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How Giving Up Refined Sugar Changed My Brain

34 points by sajid 10y ago

FrozenVoid 10y ago
People(and incredibly dieticians) still hang on to the "Calories-in calories-out" as we are engine burning food. Sugars(and most carbs convert to sugars) are responsible to 1.Cellular degeneration: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_glycation_end-product https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_glycation_end-product 2.Diabetes type 2(key factor) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes#Type_2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes#Type_2 3.Severe, heroin-level addiction https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907 4.Brain degeneration and cognitive decline https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15082091 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15082091
- brador 10y ago
  Aren't those same sugars also responsible for powering our oversized brains?
- wodenokoto 10y ago
  Calorie in = calorie out is for weight loss, not general health.
melling 10y ago
This would seem to indicate to calories in <> calories out. "The only thing that I changed about my diet is I eliminated any calories from refined sugars. And I lost 12 pounds in two weeks." Has anyone else reproduced this experiment?
- jryan49 10y ago
  When you replace high calorie foods with lower calorie foods and both are as filling this can happen.
  - melling 10y ago
    He already had a relatively healthy diet. He was counting calories. The question is will replacing a couple hundred calories of sugar with something healthy, like nuts for example, cause one to lose weight?
- snewk 10y ago
  this is purely anecdotal, but ive been doing the ketotis thing for a couple years. seems to me like when you consume calories from refined sugars, the 'hungry' signal never gets turned off. fat calories, on the other hand, are much more satiating. its harder to overeat fats. i get so frustrated when i hear the 'calories in < calories out' mantra mindlessly repeated in nutrition communities. its like asking for financial advice, and getting "as long as you aren't spending more than you are making, you'll get rich. it's simply $i/$o." as your answer. maybe its technically correct, but its certainly not helpful. more importantly, it doesnt address WHY some people overeat or give any meaningful advice on how to change that.
  - AstralStorm 10y ago
    Not confirmed at all per calorie. What we know is that protein is more satisfying per calorie. In which a ketogenic diet is likely rich.
- menzoic 10y ago
  I lost weight at a similar rate after seeing the documentary "Fed Up". Lost 10 lbs the first week. 40 lbs overall in 3 months. All I did was limit my sugar intake to 25g per day.
  - segmondy 10y ago
    Did you permanently maintain it or gain some weight afterwards?
- segmondy 10y ago
  Seriously? That's what you took from the article? The title "how giving up refined sugar changed MY BRAIN" The gist, they had better mental clarity. Unexpected weight loss while maintaining the same calorie intake. If you want to lose weight, lose weight, He talked about how he lost 80lbs prior to cutting sugar. Eat within your calorie intake, exercise.
  - melling 10y ago
    No, I simply asked one question that I thought could be crowdsourced. I've eliminated a lot of processed sugars from my diet. At one point I totally quit. I still like sugar in my coffee, however. I wonder if eliminating it will make a difference.
- morganvachon 10y ago
  My sister got a mid-30s scare from her doctor last year: She was on the verge of becoming diabetic. She wasn't overweight but she did take in a lot of refined sugar. She immediately cut out any processed foods made with refined sugar, and started drinking nothing but water. She sold her Keurig coffee machine and gave up her beloved sweet tea. Within a few months she lost 20 pounds and said she felt more "alive" and more productive. She actually seems too skinny now but she looks 10 years younger and her doctor is pleased with her results. Around the same time, I greatly reduced my caloric intake from refined sugary foods, replacing sweets with fruits and trying to eat less processed foods. I love to cook so that made it easier. I too lost around 25 pounds but over a much longer six month period (I also had much more to lose than her, being overweight at the time). So yes, cutting out refined sugar seems to have some really positive results over here.
- balls187 10y ago
  "It worked, and since then I’ve remained a healthy weight primarily by making sure I count my calories, don’t overeat, and get regular exercise." Losing 12 pounds in 2 weeks is not "healthy" weight loss, especially for someone who is already at a "healthy weight." Weightloss over a long period of time is "calories in" = "calories out", but that becomes a matter of will and control, over what your body is going to do (which is not want to lose much weight).
