redgirl1974's Journal, 01 December 2015

Most of those fit both categories. Honey is considered a sweetner but is natural. I use it in my tea as I like some sweet but am not on low carb. It has also been sited as having many health benefits.  

1. Both 2. Both 3. Fruit of the Tree....but all Fat, so count as Fat and not Fruit 4. Both 5. Both 6. Hard or Soft Cheese...Both 7. Sugar 8. Both 9. Low Carb, 5.5gms per cup Honey is "natural". If you can find organic honey, then yes, any benefits of honey would still be in the product. However, as a sweetener, honey still has fructose and glucose, and while absorbing only slightly slower than sugar, it will still give you a blood sugar spike. 

^^^ this. I like this mahjohn person, very informed. 

If it hangs from a tree or vine, it's a fruit (it might not be a sweet one, is all). Dairy is a meat product, so it's protein usually, but I'd call butter fat (calorie and fat dense, no nutrition). Honey and maple syrup are fat free - and most dieticians would tell you to stay away from them the same way you would from sugar. Vegans use agave syrup to sweeten, but even though that's from a fruit, it's still devoid of nutrition. Natural PB= legumes, sugar and oil. Only 3g of protein in 1 strip of bacon (and 3g of fat) -- hardly worth the effort in cooking it. 

Truth about Blue Agave Syrup. It is "natural", the same way High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is "natural". They're both from plants, and both processed using the same chemical processes. So what's the difference? Blue Agave Syrup/Nectar is worse than HFCS. Sugar is 50/50. 50% Fructose and 50% Glucose. Glucose we want (at times), it's absorbed into the blood and stored in cells, mostly as fat, but after working muscles it's used to shuttle amino's and protein. It's so vital that if we don't have it, we produce it from Protein. So what about Fructose?....ahh, Fructose can only be processed by the Liver and stored as Liver fat, and in created Low Density Lipo-Proteins (LDL Cholesterol)...Liver fat you can do without. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is high on the list with obese people. So why is HFCS worse than sugar, 55/45. 55% Fructose, much sweeter and much cheaper than sugar....anyone remember early 80's and 3litre bottles of Soda for $1, only because of HFCS. So you get a sweeter substance, it's cheaper than sugar, but you also get to store more liver fat. So how about Blue Agave Nectar (Nectar still sounds nice eh'). Blue Agave Nectar is upwards of 75/25!! so 75% of it are processed into Liver fat. So it's no wonder it is a "Low-Glycemic" Sweetener, only 25% is Glucose, so skip the sugar->blood->insluin-> fat route, 75% is going straight to fat. End of mini-rant, conclusion...run away from Blue Agave, and HFCS. 

Interesting, mahjohn, thank you! So, fruit contains fructose, I believe. Should we not eat fruit? Or is fruit okay because it contains fibre and vitamins etc? I ask because I have a problem with cholesterol, and don't want fatty liver. In my book, honey = sugar, it just has a different taste. 

Fruit is nature's candy. So, eat is just as often as you would candy. You can get the same vitamins and fiber (probably more) from nice low carbs veggies. 

Exactly... It is natures candy, it's good, but in limited quantities. In Jamaica, everyone knows that fresh mango is great, but don't eat too many our you'll end up with sugar in your blood (Diabetes). As for cholesterol, as with Fat, another lie, this one based solely on $$$$. Every study trying to prove high cholesterol causes heart disease shows the exact opposite, that high cholesterol especially in women over 50 results in longer lifespan not shorter and that cholesterol level has no impact on coronary heart disease or cardiovascular disease. A meta-analysis study of ~400,000 men taking the top 5%... One half on a placebo the other half on an early cholesterol lowering drug showed a difference in mortality of 0.4 percent.... Around 8 men. So after taking the worst of the writers from 400,000 men, statins helped 8 men. Through the magic of statistics, 0.4% becomes 24%, and Lipitor has there marketing. As for fruit.... It has fibre also.... This slows the absorption of glucose, lowering they impact of blood sugar rise. Many people will read this and say "there they go again.... Fruit is bad", it's not that at all.... It's situational eating add I like to call it. If you have abused sugar for far too long and Haver excess fat visceral and subcutaneous, then yes.... you should avoid fruit and other sugars until such time that you regain control of your intake of foods and lose excess fat. Fyi.... If you need any refs on cholesterol, just let me know 

Also..... Cholesterol is not "bad", it is vital to reach of your cells. When you eat excessive Omega-6 oils, you irritate the lining of your arteries, to heal these areas, your body sends LDL cholesterol, a good thing.. Except when you keep damaging these areas, cholesterol keeps trying to repair and patches build up..... You and stress and clotting, and you have a blockage, cholesterol's fault?.... Cholesterol is the ambulance at every accident, it's always there ..... 

Exactly, mahjohn! Cholesterol is such an essential part of the body that the liver actually makes it.  

ok so honey bad? 

Honey better than Sugar....Yes, but still bad in terms of controlling blood sugar and losing weight. 

1980's and $1.00 2 liter bottles more like just a few years 2006 anyway. Ex used to drink 2 or 3 of them a day! I don't drink them. Honestly I eat a varied diet lots of whole foods, little processed mostly fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. Occasional meat and then mostly fish or chicken. A occasional teaspoon of honey or even sugar in a cup of tea doesn't change much in my less than 1400 calorie plan. Not low carb! and Not diabetic so don't worry about controlling blood sugar, mine runs really low. I have to eat sweet once in a while to bring it up quickly when it gets too low. Your plan makes a difference in whether it fits your weight loss plan or not. Artificial sweeteners are something I quit using the cons were not worth it.  

Well that's all for for thought, isn't it? 

YUp, simply depends on your way of eating and what works for you.