<p>I believe that it does but you still have the calories to deal with - if the sweetness results in you eating more of them, then you still have the calorie problem.</p>
<p>[USDA</a> ERS - Corn: Background](<a href=“http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/corn/background.aspx]USDA”>USDA ERS - Feed Grains Sector at a Glance) indicates that the predominant use of corn grown in the US is for feeding animals to be eaten by humans, not feeding humans (until recently, when feeding cars become a big consumer).</p>
<p>More food animals => more corn consumption. (Then again, corn economics is seriously distorted by government subsidies anyway.)</p>
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<p>Eating whole fruit is healthier than drinking fruit juice, both because of the extra fiber (which helps you feel full) and because it takes longer to eat the fruit than the drink the juice. Most people won’t eat as many apples as it takes to make a cup of apple juice.</p>
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<p>The sugar (fructose) in raw fruit is horrible for you whether it comes from a spoon of sugar or from an apple. But, the sugar in the apple is absorbed with so much fiber that it’s really not a problem. You can drink five apples in a glass of juice in a minute. Nobody could eat five apples. </p>
<p>It’s a dose-dependent problem. The liver (the only place fructose is metabolized) can deal with limited amounts. When it is hit with a big slug of fructose, things go downhill fast. Excess fructose is converted to triglycerides (fat) which causes fatty liver disease, insulin resistance, obesity, coronary artery disease, and on and on and on.</p>
<p>You don’t want to go crazy eating fruit, but it’s way better than any other imaginable “sweet tooth” option. A piece or two a day is no problem for most people.</p>
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<p>The problem is that sugar is everywhere in processed foods, even in foods that are sold as healthy.</p>
<p>For example, my favorite [Honey</a> Nut Cheerios](<a href=“http://whatsyourmodotorg.files.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2013/01/honey-nut-cheerios.jpg]Honey”>http://whatsyourmodotorg.files.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2013/01/honey-nut-cheerios.jpg) says right on the box that it lowers cholesterol and reduces heart disease. Baloney. Honey Nut Cheerios are 32% sugar (by weight). It is literally like sitting down at the table with a bowl of sugar and a spoon.</p>
![http://whatsyourmodotorg.files.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2013/01/honey-nut-cheerios.jpg]Honey](http://whatsyourmodotorg.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/honey-nut-cheerios.jpg%5DHoney){kind=link}
<p><a href=“https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/cereal-sugar-list/[/url]”>https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/cereal-sugar-list/</a></p>
<p>Even a cereal that is supposedly “heathy” is hidden sugar. Here’s the nutrition label for Kashi:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.kashi.com/products/nutrition_info/organic_cereal_simply_maize[/url]”>http://www.kashi.com/products/nutrition_info/organic_cereal_simply_maize</a></p>
<p>It’s 22% sugar (by weight), cleverly hidden as “organic evaporated cane juice” and “organic molasses” as the 2nd and 4th ingredients. The idea that eating this stuff for breakfast is good for you is the result of very cynical marketing (and some misguided public policy telling people to eat 55% to 60% carbs.</p>
<p>In comparison, a medium Fuji apple is only 11% sugar and has 5 grams of fiber versus 2 grams in a “serving” of Kashi.</p>
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<p>One of the theories on this is that eating a high carb diet forces the body to store fat instead of burning it (thanks to elevated insulin). Without being able to tap the fat stores, the energy from carbs is gone in a hour or two. And, it is believed that falling insulin levels are a major hunger trigger. According to the theory, once you wean off the carbs (morning, noon, and night), you start burning body fat, of which all of us have nearly unlimited supplies. Figure that if you losing a pound a week of body fat, that’s an extra 500 calories a day you are burning above and beyond what you are eating. I am inclined to think there is some merit to these theories. Once I got past the stage of standing in the grocery aisle and forcing myself to put back the cannister of Pringles, I found it much easier skip the binge snacking.</p>
<p>I eat massive servings of fresh veggies, often sauteed in butter, so they are incredibly tasty and filling. Massive salads, with generous amounts of olive oil and crumbled blue cheese or parmigiano cheese. So, when I walk away from the table, I’m stuffed. I also “snack” on really good coffee with half n’ half during the day. I also don’t pay much attention to serving sizes. Why in the world would I want to limit myself to a deck of cards size portion of haddock for dinner? That’s exactly the thing you want to eat more of, not less! Skip the rice and have 12 ounces of fish with a big mound of broccoli or green beans or spinach.</p>
