Food for thought: What's the deal with sugar?

As I have already mentioned, I have the worst time with nutrition. I know the fundamentals, I have a clear idea of what I should and should not be eating, and I think that for the most part, I probably eat pretty well; however, I am almost always low on energy, poorly-fueled, and I tend to get hungry pretty soon after I have eaten a meal. Clearly my application of my knowledge of nutrition leaves much to be desired, and I am admittedly extremely confused about certain things.

At the top of that list is sugar. What, exactly, is the deal with sugar? I know that the completely ubiquitous (and seemingly completely unnecessary) high fructose corn syrup is to be avoided, and I try my hardest to check the ingredient list of pretty much everything I buy because man! that stuff will sneak up on you!! It is in most cereals (even those that claim to be healthy, such as Special K) and even whole wheat breads. Even foods that are salty have high fructose corn syrup now, and don't even both trying to get a light dessert because you are probably much better off just having a small portion of the full-fat version rather than buy the low-fat, low-cal, high fructose corn syrup containing variety.

But I digress. I often wonder if my mid- to late-afternoon dips in energy have anything to do with sugar. Am I eating too much of it? Should my carbohydrates be less refined and more complex? Should I be cutting sugar out of my diet? Most importantly, how exactly does one do that? Does that mean I have to cut out foods that have higher levels of sugar even if they are fruits? One thing that always blew my mind about the first stages of the South Beach Diet was how much fruit was looked down upon because of its potentially high sugar content. I know it depends on the fruit, but I'm speaking in general terms here.

I guess what it boils down to is this: for a while I have been toying with the idea of reducing or eliminating sugar in my diet (or my eating, since diet has somewhat negative connotations) but I have no idea how to do it. Do I just get rid of added sugar and continue eating things like honey, fruit, and other foods with naturally occurring sugar? Or do I just cut it out entirely? Or is it even worth addressing?

One thing I am hoping to take a look at after this week of keeping a food diary is how much sugar I am having in a day, and whether or not it seems to affect me in any way. Maybe after that I can start making some changes, if necessary. I mean, I don't think I am a sugar junkie by any stretch of the imagination, but the whole thing does have me a bit curious.

Have you all ever tried changing the amount of sugar you eat? How did you do it, and did you see any results?

Food for Thought: Keeping a Diary

Health, fitness, and weight-loss trends are constantly coming and going as though functioning on a revolving-door sort of platform; however, I have noticed that there has been at least one constant in everything that I have heard over the years about eating right and losing weight, and that is that you should keep a food diary.

Personally, I haven't had much success keeping one, but that's because I'm lazy. I mean, yeah, I'll admit it. I am lazy, and I am also picky about where I write these things down. I like to have a designated place for things like this, and if it means I can buy a cute little notebook, then I am all for it. That's why I was intrigued by this cute food diary. There is space for your meals, snacks, exercises, and notes for any given day. The cover is laminated and with 100 pages, you can keep several months' worth of information in a single book. Plus they are small enough to stash away in your purse for when you are on the go, and inexpensive enough that you can buy a new one when you run out of space.

Food for Thought: Snickers Charged

In our caffeine-obsessed culture, it should come as no surprise that popular candy bar Snickers now comes in a "charged" variety, touting high levels caffeine, taurine, and b-vitamins to keep you going all day long. This may also come as no surprise because I posted about it a while ago, asking for anyone who manages to lay their hands on it to send a review. Well, lucky readers, Mike the ever-intrepid was willing to try out the new candy concoction. Here's what he had to say last night through google chat:

Speaking of which, I did try one of those candy bars

me: how was it?

9:59 PM Mike: It was a little saltier than most Snickers. There was a sort of sharp taste to it, and a little bit of lingering metallic bitterness in the aftertaste. Four bites in, I could hear colors. After the fifth bite, I could see time.

I give it a B- for taste and a solid A for expansion of consciousness.

me: yikes

so it is psychotropic, basically

10:00 PM Mike: Essentially yes.

I'm not sure if this is enticing or repulsive. Ultimately, I guess, it depends on what effect you are going for. At the end of the day, though, Snickers is still a candy bar and, as such, has high amounts of calories, fat, saturated fat, and sugar. I guess this raises an interesting question--which would you prefer as a source of caffeine: Snickers Charged or diet soda?