It is so weird to know that a widely used sweetener is made from coal tar.

[igor_kavinski]

fill it with boiling water

That has the potential to adversely impact your testosterone levels. Better to just use a steel jug for the boiling part and then put it in a glass jug once it cools down and then store in the fridge.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I have Type 2 Diabetes and am using a low daily dose of a common drug prescribed by my doctor which has been working well for some years. I also changed several food habits, but I certainly do not feel I am depriving myself badly. One of the very first changes I made is in my use of Iced Tea, a beverage I really enjoy. I used to buy and use the big cans of powdered Iced Tea, although I prefer it more dilute that the instructions - it is too sweet to my taste. So I changed how I made it. I happen to prefer the Earl Grey flavour version of tea, and I am not really picky about the exact taste and quality. So I got one of those large plastic juice jugs that holds more than a large 48 oz tin of canned juice. Then I buy a supermarket's in-house cheaper brand of Earl Grey tea bags.I put 2 bags in the jug, fill it with boiling water, let it steep for 15 to 10 min and remove the bags, then chill it off and store in the fridge. I do not add any sugar - never did use sugar in hot tea, anyway - so it's just flavoured water, but cold and ready any time. That switch must have removed a bunch of sugar from my daily intake.

Another small easy step. I surveyed the breakfast cereal boxes in the supermarket and identified the ones with the lowest sugar contents.It is amazing now much sugar is added to simple cereals, AND to certain flavour versions of common ones! I found the lowest are Shredded Wheat and plain (no extra flavour) Cheerios, both of which I have liked for a long time, so no problem using them! I was amazed at how much sugar is in the "natural" commercial Granola products - surely a bunch of that added and NOT part of the basic ingredients!

My daily breakfast:

1 cup of plain classic Cheerios
1 handful of Pecan halves
An appropriate amount of fresh lo-fat milk
1 banana, sliced into small pieces

I would like to think that my weight would come down if I just eat this two or three times a day. But maybe I should limit myself to 1 banana daily.

 

[igor_kavinski]

I would like to think that my weight would come down if I just eat this two or three times a day.

That's fine once a day. Rest of the day, you can have Avocado smoothie (only water and honey in it or maybe low fat plain yogurt mixed in) and healthy nuts like Macadamia or walnuts. Limit peanuts since they contain Omega-6.

At night, if you can use a Phase 2 Carb controller supplement, you can have a decent carb meal. Since the Phase 2 capsule will prevent it from getting digested quickly, your gut bacteria will work at it all night and provide you with steady energy supply, along with the very beneficial butyric acid.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I'll look into the Phase 2 supplement.

Right now, I feel as if I should start another thread. To be brief, everybody knows I lost my brother in '22 and then my Moms in '23, and I live alone now in this house. I'm trying to sell a rental property back East, and spending money for health needs, like buying a portable "fanny-pack" Inogen oxygen concentrator. But with all the phone-calls and progress today, scheduling deliveries tomorrow and planning a dental appointment and then cell-phone trade-in tomorrow, I felt anxious in the last few hours. I know my COPD is going to get worse. I'm constantly looking for instances where I think my memory is failing. I only have a few friends here in town, some college chums in e-mail exchanges, my brother who is 70 in Nevada, and I joke about my social life containing many medical appointments. My doctor says I'm still reasonably healthy, but I'm freaking 76 and I have a sense of decline.

So the troubling thought: What's going to happen and what am i going to do? I know I should "try and stay calm" and get off the Aspartame water. Maybe try and go forward with my garden. Things -- mostly little things -- happen and take their toll on morale . . . .
I suppose I should make a point of getting connected to the local senior center as soon as the real-estate sells and I have the money tucked away and earning 5%/annum.

I don't think I'd be having this anxiety if I had children and/or perhaps grandchildren. I'm not going to pursue these thoughts anymore to burden our communi-titty. But I was unusually off-center this evening with these thoughts.

 

[VirtualLarry]

So the troubling thought: What's going to happen and what am i going to do? I know I should "try and stay calm" and get off the Aspartame water. Maybe try and go forward with my garden. Things -- mostly little things -- happen and take their toll on morale . . . .
I suppose I should make a point of getting connected to the local senior center as soon as the real-estate sells and I have the money tucked away and earning 5%/annum.

I don't think I'd be having this anxiety if I had children and/or perhaps grandchildren. I'm not going to pursue these thoughts anymore to burden our communi-titty. But I was unusually off-center this evening with these thoughts.

On joining the senior center - why wait? Is membership really that $$$? Or are you really just looking for an excuse to put it off...

I don't mind you sharing. We're in close to similar boats. Granted, I'm only 50. But you're in better health than me!

My best recommendation: STAY ACTIVE PHYSICALLY, for as long as you can.