  - melling 10y ago
    He already had a relatively healthy diet. He was counting calories. The question is will replacing a couple hundred calories of sugar with something healthy, like nuts for example, cause one to lose weight?
    - AstralStorm 10y ago
      The current scientific consensus says no unless there are issues with digestion. That said, there are other potential benefits and issues. People tend to forget how energy dense sucrose is. Only fats are denser. (incl. nuts which are mainly fat and protein) So whatever you are replacing them with, you will eat much of, unless it is fat or oils. Or you will lose weight.
      - fpoling 10y ago
        Sugar contains just 25% more calories compared with cereals while oils and animal fats contain over 2 times more calories. So if one just stops to eat sugar without changing the composition of the food, it is trivial to compensate calory loss with eating, for example, bread made without sugar but with extra oil. But the article is not about just removing the sugar. As the author discovered, just by giving up on sugar one changes the whole diet. He could no longer consume any junk food and had to start cooking himself. So the real benefits could be in that switch, not in avoiding sugar per se.
    - balls187 10y ago
      > He already had a relatively healthy diet. He was counting calories. Right. Which makes the 12 lbs lost over 2 weeks very suspect. > The question is will replacing a couple hundred calories of sugar with something healthy, like nuts for example, cause one to lose weight? Yes, but with all diets, it will be temporary.
- DigitalJack 10y ago
  Cout = Cin - Cstored. Cstored is dependent in part on the source of calories, your fitness, ketosis, genetics, etc.
- ilogik 10y ago
  Refined sugar is easier for the body to break down (as opposed to fruits for example which also contain fiber) Source: my wife
teddyh 10y ago
Needs a (2015).
Frondo 10y ago
I've mostly given up refined sugar too. I cook a lot for myself, and almost never have a prepared dessert (a handful of dates or figs, more likely, or an apple). Once or twice a week I'll have a dessert item while I'm out at a coffee shop, and what gets me now is how unbelievably overly sweet those things taste. It's too much some of the time, even for something as mild as a rice crispy square. Sugared soda or a donut with icing? I simply can't take it anymore, it's far, far too sweet. And my hunger is sooo much more even-keeled these days, less of a consciousness-dominating craving, more of a hint that it's time for food.
znpy 10y ago
I feel this is... Well, mostly bullshitt. First, "changed my brain" is a big, big statement and nowhere in the article is being pointed any MRI scan or something. Going further: I have experienced something similar (the only sugar I take in during the day is that single pack I put in the one daily coffee I take after lunch) yet I did not feel all this troubles. My opinion is that I did not experience all this problems because I was not looking for it.
- oxplot 10y ago
  I think it's mostly bullshit if you generalize the experience of the author for everyone. Anecdotally however, I saw the same improvements to the letter when I stopped sugar intake (not just refined but stopped eating fruits, etc.). I can't remember any withdrawal symptoms though. It was rather easy, but then again I stopped because of diabetes scare.
kardashian007 10y ago
One "shortcut" isn't equivalent or "the answer" to a series of comprehensive, corrective habit adjustments. Perhaps the issue is that it's "weird" in Western countries, apart from high society, physical trades and cardiologists, to favor unhealthy, convenience foods and unspoken disdain of almost all physical effort.
tzs 10y ago
I've experienced the vegetables taste better thing, just be lowering sugar rather than giving it up. I currently get about 35% of my calories from carbohydrates, with about 6% of my calories from added sugars. Before, when carbs were probably 60-80% of my calories, and added sugars were a big part of that, I could taste green beans and carrots, but they were very mild. Corn was a bit stronger, and peas were more of an aftertaste than a taste. These were all foods that I would eat now and then because they were good for me, but I'd never want them. Now they taste much stronger, and I often have for dinner just a package of frozen "steam in the bag" mixed vegetables (corn, green beans, carrots, peas) [1]. When I do have those with meat they are an equal partner on the plate with the meat now instead of just something there for their nutrition. [1] https://www.birdseye.com/vegetable-products/steamfresh-pure-simple-blends/mixed-vegetables https://www.birdseye.com/vegetable-products/steamfresh-pure-...

