Why is there not more sugar free and low calorie foods?

[DenverSteve]

I think there are plenty of sugarless foods. They are natural, raw or fresh-cooked grains, vegetables, fruits (natural sugar is different). Sandy spoke well of how even "diet" foods with artificial sweeteners can spike your insulin release because it tastes sweet to your body. However, people looking for sugar-free sweet foods are just avoiding the real issue which is the craving of processed (heavily sweetened) foods. Drink water, eat fresh, moderate intake. Have your one-day-a-week where you eat whatever you like.

[muscmp]

obviously, it doesn't sell. sugar, fat and salt. sugar, fat and salt.

play music!

[Chicago Sandy]

Yes, Denver Steve: it all boils down in theory to "calories in vs. calories out." But in practice, it's much more complex: how the body processes "calories in" depends on just what type of macronutrient comprises the food containing those "calories:" the body processes fats, carbohydrates, and proteins differently (even with a different sequence of organs) in even a normal-weight, healthy person who has never dieted &/or regained weight before.

Add in the variables of age, gender, metabolic rate, metabolic disorders (pre-diabetes, Type 2 diabetes), hormones (ingested, produced, or inhibited), subtypes of macronutrients, certain substances added to those foods, and physical ability to burn those calories adequately ("calories out") and the equation morphs from simple algebra to complex calculus/organic chemistry/physiology and even genetics.

[Dirk Hofman]

Originally Posted by perttime

Another addiction.

Now I'm trying to get my type 2 diabetes (and weight) in check without going to too extreme medication... Keeping the uptake of sugars and other carbs in check is one part of it. Increasing exercise is another.

Those are both necessary. Eliminating saturated fats is the other. This is what keeps your body from moving glucose (energy) from your bloodstream to your cells. Until you get rid of that you'll likely need some level of drugs.

Eat whole foods with fiber. Fiber will slow the digestion of glucose and keep your blood glucose level from spiking. Remove saturated fats so that insulin can do its work and move glucose into your cells. You brain's primary fuel is glucose and it uses 20% of your metabolic energy at rest. Get your protein from greens, beans, legumes, etc. Supplement with lean meat if you want to, but make the salad the main dish.

There are doctors having amazing success reversing diabetes in their patients without drugs on a plant-based diet. Look up Ornish, Esselstyn, Barnard and more. Well worth looking into IMO.

[Chicago Sandy]

Saturated fats are not the culprit originally believed to inhibit glucose metabolism. In fact, they (like any other fat, as well as protein & fiber) mitigate the "glycemic load" of ingested carbs and the resulting insulin spike. They aren't even the villain in cardiovascular disease--rather, inflammation is (it causes friable plaques to break off arterial walls--stable plaques won't). And Omega-3 fatty acids (found in grass-fed beef, pork and wild salmon) are anti-inflammatory--while seed oils are high in Omega-6s, which cause release of inflammatory cytokines. Eat olive oil and even butter...in moderation, of course.

While the vegan cardio docs report success in reversing T2D, so have low-sugar advocates like Dr. Mark Hyman et al. (Atkins was on the right track--where he erred was in ignoring portion control. And what killed him was a fractured skull & brain swelling from slipping & falling on an icy sidewalk...just sayin'). Both the aforementioned vegan and omnivorous diets work because they eliminate refined sugars & starches as well as additives that promote fat storage (through their estrogenic effect) and inflammation. Jettison the junk--whichever side of the spectrum you choose, heed Michael Pollan's advice to "Eat (real) food...mostly plants...not too much."

Fiber is essential for the reasons cited above.

[Dirk Hofman]

Originally Posted by Chicago Sandy

Saturated fats are not the culprit originally believed to inhibit glucose metabolism. In fact, they (like any other fat, as well as protein & fiber) mitigate the "glycemic load" of ingested carbs and the resulting insulin spike. They aren't even the villain in cardiovascular disease--rather, inflammation is (it causes friable plaques to break off arterial walls--stable plaques won't). And Omega-3 fatty acids (found in grass-fed beef, pork and wild salmon) are anti-inflammatory--while seed oils are high in Omega-6s, which cause release of inflammatory cytokines. Eat olive oil and even butter...in moderation, of course.

While the vegan cardio docs report success in reversing T2D, so have low-sugar advocates like Dr. Mark Hyman et al. (Atkins was on the right track--where he erred was in ignoring portion control. And what killed him was a fractured skull & brain swelling from slipping & falling on an icy sidewalk...just sayin'). Both the aforementioned vegan and omnivorous diets work because they eliminate refined sugars & starches as well as additives that promote fat storage (through their estrogenic effect) and inflammation. Jettison the junk--whichever side of the spectrum you choose, heed Michael Pollan's advice to "Eat (real) food...mostly plants...not too much."