Loosing physical mobility (due to weight-gain, lethargy, or just sheer laziness, or a combination of the three in my case) is utterly devastating.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

On joining the senior center - why wait? Is membership really that $$$? Or are you really just looking for an excuse to put it off...

I don't mind you sharing. We're in close to similar boats. Granted, I'm only 50. But you're in better health than me!

My best recommendation: STAY ACTIVE PHYSICALLY, for as long as you can.

Loosing physical mobility (due to weight-gain, lethargy, or just sheer laziness, or a combination of the three in my case) is utterly devastating.

I think I've developed an aversion to crowding my schedule. I'm going forward to investigate the senior center and schedule a "debut". I don't think it costs much of anything. Certainly not something I cannot afford!

I was just reading the obituary of my neighbor who died on December 31, about a week or so after I'd been chatting with him in the street. 80 years old. Lived alone. (But lucky to have a son and daughter).

I need to develop more social contact, and that will keep me from having too many of these negative thoughts.

What else bothered me tonight? I can't find anything on TV to occupy my mind. You can only take so much in news about government and the trials of you-know-who. He who has no name.

You are absolutely right about physical activity, though.

Well, it's after 10PM and I think I'm going to suck on a cannabis gummi.

 

[igor_kavinski]

I can't find anything on TV to occupy my mind.

Do mentally stimulating stuff like reading or solving puzzles. This website is based on research by PhDs on keeping the brain from degenerating by engaging in special games: https://www.lumosity.com/en/

Think of anything you really wanted to do over the years but couldn't and just do that. Don't wait!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Grandpa always did the daily cryptoquote, and Grandma did the crossword. In pen.

They remained sharp and lucid into their 90s when they passed.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

igor and Larry -- I guess I was devastated to watch what happened to my mother, which didn't really begin to show itself until she was 88 (although she stopped driving her car at 80). But I think you are both right about this. I'm attempting to do as you suggest. Exercise is also especially good, but harder to effectively do with COPD. I'm working on that, too . . . .

 

[VirtualLarry]

Exercise is also especially good, but harder to effectively do with COPD. I'm working on that, too . . . .

I wasn't referring to workouts, just make sure to get up and walk 10-15-30 minutes per day, or equivalent.

Iow, don't sit in a chair or bed all day long.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I wasn't referring to workouts, just make sure to get up and walk 10-15-30 minutes per day, or equivalent.

Iow, don't sit in a chair or bed all day long.

Today I'm going to work in my garden. But I need to resume my daily walk of 1/2 mile with 1/4 mile uphill. Right now, I'm eating my breakfast with my pills and ready to inhale my Trelegy.

Yesterday, I felt pretty good about pushing a cart in the grocery store and other things I was doing.

 

[Torn Mind]

My daily breakfast:

1 cup of plain classic Cheerios
1 handful of Pecan halves
An appropriate amount of fresh lo-fat milk
1 banana, sliced into small pieces

I would like to think that my weight would come down if I just eat this two or three times a day. But maybe I should limit myself to 1 banana daily.

And you wonder why you are still gaining weight...

Cheerios is mostly simple starches and a multivitamin supplement. These starches are easily converted into glucose by amylase. So you're still getting that shot of blood sugar.
A banana still has a substantial amount of sugar.

When insulin is released, fat burning is inhibited in preference of glucose metabolism.

Eat some greens, eggs, and fish and call it a day.

 

[Torn Mind]

I'd like to THINK I care about my health; I agree that I am relatively naive.

After the spot this morning with Velshi and his remarks about artificial sweeteners, I made another web query and very easily and quickly came up with this:

Time Magazine: Artificial Sweeteners Aren't the Answer for Obesity

In my case, obesity wasn't a serious problem, and I was going to get my weight down to 190. But at 206 lbs, it is an emerging problem.

So I have to confront my weakness for soft drinks with a discipline of plain water, and get back to the Kombucha option I was pursuing through end of the last year. I just went out yesterday and bought 24 bottles of the "Golden Peach" aspartame sparkling water. I should immediately go the grocery and buy a pile of drinking water to consume instead. I'll need to inform my primary care doctor about this stuff. Maybe I can treat myself once a month to a bottle of the Golden Peach.

I had always hated the taste of diet soda, before they started using the aspartame sweetener. I avoided them. So my exposure to this stuff has continued for only about four months or so.

You can use xylitol, although not too much or else you'll get diarrhea. It's birch tree sugar

 

[William Gaatjes]

Well, folks! Dr. Gaatjes most certainly initiated a very interesting thread.

