Bread consumption habits

Sandra Hayes88 and dustycanyon6 seem to think (though I’m not totally sure they actually get it...) that how fast your blood glucose spikes matters

but look, the reality is that sucrose is gonna hit your system way faster than the starch you get from eating bread

and honestly, if you pair that sugar with some indigestible stuff—you know, fiber—it’ll slow down that glucose release compared to just eating plain old starch. that’s why we eat salads🙂 and if you actually want to feel like you're doing something productive for your body, stick to whole grain

Basically, a faster spike in blood glucose means a quicker response from your pancreas—meaning more insulin gets dumped into your bloodstream

and let me tell you, that can be a real nightmare IF YOU ARE, SAY, OVERWEIGHT. Or if you're dealing with type 2 diabetes.

I mean, how much am I supposed to take these people seriously when they claim sugar is inherently unhealthy? Like, what’s the actual issue if it spikes insulin quickly? For healthy people, it honestly doesn't do a thing, and you can't exactly judge the healthiness of an entire food group based on how it affects someone who is already sick... Honestly, I'm just done wasting my precious time listening to these "healthy eating" propagandists who probably get paid five times over to push stuff that isn't even grounded in reality and is basically useless anyway.
It truly makes zero sense to me why someone would eat bread just because of the fiber or vitamins, then go around bragging about how much healthier they are since it has fiber and vitamins, when most of it is present in such pathetic, tiny amounts. Sure, if someone thinks it tastes better, fine, whatever, but this whole idea that 🙄 🙄
is just plain stupid in my eyes. If you want vitamins, eat something that actually packs a punch, like fruit, and if you want fiber, stick to vegetables, instead of buying into these whole grain breads that barely have any nutrients or fiber to begin with and cost an absolute fortune, like they're made of solid gold... I mean, does anyone actually believe there's a massive amount of vitamins or fiber in whole grain bread? And now we're supposed to believe white bread is "unhealthy"??? Or that sugar is "unhealthy"??? Just look at the power of propaganda. It's ridiculous.
Anyway, I'm not going to waste any more energy on this.

rustymoose54 said:I think Sandra Hayes88 and dustycanyon6 are talking about the speed at which blood glucose levels spike... though I'm not entirely sure they fully get the nuances of it...

It’s true... sucrose is going to spike your glucose way before any starch from the bread you're eating does...

It’s true... when you pair starch with those indigestible little bits—you know, the fiber—it just slows down how fast your glucose spikes compared to eating the starch all by itself. That's exactly why we load up on salads... 🙂 And if we really want to believe we're actually doing something good for ourselves... like switching out to whole grain flour...

When your blood sugar spikes fast... it basically forces your pancreas to scramble. It’s gotta kick out that insulin way quicker, which ends up leaving you with a much higher concentration of insulin floating around in your bloodstream...

And that’s supposed to be awkward... IF YOU ARE, say, overweight. Or if you're dealing with type 2 diabetes...

Thanks—you really nailed what I was trying to say there... exactly how I felt about it. 😉

Spiking your insulin levels too often—usually because of all that sugar or high-glycemic stuff we eat—can really mess things up. It doesn't even matter if you're diabetic or not... you still end up facing all those cardiovascular issues that seem to be everywhere these days. I've come to realize that sugar (and yeah, I think we all know exactly which kind I’m talking about) is just plain bad for you. Honestly, white bread isn't much better... it's basically in the same category. And man, the damage sugar can actually do... Sandra Hayes88 shared a link about it earlier. Most of the chronic illnesses we see in the US are basically just the fallout from eating way too much sugar and all that other processed junk that acts just like it...

driftinggull13 said:As far as I can tell, they're always claiming sugar is unhealthy. But honestly, what's the big deal if it spikes insulin? For healthy people, it doesn't really matter... and you shouldn't judge a food's healthiness based on how it affects sick people.

Well, sick people used to be healthy once... 😉 It’s like you're totally blind here. Look at the US—the land of McDonald's—where everything is packed with sugar and saturated fats, and now everyone is overweight and ill. Just do the math! 😉 Didn't you see Supersize me? I don't get you... you're just going against everything we've learned lately, even the biggest skeptics are starting to realize how bad fast food actually is. Do you work at McDonald's or something? Are you just spreading propaganda? What's wrong with you?

