This article traces the route of the sugar trade from it's origins in New Guinea to the ubiquitous substance we now know. It also talks about the toxic effects of sugar on the body.
I think I just decided that the one sugary treat eat each day is going to be cut down to every other day! (Maybe I'll even cut down more from there... I wish I could only splurge once a week, but I'm not there yet!)
pear / 1639 posts
Is it bad that I don't want to read it because it has influenced you to cut down on sugar? Haha. I'll just live in denial.
blogger / honeydew / 7081 posts
My grad paper in university was on the origins of the sugar trade. So interesting.
And I hate what sugar does to your body...but its just so good.
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts
@Mrs. Taco: You are biologically wired to love it! It's not your fault, blame evolution!
hostess / wonderful honeydew / 32460 posts
I just ate a chocolate chip cookie.. 
Why must something so bad feel so good in mah belly?
papaya / 10560 posts
I didn't have a sweet tooth before this pregnancy...now I'm all about candy, cake and cookies!
kiwi / 612 posts
That's really interesting, thanks for posting. I know when I eat sugar I feel like crap, but it's so hard to stop.
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts
@matador84: I was the opposite. Totally lost my sweet tooth in pregnancy! It came back afterward.
papaya / 10343 posts
Sigh. So unfortunate. I started really working at cutting back on sugar last year and it was SO HARD. I make an effort now to stick to 30g of added sugar or less per day-- but I know it could still be lots better. Also I'm still sort of addicted to coke. I don't have it daily anymore, or even weekly always. But even if I have it twice a month, that one can of coke is almost 40g right there!
clementine / 780 posts
Ill be the odd one out and say that I think sugar is good and could be beneficial in sone contexts. Of course sugar is a broad term--does it include fruits, honey and plant based sweetners? Or does one strictly mean refined, white sugar?
papaya / 10560 posts
@Mrs. Jacks: that's how i was with my first....never had a sweet tooth ever until this one.
i'm going to get my chocolate pudding now. 
pomelo / 5820 posts
I feel like this article is going to make me not want to drink sweet tea anymore... So I'm not sure if I should read it!
bananas / 9357 posts
So I didn't want to read it, but I did. It's what I've been thinking for awhile now. There was a couple years where I had my sugar intake under control and I ate a lot less sweets. My weight dropped to the lowest it's ever been during that time and I wasn't even exercising. Sigh. I really need to cut back.
@Mae: Any tips on cutting back sugar? I'm so addicted to it, I don't know how to stop.
bananas / 9899 posts
@Dapple Grey: Refined sugar is the worst, but as a whole people eat waaaay too much sugar in a day on average. Most people could definitely stand to cut down. Refined sugar should ideally be consumed very rarely.
However, I am one of those who eats ice cream every day lol.
pomelo / 5093 posts
I never had a sweet tooth before breastfeeding. I wonder if it will go away when she stops.
grapefruit / 4800 posts
I unabashedly love sugar. Like anything people can go overboard. We avoid processed foods in general, which is where I think the majority of excess sugar consumption comes from.
My husband's family mainly lives in France and one side of my family is Italian and there's plenty of carb/sugar consumption in both of those diets and the health problems just aren't present in the same way as in the US. Though they are catching up I think it's the massive amount of processed foods that are going into diets and sneaking in lots of sugar that way that's the problem.
persimmon / 1141 posts
Thanks for sharing. The movie "Hunger for Change" changed my outlook on eating and especially sugar. It is really toxic. Such a powerful movie, I highly recommend it!
papaya / 10343 posts
@mrskc: haha not really, sort of just sucking it up for a bit! It helped to switch to savory breakfasts (i.e. an egg on toast instead of yogurt or oatmeal). My main issues though were 1) pop 2) candy during the day, and 3) dessert after dinner. For pop I just decided it was no longer going to be just a drink option. I didn't ban it entirely but I decided it would be a treat only. So on days I have a coke, I try to make that the ONLY added sugar I have that day. For candy, that sucked but I just stopped eating it during the day. I tried snacking on fruit instead. For dessert I tried to choose lower-sugar options. I found I really loved Trader Joe's dark chocolate covered pretzels, and those only have like 12 grams of sugar in them vs. ice cream which has almost 30.
