More On Sugar And Obesity

Here is yet another study linking sugar and sweetened beverages to obesity.  The importance of avoiding excess sugar consumption and of avoiding drinking empty calories is underscored here. These sorts of dietary changes can have a large impact on overall health.

Sweetness, Food Addiction, And Overweight: A Study Denying A Connection?

Here is a paper from several years ago that goes against "conventional wisdom" arguing that:

...sugary foods contribute minimally to 'food dependence' and increased risk of weight gain. Instead, they are consistent with the current scientific notion that food energy density, and the unique individual experience of eating, plays an important role in determining the reward value of food and promoting excessive energy intake.

I think we need to look at additional studies for conformation or refutation, considering the importance of sugar in the American diet and American obesity.  No doubt of course "high food density" is the most important thing and a combination of high fat and sweetness - indeed identified in this study as a problem - may be a particular "villain" here.

Bread and pizza every weekend

I love pizza and warm, crusty bread. But we have no bakery close by that caters to healthy food choices. Also, no bakery would customize my pizza toppings the way I want them.

Therefore, for the past two months I have been making my own bread and pizza every weekend. I went through several recipe variations from online sources and simplified until I settled on a short and cheap routine. I do not even have a Dutch oven, which seems to be a prerequisite for all recipes on Internet! I use two cookie sheets instead.

The recipe is for one thin pizza that may or may not feed three people and two small loaves of bread. If you would like to feed more people, scale accordingly or bake bread more frequently. 

I have time to cook only on weekends. Therefore, I prepare the dough on Friday evening, let it rise overnight and bake on Saturday. When I retire, I can bake twice a week. Why? Because the bread and pizza baked at home are superior to any products from the supermarket. They are also cheaper, especially if you buy the ingredients on sale.

As you can see on the picture above, even the "healthy" 100% whole wheat bread is prepared with sugar and honey, plus a ton of "preservatives". 

So, roll up the sleeves and open your own personal bakery. Happy baking!


Ingredients for the dough
6 cups of flour (I use any ratio of white to wheat flour, depending on what I have)*
3 cups warm water
1 packet yeast
1 tsp salt
2-3 Tbsp olive oil


*I recently switched to a different brand of flour and it seems that a ratio of 6.5-7 cups of flour to 3 cups of water is better for some flour brands.  You will establish if you need more flour if the dough cannot be handled at all due to its moisture. To resolve the problem, simply add another 0.5-1 cup of flour.


For the pizza topping
crushed tomatoes (a can of 28 oz)
any seasonings you like; I use lots of hot red pepper flakes, crushed garlic, salt 
any cheese(s) you like, in any quantity

Directions for the dough prep
In a huge bowl, mix the flours and salt. Make a well in the middle and in it, mix the yeast and water. After dissolving the yeast in the water, incorporate all ingredients with your hands. It takes only 2 to 3 minutes. The dough is messy and sticky, and this is normal! Pour some olive oil around the dough ball, roll the ball in the oil and smear the oil on the walls of the bowl. Cover with Saran wrap. I use two pieces of the wrap since the dough size triples overnight. On top, I add a kitchen towel.

The bowl goes on top of the refrigerator and stays there overnight. On the next day, two hours before the pizza is to be served, divide the dough into three equal size balls. Spray two cookie sheets with PAM (this is very important). On one of the cookie sheets, shape one of the balls into a thin layer and spread olive oil on top (the oil will help you press down the dough into a thin layer). The layer should occupy the entire cookie sheet.  On the second cookie sheet, shape the two remaining balls into two rolls to form two loaves of bread. Cover the loaves with Saran wrap again and leave on the kitchen counter for another 30 - 40 minutes. To bake, preheat the oven to 400°F.

Pizza sauce prep
Warm up the crushed tomatoes in a pot, add crushed garlic and spices to taste. Let it simmer for maximum of five minutes under a cover. I use a can of 28 oz tomatoes for two pizzas; one half of the amount is used one week, and the second half is frozen in a jar for the next week’s pizza. 

Baking directions
Before baking the pizza, spread the tomato sauce and arrange the cheese on top of the dough.   Cut diagonal slits on the loaves with a sharp knife (see picture below).