And don't go forgetting that you can get just as fat—and pack on all those other nasty side effects of being overweight—by simply EATING MORE THAN YOU BURN, regardless of whether you're hitting the refined stuff or the "natural" carbs

(basically, white bread vs. whole grain)

The whole trick is in the portions... there’s no such thing as "unprocessed," "all-natural," or "healthy" bread or dough that you can just shovel into your face endlessly without consequences 😉

Back when I was a kid, after being sick once, I ended up staying skinny and pretty frail.

You want to know how I actually gained weight? By eating nothing but so-called "healthy food"—but in massive amounts. Seriously, zero Glucose, no white flour, just perfectly balanced, healthy meals. And I was doing that six times a day 😬

dustycanyon6 said:Even sick people used to be healthy once... 😉 It’s like you’re completely blind—look, we live in the US, the land of McDonald's, where everything is loaded with sugar and saturated fats, so naturally, everyone is overweight and dealing with health issues. Just do the math! 😉 Haven't you seen Supersize me? I honestly don't get you—you're just going against everything we've learned lately, when even the biggest skeptics are starting to realize how toxic fast food actually is. Do you work at McDonald's or something, so you have to spread this fast-food propaganda? What's wrong with you?

And here he goes again... I don't eat McDonald's because it makes me feel like crap (which I hope is the last time I ever have to deal with it), but unlike you, I don't just fall for baseless propaganda, whether it's for or against McDonald's, or for or against so-called "healthy food." I use my own brain, plus I actually have an education... The second you try to dive into the actual details of nutritional physiology, it's clear you haven't got a clue, and the moment you pivot to internet demagoguery, you won't find anyone to talk to here because we aren't playing at that level. You're just like most of these "health food" fanatics who suffer from a chronic lack of basic knowledge regarding natural sciences and physiology. You just pick up buzzwords like Glucose, monosaccharides, insulin, or glycemic indices without having any real understanding—not even a surface-level one—and then it takes fifty-six posts just to explain what you actually read and how you mostly misinterpreted some biased half-information being served to you...
You should probably go back and look at your own stories about the dangers of Sahara, only to eventually conclude that there's just one molecule of Glucose in a single molecule of Sahara, mašala. You were ranting about how harmful Sahara is, and then you suddenly pivoted to saying the danger is actually the sudden insulin spike, which isn't even harmful for a healthy person anyway...
Anyway, I'm done wasting my time with you people...
Later,
👋

driftinggull13 said:Look at your own posts about how bad Sahara is, only to end up claiming that one molecule of Sahara contains just one molecule of Glucose. Unbelievable. You lectured us on the dangers of Sahara, then suddenly switched gears to say the danger is actually just the sudden insulin spike, which supposedly isn't even harmful to a healthy person.

I haven't changed a thing—it’s called "cause and effect." A massive insulin spike IS harmful, whether you're perfectly healthy or already struggling with health issues. And Sahara is what triggers it. If you can't see the link between those two things... well...

The pancreas releases insulin—produced by beta cells—after you eat carbohydrates. This causes a rise in blood sugar. Insulin ensures your cells receive some blood sugar necessary for life, and increases glycogen storage. However, it also drives your body to use more carbohydrate, and less fat, as fuel. And, insulin converts almost half of your dietary carbohydrate to fat for storage. In other words, when we eat too much carbohydrate, we're essentially sending a hormonal message, via insulin, to the body (actually, to the adipose cells). The message: "Store Fat."

Not only do increased insulin levels tell the body to store carbohydrates as fat, they also tell it not to release any stored fat. This makes it impossible for you to use your own stored body fat for energy. So the excess carbohydrates in your diet not only make you fat, they make sure you stay fat.

High levels of insulin can cause major damage to your body. The most recognized of these is diabetes. In addition, hypertension, obesity, high levels of cholesterol and other lipids, heart disease, kidney disease, female infertility and neurodegeneration are all causes of eating too many carbohydrates, resulting in high insulin levels.

