Healthrisk by not eating anything sugary?

September 12, 2008 3:09 AM

I havn't eaten anything sugary for the past 2.5 years. This includes things like: cola, cakes, candy, icecream, chocolate etc. I know that I can't be 100% sugarfree since things like orangejuice, bread, beer contains "small" amounts of sugar. I didn't start on this "thing" in order to become more healthy. I did it to test myself and my body. I havn't had any issues, but I am worried that it could be a potential healthrisk in the long run. So my question is: Do I risk my health in the long run if I continue on this "non-sugar"-thing?
posted by madcow20 to health & fitness (24 comments total)

IANAD, but I wouldn't worry about the absence of sugars so much as I'd worry about the presence of artificial sweeteners you may or may not be using. The near-absence of simple sugars is almost certainly a good thing, but swilling diet coke all the time could be problematic.
posted by jon1270 at 3:21 AM on September 12, 2008

IANADietician, but I'm pretty sure refined sugar isn't among the necessary food groups. Any processed food, including your bread, beer, and OJ, includes high-fructose corn syrup, which is much cheaper than sugar and is everywhere. So you're getting plenty of refined sweetener in your diet even if you don't mean to.
posted by headnsouth at 3:29 AM on September 12, 2008

madcow20's profile suggests he or she is not in the USA. HFCS isn't so widespread elsewhere.
posted by galaksit at 3:36 AM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

You have ZERO to worry about. Absolutely nada. As a matter of fact you will feel better, look better and metabolize better too. FYI practically every single natural food contains ~some~ natural sugar - so as far as your insulin levels are concerned worry not. And if you would consider this very healthy lifestyle an occasional fruit would be right on just for a quick burst of energy.
posted by watercarrier at 3:47 AM on September 12, 2008

IANANutritionist but I seem to remember complex carbohydrates - bread, potatoes etc break down into carbohydrate ie sugar. Which is why if you chew bread for a long time it starts to tastes sweet.

Plus there is fructose in fruit etc
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:50 AM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

For what it's worth, orange juice contains more than a "small" amount of sugar. That makes me wonder if you're eating other things with plenty of sugar and just don't realize how much sugar is in them.

Anyway, I don't think it's a problem health-wise. You're eating carbohydrates in general, which convert to sugar anyway. Even if you weren't, you'd generally be fine. Some types of epilepsy are controlled by low carbohydrate diets and, to my knowledge, nothing bad happens to those people. (I haven't personally done a lot of reading about it, but that would be one place to start if you're concerned.)
posted by Nattie at 3:56 AM on September 12, 2008 [2 favorites]

There is nothing medically risky about your behavior.
posted by zpousman at 3:56 AM on September 12, 2008

Sugar has no nutritional value. The only useful thing it has for your body is calories and there are plenty of better ways to get those.
posted by missmagenta at 4:17 AM on September 12, 2008

Everything you eat or drink turns to sugar upon digestion. The only exception is water. I, and many other Type 1 diabetics also do their best to avoid "sugary" foods, I've been doing it for twelve years and I'm still kicking ;)
posted by wavering at 4:35 AM on September 12, 2008

Are you eating fruit? If not, you may be missing out on a lot of vitamins. Fruit is way better than bread or beer, if you're being arbitrary otherwise about which simple carbohydrates to exclude.
posted by xanthippe at 4:42 AM on September 12, 2008

I know that I can't be 100% sugarfree since things like orangejuice, bread, beer contains "small" amounts of sugar.

Well, orange juice contains large amounts of sugar. Bread and beer very quickly turn into sugars during the digestive process, as well. To answer your question, though, no. As long as you have enough energy to function normally, you don't need to ingest sugar.
posted by knave at 4:46 AM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

Humans evolved on very low sugar diets. Sugar is a "new" food compared to human history and may account for many "diseases of civilization."
posted by melissam at 4:51 AM on September 12, 2008

Any processed food, including your bread, beer, and OJ, includes high-fructose corn syrup

I'm not aware of any orange juice that contains HFCS. Certainly the major brands don't. "Orange-flavored juice drink," sure, but not actual orange juice.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 5:14 AM on September 12, 2008

I generally try and do this - however some days you just really want a sugary drink for lunch (when hungover). foodstuffs with added sugar / refined sugar do not provide anythign necessary for health
posted by mary8nne at 5:31 AM on September 12, 2008

A good rule of thumb is if it hasn't been around for at least 100,000 years or so, you don't need it. You may want it, it may make your life better (or worse) but you don't need it. Refined sugar is one of those things.
posted by jimmythefish at 5:31 AM on September 12, 2008

Sugar provides calories. You're getting plenty of calories, and without the calories in sugar, you have plenty of room in your diet for foods with additional nutrients. OJ has lots of sugar, also fiber, vitamins, and, I think, calcium. You're reducing your likelihood of developing diabetes. All in all, you are benefiting your health, not risking harm.
posted by theora55 at 6:46 AM on September 12, 2008

IANAD, but I am pre-diabetic and also have fructose intolerance, and thus have not eaten sugar - in any form - since January 2003. I'm definitely healthier than I was when I did eat sugar.

