Have watched the conversation Chris posted. He is asking a question about a topic that has proven difficult for many people. As a part of my practice to help others find the best nutritional programs and workout sessions to obtain and maintain optimum health this one that is of great importance. My opinion after years of research is that pop/soda is a slow acting poison.
Some studies indicate it may be the single most ingested food/liquid that helps cause the obesity epidemic as well as reduced immunity that then causes illness. In case you did not know it after ingesting sugar your immune system hits a low and stays there for several hours.
With pop/soda there are different forms of sugar which the body breaks down differently. What we know as sugar is broken down by the endocrine system with the use of insulin. Corn syrup/high fructose corn syrup is, at least partially, broken down by the liver. It is thought to be a main reason for non alcoholic fatty liver disease.
As an aside, fruit juice is really just sugar water. Just as bad as pop. As for all the sport drinks and pep drinks they are hell on the body for a variety of reason. They just have better publicists.
As a neuro psych guy it was difficult for me to believe the effect of sugar on the brain. It is an addictive substance. It has an affinity for the receptors in the brain that take in endorphins or chemicals produced by the brain that make us happy. The molecules resemble opioids in fact. Even though the effect is subtle it happens. People get accustom to and want that feeling. Desserts and starchy vegetables have a lesser but the same effect.
The body can be miraculous. It has a process called adaption. Our taste buds adapt to what we put in our mouths. What is sweet to one is tart to another. My mother was a sugar-holic before her death. She could not eat what I did because it was not sweet enough. When I stopped eating sugar I ate a piece of pecan pie every Friday when the cafeteria where I worked made it special. I started lifting in tournaments and stopped eating sugar in any form except dense, fibrous vegetables. After a few months I tried to eat a piece of that pecan pie and vomited in about 5 minutes.
As for diet pop it is as dangerous in a different way. It is sweetened usually with aspartame. Aspartame has in it, in a bonded way, formaldehyde and wood alcohol. This bond is destroyed at temperatures, if I remember correctly at about 88 degrees. So once in the body this bond can be broken and free both of those chemicals so they can create havoc.
There is not any question that aspartame is a neuro toxin. The argument now is what kind of damage over time does it cause in the nervous system. There are a few but one of them with considerable validity is Parkinson like symptoms and some forms of headaches. Do not use that as a sub.
Pop/soda, juice, sport drinks and energy drinks should be an anathema to you. They are age accelerators at the least and disease causers with a variety of symptoms and end states. If anyone wants to meet with me about this or have a workshop, no cost, I can show you proof. In fact there is a book by Catherine Shanahan, MD entitled Deep Nutrition that has a chapter that is a succinct expose' of sugar. Take a look. As for Aspartame this is a controversial chemical. Do not accept any of Steven Nuvello's (sic) comments. He is an academic neurologist and has accepted payment from the company who patented it. Look for an article on how it got approved and you will understand the problems. It was turned down several times as being unsafe until the FDA had its director appointed from the company who patented aspartame.
If you want to stop drinking all the above or just some you will need to adjust your intake. Just like an addictive process you need to stay away from those situations that make you want the substance emotionally. Like pizza and watching some football or a poker party.
It is helpful to start and maintain an intake notebook. Anything that you put in your mouth and swallow. Have a general idea of amount but keep an awareness of any feelings afterwards. Even though I rarely eat pasta I still like it. Went to Palio's yesterday. Had a glass of sangria and lasagna. Within 20 minutes I was sleepy. Felt weak. Did not want to go home to do my mid week workout. Fell asleep early. That tell me that I cannot handle that sugar intake. Both the sangria and pasta are high in it. I do intermittent fasting on certain days as a part of my fitness program. That means when I eat I need to get my healthy fat intake and moderate protein intake. Double trouble.
So it is easier if you keep track. If it gets so the habit is in your mind operant conditioning can be used. I have been successful with hypnosis but ...... the one technique that works the best for my patients seems to be EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique. This is one of the therapy the Veteran's Administration approved for treatment of PTSD and I use it with my fellow Marines back from the sandpit. There are many practitioners of that therapy in Ann Arbor.
Look it up on the internet. Lots of material on it. You can learn how to do it yourself. I like it for my vets because they do not get dependent on me alone. They can help themselves. And, it does directly change the signaling system in the brain and nerves.