34 points by sajid 10y ago

People(and incredibly dieticians) still hang on to the "Calories-in calories-out" as we are engine burning food. Sugars(and most carbs convert to sugars) are responsible to 1.Cellular degeneration: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_glycation_end-product https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_glycation_end-product 2.Diabetes type 2(key factor) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes#Type_2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes#Type_2 3.Severe, heroin-level addiction https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907 4.Brain degeneration and cognitive decline https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15082091 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15082091

brador 10y ago
Aren't those same sugars also responsible for powering our oversized brains?
wodenokoto 10y ago
Calorie in = calorie out is for weight loss, not general health.

melling 10y ago

This would seem to indicate to calories in <> calories out. "The only thing that I changed about my diet is I eliminated any calories from refined sugars. And I lost 12 pounds in two weeks." Has anyone else reproduced this experiment?

jryan49 10y ago
When you replace high calorie foods with lower calorie foods and both are as filling this can happen.
- melling 10y ago
  He already had a relatively healthy diet. He was counting calories. The question is will replacing a couple hundred calories of sugar with something healthy, like nuts for example, cause one to lose weight?
snewk 10y ago
this is purely anecdotal, but ive been doing the ketotis thing for a couple years. seems to me like when you consume calories from refined sugars, the 'hungry' signal never gets turned off. fat calories, on the other hand, are much more satiating. its harder to overeat fats. i get so frustrated when i hear the 'calories in < calories out' mantra mindlessly repeated in nutrition communities. its like asking for financial advice, and getting "as long as you aren't spending more than you are making, you'll get rich. it's simply $i/$o." as your answer. maybe its technically correct, but its certainly not helpful. more importantly, it doesnt address WHY some people overeat or give any meaningful advice on how to change that.
- AstralStorm 10y ago
  Not confirmed at all per calorie. What we know is that protein is more satisfying per calorie. In which a ketogenic diet is likely rich.
menzoic 10y ago
I lost weight at a similar rate after seeing the documentary "Fed Up". Lost 10 lbs the first week. 40 lbs overall in 3 months. All I did was limit my sugar intake to 25g per day.
- segmondy 10y ago
  Did you permanently maintain it or gain some weight afterwards?
segmondy 10y ago
Seriously? That's what you took from the article? The title "how giving up refined sugar changed MY BRAIN" The gist, they had better mental clarity. Unexpected weight loss while maintaining the same calorie intake. If you want to lose weight, lose weight, He talked about how he lost 80lbs prior to cutting sugar. Eat within your calorie intake, exercise.
- melling 10y ago
  No, I simply asked one question that I thought could be crowdsourced. I've eliminated a lot of processed sugars from my diet. At one point I totally quit. I still like sugar in my coffee, however. I wonder if eliminating it will make a difference.
morganvachon 10y ago
My sister got a mid-30s scare from her doctor last year: She was on the verge of becoming diabetic. She wasn't overweight but she did take in a lot of refined sugar. She immediately cut out any processed foods made with refined sugar, and started drinking nothing but water. She sold her Keurig coffee machine and gave up her beloved sweet tea. Within a few months she lost 20 pounds and said she felt more "alive" and more productive. She actually seems too skinny now but she looks 10 years younger and her doctor is pleased with her results. Around the same time, I greatly reduced my caloric intake from refined sugary foods, replacing sweets with fruits and trying to eat less processed foods. I love to cook so that made it easier. I too lost around 25 pounds but over a much longer six month period (I also had much more to lose than her, being overweight at the time). So yes, cutting out refined sugar seems to have some really positive results over here.
balls187 10y ago
"It worked, and since then I’ve remained a healthy weight primarily by making sure I count my calories, don’t overeat, and get regular exercise." Losing 12 pounds in 2 weeks is not "healthy" weight loss, especially for someone who is already at a "healthy weight." Weightloss over a long period of time is "calories in" = "calories out", but that becomes a matter of will and control, over what your body is going to do (which is not want to lose much weight).
- melling 10y ago
  He already had a relatively healthy diet. He was counting calories. The question is will replacing a couple hundred calories of sugar with something healthy, like nuts for example, cause one to lose weight?
  - AstralStorm 10y ago
    The current scientific consensus says no unless there are issues with digestion. That said, there are other potential benefits and issues. People tend to forget how energy dense sucrose is. Only fats are denser. (incl. nuts which are mainly fat and protein) So whatever you are replacing them with, you will eat much of, unless it is fat or oils. Or you will lose weight.
    - fpoling 10y ago
      Sugar contains just 25% more calories compared with cereals while oils and animal fats contain over 2 times more calories. So if one just stops to eat sugar without changing the composition of the food, it is trivial to compensate calory loss with eating, for example, bread made without sugar but with extra oil. But the article is not about just removing the sugar. As the author discovered, just by giving up on sugar one changes the whole diet. He could no longer consume any junk food and had to start cooking himself. So the real benefits could be in that switch, not in avoiding sugar per se.
  - balls187 10y ago
    > He already had a relatively healthy diet. He was counting calories. Right. Which makes the 12 lbs lost over 2 weeks very suspect. > The question is will replacing a couple hundred calories of sugar with something healthy, like nuts for example, cause one to lose weight? Yes, but with all diets, it will be temporary.
DigitalJack 10y ago
Cout = Cin - Cstored. Cstored is dependent in part on the source of calories, your fitness, ketosis, genetics, etc.
ilogik 10y ago
Refined sugar is easier for the body to break down (as opposed to fruits for example which also contain fiber) Source: my wife

