This thread discusses the Content article: Diet Junk Food

Hey pipe up on what you think of the new article on concerning "diet junk food"

Do you know of any junk food that I didn't list in the article?

Do you have any experiences with a Fat spouse abusing diet junk food?

Do you agree or disagree with my assessment of diet junk food?

This article is bloody brilliant - good job, Chris! Well-researched, well-written, well-edited...I make my living as a writer/editor, and I'm impressed as hell; I really think you should submit this somewhere.

I'm going to add a few points, not because I feel you left anything out but because I feel this is such an important topic. These points touch on two major culprits in the massive damage done to American health and waistlines: the first is white, processed sugar; the second is enriched white flour (which, since our bodies process it the same way they process white sugar, is practically the same thing).

When I first began to seriously tackle my food addiction in 2005, I joined a weight loss group that was geared toward getting such a problem under control. I'm telling you, the things I learned there saved my life; not only did it address the psychological issues, but it completely re-educated me on how and what to eat. One of the most important things I learned was how very dangerous - and addictive - white sugar is, and how very challenging it is to keep it out of your diet.

As a COE in recovery, I've had to become what I think EVERYONE who eats should become - an avid label-reader. Once I did, I was horrified to discover just how much white sugar and white flour have infiltrated our foods (case in point: yesterday I picked up the store brand of a can of whole kernal corn, and was shocked to see the ingredients listed as follows: corn, water, SUGAR. I mean, what the hell?! I spent the extra 25 cents to buy a brand without it, and counted it an investment in my own and my husband's health). White sugar and white flour are very, very addictive, in much the same way that crack cocaine is addictive (though on a lesser scale, of course); eating foods which contain these things is not only bad for your health (as sugar is a "non-food" with no nutritional value whatsoever), but they do not satisfy your hunger easily and they produce an addictive reaction that, in the case of a COE like myself, can lead easily to a full-scale binge. (I'd like to point out at this time that, for almost a week after I cut these things out of my diet, I experienced low-grade headaches, depression, mild panic attacks, and accelerated heartbeat - in short, I was an addict going through withdrawal symptoms, and you don't need to be fat to experience this.)

The key to healthy eating is through organic, all-natural, whole foods processed as little as possible - foods that are "close to the source." But unfortunately, the food industry does its best to deceive us into thinking that's what we're getting when we're really not. They are required by law to tell us the truth, so they make it as unclear as possible; this is why you need to be a label-reader. Why would the food industry do such a thing? There are two reasons, and both are for economics: the first is for shelf life; processed foods last longer. The second is because they want you to spend money, and addictive foods will make you do so (why else is sugar in products where it really isn't needed at all?).

Here are some tips on what to watch out for:

1. BREAD. "Enriched" is a word you very much want to avoid when buying any bread product. This is because "enriched" means that, while they took out literally THOUSANDS of health-giving minerals and nutrients during processing, they're going to throw us a bone by adding back four or five. That's what they mean by "enriched." And don't think you're doing yourself any good by buying "whole wheat" - it may say it on the front, but LOOK AT THE LABEL. Often, this means that whole wheat flour has been mixed with enriched flour, so you're still getting the bad stuff. When buying bread (or English muffins, or bagels, or pasta, or any grain product), the first ingredient listed should be either "100% whole grain flour" or "100% whole wheat flour." It should not say "enriched" anywhere on the label.

2. SWEETENER. Did you know that artificial sweeteners are derived from the same source as processed white sugar? You may be missing the calories, but apart from how bad such things are for you anyway, they will product the same insulin reaction as regular sugar, making you crave sweet stuff as much as regular sugar. It was hard for me to get past the fact that I was better off with a teaspoon of honey in my tea (which has twenty calories) than I would be with a packed of Sweet n' Low. And don't be fooled by buying brown sugar. Brown sugar used to mean crystallized molasses; now (unless you're buying it from the natural section in your grocery store) it means crystallized molasses mixed with white sugar - no doubt to improve the shelf life and cheapen the cost of producing it.

Honey, evaporated cane juice, molasses, nectar, maple syrup (the real stuff, not Aunt Jemima) are actually foods with nutritional value that the body processes much more slowly than it does white sugar, so the insulin reaction is not the same (that insulin reaction is why Type II Diabetes is becoming so heartbreakingly prevalent in our society). So you see, maintaining a healthy weight and taking care of your body doesn't mean you have to give up the sweet stuff! That said, such things should be used sparingly, in moderation - a food addict is every bit capable of abusing all-natural foods, too. Case in point: this web site (www.sweetsavvy.com) will offer you some great alternatives to white sugar. The woman who runs it, however, is still obviously overweight; she created the web site after she was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, and she wanted to control her illness but not give up her sweet stuff. OK, well, she's lost some weight and no doubt the change to an all-natural diet is doing good things for her health, but that doesn't change the fact that there's only one way to lose weight, and that is to burn more calories than you take in.

For further reading, check this article out when you get the chance:

146 Reasons Why Sugar is Ruining Your Health
(http://www.rheumatic.org/sugar.htm)

When I think about what I was putting into my body all those years, I shudder!

-Jean

Thanks for the compliments, but you really don't have to kiss my butt that hard.

I'm a TERRIBLE writer, and I know it. Why do you think I BEG users to write material for the site?



As far as the your advice on sugar, I find it very interesting. Is it me or do women seem to be more drawn to the consumption of processed sugars than men? I may eat a giant greasy hamburger, or a bunch of pizza in a gluttonous sitting, but I don't really have a strong urge eat a bunch of cake.

My wife how ever will throw away a half eaten pie, before I ever get a slice, because she says it "calls her name out".

Your right about the vicious cyle of processed sugar. It seems like when you do eat it on an urge, you find yourself unfullfilled and back at the same thing a couple hours later.

Amen about the food companies taking the good stuff out like in your example of bread, and pretending to give you a good thing by putting a small portion of it back! I stopped eating white bread about a year ago, and find it disgusting when I do eat it.

Thanks again for you participation Jean!!!

BTW over on "my rants" ..."passing through" a person from dimensions magazine has given you a compliment on your article.

Hey, not a bit of it! I call it as I see it. I know writing and editing are things that don't come naturally to you, so with that article you get Jean's Penmanship Award for Showing Most Improvement!

On another note: this time of year (Valentine's Day!), there's plenty of chocolate around. Last night in my support group we were talking about magnesium. Here's a tip for the chocolate cravers: taking 400-500 mg of magnesium daily will help subdue chocolate cravings. It works, too - I've been doing it for several months now.

Again, though - this is NOT to say that the sugar addict has no responsibility. Taking the magnesium will help control physical cravings for chocolate (which is high in magnesium and such cravings are often the result of a deficiency of same), but it still comes down to (and always will) the person's attitude.

-Jenn

Hi Jean,

It is all about attitude. If you can see a person's personal motivation change, then there will be success. If someone stops sugar, for example, because he or she thinks that it will temporarily terminate the fit spouse's requests for weight loss; nothing is accomplished. It must be a complete change of mind and heart--looking toward a wonderful future as a fit person!

Take care,

John