LOL, this thread is so funny! sugar is evil!! Right now it is in the form of a big hershey bar. It is tempting me with its evil sweetness, but I will prevail!!! I will not fall into its trap!
-- They are refined from plants, via chemical process.
-- They are physiologically addictive, as shown by scientific experiment.
-- They are psychologically addictive.
-- Many people have ruined their lives and bodies on these substances.
-- They are highly profitable.
Some other substances that share these qualities are heroin and alcohol.
Other than the fact that sugar is legal (and supported by government funding) and cocaine is not, there are no actual differences.
[/B].
Being addicted to sugar is WAY different then being addicted to a drug. Sugar just makes you fat and hyper, it does not mess with your brain and any other part of your body, other then your waist line. You don't have to go to rehab nor do you lose all of your family and friends from being addicted to sugar. Nor is there a possibility of having your kids taken away from you, or you getting fired, or losing everything from being addicted to sugar. You obviously have some MAJOR aversion to sugar, but you don't need to go and tell everyone that it is just like cocaine.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WarMaiden
I don't use sugar, so yes, obviously no one is forcing it down my throat. But that is not the point. The point, as I have stated previously, is that we let sugar off the hook rather than recognizing it as a potentially dangerous drug because we like it. We allow our government to subsidize massive production and consumption of sugar (and HFCS), at huge profit to private industry, at the cost of American health, because we like it.
Shoot I realize that sugar isn't good for me, so I don't eat it as often as I used to. If someone gave me the choice between sugar and cocaine, I would choose sugar, cause I would much rather be addicted to that and stay fat then deal with what cocaine does to you. You must only eat fresh veggies if you think that it is bad to mass produce things. EVERYTHING is mass produced even eggs, which if eaten in a mass quantity is BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH. EVERYTHING is bad for you if you go hog wild and eat it in crazy quantities.The gvm't isn't making anyone eat the sugar. YOU (as in the people of the world) choose to eat it. Just like when you go to McDonalds, you don't have to eat a burger, you choose to eat the fatty burger.
Sugar is not a drug! It is SO NOT evil! It is an easy target for alot of people who find that their eating issues are triggered by sweets. I've NEVER heard of anyone being arrested for driving while under the influence of jujubes! I HAVE heard of the Twinkie defense, which involved the presentation of the consumption of junk food as a SYMPTOM of underlying psychiatric issues (NOT the cause)...If you ARE triggered by sweets, then of COURSE you'll see sugar as the devil, but it is hardly a drug being pushed by corporate America with the complicity of the government to enslave the people!
Honestly...
JMHO...
Kira
Of course, you're also welcome to retain your opinions without reliance on research, and react to other views as if the poster is insane. Your free choice.
Speaking of jawdropping foods, I got a bit of a shock when I came here to Scotland. I had of course heard of the Fish and Chips thing, but I discovered that one of the "meals" you can get actually comes with - brace yourself - Deep Fried Mars Bar!
Yup. Take the most calorific chocolate bar you can find, and smother it in batter and stick it in the deep fat frier. Made me giggle when I heard. Not only does it sound horribly unhealthy, but totally unbelievably gross lol
Se,, this is another thing i wish would gross me out, but it don't i really want to try 1 just once!
First, bread bowl pasta...well that is just gross to me. lol I have heard of bread bowl salads though. Meh.
Second, I don't think sugar is evil. One could say that all the processed foods are "evil," but that is such a generic thing to say about the evils of the processed food kingdom, which contains loads sugar and other junk.
Quote:
Being addicted to sugar is WAY different then being addicted to a drug. Sugar just makes you fat and hyper, it does not mess with your brain and any other part of your body, other then your waist line. You don't have to go to rehab nor do you lose all of your family and friends from being addicted to sugar. Nor is there a possibility of having your kids taken away from you, or you getting fired, or losing everything from being addicted to sugar. You obviously have some MAJOR aversion to sugar, but you don't need to go and tell everyone that it is just like cocaine.
While I wouldn't compare sugar addiction to a drug addiction, I will say that sugar is addicting to a certain percentage of people. Sugar does effect the brain. If effects certain levels of brain activity, but i don't think there have been any hardcore studies that have shown to what degree the effect is. There are a lot of opinions, theories, and debate. One group says one thing, another group says another. Etc. There are groups out there who are wanting to get refined/processed sugar classified as a drug.
Sugar also effects the blood, it goes right into the bloodstream and that does a number on your body. Gives you a short burst of energy and then your sugar levels plummet. That seems to be where the debate is. What really happens when this process occurs? There is a lot of grey area there...
Sugar addiction is very real though. Studies have proven that there are withdrawal symptoms much like one would find with other drugs (that is why there are groups trying to get sugar classified differently). Cravings, mood swings, physical symptoms (shaking, dizziness) etc. One has to wonder though how much sugar is an addicted person actually consuming to have it produce extreme side effects though.