I've mentioned it elsewhere: Two years ago, my primary care doctor told me to cut back on soft drinks and bottled fruit juice because I had "pre-diabetic" blood sugar or A1C levels. Dummy that I am, I didn't pay much attention. Taking care of my bed-bound Moms (who died in October '23), we were really enjoying the Martinelli's Sparkling Cider. After Thanksgiving, 2022, I was buying and consuming between 5 and 10 bottles of that stuff per week. Then in spring, 2023, the doc told me that I'm diabetic -- type-2 diabetes. Maybe I mentioned that before in this thread, but then, that's how I took a keen interest in Dr. Gaatjes original post.

So I had discovered this sparkling water at the grocery store in about ten different flavors sweetened with Aspartame. And I also gave a long dissertation about that here.

I saw my pulmonologist on Friday, and I was STUNNED! -- I had been trying to lose weight from the last measurement of 200 lbs. But instead, at time of the Friday visit, my weight had increased to 206!!!

This morning, I woke up to Velshi on the MSNBC news, conversing with some author over the topic "Food Inc." Velshi observed -- I THINK this is what I heard -- that these artificial sweeteners actually TRICK the body into storing more fat.

So people drinking diet soda to lose weight may find the opposite effect to occur?! And my weight increased 6 lbs in two or three months after hydrating myself exclusively with the flavored, artificially sweetened sparkling water?!!!

I was REALLY beginning to love that stuff! My brother told me today that I should look for some beer with low alcohol content. I can also switch back to plain sparkling water mixed with powdered Kombucha. That's somewhat more trouble, though, than just popping open a bottle of the Aspartame stuff.

Fun to share information.

Sometimes, it is not only the body that responds to sweeteners. People are also susceptible to fungi. The Candida ones are known to infect humans, often with overweight but that does not have to be the case.
Candida can infect the innersides of the digestive system, the mouth, and all other orifices one can think of with respect to the human body.

These fungi seem to be able to modulate chemical signals in the human body at least. And the fungi hijacks the chemical messages that your digestive system and the rest of the body is communicating with.
The brain where our conscious can be found, is also susceptible to those messages. If that may also be because of the important role vagus nerve plays with two way intercommunication between the digestive system and the brain.
We share genes it seems with fungi probably thus also chemical messengers and proteins, enzymes. Perhaps the first eukaryotic cell or first protozoa are a hybrid of fungi and bacteria combined.
I still hope to learn more about one day.

The problem is , that we are thaught through commercials and social pressure to constantly drink fluids, with high sugar content. And when you consume those high sugar content fluids like softdrinks daily, fluids with a lot lower sugar content seem to taste bitter, or tasteless, just bad.
My bloodsugars are regularly tested on a yearly basis and perfect although at times and ocassions i to also love to consume some coca cola , candy or just chocolate paste on bread. But that is not my standard food pattern.
I do try to make sure that these sugars are just the normal glucose sugars like for example from sugar beets. I do not use any sugar on a regular basis, my (herbal) teas, coffee are always plain without sugar.
I have to, because that HFCS and EU made HFS derivatives give me stomach issues , like bloating , gas and not feeling well. So although i consume split glucose -frustose syrups , it is because it is just there.
That is why i also make my own fresh fruit pies and prefer to use a bit of coconut (palm) sugar albeit sparsely .

From a person who also has to watch the sugar intake because of age, i got the tip to use in the summer just plain water with a small slice of lemon. I add some icecubes and that is it. Tastes wonderful and does cleanse the digestive system.
And it lessens the thirst a lot better than those sugar laced drinks or sweetener laced drinks. In time, when you consume hardly any sugar, you feel it especially when on a weekend sugar binge. You feel, you get nacious and do not want to eat anymore. At least i do.

Also, drinking plenty of water is good for the body, the skin, the pores , and very important : The joints (uric acid levels) by means of urinating on a regular basis. This prevents arthritis and in the long run reumatic conditions that can no longer be cured.
A lot of people in the western world and for example Arabic world consume a large amount of sugar. Way to much meat like at least a 1 kg (around 2 pounds) a day. And drink not enough water. Smart people who metaphorically read religious text would think : "Gluttony !" .
But reality is a combination of :

• stress,
• habits,
• folklore,
• urban legends,
• urban myths,
• food additives,
• and sometimes indeed : Greed.

Also, drinking plenty of water is important for cartilage and also for the intervertebral discs. The intervertebral discs are sort of like really tough to squeeze sponges. The intervertebral discs are highly dependent on the amout of water a person takes in on a daily basis.
Especially before you sleep, your body must hold sufficient water.

And last but not least, the build up of muscles and allowing to maintain muscles even without constant exercise and with a normal healthy diet ,water is very important.


See this post for more information how to prevent : Gout, tendon issues, arthritis , and in the long run reumatic conditions that cannot be cured, but only kept at "Status Quo".

Had/have carpal tunnel syndrome? Had surgery, it's working out.