Per my endocrinologist: there's nothing in refined sugar, juices, breads or other processed foods that is beneficial to health that you can't get in some other better form - for instance, eating an orange rather than drinking the juice. OJ is concentrated sugar with no fiber; an orange, on the other hand, delivers a smaller dose of sugar and the fiber in it slows down your digestion, so that dose of sugar hits your bloodstream much more slowly.

And yeah, seconding the beer and bread = sugar. Even if it doesn't contain HFCS, the carbohydrate in either is quickly converted to glucose in your body, and glucose = sugar.
posted by chez shoes at 6:52 AM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

My mother went sugar free several years ago when she was having health problems. It helped her to lose weight, but she eventually had reactions to all artificial sweeteners. She tried going back to using regular sugar, but found it too sweet. She went "cold turkey" and found that she's not missing much.

She's also feeling much better. She's gotten herself some honey butter spreads, almond butter spreads, all organic with nothing added save the essential ingredients. She's been looking into stevia extract, but hasn't found a source yet.
posted by lysdexic at 7:12 AM on September 12, 2008

You'll be absolutely fine. I've cut out artificial sugars from my diet almost completely and I've never felt better. When I actually do decide to try eating sugary things for a weekend or something like that I find myself feeling bloated and lethargic and very under the weather. So bravo for your choice and don't worry about this any more.
posted by peacheater at 8:48 AM on September 12, 2008

I think the question is about added sugar, not about foods that are naturally sweet or have carbohydrates that turn into sugar, correct? So I am assuming you're eating bread (natural, no sugar, no HFCS, no honey,right?)

So the answer is nothing to worry about - nada. You'll be healthier. Better teeth, better digestion, more regular digestive system.

honey butter spreads

Don't want to derail, but honey, despite its reputation and nice homey exoticism isn't far removed from sugar to your body. If you're trying to go sugar free that should also mean honey free and you should beware of breads and other products with honey.

Note particularly
"Honey gets its sweetness from the monosaccharides fructose and glucose and has approximately the same relative sweetness as granulated sugar (97% of the sweetness of sucrose, a disaccharide)."
posted by xetere at 9:16 AM on September 12, 2008

This is no big deal and as others have pointed out, orange juice has about the same amount of sugar as Coke by volume. So if you drink OJ every morning it's hardly a low-sugar diet.
posted by GuyZero at 9:28 AM on September 12, 2008

What's to worry about when: a) there aren't any health risks associated with stopping sugar; and b) you haven't stopped sugar?
posted by luckypozzo at 9:55 AM on September 12, 2008

honey butter spreads

Don't want to derail, but honey, despite its reputation and nice homey exoticism isn't far removed from sugar to your body. If you're trying to go sugar free that should also mean honey free and you should beware of breads and other products with honey.

Note particularly
"Honey gets its sweetness from the monosaccharides fructose and glucose and has approximately the same relative sweetness as granulated sugar (97% of the sweetness of sucrose, a disaccharide)."

Oh, sure, I know, and so does she. She just doesn't use a lot, and refined sugar not at all.
posted by lysdexic at 11:36 AM on September 12, 2008

Do I risk my health in the long run if I continue on this "non-sugar"-thing?

Are you eating enough...food? In general?

And are you particularly fond of the things you've given up? Does it pain you to turn down birthday cake at a party? Do you find yourself eating alone because situations in which there is shared food are impossible? Do you avoid going to restaurants you'd normally go to? Do you find yourself having uncontrollable cravings and then eating strange things to compensate for what you've given up? Do you feel obsessed with food, and spend an inordinate amount of your time planning what and when and how much you will eat?

In short: physically, as long as you're eating enough food, including carbohydrate, from other sources, you are going to be okay. But ask yourself how it's impacting your quality of life in other areas. If it's truly no problem for you, not a hardship socially, emotionally, or physically, then you're fine. Eat in the way that is most comfortable and functional for you.
posted by peggynature at 9:11 AM on September 13, 2008