<p>^For a man you can probably ignore the deck of cards size recommendation., but I think if I ate 12 oz steaks every night, I’d blow up like a balloon! (I can eat more fish, since it’s much lower in calories.) </p>
<p>That said, I have not found that supposedly high fiber carbs like oatmeal keep me feeling full for very long at all. If I have an egg at breakfast I’m not hungry till lunch. If I eat oatmeal I’m starving at 10 am. But I am all for filling up on real vegetables and eating enough protein for you to feel happy till the next meal.</p>
<p>If you like fish, I highly recommend eating more of it. Low cal, high in protein, cooks fast, delicious.</p>
<p>Based on the “fish oil” thread, it does seem that many people do not like fish (because if they ate fish, they would have no need to take fish oil supplements).</p>
<p>Also, I have seen a lot of dieters (all types, including low carb) fail because they do not like vegetables.</p>
<p>Yeah. A 12 ounce (raw weight) haddock filet is only 240 calories. Other than cost, I can’t think of any reason at all to limit portion sizes of something like fish or seafood. 12 ounces of chicken breast is 330 calories. !2 ounces of boneless pork roast is 390 calories. These are not huge numbers. Steak’s a little more. </p>
<p>Way better to eat the bigger piece of protein and skip the pasta side dish or the dinner rolls.</p>
<p>Heck, I bet many a bowl of “heart healthy whole grain cereal” for breakfast is more than 300 calories. A “healthy” Starbucks Caramel Frappucino is 410 calories, or about the same as a 12 ounce grilled rib eye steak. So, why the nutrionists want to guilt-trip people over a piece of fish, I’ll never understand. No wonder dieting is so hard!</p>
<p>I think the “deck of cards” portion size must have come from the notion that people should be eating five meals a day. That means each one must be a nibble.</p>
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<p>I had to chuckle at the fantastic recipes in the Peanut Butter cookie thread. To die for. If I started eating some of those, I would never stop…</p>
<p>I ran the numbers on the one that made 48 cookies. It worked out to 126 calories per cookie. So four of them is the same calories as a 12 ounce grilled rib eye steak. I know that I would scarf down four them in a blink of the eye and four more of them would be calling my name a half hour later. Yet, the nutritionists have everyone convinced that the steak is the bad guy!</p>
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<p>I’ve never met a vegetable I didn’t like with a TBS of butter mixed in. 
Heck, I even like brussel sprouts, if they are cooked in enough bacon and wine… </p>
<p>The whole fat-jihad messed people up. Oh noze, you can’t put butter on your veggies. But, a mountain of broccoli and a TBS of butter is still only about 200 calories. The same people who wouldn’t put butter on their veggies because “it’s bad for you” would eat a side of pasta that is nothing but bad news nutritionally.</p>
<p>mathmom, I find oatmeal very filling. Are you eating instant oatmeal, or rolled or steel-cut oats that you cook yourself? I eat the latter, mixed with Greek yogurt, and it fills me up for hours. I find it more filling than eggs.</p>
<p>I have been able to make some permanent changes in my diet, such as eliminating fruit juice, greatly reducing bread consumption, increasing vegetable consumption, generally reducing the amount of food I eat. I think that most people make these kind of changes naturally as they get older. I gave up wine completely about 5 weeks ago, after I realized that it really doesn’t agree with me. I was never a big drinker, the most I ever had was 2-4 oz, but it was enough to make me feel sluggish and foggy, and it was a depressant. I still have some bad habits but they are gradually disappearing.</p>
<p>One thing I struggle with is how to feed my teenage sons. They love orange juice, and if I buy a half-gallon, it is gone within 8 hours. I have learned how awful this is for you and I am really conflicted about buying it for them. I have successfully kept my older son from drinking soda; he doesn’t even like it and never touches it. Despite my efforts, my younger son drinks it sometimes when he is out with friends. They love pretzels and chips and ice cream. And lots of things that I know are not good for them. I do cook a lot of vegetables and make a huge salad almost every day. My older son will eat these things in huge quantities, my younger son will eat smaller portions with some urging. </p>
<p>I can’t see putting them on the kind of diet my husband and I follow these days. But I am feeling worse and worse about some of the things I provide for them. My younger son likes to have a large fruit salad every few days. I make it but am feeling more and more conflicted about it.</p>
