Just some comments on sugar consumption data. One would think for such a common food, there would be accurate information. But that is not the case! More precisely, you will find different figures from different sources. Here are just a few of the confounders:
Does dietary “sugar” mean only sucrose (common table sugar) or should it include the dozens (literally) of other food additives that are mostly sugars, especially HFCS? The most accurate term for these seems to be “added sugars” on nutrition facts.
Sometimes consumption estimates come from total production (and import) figures. Even assuming those are accurate, they may neglect waste, spoilage, non-human consumption and so forth. Many other estimates are based upon self-reported dietary journals, which one could reasonably assume are somewhat less than meticulous. Thus, there is plenty of reason to think that much of the source data is low quality.
The AHA sugar figure seems to be based on the commonly assumed average 2000 [Kilo] Calories per day dietary average. I calculate 23 tsp * 5 g/tsp * 4 Kcal/g = 460 Kcal. While this blog doesn’t mention it, that 2000 daily average Kcal figure is, like the other figures, highly debatable. If you look, that is the RECOMMENDED daily calories. Turns out that the actual consumption is more. Far more. The AVERAGE diet is 3,600 Kcal or more. Look it up yourself. I didn’t believe it either.
Risk of bias: the AHA has been taking corporate money longer than I’ve been alive (and I’m 63). No doubt, that doesn’t mean that everything they say is a lie, but it DOES mean that they are likely to tailor their advice so that they will continue to receive lavish funding from Proctor & Gamble et. al into the indefinite future. I mean, you can’t really expect a scientist to say “Frankly, I wouldn’t feed these products to my dog, much less allow my own kids to eat them” since he’d rapidly be unemployed and unemployable. Those generous salaries, luxurious offices, invitations to cocktail parties, business lunches, lavish vacations and private jets don’t buy themselves, doncha know? Alas, the problem of money corrupting what should be science is a universal problem, affecting both public and private entities.
One DIY fact check I found: that AHA sugar figure, equating to 460 Kcal, sounds about right: 460/2000 = 23% of total calories, which is pretty close to the 19% or so often quoted. Of course, the fact that pure sugars make up a fifth or more of one's diet is a major problem of itself, but that’s a topic for another time.
It IS worth mentioning the average diet is carb-heavy and based on my admittedly summary research, most of those are refined junk carbs that, for all practical purposes, quickly turn into glucose during digestion.
Anyway, to close out: the 23 tsp figure is way low, probably by about 1/3 or more. I invite you to do some Googling and find out for yourself.
I've been saying this for years, PLUS ADD All the alcohol at all of office parties, lack of sleep and STRESS from the family arguments around the thanksgiving turkey, the travelling, etc. Once your cortisol finally drops early January, your body just collapses into a detox reaction!
I have watched so many individuals convenience stores loading their coffees up with the fake sweetened coffee creamer. It’s quite the addiction for many in the morning. I intermittent fast so I drink my coffee black. People ask me about intermittent fasting but as soon as I say, you have to go without cream it’s a no go for people. The stuff is like a drug to them. I looked at ingredients on a bottle of pumpkin spice creamer. Nothing but pure sugar and chemicals.
yes....it always makes me laugh when I go to a restaurant and order a BLACK coffee, and when they bring it to my table, they ask me if I want sugar and/or creamer! Habit, I guess.
Thank you Dr. Tenpenny for this. We have been using a Natural cold pressed Stevia for the last 3 years. This summer we grew our own and after dehydrating using it for everything. What a difference we have noticed in our energy.
So much of the eating habits and desires related to food and especially sweets are what I feel, an addiction. I know people who have to have the 64 oz drink from the corner station everyday. I see the product of this in their health. They are not healthy. They have varieties of complaints all the time, and most are quite obese. They go to the Doctor and are put on another latest and greatest medication. I have to say I am not a big fresh fruit eater and I don't know why. They always say how addictive cigarettes are, well so is sugar, and as Dr. T explained, it is in so many of the foods we eat everyday and may not even know it. Getting knowledge is the first step to build a stronger body and immune system. Thank You for a great article.
