[masraum]

Originally Posted by Evans, Marv

I also have a major sweet tooth and didn't really think about it until a few years ago when my doc said I had elevated blood sugar. Then I started reading articles about the negative effects of it. Scared the hell out of me. I cut way down. I had more than my share of ice cream, chocolate, some candy, cakes, etc. It's kind of like anything else. If you cut it totally out of your life, you find yourself yearning for that sweet thing. So I allow myself a dessert once in a while but normally don't eat sugary things for a long spell.

I am fortunate to not have a blood sugar problem. Mine is always around 90 which is within spec. My cholesterol was bad. I think that was due to the fact that not only did I eat sweets frequently, but I went through a period where I was probably having 3-5 pints of ice cream on weekends (several years ago). I cut that out. Now I have a little occasionally. I lost a little weight and have been exercising. I also fast 2-3 days a week My Cholesterol is now also within spec.

Originally Posted by Hugh R

Its interesting to see how sugar is made. 40 y/o I did inspections for the EPA in Louisiana, they would bring the sugar cane into a nasty dirty plant, shred it, and soak it in boiling water vats and then take the shredded cane called "bagasse" and run it through a few presses to squeeze the residual sugar out of the bagasse.

I remember a one armed guy with his left arm torn off and his left side of his face basically gone with a gallon can of grease tied around his neck and him using a paint brush, with his remaining arm, to coat six foot spinning gears that were unguarded (tells you why he lost his arm and 1/2 his face).

They'd take the crystallized brown sugar (sugar-in-the-raw) and move it across dirt lots with front end loaders and then dump it into barges that were full of cat-sized rats.

Refined sugar (white) has at least been bleached which sort of kills the rat poop and other vermin residue.

I laugh when people say brown sugar is more "natural" or some such nonsense.

That said, I enjoy ice cream and chocolate cake as much as anyone. Ever taste unsweetened coco? It tastes like dirt.

Muy interesante! It is better for you at least from the point of view of if it is clean or not. Molasses has all of the minerals and vitamins and stuff concentrated down, and that's what makes brown sugar brown. So brown sugar is white sugar with some molasses. Now, if you know that the sugar doesn't have any dead rats or rat poop in it, then brown vs white should be better.

I love chocolate, especially dark chocolate. I've been moving to darker and darker chocolate, and can now very much enjoy unsweetened chocolate or unsweetened hot cocoa (although it is definitely better with some sugar)

Originally Posted by flatbutt

As did I but you can overdo fruit as well. I did and got a caution from my MD.

I guess I haven't done that then. I'll have 1-3 apples (depending upon size and what I'm doing) most days of the week, or in citrus season, that may be oranges.