Sugar Addiction

[Xanth]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

Someone in my WoW Guild was talking about sugar last night (yes there are some healthy Warcraft players!  LoL) and he mentioned to me this video.
It's an eye opener, to say the least.

I'm not saying he's correct... I'm not saying he's wrong either.
I'm saying that my gf and I have decided to try to cut out as much sugar as we can from our diet and see how we feel... as there's no better way of knowing something than by personal, first hand experience of it.

So that's some thought on the Physical aspects of the trouble of sugar... I'm wondering if it'll have any effect on the quality of my consciousness such as Tom Campbell suggests.

[SomeRandom]

great video

[Lexy]

thanks, I try to stay away from sugar too since I am a sugarholic. 

[Xanth]

Well, it's "apparently" fructose you need to worry most about.

Can you believe that they put it in some of the strangest foods?
BREAD... if you went into your pantry and looked at the ingredients on your bread (bread, hamburger buns, etc)... it has Fructose in it!

[ether2]

Someone in my WoW Guild was talking about sugar last night (yes there are some healthy Warcraft players!  LoL) and he mentioned to me this video.

good luck with the games man

good luck

love all

[personalreality]

that's too long for me to watch right now, but i will.

it still makes me wonder.

did we get to this point just because we didn't know any better and just used whatever was cheapest in our foods without considering the effects on our body?

and naturally, because i'm a paranoid conspiracy researcher, is this stuff intentional?  to keep us sick, lethargic and easily controlled, thereby making us sicker because of lack of exercise and such, thus ensuring that the medical/pharma industry keeps booming?

just thinking out loud.

[SomeRandom]

Or are they doing it on purpose to help keep control of the population?

[Xanth]

that's too long for me to watch right now, but i will.

it still makes me wonder.

did we get to this point just because we didn't know any better and just used whatever was cheapest in our foods without considering the effects on our body?

and naturally, because i'm a paranoid conspiracy researcher, is this stuff intentional?  to keep us sick, lethargic and easily controlled, thereby making us sicker because of lack of exercise and such, thus ensuring that the medical/pharma industry keeps booming?

just thinking out loud.

Honestly?  I think it's because fructose was just entirely the cheapest thing.  As per the doctor in the video, he says it was due to reducing the prices of food so that it wouldn't become an election issue during the Presidential election of the day.

[personalreality]

Or are they doing it on purpose to help keep control of the population?

that was also kind of something i was implying, but i didn't want to flat out say it.

[Xanth]

What kind of 'control' can one attain with this?

All the video is really saying is that he's found a direct link between sugar intake and obesity along with a myriad of other diseases that plague mankind.

Making people fat and giving them diabetes doesn't sound like any measure of control. 

Now, if Tom Campbell is correct in his assertion that Sugar reduces the quality and clarity of your consciousness... then that might be something of conspiracy value. 

[personalreality]

What kind of 'control' can one attain with this?

All the video is really saying is that he's found a direct link between sugar intake and obesity along with a myriad of other diseases that plague mankind.

Making people fat and giving them diabetes doesn't sound like any measure of control. 

Now, if Tom Campbell is correct in his assertion that Sugar reduces the quality and clarity of your consciousness... then that might be something of conspiracy value. 

uhhh...you just said it.  if we're disease ridden and fat, it's a lot easier to keep us constantly afraid of further death and illness, thus keeping us in line.  It's all about maintaining fear of an intangible enemy so that we don't recognize the real enemy in front of us. 

there's also lots of money to be made.

but there hasn't even really been a full generation born and raised on this stuff.  we don't know what the long term effects on the population as a whole will be.  what if it causes sterility or something.  terminal diseases that present in mid-life.  things like that.  we really won't know for another 30+ years.  It may even take 100 years before we really see what kind of irreversible damage has been done to the species.  this is all pretty new as far as human history is concerned.  our medicine keeps us alive too long, and perhaps "they" (with as much sinister implication as i can muster, lol!!) are realizing how hard it is to control the mass population and they're putting in measures to take care of it.

i'm reminded of that episode of stargate where we made buddies with those aliens that came to earth and cured all our ills.  only after it was too late did we discover that they were really making all the women sterile.  everyone expects world domination to come in one obvious frontal attack nazi style.  but it seems far more likely to me that it would be slow and subtle. 

[Szaxx]

Hi,
Agreed.
Like in the film 'Dune', its the slow dagger that kills.

[Stookie_]

I cut sugar (except natural, like in fruit) out of my diet a while ago, and on the rare occasions I'm force-fed dessert, it tastes CRAZY-SWEET. Too much.

Really, I cut all processed foods out of my diet. I prepare fresh meals about 95% of the time and rarely eat out anymore.

[Xanth]

I cut sugar (except natural, like in fruit) out of my diet a while ago, and on the rare occasions I'm force-fed dessert, it tastes CRAZY-SWEET. Too much.