Isn’t it absurd how flu shots are everywhere, yet not a word about skipping sugar-packed drinks or candies? Push all the shots and pills you want, but without addressing diet and lifestyle, it’s a half-measure. This article is on point. The real battle is with the everyday habits that suppress our immune system. I have a massive a sweet tooth myself, but running and strength training keep it in check. Simple changes, like keeping soda out of the house and sticking to fresh fruits or raw honey in yogurt, have made a difference for me. Excellent read!
I was a sugar addict when I was a kid. Now I'm 67 and I rarely eat sugar except in fruit. I didn't even try to stop, it just gradually started being just too much. I don't really miss it and I have slowly lost weight. Yesterday I ate a perfectly ripened pear with some chopped walnuts, raisins and plain whole milk yogurt, and it was such a delicious dessert, I practically swooned. Keep up your good work.
OMG! I am so happy to see this! I have long been confident that flu season was actually sugar season! And that we aren’t just suppressing our immune system with this overindulgence, but we are literally poisoning ourselves. The body responds to poison by doing everything it can to move it out. One of those ways is to create a protective mucus barrier that then has to be expelled from the body to move the poisons out. People, just stop eating, processed food!
Additionally, the only time I ever get a “cold“ is when I’ve spent a week or more indulging in wheat, dairy and sugar. My immune system isn’t weakened so much as my cup of poison overfloweth.
Thank you for sharing this. I am struggling with a high FBG and I don't know why. I keep my carbs around 50-60 a day, only eat whole food- no pop, no fruit juice, only drink water and unsweet tea. I never add sugar to anything and eat 1200-1300 calories a day. I've been trying to increase my calories as apparently I don't eat enough. There are days that I would prefer not to eat at ll. Best I can figure is that I have been under extreme stress for the past year. I've gained 10 pounds since last year. My PCP just told me to lose weight and keep my carbs under 200G and recommended a nutritionist who charges $120 an hour. I make $27 an hour to support two people, so no way I can afford that!
Along with the shortage of sunlight leading to deficiency in vitamin D sugar season explains most of the surge in illnesses.
Big pharma has encouraged faddy diets, such as vegatarianism, which lead to deficiencies in many vitamins and minerals. The aversion to traditionallly highly prized foods such liver and oily fish has created billions of dollars for the pharmaceutical industry.
When eating sugar instead of meat and fish you are stressing your body and depriving it of essentual nutrients.
Vitamin D is essential for life and we get it from sunshine when not avoiding it and blocking it with sunscreen. During winter we mainly obtain it from offal and dairy (not seed oils).
Vitamin A, essential for eyesight amongst other things, again comes from offal. The form present in vegtables such as carrots is not always assimilated by the whole population. Estimates as high as 40% struggle.
Vitamin E is also present in fish and meats.
Meat and fish are also a good and reliable source of many minerals such as magnesium, iron, zinc, calcium, phospherous, iodine, etc. Many vegtable sources do not contain nearly as much as claimed due to soil depletion and weed killers. Glycophosphate works by preventing the uptake of minerals into the plant - thus killing them. Similar things happen to us when we do not get these essential building blocks of life.
The only vitamin we can not source from meat, dairy and fish is vitamin C. This can be easily put right by squeezing a lemon over our fish, eating a piece of fruit or having a salad with our steak.
Just a comment on the word choice: "Offal" in [American] English typically means waste material or (ecch) "decomposing animal flesh." While humans could certainly eat those, fortunately for most of us we are not faced with such privation that we must emulate a vulture or other scavenger's diet. From context, I'm guessing your intended meaning was "organ meats".
Just some comments on sugar consumption data. One would think for such a common food, there would be accurate information. But that is not the case! More precisely, you will find different figures from different sources. Here are just a few of the confounders:
Does dietary “sugar” mean only sucrose (common table sugar) or should it include the dozens (literally) of other food additives that are mostly sugars, especially HFCS? The most accurate term for these seems to be “added sugars” on nutrition facts.
Sometimes consumption estimates come from total production (and import) figures. Even assuming those are accurate, they may neglect waste, spoilage, non-human consumption and so forth. Many other estimates are based upon self-reported dietary journals, which one could reasonably assume are somewhat less than meticulous. Thus, there is plenty of reason to think that much of the source data is low quality.