I think everything is laid out pretty clearly there. If you disagree with my quote, please... feel free to argue against it with some actual facts!

dustycanyon6 said:Look, spiking your insulin levels like crazy is straight-up dangerous—and I'm not just talking about people with health issues, though for them, it’s even worse. It's bad news for anyone, period. And you know what's driving that whole mess? Sucrose... pure sugar. Just a massive, unwanted surge.

Yeah, true... but like, even something like white bread—you know, that processed dough stuff—it still triggers insulin release too...

Look, I'm telling you—for the eighteenth time now—it all comes down to the sheer volume of stuff you're shoving in your face. You've got one of those little sugar-addicted characters out there claiming they need less insulin for a massive plate of whole wheat pasta... seriously? Trust me on this one... 😉

rustymoose54 said:It all comes down to the amounts (eighteenth time I'm saying this). One tiny spoonful of sugar requires way less insulin than a massive plate of whole wheat pasta, trust me... 😉

I trust you! 😉 The issue is just that the average person isn't going to limit themselves to one single spoonful of sugar a day. And on top of that, they won't even notice if they stir a spoonful of sugar into their lemonade and then go ahead and devour a huge plate of whole wheat pasta... Not even that, they won't care if it's whole wheat or regular white pasta. And maybe they'll have some bread with the pasta too... White bread, because it tastes better... Then they won't even think twice about having a little dessert with cookies or chocolate. That's where we hit a wall. Even 10% of a Coca-Cola is pure sugar! I bet other sodas aren't much different either... So, it’s not just about one little spoonful...

So my husband is just your "average Joe"—I mean, he barely touches more than a teaspoon of sugar a day, but he definitely isn't eating the way you described here

He's actually pretty good-looking 😍—not quite my type 😁 and lean too

Look, if someone actually feels a physical compulsion to binge on those kinds of amounts, they're dealing with an eating disorder, plain and simple

Most people struggling with insulin resistance or Type 2 diabetes are overweight. And honestly? You can eat the healthiest food on the planet and still end up gaining weight... it all comes down to portions.

I don't know the exact sugar count in a Coca-Cola, but let's be real, it's incredibly sweet. I usually stick to Diet Coke anyway—it's better for me (well, except for those times when I'm dealing with hypoglycemia)

Different people have totally different nutritional needs depending on what's going on with them. It’s not healthy to basically put certain foods on an altar of condemnation, because seriously—the key is mostly about quantity.

By the way, I know this woman who eats a few pounds of fruits and veggies every single day, along with some whole grain bread and fresh cheese.

And she is HUGE.

driftinggull13 said:As far as I can tell, they just insist sugar is unhealthy. But honestly, if something spikes insulin quickly, it doesn't bother healthy people—and you can't judge a food's healthiness based on how it affects people who are already sick. Besides, I’m done wasting my time on "healthy eating" propagandists who get paid five times over to push stuff that's barely even grounded in reality or practically useless.
It really makes no sense to me why someone would eat bread just because of the fiber or vitamins, claiming it's healthier simply because it has those things, when there's usually a pathetic amount of them anyway. If someone likes the taste, fine, but this other 🙄 🙄
is just idiotic, in my opinion. If you want vitamins, eat something actually packed with them, like fruit. If you want fiber, eat vegetables. Don't grab some whole grain bread that has tiny amounts of both and costs an arm and a leg. Does anyone seriously believe whole grain bread is loaded with vitamins or fiber? And now white bread is "unhealthy"??? Or sugar is "unhealthy"??? That's the power of propaganda for you. Whatever.
Anyway, I'm not wasting any more time. Lucy made a good point.

How is it that refined sugar ruins your teeth, but fruit and veggies don't, right?

rustymoose54 said:Don't forget you can get fat just as easily by packing on all those other obesity-related issues. It really just comes down to EATING MORE THAN YOU BURN, regardless of whether you're hitting the refined or unprocessed carbs.

(meaning white or whole grain bread)

The trick is the portions. There’s no such thing as "unprocessed," "natural," or "healthy" bread or dough that you can just gorge on indefinitely.😉

When I was a kid, I stayed skinny and weak after being sick once.