<p>They both love pizza. All kids their age love pizza, and that is what they have when they go out with their friends.</p>
<p>Idad, I almost never use butter, a 1/4-pound stick lasts over a month in our house. But I do use olive oil and my version of your vegetable treatment is to roast vegetables in olive oil and garlic or spices. And to make salads. I have a number of great salad recipes; my favorite these days is a mixture of escarole, radiccio and endive, with a dressing made with olive oil, chopped shallots, and white balsamic vinegar, topped with orange and grapefruit sections and (if I have them) pomegranate seeds. I make this several times a week in a large mixing bowl. It is always gone in 24 hours. It lasts well in the refrigerator, doesn’t wilt, I eat the leftovers for lunch the next day, unless S1 has already eaten them all (late-night snack and even at breakfast). This salad is a real treat. I suppose the fruit isn’t great, though. Most of my salads do not include fruit.</p>
<p>I would say that a teenage boy snacking on fruit salad is about as close to perfect nutrition as you’ll ever get!</p>
<p>Ditto with fruit slices to liven up a salad. That’s so far down the list of problem foods that I know I’ll never get to that point!</p>
<p>I was eating steel cut oatmeal that we cooked ourselves. Topped with fruit, some milk. I like Greek yogurt, but the idea of mixing it with my oatmeal doesn’t appeal at all. I’m happy with my breakfast, my bloodwork is more than fine, so for now I’ll keep eating eggs.</p>
<p>Mathmom isn’t it some kind of myth anyway that eating eggs raises cholesterol?</p>
<p>Thanks for this active thread! I am going to book mark it and look at it when I need motivation! (not the PB cookie recipe thread!)</p>
<p>I also don’t find steel cut oatmeal, made myself, to be at all filling.</p>
<p>Eggs definitely keep my hunger at bay and Lipitor does the rest. I’ve tried changing my diet and exercising and it did nothing at all for my lipids. Our entire family has high cholesterol unchanged by diet and exercise, unfortunately…</p>
<p>mathmom, I think eggs are a great food. I just don’t like them as much as I like oatmeal. </p>
<p>martharap, I’ve known two people who had very high cholesterol at young ages despite being very healthy and thin and exercising. One was even a marathon runner. Both people were of Lebanese descent and for both the problem ran in their families.</p>
<p>Pork chops, kale, and acorn squash for dinner tonight. If only all my meals were so perfect…</p>
<p>Steel cut oatmeal alone wouldn’t do it for me - mostly cause it would be kind of boring! I add buttermilk in the last couple minutes of cooking (Alton Brown tip!) along with chopped almonds and a little dried fruit - then it’s filling!</p>
<p>I cut out (almost) all carbs and lost 25 pounds in about 4 months. I also started exercising of course, but just walking fast on a treadmill a couple of times a week. I eat all the fruits, vegetables, and protein (lean meat and nuts) I want. For breakfast I have one piece of whole wheat toast with peanut butter. That’s the only bread-type item I eat. If I feel hungry between meals, I have a hand full of almonds. I feel better now than I have in years.</p>
<p>I like oatmeal with brown sugar, but honestly I like eggs better - I like them fried, I like them poached, I like them boiled and like them scrambled. And I have a jillion kinds of jam to put on my little whole wheat English muffin or bagel. It only takes a teaspoon to make me happy. </p>
<p>For losing weight what really makes a difference for me is to exercise every day. The off days doesn’t have to be much. Playing with weights or kettleballs at home for 15 minutes or so - panting but not sweating is enough.</p>
<p>I finally went to a nutritionist who told me that the “glycemic index” of carbs matters. The highly refined cards like white bread are the worst, but most “starches” are pretty bad. They send up blood sugar and the insulin release triggers carb cravings and hunger.</p>
<p>The nutritionist suggesting starting a protein sparing modified fast in order to shake the carbs. I drink a protein shake I make in the blender for breakfast and dinner (Protein RX plus at Trader Joes). Breakfast mix it with fresh OJ, dinner is chocolate with 1 cup skim milk. Meets 100% of daily protein needs. </p>
<p>The rest of the day munch at will on fresh fruit, veggies, salad with lemon juice/ a little olive oil, non-fat yoghurt, occasional cheese, and a few nuts. For an occasional “meal” broiled fish, chicken or a little steak is all OK.</p>
<p>I was amazed how much carbo crap I was eating - muffins, bread, PASTA, potatoes, cookies. Just thinking of carbs now is yucky. They are everywhere.</p>
<p>I feel great and have lost 40 pounds. Not hungry. Lots of energy. Came off my pre-diabetes meds.</p>