Sugar as a toxin???

[Beach Patrol]

(mods, if this is in the wrong place, please feel free to move it)

http://news.yahoo.com/sugar-regulate...180605186.html

While I do believe that sugar is very addictive and can cause all sorts of problems, I do not believe that it should be rated with the same scale as alcohol! And I believe that we especially do not need another reason for the government to "big brother" us.

[zoritsa]

All I could do was shake my head when I read that article.I'll continue buying my bread,ketchup and whatever other products I can find with sugar instead of HFCS.I also think the government has enough on their plate...so to speak and they should concentrate on more important things then sugar.

[babygrant]

I absolutely agree that sugar is a toxin, but OMG, could you imagine if they outlawed sugar? The article states that they would love to make it so you have to be 17 or older to buy soda. LOL. Seriously. You'll get a bunch of teenagers outside of the grocery store trying to find someone to boot for them. The government needs to pick their battles.

[Rana]

I completely agree sugar should be regulated.

It causes so much evil!

[runningfromfat]

I actually posted a lengthy blog post about this very topic awhile back.

On one hand, I think sugar is pretty much useless. There are other natural sweeteners that work just as well, are less addictive, and have few calories (well, sometimes, depends on what you use). I also think that most processed foods/desserts have WAY more sugar in them then is actually needed. I always cut the amount of sweetener in any recipe that I make in half (at the very least!). I'd say the excess in sugar is a major problem and I'd even go so far to say that the more sugar you put in the more addicted everyone because so then they just increase the sugar content in foods even more!

All that being said, I think outlawing it is a bit too far. There NEEDS to be proper nutrition classes in schools. Ones that talk about blood sugar issues, calorie counting, exercise, portion sizes, macronutrients, empty calories etc. There NEEDS to be home-ec classes in schools where students learn how to make healthy meals that are affordable.

I do think there needs to be a limit on how much sugar is put in foods. I'd also love to see a focus on using other sweeteners and more whole grain flours. There's no doubt in my mind that most prepackaged food could be made significantly healthier if they actually put the effort into it.

[ICUwishing]

This is partly tongue-in-cheek. I don't believe it will ever be regulated, because there is too much profit tied up in manufacturing it, and wayyyy too much money being made off the illnesses it causes. It's untouchable in the same way that BPA, fluoride, mercury fillings, and statins are. Think about how much of the economy is tied up in it - and then multiply that by the lobbyists and lawyers making their fortunes on guaranteeing that nothing changes.

[EagleRiverDee]

Check out the YouTube video by a doctor called, "Sugar the Bitter Truth" and you'll change your mind about sugar being a toxin. It's equally as bad for us as alcohol minus the mental impairment. Note that the sugar he particularly calls out is HFCS and Fructose, but all sugar is bad for you. He also points out that in nature, every single item that has sugar in it also has the antidote...fiber. In most processed foods that contain sugar, however, the fiber has been removed. The doctor goes so far as to classify fiber as a macronutrient and I believe history will show he was right.

That said, I'm a big believer in personal choice and responsibility. I think that sugar should be called a toxin, and that items containing sugar products should carry a warning, but I also don't think it should be regulated by the government. If people want to consume something they know is bad for them, then I think they should be allowed to do so.

The amounts of sugar added to almost everything (processed) that we buy make it a real Public Health problem. Fresh fruits and other natural foods contain some sugar and that's where sugar belongs. Our bodies are not built to handle all of the sugar we take in all day. Our rates of obesity and diabetes reflect this. Manufacturers have to cut it out & I hope our government gets involved. People who want more sugar or salt in their food should just add it at home.

[emmveepee]

I think High Fructose Corn Syrup should be regulated if not banned.

Biochemically speaking, it doesn't trigger "fullness" like other sugars. Its a way for companies to get rich at the expense of our health.