I have it, severe, in both hands. First knew I likely had an issue with it over 20 years ago when I had a difficult to diagnose and treat left shoulder problem. That came crucial one day almost 30 years ago while doing my daily 2 mile lap swim. Had to stop and I have never tried lap swimming...

forums.anandtech.com

 

[William Gaatjes]

As a sidenote, beer for example often contains phytoestrogens that are basically just plant sexhormones that are similar to the estrogen sexhormones like we have.

For some reason, when beer is consumed in large amounts, often these phytoestrogens seem to promote genderchanging secundairy features on human males.
Like for example breast tissue on males or more fat deposits on parts of the body where male human bodies normally do not store fat, like hips, upper leg and ass and of course the belly...
Add the consumption of large amount of meat often from cows or chickens and not bulls or roosters. Which sometimes can contain large amounts of animal estrogens.
Which ordinarily should not happen because the blood is not consumed...

Something to think about.
Not every human is susceptible to phytoestrogens though...

As a sidenote to use as a joke :
Just in case : For al those LGBT+ transgenders that are laughed at and burdened by manly men who drink lots of beer and it shows : Just laugh silently and grin widely !

 

[William Gaatjes]

I have Type 2 Diabetes and am using a low daily dose of a common drug prescribed by my doctor which has been working well for some years. I also changed several food habits, but I certainly do not feel I am depriving myself badly. One of the very first changes I made is in my use of Iced Tea, a beverage I really enjoy. I used to buy and use the big cans of powdered Iced Tea, although I prefer it more dilute that the instructions - it is too sweet to my taste. So I changed how I made it. I happen to prefer the Earl Grey flavour version of tea, and I am not really picky about the exact taste and quality. So I got one of those large plastic juice jugs that holds more than a large 48 oz tin of canned juice. Then I buy a supermarket's in-house cheaper brand of Earl Grey tea bags.I put 2 bags in the jug, fill it with boiling water, let it steep for 15 to 10 min and remove the bags, then chill it off and store in the fridge. I do not add any sugar - never did use sugar in hot tea, anyway - so it's just flavoured water, but cold and ready any time. That switch must have removed a bunch of sugar from my daily intake.

Another small easy step. I surveyed the breakfast cereal boxes in the supermarket and identified the ones with the lowest sugar contents.It is amazing now much sugar is added to simple cereals, AND to certain flavour versions of common ones! I found the lowest are Shredded Wheat and plain (no extra flavour) Cheerios, both of which I have liked for a long time, so no problem using them! I was amazed at how much sugar is in the "natural" commercial Granola products - surely a bunch of that added and NOT part of the basic ingredients!

I have some food tips that you may appreciate in post 64 , it works for me , see link :

Page 3 - It is so weird to know that a widely used sweetener is made from coal tar.

Page 3 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

forums.anandtech.com

 

[William Gaatjes]

Most people do not know this but carrageenans (EU number E407) are often made from red edible seaweed.
Sometimes carrageenans (E407 ) can be found in dairy products like whipcream and perhaps also icecream.
However, if the red seaweed source is questionable, the red seaweed provided, can perhaps also be Asparagopsis taxiformis, a seaweed containing bromoform and a recognized carcinogen for all animals, not tested on humans because of safety reasons but we should not take that risk anyway.
So, there should be strict policy about checking where food ingredients come from and if it is what is described.

 

[igor_kavinski]

In time, when you consume hardly any sugar, you feel it especially when on a weekend sugar binge. You feel, you get nacious and do not want to eat anymore. At least i do.

Yeah when I was younger, I had to have something sweet at least once a day. My dad (diabetic) would freak out at me eating something too sweet and he would make sure that I got a blood sugar test when I visited the doc for any reason. But I was under 30 at that time so of course it always came back negative. Then after I turned 30, I started researching food a bit more coz I knew that the body starts degrading after age 30 and metabolism slows down. Found lots of articles saying that sugar was nothing more than "white poison". That was very concerning for me so I made a very conscious effort to start avoiding it.

The cravings went away after a week or two and then I noticed a weird change. Things that didn't seem to taste bad to me before suddenly tasted wayyyy too sweet. Like milk chocolate just tastes awful to me and now I only want dark chocolate. I will often spit out the morsel of too sweet food or not eat any more of it. I guess the taste buds return to normal sensitivity after years of being desensitized by too much sugar influx and start doing their actual job of warning the human that he is eating something that isn't really good for him.

Another thing to be wary of is chilled soft drinks. Drink it warm and you can tell how obnoxiously sweet it is but when it is chilled, the taste buds get desensitized I guess and unable to warn us anymore. I'm also lucky in that if I eat something too sweet due to unavailability of anything else or due to it being cold, I can feel the bacteria in my mouth starting to multiply in 20 minutes or less (hard to describe but I feel something not good happening in my gum pockets). That gives me a very icky/yucky feeling and then I brush the hell out of my teeth to get that clean mouth feeling again.