Really, I cut all processed foods out of my diet. I prepare fresh meals about 95% of the time and rarely eat out anymore.

Yeah, my girlfriend and I are really trying to move towards preparing all fresh meals these days.

It's definitely tough, and takes a lot more time.  LoL

[personalreality]

I cut sugar (except natural, like in fruit) out of my diet a while ago, and on the rare occasions I'm force-fed dessert, it tastes CRAZY-SWEET. Too much.

Really, I cut all processed foods out of my diet. I prepare fresh meals about 95% of the time and rarely eat out anymore.

I really want to eat better, my body seems to be demanding of me.  But my glass-blowing-pot-smoking-uber-hippie (lol, kidding, he was a great guy and not really a hippie at all) neighbor told me that all he does is look at the ingredients when he's shopping.  if there is something in the food that is "unnecessary", he doesn't buy it.  like preservatives and weird sugars and such.  he said that you even have to look at so-called organic and health food stores because they slip stuff by you all the time.

but it seems like a big lifestyle change to start eating like that.  i was told by a former co-worker to start slow, cutting out sugar for a week, then preservatives, then any processed foods, etc.

she also recommended this book

http://www.amazon.com/Chakra-Foods-Optimum-Health-Creative/dp/1573243736

i got it on the kindle but haven't read it yet.

[Xanth]

That's another thing really.
Just because it's Organic, doesn't mean it's healthy for you.

[Stookie_]

Yeah, my girlfriend and I are really trying to move towards preparing all fresh meals these days.

It's definitely tough, and takes a lot more time.  LoL

I used to think it was hard and expensive and time consuming, but once you get the hang of it, it's MUCH better and you won't go back. I have 2 types of meals I tend to prepare: 1) I'll cook a fairly big meal that makes 4 or 5 servings and then freeze what doesn't get eaten. Then I have some quicker meals ready to go later. And 2) something that is both quick and easy. Like when I get home from work I'll start marinating some pork, and when I get to broiling it later, I'll cook some corn and beans on the side (fresh, never canned, frozen only when there is no alternative), and maybe a salad. The whole meal only takes about 15 minutes total. Simple and easy and satisfying.

I had to learn to plan my meals before going to the grocery store, and stick only with what's on the list. I would say my main health vice is beer on the weekends. I like dark, heavy beer that has lots of calories. 

[Astir]

Too much sugar makes me tired...but no sugar makes me feel like I'm dying.  It's a struggle to find a happy medium.

[Xanth]

Too much sugar makes me tired...but no sugar makes me feel like I'm dying.  It's a struggle to find a happy medium.

The "makes me feel like I'm dying" is the addiction portion of sugar. 
It'll pass if you don't give in.

Our entire civilization are sugar addicts.

[Lexy]

Halloween is cruel to sugar addicts. 

[Lightning]

Halloween is cruel to sugar addicts. 

LOL


By the way, here are some videos of Tom Campbell discussing the effect sugar has on consciousness:

Workshop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CFo5ubfNsg

Interview (Parts I-III)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e082jsIe0Ak
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcWGZXF89Ok
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIp8fjU7ItM

But I have to say, personally I try to consume moderate quantities. Taking absolutely all sugars out of one's diet sounds extreme to me, very complicated to manage (on many different levels) and probably not even worth the effort. Maybe the positive effect of a 100% sugar-free diet isn't that noticeable after all, and there could be some negative aspects also that Tom doesn't explain in detail.

[Xanth]

Yup, Tom relates the "consciousness" side of the equation.

He mentions that it's an all or nothing scenario for sugar and your consciousness.  His supposition is that you can't just cut down on sugar, you have to remove it completely to remove the effects of it from your consciousness.  While, I don't think it'll be possible for me to cut it out completely... I do notice that I am able to retain conscious awareness easier if I meditate/practice after a cup or two of Java. 

So I really don't know.

[Astir]

The "makes me feel like I'm dying" is the addiction portion of sugar. 
It'll pass if you don't give in.

Our entire civilization are sugar addicts.

Actually I rarely eat sugar, barely eat carbohydrates....probably less than anyone else posting in this thread. 
I have a metabolic condition and my energy will be compromised for the rest of my life no matter what I eat or avoid eating.  But in an emergency, I must eat any sugar I can get my shaky little hands on, or else seize.  Things are too complex to avoid it completely, but I can see how it might help some people.  Nothing is for everyone.

[Stookie_]

In an evolutionary outlook, our tastes for "sweet" comes from things like fruits and berries. We can get plenty of our needed glucose from fruit. It's added refined sugar in foods that's the main problem. It's crazy what they put sugar in these days. Things you wouldn't expect, like pre-packaged lasagne. They know it's addicting and you'll keep coming back for more.

[Lexy]

Sugar is in most processed foods...sugar is a drug, makes you feel high, then you crash, then you just want more.