetner). Xylitol is often used in toothpaste and healthfood store chewing gums. It has no aftertaste that I can detect (I barely tolerate taste of Splenda.) and it is considered diabetic safe with very very low glycemic value, although it does have some carb value, plus it doesn't have the punch in its sweetness than real sugar.

If coleslow with Splenda doesn't taste very good, you may want to try Xylitol. I believe there are xylitol based imitation honey on the market also (assuming you used to make your coleslow with honey instead of sugar...)

I use honey in my coleslow, sweet wine in some dishes, and I don't worry too much about small amount of sugar in condiments, etc, but when something calls for a small amount of sugar when I am cooking, I use Xylitol, or half xylitol and half sugar (I am not diabetic, but I don't do well at all with any fast acting carbs.)
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Xylitol is a sugar alcohol and most (not all) can cause some people some nasty gastric distress. Count me in that group. I use Erythinol (sp?) which does not case the gastric issues but is only 70% as sweet as sugar so I add some Stevia and Splenda to it. The three seem to compliment each other and mellow out the after tastes of each one individually.

I cook a lot of my own deserts now including ice cream with these three sugar substitutes. My brownies are pretty good but take a bit of getting used to since they don't contain any wheat flour; only flax and almond flour. I also cook with oat flour which works great with muffins and other like items.

I am not diabetic, yet, but my mother is (age onset) so I have the propensity. I also "blow up" in weight from most grains (wheat, rice and corn) and potatoes so I stay away from them. I avoid most white food...white sugar, white rice, white potatoes, white flour, etc. Dairy is also an issue (lactose) so I drink and use Almond Milk. Soy is just as bad as regular milk for some reason.

The biggest problem I have going very low carb. is being able to eat out without eating mostly salads and bad breath from ketosis from burning protein instead of carbs. for energy sources.
 
Erythritol is the best sugar alcohol. Maltitol is just as bad as sugar.

Steve, there are solutions to the low carb problems you refer to. Drinking more water can eliminate the ketosis breath, for example.

Eating out: eggs, sausage and bacon, steaks, burgers without the bun, chicken caesar salads.
 
I agree. We eat out regularly without any problems. Even McDonalds offers decent choices with some of their grilled chicken salads. Seafood restauarants are easy, steak places are easy (just get a double order of the veggie instead of the baked potato). Italian places can be a little difficult, but even they usually have grilled options. We tend to eat at mongolian grill places instead of standard chinese, so we can pick what gets added to the plate. Chinese food sauces can be deadly. It's just a matter of mindset. Even if I get a cheeseburger at a restaurant, I tell them "no bun, no fries" to remove the temptation of having it sitting on your plate. Then double your veggie order to counter the over-protein aspect. And it's paying off. DW has lost 30 lbs over 5 months, and I'm down over 15. It would be more if alcohol was calorie free.
 
Yes, going around reading labels can be quite enlightening - I don't buy much pre-processed food - make my own salad dressings, bake my own breads/etc (haven't done to much of that lately as am cutting on carbs), make my own salads, cook my own meats/fish/beans/etc. I don't put sugar in anything unless it's meant to be a sweet (cookies, cakes) - in fact, I take sugar out of recipes - I guess I'm just more of a savory gal ;-) Cole Slaw is icky with sugar - and I don't eat ketchup, I eat salsa..

And yet, I do like my sweet tarts and dark chocolate.....and ice cream..every now and then.
 
I agree there are options to eating out, i.e., salads, burgers without the bun, etc. The problem in many cases is the sugar and other carbs. in dressings, coatings, sauces, etc. I carry my own salad dressing that comes pre-made in non-refrigerated packages from Walton Farms; no sugar, no fat, no carbs. and most taste very good.

Al, I have tried drinking copious quantities of water and even green tea to see if it would help...nothing does much good so far. A small amount of "good carbs." seems to help a bit but not much according to my wife. I am still looking for a solution other than tons of sugar free breath mints.:(
 
SteveR said:
Al, I have tried drinking copious quantities of water and even green tea to see if it would help...nothing does much good so far. A small amount of "good carbs." seems to help a bit but not much according to my wife. I am still looking for a solution other than tons of sugar free breath mints.:(
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Beer. It covers most other types of breath, and goes good with most meals. Just make sure to get a good hoppy one that will last awhile. JMO.
 
harley said:
Beer. It covers most other types of breath, and goes good with most meals. Just make sure to get a good hoppy one that will last awhile. JMO.
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The only problem with beer is the amount of carbs. in it. Nearly all beers contain a lot of unfermented sugar which is a problem for me. I love a nice hoppy ale (India Pale or ESB) even made a few myself back when I had the time when I was w*rking.
 
SteveR said:
The only problem with beer is the amount of carbs. in it. Nearly all beers contain a lot of unfermented sugar which is a problem for me. I love a nice hoppy ale (India Pale or ESB) even made a few myself back when I had the time when I was w*rking.
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I wouldn't say "a lot."
Figure about a gram of carb per ounce of most beers.
 
braumeister said:
I wouldn't say "a lot."
Figure about a gram of carb per ounce of most beers.
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It sort of depends on the beer type too. I tend to drink heavier beers so the residual sugar content would be a bit higher than in a Budlight. Even 12 grams of sugar is more than I want to invest at times in my diet for a single item. I will at times do so but it is a planned event. Good beer is worth the expense so I do not eliminate it...just plan for it.
 
This is in the lobby of the San Francisco Kaiser Permanente Hospital:

SugarBowl.jpg
 
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