Honestly the first 2 weeks were REALLY hard and I definitely got some sugar-withdrawal headaches. But after that it got a lot easier. I'm just not really in the habit of eating hardly anything with added sugar during the day so my only added sugar is generally my after-dinner dessert and I just try to make it not too horrible.
coconut / 8305 posts
I've known sugar was bad for you and many of the reasons for a long time (found out as a teen), but I just can't seem to get away from it! Even when I didn't really have a sweet tooth, added sugar is in EVERY THING! Gah! It's so hard to avoid.
pomelo / 5228 posts
I am purposely not reading this article 
I know sugar is bad. For a while I was trying to sub honey as much as I could, but it just doesn't bake the same. I recently found out I'm sensitive to cane sugar, so I've been using beet instead. Though I've read that sugar beets are one of the top GMO foods, so not sure what I'll try next...
coconut / 8305 posts
@Mrs.Someone: I think I'm coming more and more to the realization that if you don't grow it yourself (even then it can be hard to get non-gmo seeds) then it's hard to really eat clean. Gah!
pomelo / 5228 posts
@runsyellowlites: I agree on some level, but local organic farms should be a good source too. But I live in Seattle, land of people who care about their food We're trying to pass a GMO food labeling bill this November!
coconut / 8305 posts
@Mrs.Someone: Oh yes! Unfortunately we have very very few of resources like that here, so I forget about them. I hope it gets passed there so it can start getting passed elsewhere too!!!!!
blogger / pomelo / 5361 posts
But, I neeeeeeeeeeeed it!!!!!
I've been trying to cut way back on my sugar intake to help drop the PP pounds. Yikes. That stuff is worse than crack. At least it's worse than I imagine crack would be.
bananas / 9357 posts
@Mae: yeah, I know it's going to suck and be hard at first. My main issue is dessert after dinner & during the day on the weekends too. Mainly eating too much candy and sweets at home. I gave up soda years ago and that's not a problem for me. But I can't seem to get a handle on sweets at home. It's like I walk in the door from work and just want chocolate. Then after dinner, it's an immediate feeling that I NEED something sweet. It works best for me to not have it in the house, but I just keep buying it. I'm thinking about joining weight watchers again because that helped me limit and portion control myself. I think I just need to suck it up and deal with how hard it will be for the first couple of weeks.
papaya / 10343 posts
@mrskc: I totally get that feeling! although I'll tell you after the first 2 weeks I definitely noticed that I do NOT crave sugar as much as I used to at all. I in fact sometimes go multiple nights with no dessert willingly (who am i?). But the first few weeks are definitely the worst. I'd definitely recommend getting something you like that has a lower sugar content. I think the dark chocolate pretzels worked for me because they feel very sweet but really there isn't a ton of chocolate to them so you can have a good handful and don't get *too* much sugar. This is not the case if I was eating ice cream or chocolate or straight up candy.
persimmon / 1116 posts
@Mrs. Jacks: just to make sure Im understanding the article well, its not saying anything about natural sugar intake? Like fruits? Do you think there should be limits on that as well, other than avoiding overindulgence?
bananas / 9357 posts
@Mae: I love those pretzels from Trader Joe's! are they the pretzel slims one? My problem is I'll eat a whole bag. But when I was on WW, I would be good and only eat a small serving. I used to also just buy the pretzel slims and eat some of those along with some dark choc chips. And I totally know the cravings will subside. I know this in my head but it's so hard when you're going through it. Thanks for the tips! And really good job on reducing your sugar content!
papaya / 10343 posts
@mrskc: thanks! and no actually they are the regular mini twists coated in dark chocolate. Usually above the freezer section. My issue is I can't take the bag with me. I have to get out a small bowl, count out my pretzels, and go downstairs. lol. I usually eat 1.5 servings (12 pretzels) but the sugar content on that isn't so bad.
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts
@citymouse: it's not super-specific, but the take home seemed to be processed and refined.
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
This is so interesting. Refined sugar is sooo bad for us and so addictive, and yet, so very tasty. It's so hard to cut it from our diets. Especially with the holidays coming (I had a halloween cookie for breakfast!). Definitely a good reminder today to stop with the candy I already had today and not keep it going!
papaya / 10570 posts
This is such a great article! Its nit just sugar either, its carbs (which break down into sugar in the body of course). Bread, pastry- ugh, its so good but so bad!
I gave up sugar in pregnancy because of my GD and haven't gone back. One day I will tell DD she saved my life, maybe....!
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this article! So great!
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