Recommitted

You may remember that I decided to give up sugar last November. I have been faithful except for a period during the month of July when all the family was back under the same roof and it was extremely difficult to stick to that commitment.

Maren recently suggested that we look at some sugar-free treats that she discovered at Sprouts, thinking they might be something we would be able to eat (very thoughtful...no irony). The problem is that fructose is fructose no matter the source. So agave, chicory syrup, maple syrup, etc., are essentially the same, and the treats were, alas, no better than sugar treats. But that's not the point of this story.

In researching the ingredients in the treats, I encountered a rather long (1 hour 29 minutes) presentation on YouTube called Sugar: the Bitter Truth. Dr. Robert A. Lustig, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist from the University of California, makes the case that fructose is a toxin, pure and simple. It, unlike rat poison, is a chronic rather than acute toxin, and consequently is overlooked by the FDA and the population in general. I had to watch it twice to understand it (I still don't understand all the biochemistry completely -- I believe Rob would), but I have come away recommitted to leaving sugar behind.


Lustig shows why fructose is responsible for metabolic syndrome so prevalent in our culture and unhappily exported to the rest of the world with our diet. He debunks the notion that a calorie is just a calorie no matter where it comes from, and instead shows how the body metabolizes glucose vs. fructose and goes on to explain that when "God made the poison (fructose), he packaged it with the antidote (fiber)." That's why fruit is not toxic while sugar/HFCS are. (High fructose corn syrup and sugar are metabolized in the same way.) He reinforces the enormous value of fiber with the understanding that it has its own "drawbacks:" he wryly said you can choose "fart or fat." And he clearly demonstrates that the American low-fat diet is unhealthy

His clinic deals with obese children and uses an extremely simple protocol to treat them:

1. Get rid of ALL sugared liquids including chocolate milk -- real milk and water only
2. Eat carbohydrates with fiber
3. Wait 20 before taking seconds (by then satiety will have set in)
4. Exercise, but not just to burn calories -- the exercise is important for healthy metabolism

Bottom line: I liked his presentation a lot. I found it very cogent and I believe you will too if you have the stamina to watch it.

FYI: My weight has stabilized between 185 and 190, down from around 215, my blood pressure is normal for my age. My cholesterol was good before November and I haven't had it tested since. And I no longer have heartburn.

So I am recommitted.

That's all for now.

OXO

D.