Fiber is essential for the reasons cited above.

The science says otherwise, they've learned a lot in the last couple of decades. And Omega-3 is a polyunsaturated fat, not a saturated fat.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4587882/

Insulin resistance is a multi-faceted disruption of the communication between insulin and the interior of a target cell. The underlying cause of insulin resistance appears to be inflammation that can either be increased or decreased by the fatty acid composition of the diet. However, the molecular basis for insulin resistance can be quite different in various organs. This review deals with various types of inflammatory inputs mediated by fatty acids, which affect the extent of insulin resistance in various organs.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...0814141432.htm

In this newly discovered pathway, high levels of fat were found to interfere with two key transcription factors -- proteins that switch genes on and off. These transcription factors, FOXA2 and HNF1A, are normally required for the production of an enzyme called GnT-4a glycosyltransferase that modifies proteins with a particular glycan (polysaccharide or sugar) structure. Proper retention of glucose transporters in the cell membrane depends on this modification, but when FOXA2 and HNF1A aren't working properly, GnT-4a's function is greatly diminished. So when the researchers fed otherwise normal mice a high-fat diet, they found that the animals' beta cells could not sense and respond to blood glucose. Preservation of GnT-4a function was able to block the onset of diabetes, even in obese animals. Diminished glucose sensing by beta cells was shown to be an important determinant of disease onset and severity.

"Now that we know more fully how states of over-nutrition can lead to type 2 diabetes, we can see more clearly how to intervene," Dr. Marth said. He and his colleagues are now considering various methods to augment beta cell GnT-4a enzyme activity in humans, as a means to prevent and possibly cure type 2 diabetes.

A more layman's explanation:
https://www.pcrm.org/nbBlog/does-sugar-cause-diabetes

The roots of type 2 diabetes remain in insulin resistance and pancreatic failure, and the blame for the current diabetes epidemic lies in an overall dietary pattern emphasizing meat, dairy products, and fatty foods, aided and abetted by sugary foods and beverages, rather than simply in sugar alone. A diet emphasizing vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes and avoiding animal products helps prevent diabetes and improves its management when it has been diagnosed.

The real answer is of course, both. Saturated fats compromise the ability of insulin to move glucose into cells and an over-abundance of sugar in the diet makes this a massive issue.

It is true that keto diets will also help this, but they do it by eliminating sugar–which is great, but does not address the initial problem of failed glucose transport. Once any sugar is added back in, the problem immediately crops up again. Most people find keeping their body in a ketogenic state impossible over the long term, and are at far higher risk for all-cause mortality and a host of other diseases than those who follow a plant based approach.

Both sugar and saturated fat cause inflammation in the body. The recent keto fad is ignoring the fat component completely. "We love to hear good news about our bad habits" and so it goes...

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2016/03/40...r-inflammation

“There are thousands of studies each year on the effects of dietary compounds on cultured cells, and the challenge is always determining if those effects – seen in a very artificial setting – have any bearing on human health and disease,” said Megan Robblee, a UCSF Biomedical Science graduate student and lead author on the new paper. “Although our study also has its caveats, we have the backing of the literature for the idea that saturated fats cause inflammation and that inflammation contributes to metabolic disease.” The discovery of a mechanism that explains how these fats trigger inflammation through macrophages’ IRE1alpha pathway simply fit in like a missing puzzle piece.

[imwjl]

Congratulations and good luck to all working at their health!

I have not found this to be much of an issue and had a near death medical incident that prompted change. A pancreas problem ultimately had the GI specialist hand me a diet sheet that was how we should all live.

A proper well rounded diet with low alcohol consumption and exercise lets this person diagnosed with a congenital defect live without drugs or problems. Even lets me be late middle age or early old age in size 32 pants.

The very little eating out, eating fresh fruits and vegetables, and low fat diet still allows some treats or splurging. Eating as we should lets me have a treat such as chocolate or licorice or ice cream.

I find there are lots of low calorie and low sugar foods. Where you shop and lifestyle determine that. It is easier in some places but not impossible. At home we have high end grocers that make it easy. Our cabin in N. WI is a different story but we still get the right stuff at grocery stores or with a careful look at the menu.

The overall change was and is like learning an instrument or a sport. It takes effort at first and you have to keep at it. After a year plus it was easier for me to have a good diet and keep at physical activity.

This issue of diet and health is really interesting when I look at siblings and cousins now that we're all either side of age 60. Genes have given us some of the same issues. There are splits between honest efforts, whining and fooling yourself that has this group with same issues looking and feeling different.

One more on health. The nudge technology we have available helps a lot of people keep at good habits.