As for CB and BB for a good cup of coffee I will bring some books and conversation while we sit and talk.
Some studies indicate it may be the single most ingested food/liquid that helps cause the obesity epidemic as well as reduced immunity that then causes illness. In case you did not know it after ingesting sugar your immune system hits a low and stays there for several hours.
With pop/soda there are different forms of sugar which the body breaks down differently. What we know as sugar is broken down by the endocrine system with the use of insulin. Corn syrup/high fructose corn syrup is, at least partially, broken down by the liver. It is thought to be a main reason for non alcoholic fatty liver disease.
As an aside, fruit juice is really just sugar water. Just as bad as pop. As for all the sport drinks and pep drinks they are hell on the body for a variety of reason. They just have better publicists.
As a neuro psych guy it was difficult for me to believe the effect of sugar on the brain. It is an addictive substance. It has an affinity for the receptors in the brain that take in endorphins or chemicals produced by the brain that make us happy. The molecules resemble opioids in fact. Even though the effect is subtle it happens. People get accustom to and want that feeling. Desserts and starchy vegetables have a lesser but the same effect.
The body can be miraculous. It has a process called adaption. Our taste buds adapt to what we put in our mouths. What is sweet to one is tart to another. My mother was a sugar-holic before her death. She could not eat what I did because it was not sweet enough. When I stopped eating sugar I ate a piece of pecan pie every Friday when the cafeteria where I worked made it special. I started lifting in tournaments and stopped eating sugar in any form except dense, fibrous vegetables. After a few months I tried to eat a piece of that pecan pie and vomited in about 5 minutes.
As for diet pop it is as dangerous in a different way. It is sweetened usually with aspartame. Aspartame has in it, in a bonded way, formaldehyde and wood alcohol. This bond is destroyed at temperatures, if I remember correctly at about 88 degrees. So once in the body this bond can be broken and free both of those chemicals so they can create havoc.
There is not any question that aspartame is a neuro toxin. The argument now is what kind of damage over time does it cause in the nervous system. There are a few but one of them with considerable validity is Parkinson like symptoms and some forms of headaches. Do not use that as a sub.
Pop/soda, juice, sport drinks and energy drinks should be an anathema to you. They are age accelerators at the least and disease causers with a variety of symptoms and end states. If anyone wants to meet with me about this or have a workshop, no cost, I can show you proof. In fact there is a book by Catherine Shanahan, MD entitled Deep Nutrition that has a chapter that is a succinct expose' of sugar. Take a look. As for Aspartame this is a controversial chemical. Do not accept any of Steven Nuvello's (sic) comments. He is an academic neurologist and has accepted payment from the company who patented it. Look for an article on how it got approved and you will understand the problems. It was turned down several times as being unsafe until the FDA had its director appointed from the company who patented aspartame.
If you want to stop drinking all the above or just some you will need to adjust your intake. Just like an addictive process you need to stay away from those situations that make you want the substance emotionally. Like pizza and watching some football or a poker party.
It is helpful to start and maintain an intake notebook. Anything that you put in your mouth and swallow. Have a general idea of amount but keep an awareness of any feelings afterwards. Even though I rarely eat pasta I still like it. Went to Palio's yesterday. Had a glass of sangria and lasagna. Within 20 minutes I was sleepy. Felt weak. Did not want to go home to do my mid week workout. Fell asleep early. That tell me that I cannot handle that sugar intake. Both the sangria and pasta are high in it. I do intermittent fasting on certain days as a part of my fitness program. That means when I eat I need to get my healthy fat intake and moderate protein intake. Double trouble.
So it is easier if you keep track. If it gets so the habit is in your mind operant conditioning can be used. I have been successful with hypnosis but ...... the one technique that works the best for my patients seems to be EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique. This is one of the therapy the Veteran's Administration approved for treatment of PTSD and I use it with my fellow Marines back from the sandpit. There are many practitioners of that therapy in Ann Arbor.
Look it up on the internet. Lots of material on it. You can learn how to do it yourself. I like it for my vets because they do not get dependent on me alone. They can help themselves. And, it does directly change the signaling system in the brain and nerves.
As for CB and BB for a good cup of coffee I will bring some books and conversation while we sit and talk.
