Conference rocks::weight_control

    
    I know I either put sugar or sweet and Low on cereals,coffee,tea
    and other foods because I love things sweet. 
    
    I think it makes the food taste better.
    
    Mostly I believe it's a Habit.. and a hard one for me to break.
    
    I think that is great Neil that you are able to do that and
    you are feeling better..
    
    
    
    How Sweet it is
    
    
    Ann
    
    
    They showed on tv a child that the parents never allowed the child
    sugar and on his birthday they gave him a piece of cake .. He took
    a taste and then once he got a good taste he opened his mouth and
    tryed to get it in as fast as he could.
    
    
    

    Do sugar substitutes contain the same addictive properties?
    Unfortunately, I think part of my addiction is psychological, i.e.
    the 'hunger' for something sweet just because it tastes good.  
    
    I've been off sugar for two weeks, and I do feel a lot healthier.
    I'm still using the substitutes occasionally though, and I'm trying 
    to pay attention to my moods/cravings.  After eating foods with Sorbitol
    I feel grouchy/depressed/restless, so that's out.  I haven't yet
    noticed this reaction with NutraSweet.  
    
    Has anyone had similar experiences with sugar substitutes?
                          
    Beth

    
    Sorbitol is Sugar! In is an alcohol based version, so it does not
    metabolize the same, however, it is quite caloric. And can have
    some of the same side effects if used in quantity. It main use is
    in sugar-free gum because it does not promote tooth-decay.
    
    Saccharin and Aspartame (NutraSweet) are currently the only two legal
    non-sugar sweeteners. They are not addictive. There have been reports
    of everything from cancer to kidney disease being linked to them. I have
    had no problem using NutraSweet.
    
    							--- Neal

re .0
				I like sugar.


	In my case sugar (sweets in general) has:

		1: provided a sense of well being since birth --
			(mother's milk is very sweet)

		2: been used as a reward for being good since early childhood --
			"if you clean your room you can have 2 cookies"

		3: been used as a pacifier when I'm bored --
			"have a piece of cake and stop whining!"

	I (we) have been programmed since birth to use sweets for many things
besides nutrition.  Without deliberate and concious effort, how can we reject
something that has given us so much comfort???

	Good question Neal, and glad to see you're back....

					Al

Well, I thought I ate sugar because I had a sweet tooth and liked it, but
maybe it's because my mind has been altered from eating it for almost 30
years and I'm addicted to it...seriously.

Jill

    There's no question in my mind that I'm addicted to sugar.  I can
    tolerate small amounts of fruit, but as soon as I start eating refined
    sugar, forget it.  I'll buy a bag of candy and be unable to resist
    eating most or all of it on the drive home from the store.  I'll have
    the next piece unwrapped before I've finished the one in my mouth.

    Baaad news!  And the reason that I'm not amused by the WW processed
    foods - a lot of them reduce sugar but don't eliminate it.  I don't
    understand their reluctance to use artificial sweeteners.

    Beverly

    
         Does anyone know anything about how honey compares to 
       refined sugar? Is it better for you, since it's all-natural?
       Just wondering. Somebody gave me some candy, and on the wrapper
       it said 'all natural honey' and it was sweet, but not quite
       the same sweetness as you would have with plain sugar.
    
       Chris
    

    Honey may have traces of nutrients missing from sugar, but as far as
    weightloss goes, it's no different.  Same number of calories per unit
    of sweetness, and if you're a sugar addict, it can trigger a binge.

    Beverly

    Sorbitol makes me feel sick, too.  I don't know what it is, really,
    but I get terrible headaches from the amount in two pieces of
    that gum that has the liquid centers to it.  After two headaches
    I figured out that the sorbitol was the problem - I read somewhere
    that it could have this side-effect.
    
    The problem with sugar, straight sugar, is that it metabolises so
    quickly.  You get a real "high" from it, and then it's all used
    up and your body goes into a "low".  So you crave more, and your
    blood sugar goes up again, etc.  Your moods swing too.  Put this
    together with caffeine (a cup of coffee with cream and 2 sugars)
    and add a donut, for the all-American breakfast, and you have a
    real problem!
    
    --Louise

.9>    Sorbitol makes me feel sick, too.
    
    	Have you tried fructose?
    
    	Did you have a similar reaction?
    
    	Have you ever had a glucose tolerance test?
    
    -mike z

    I've never tried fructose, except in its natural state
    in fruit.  I had a glucose tolerance test when I was in
    my late teens.  It was borderline; the doctor told me that
    if I lost 10 lbs I would be well within tolerance.
    
    Do you know what it is in sorbitol that gives me headaches?
    
    --Louise

.11>    Do you know what it is in sorbitol that gives me headaches?

    	The only thing in sorbitol is sorbitol - C  H   O  .
                                                  6  14  6
    
    	A problem with sorbitol may be a sign of a problem with sugars,
    including fructose and sucrose.  Sorbitol is metabolized about as
    fast as fructose.  If that gives you a headache while fructose doesn't
    (and eating fructose as found in fruits counts), then I'd look for
    another cause for the headaches.
    
    	When you eat sorbitol is it always in the same food?  Have you
    checked the list if ingredients?
    
    -mike z