teddyh 10y ago

Needs a (2015).

Frondo 10y ago

I've mostly given up refined sugar too. I cook a lot for myself, and almost never have a prepared dessert (a handful of dates or figs, more likely, or an apple). Once or twice a week I'll have a dessert item while I'm out at a coffee shop, and what gets me now is how unbelievably overly sweet those things taste. It's too much some of the time, even for something as mild as a rice crispy square. Sugared soda or a donut with icing? I simply can't take it anymore, it's far, far too sweet. And my hunger is sooo much more even-keeled these days, less of a consciousness-dominating craving, more of a hint that it's time for food.

znpy 10y ago

I feel this is... Well, mostly bullshitt. First, "changed my brain" is a big, big statement and nowhere in the article is being pointed any MRI scan or something. Going further: I have experienced something similar (the only sugar I take in during the day is that single pack I put in the one daily coffee I take after lunch) yet I did not feel all this troubles. My opinion is that I did not experience all this problems because I was not looking for it.

oxplot 10y ago
I think it's mostly bullshit if you generalize the experience of the author for everyone. Anecdotally however, I saw the same improvements to the letter when I stopped sugar intake (not just refined but stopped eating fruits, etc.). I can't remember any withdrawal symptoms though. It was rather easy, but then again I stopped because of diabetes scare.

kardashian007 10y ago

One "shortcut" isn't equivalent or "the answer" to a series of comprehensive, corrective habit adjustments. Perhaps the issue is that it's "weird" in Western countries, apart from high society, physical trades and cardiologists, to favor unhealthy, convenience foods and unspoken disdain of almost all physical effort.

tzs 10y ago

I've experienced the vegetables taste better thing, just be lowering sugar rather than giving it up. I currently get about 35% of my calories from carbohydrates, with about 6% of my calories from added sugars. Before, when carbs were probably 60-80% of my calories, and added sugars were a big part of that, I could taste green beans and carrots, but they were very mild. Corn was a bit stronger, and peas were more of an aftertaste than a taste. These were all foods that I would eat now and then because they were good for me, but I'd never want them. Now they taste much stronger, and I often have for dinner just a package of frozen "steam in the bag" mixed vegetables (corn, green beans, carrots, peas) [1]. When I do have those with meat they are an equal partner on the plate with the meat now instead of just something there for their nutrition. [1] https://www.birdseye.com/vegetable-products/steamfresh-pure-simple-blends/mixed-vegetables https://www.birdseye.com/vegetable-products/steamfresh-pure-...