The AHA sugar figure seems to be based on the commonly assumed average 2000 [Kilo] Calories per day dietary average. I calculate 23 tsp * 5 g/tsp * 4 Kcal/g = 460 Kcal. While this blog doesn’t mention it, that 2000 daily average Kcal figure is, like the other figures, highly debatable. If you look, that is the RECOMMENDED daily calories. Turns out that the actual consumption is more. Far more. The AVERAGE diet is 3,600 Kcal or more. Look it up yourself. I didn’t believe it either.
Risk of bias: the AHA has been taking corporate money longer than I’ve been alive (and I’m 63). No doubt, that doesn’t mean that everything they say is a lie, but it DOES mean that they are likely to tailor their advice so that they will continue to receive lavish funding from Proctor & Gamble et. al into the indefinite future. I mean, you can’t really expect a scientist to say “Frankly, I wouldn’t feed these products to my dog, much less allow my own kids to eat them” since he’d rapidly be unemployed and unemployable. Those generous salaries, luxurious offices, invitations to cocktail parties, business lunches, lavish vacations and private jets don’t buy themselves, doncha know? Alas, the problem of money corrupting what should be science is a universal problem, affecting both public and private entities.
One DIY fact check I found: that AHA sugar figure, equating to 460 Kcal, sounds about right: 460/2000 = 23% of total calories, which is pretty close to the 19% or so often quoted. Of course, the fact that pure sugars make up a fifth or more of one's diet is a major problem of itself, but that’s a topic for another time.
It IS worth mentioning the average diet is carb-heavy and based on my admittedly summary research, most of those are refined junk carbs that, for all practical purposes, quickly turn into glucose during digestion.
Anyway, to close out: the 23 tsp figure is way low, probably by about 1/3 or more. I invite you to do some Googling and find out for yourself.
I've been saying this for years, PLUS ADD All the alcohol at all of office parties, lack of sleep and STRESS from the family arguments around the thanksgiving turkey, the travelling, etc. Once your cortisol finally drops early January, your body just collapses into a detox reaction!
Really good points, Dr. Tenpenny, thanks! Sharing.
I have watched so many individuals convenience stores loading their coffees up with the fake sweetened coffee creamer. It’s quite the addiction for many in the morning. I intermittent fast so I drink my coffee black. People ask me about intermittent fasting but as soon as I say, you have to go without cream it’s a no go for people. The stuff is like a drug to them. I looked at ingredients on a bottle of pumpkin spice creamer. Nothing but pure sugar and chemicals.
yes....it always makes me laugh when I go to a restaurant and order a BLACK coffee, and when they bring it to my table, they ask me if I want sugar and/or creamer! Habit, I guess.
Thank you Dr. Tenpenny for this. We have been using a Natural cold pressed Stevia for the last 3 years. This summer we grew our own and after dehydrating using it for everything. What a difference we have noticed in our energy.
It's FEAR season. Spelling is FLU, pronunciation is FEAR. Get your fear shot now. Fear shots available here.
Thank you for a great article; correct.
As a kid I did eat lots of candy at halloween, as well as sugar-sweetened cereals,
and even twinkies to get the baseball cards from the box. Not a healthy habit, my teeth
suffered. I think I was feeding my emotions.
I cannot drink those sweet beverages
like soda's and juices with sugar or fructose, yuck.
For halloween, I give out boxes of raisins instead of candy.
NOW I consume fruit, yet I avoid banana's (too sweet, have to eat them when unripe),
"honeycrisp" apples (too sweet), and grapes (much too sweet).
I like green apples, wild blueberries, and watermelon. But I am known to eat mangoes,
peaches, pears (green), grapefruit, and lots of lemons.
So much of the eating habits and desires related to food and especially sweets are what I feel, an addiction. I know people who have to have the 64 oz drink from the corner station everyday. I see the product of this in their health. They are not healthy. They have varieties of complaints all the time, and most are quite obese. They go to the Doctor and are put on another latest and greatest medication. I have to say I am not a big fresh fruit eater and I don't know why. They always say how addictive cigarettes are, well so is sugar, and as Dr. T explained, it is in so many of the foods we eat everyday and may not even know it. Getting knowledge is the first step to build a stronger body and immune system. Thank You for a great article.