Bake the bread and pizza together. I have two shelves in the oven. On the top shelve, I bake the two loaves, on the middle shelf (under the bread) I bake the pizza. The pizza is done in 15-20 minutes. The loaves take longer (approximately 25-30 minutes). One can leave the loaves in the oven after turning off the heat for another 10 minutes (this allows for a better crust to form).

Why is sugar bad for you

I just found this great webpage with simple explanations of why sugar (50% glucose, 50% fructose) is bad for you. The information is unfortunately unknown to most practicing clinicians and to our medical students. This is why medical students and faculty still feast on this:
 





Educate yourself, do not rely on your doctor!

The Real Headless Horseman: Obesity

By John Quidor - aQHCpcwsbaMXQA at Google Cultural Institute maximum zoom level, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22126482

For Halloween, we need to remember that much of the “treats” that children are getting are extremely unhealthy. Most treats are sugar/fat/high fructose corn syrup laden candy.  As a once-a-year event, this might be fine (in moderation), but with childhood obesity and metabolic syndrome on the rise, and colon cancer diagnosed at ever-younger ages (possibly due to weight problems), consuming such junk food should not be a habit.  It’s not “The Headless Horseman” stalking the land, but the obesity epidemic, and fewer and fewer of us are as slim as Ichabod Crane.

Dementia in your 40s

Are you afraid of dementia? How about developing dementia in your 40s? You might be able to protect yourself ... by learning about the food for the brain.

By “food for the brain” I do not mean reading books and learning. True, challenging your brain is important based upon the “use it, or lose it” rule. However, in this post I am referring to the actual food you consume every day.

Do you eat lots of sugar? Have you been putting on pounds? Are you frequently tired? Are you moody most of the time? If you are not worried about your waistline and appearance, are you worried about succumbing to a dreadful illness due to your body weight?

Are you on the verge of being diagnosed with diabetes type 2? Or do you already have it? Do you have metabolic syndrome? Do you think that these conditions are not a problem because they could be controlled by medications?

I assure you that one body “malfunction” now would lead to another malfunction down the road, in your older years. If you escape cardiovascular diseases and cancer (both linked to overweight/obesity, metabolic syndrome, and insulin resistance), you may not be lucky to escape dementia associated with many different types of neurodegenerative diseases.

Both insulin resistance and diabetes are linked to several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s. Here is a source for more information.

In some neurodegenerative diseases, glucose is not properly used in the brain, and this situation is reminiscent of diabetes and insulin resistance. In fact, Alzheimer’s disease is sometimes called “type 3 diabetes”. And here is the bombshell: not only we may witness our children develop cancer before us, but we may also have to take care of our children when they develop dementia in their 40s:

"At a time in history when type 2 diabetes is diagnosed in progressively younger adults, the [new] findings have important implications for age of Alzheimer’s disease — with symptoms that will be increasingly reported by adults in their 50s and even possibly even in their 40s.”


Actionable
Stop eating sugar, stop drinking anything with sugar or sweeteners. Learn to read nutrition labels and recognize all 50+ names of sugar. Get the excess weight down.

And yes, mental exercise helps too:
You know what they say, use it or lose it. For a healthy brain functions, do these as described here:
· Challenge yourself
· Be socially active
· Follow a healthy diet
· Be physically active
· Reduce stress
· Protect your head
· Make healthy lifestyle choices
· Do your brain a favour - volunteer!

How many cookies a day can you eat?

 
The right questions is, how many cookies should you eat, if any.

The current recommendation for daily intake of added sugar is 24-25 grams for adults. 

Since one teaspoon is approximately 4 grams, the maximum of 25 grams equals 6 teaspoons of sugar. 

 

Cookies have anywhere from 2 to 8 grams of sugar each; therefore, it would be unwise to eat more than 2 to 4 a day. 

This moderation is needed since even if you do not have any soft drinks (soda, etc.) and consume sugary cereals, sugar intake will inevitably accumulate from your bread, soup, salad dressing, or who knows what else. Today almost every processed food has added sugar.