Finally, is it really sugar that is the issue or the processed foods. Sugar in the natural state is very different than the sugar found in what like 90% of the food out there at the supermarket.
So, I don't think sugar is evil. I do think it is a problem and I think that with the combination of all the other things that are a problem make it an interesting discussion though. I don't think it is a drug, but it can be an addiction, but so is smoking. You can't loose your kids over smoking I don't think, at least i don't hear about smokers going into rehab to the degree that people with other drug addictions do. However, smoking is an addiction with side effects and withdrawal, much like other addictions.
Last edited by Jacquie668; 05-02-2009 at 04:00 PM.
Of COURSE corporations who make and sell food do so for profit. Of COURSE these groups maximize their appeal with respect to food components. Of COURSE alot of food sold today isn't food.
But sugar is not a drug, nor is it the devil! Any more than Kraft Dinner is. Or pizza. (MMMmm, PIZZA...) We all have free choice in the matter! If you eat too much of anything and develop a weight issue, it isn't the fault of sugar, corporate America, nor the government. It IS the fault of my right hand that holds the fork...
JMHO
Kira
*slow golf clap*
I did finally see the original commercial mentioned & I'm not sure what the appeal is, and I'm Italian. I've polished off more bread & pasta than I care to admit, but that also means I'm quite picky about it. I don't think they would cook it long enough for me, nor would they omit the salt in cooking. And is it whole wheat pasta? The sauce would be salted & the bread, well. Not whole grain, is it? So no, it did look interesting, but I'd have to pass. The way the last commercial was, it was like it took the place of a pizza. I wonder how big it actually is? I'm thinking it's not as big as it looked on TV. No big, but what a disappointment for a family of 4 to order it & it might not feed all of them.
Umm, sweatbreads are brains right? deep fried coke and brains? Now I've heard it all...
I Think sweetbreads are pancreas ..... even worse!
I Do think food should be government regulated, I think it is irresponsible of a government to think it ok to leave it up to people to take responsibility for understanding the crp they put on their plate.
No food police - if someone chooses to buy meat and cheese and fat and deep-fry them together and sprinkle them with sugar, I guess that Is their choice; but I Do think prepared foods should be regulated and that food outlets, from the lowest to the highest should be compelled to show the calories/fat/salt/sugar/fibre content of all their dishes.
And Much better education on healthy eating, from cradle to the grave.
Oh, and despite being a Scot, I've never tried a deep-fried Mars Bar.
Oh, and, if it weren't for the fact that I've become obsessed with not clogging up my arteries, I would love a meat-loaf starting with a hard-boiled egg in the middle, wrapped in sausagemeat, lovingly enveloped in fatty bacon, baked well and served with melted cheese to cover it. Sigh. It's a wonder I've lived so long.
This is how I felt about some horrible thing that KFC was selling. It was a bowl filled with mashed potatoes, topped with fried chicken chunks, corn, and then smothered in gravy. The only thing missing was the defibrilator.
Actually, with some minor modifications, that sounds like a really good chicken Shepherd's pie. non-fried chicken, non-starchy veggies, a bit of gravy, covered with mashed whole potatoes. Now, I wouldn't get KFC's version because their potatoes and gravy would be much too salty, and I'd want carrots and green beans instead of corn, and grilled or sauteed chicken rather than fried, and whole mashed potatoes with skin rather than peeled potatoes. But by and large, the meal idea itself isn't too bad. Just the execution of it.
According to a website review I just found (I'll include the link below), one bread bowl is intended to serve two people, at considerably fewer calories than I would EVER have expected. Like the reviewer in this article, I was expecting over 1,000 calories in the whole thing, or that it would be way tinier than it looks on TV. According to this link, the whole thing is about 700 calories, which is acceptable IF you split it with somebody, HOWEVER, a person who commented on the story said that they had it on good authority (I'm paraphrasing here) that it's actually 700 calories per serving, which is awful. IDK, I'm not touching the nasty looking things. Domino's hot sandwiches are revolting enough (all grease and no flavor - you would think a sandwich covered in pepperoni and onion and banana peppers would have some taste to it) that I don't even want to know how bad they mess up pasta.
No food police - if someone chooses to buy meat and cheese and fat and deep-fry them together and sprinkle them with sugar, I guess that Is their choice; but I Do think prepared foods should be regulated and that food outlets, from the lowest to the highest should be compelled to show the calories/fat/salt/sugar/fibre content of all their dishes.
And Much better education on healthy eating, from cradle to the grave.
It is a law now, (at least in WA) that the nutritional values have to be readily available. So anyone who wants to know the values can see it.
This on is up to the parents, schools are offering healthy foods now and are cutting out the crud. And teach kids the importance of eating healthy
I will not fall into its trap!