I gave up cigarettes years ago. Refined carbs are a lot harder.
Isn’t it absurd how flu shots are everywhere, yet not a word about skipping sugar-packed drinks or candies? Push all the shots and pills you want, but without addressing diet and lifestyle, it’s a half-measure. This article is on point. The real battle is with the everyday habits that suppress our immune system. I have a massive a sweet tooth myself, but running and strength training keep it in check. Simple changes, like keeping soda out of the house and sticking to fresh fruits or raw honey in yogurt, have made a difference for me. Excellent read!
I was a sugar addict when I was a kid. Now I'm 67 and I rarely eat sugar except in fruit. I didn't even try to stop, it just gradually started being just too much. I don't really miss it and I have slowly lost weight. Yesterday I ate a perfectly ripened pear with some chopped walnuts, raisins and plain whole milk yogurt, and it was such a delicious dessert, I practically swooned. Keep up your good work.
The high fructose corn syrup, especially in soft drinks, replacing refined and natural sugars, is causing most of the epidemic of diabetes.
OMG! I am so happy to see this! I have long been confident that flu season was actually sugar season! And that we aren’t just suppressing our immune system with this overindulgence, but we are literally poisoning ourselves. The body responds to poison by doing everything it can to move it out. One of those ways is to create a protective mucus barrier that then has to be expelled from the body to move the poisons out. People, just stop eating, processed food!
Additionally, the only time I ever get a “cold“ is when I’ve spent a week or more indulging in wheat, dairy and sugar. My immune system isn’t weakened so much as my cup of poison overfloweth.
Thank you for sharing this. I am struggling with a high FBG and I don't know why. I keep my carbs around 50-60 a day, only eat whole food- no pop, no fruit juice, only drink water and unsweet tea. I never add sugar to anything and eat 1200-1300 calories a day. I've been trying to increase my calories as apparently I don't eat enough. There are days that I would prefer not to eat at ll. Best I can figure is that I have been under extreme stress for the past year. I've gained 10 pounds since last year. My PCP just told me to lose weight and keep my carbs under 200G and recommended a nutritionist who charges $120 an hour. I make $27 an hour to support two people, so no way I can afford that!
Fermented foods will fix your intestinal microbes balance: lots of kefir, 6% fat yoghurt, pickles, sauerkraut and all else.
eat more good fats . this may help
I will try that! Thanks!
What a great article with me rethinking my Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday desserts and treats.
Along with the shortage of sunlight leading to deficiency in vitamin D sugar season explains most of the surge in illnesses.
Big pharma has encouraged faddy diets, such as vegatarianism, which lead to deficiencies in many vitamins and minerals. The aversion to traditionallly highly prized foods such liver and oily fish has created billions of dollars for the pharmaceutical industry.
When eating sugar instead of meat and fish you are stressing your body and depriving it of essentual nutrients.
Vitamin D is essential for life and we get it from sunshine when not avoiding it and blocking it with sunscreen. During winter we mainly obtain it from offal and dairy (not seed oils).
Vitamin A, essential for eyesight amongst other things, again comes from offal. The form present in vegtables such as carrots is not always assimilated by the whole population. Estimates as high as 40% struggle.
Vitamin E is also present in fish and meats.
Meat and fish are also a good and reliable source of many minerals such as magnesium, iron, zinc, calcium, phospherous, iodine, etc. Many vegtable sources do not contain nearly as much as claimed due to soil depletion and weed killers. Glycophosphate works by preventing the uptake of minerals into the plant - thus killing them. Similar things happen to us when we do not get these essential building blocks of life.
The only vitamin we can not source from meat, dairy and fish is vitamin C. This can be easily put right by squeezing a lemon over our fish, eating a piece of fruit or having a salad with our steak.
Just a comment on the word choice: "Offal" in [American] English typically means waste material or (ecch) "decomposing animal flesh." While humans could certainly eat those, fortunately for most of us we are not faced with such privation that we must emulate a vulture or other scavenger's diet. From context, I'm guessing your intended meaning was "organ meats".
We also keep the Vit C going over here!