You want to know how I gained weight? By eating nothing but so-called "healthy food," but in massive quantities. Mind you, zero sucrose, zero white flour—just neat, healthy meals. Six times a day.😬

Your logic is honestly warped.🙄
One slice of chocolate cake can be up to 700 calories... so by your logic, having two or three slices of cake a day is basically the same as a healthy breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two healthy snacks because the calorie count is identical????😲

Sandra Hayes88 said:So, refined sugar rots your teeth, but fruit and veggies are totally fine, right?

😂

dustycanyon6 said:The pancreas releases insulin—produced by beta cells—after you consume carbohydrates. This triggers a spike in blood sugar. Insulin ensures your cells get the glucose necessary for survival and boosts glycogen storage. However, it also signals the body to burn more carbohydrates and less fat for fuel. Furthermore, insulin converts nearly half of your dietary carbs into fat for storage. Essentially, when we overconsume carbohydrates, we are sending a hormonal command via insulin to our adipose cells. The command is simple: "Store Fat."

Elevated insulin doesn't just signal the body to store carbs as fat; it also locks away your existing fat stores. It effectively prevents you from tapping into your own body fat for energy. Consequently, excess dietary carbohydrates don't just make you gain weight—they ensure you stay heavy.

Chronically high insulin levels can wreak havoc on your health. Diabetes is the most well-known consequence. Beyond that, hypertension, obesity, high cholesterol, heart disease, kidney issues, infertility, and even neurodegeneration are all linked to excessive carbohydrate intake and the resulting insulin spikes.

I have no idea who wrote this, but it’s pure half-truth nonsense... unbelievable. It’s like running 13 miles, and at the tenth mile, someone yells that you've reached the finish line, so you just stop.

Claiming that weight gain is a direct, immediate consequence of insulin levels is ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS and wrong.

The only accurate part is the beginning of the first paragraph. But it should have continued by explaining that excess glucose is converted into glycogen, which stays in the body for a certain period (depending on your metabolism) before eventually being turned into fat. This means if you eat two slices of bread too many today, you aren't going to suddenly balloon in size just because your insulin spiked. You won't wake up fatter tomorrow, either. You'll only start gaining weight the day after tomorrow if you fail to burn off the glycogen stored in your muscles and liver that came from those extra slices.

People here talk as if fat is "caught" by the body thirty minutes after eating an extra slice of bread. You need a sustained positive energy balance for about a week before your body actually starts building fat reserves. Nobody gets fat overnight.

The only way to succeed is to keep your energy balance near zero. That is how you stay lean and fit. It means if we stored some extra glycogen today (read: ate too much bread), we need to burn it off through physical activity tomorrow. Glycogen reserves act as a buffer, yet everyone in this debate seems determined to ignore that fact.

Sandra Hayes88 said:Your logic is seriously twisted.🙄
One slice of chocolate cake can hit 700 calories... so by your reasoning, eating two or three slices of cake every day is basically the same as having a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner plus two healthy snacks just because the calorie count matches????😲

I don't know if they still teach math in schools, but if you need 2,000 calories a day to function, I don't care where they come from when it comes to weight gain. I was at my thinnest when I lived on two Milky Ways a day and nothing else.🙄
Obviously, your body isn't getting its vitamins and minerals, so yeah, it's unhealthy in that sense, but as far as meeting your energy needs, it works perfectly fine.
If 100g of whole wheat pasta has 300 calories and you eat a pound of it every single day, you’re definitely going to pack on the pounds—assuming you aren't doing some intense workout that burns an extra 500-600 calories.
I honestly don't get why this is so hard to grasp.😕

rustymoose54 and driftinggull13—thank you both for those insightful explanations. Honestly, you’ve actually convinced me that my take on nutrition is perfectly sound and logical, giving me the green light to keep tuning out all those various "diet gurus." I don't have any issues managing my diet, and as for the extra weight I managed to Store Fat this winter, I successfully burned it off over the last few months through regular running.

Something else has been on my mind—it might not be directly related to the main topic, but I'm curious about the link between sugar intake and bacteria in the body.

Since I'm dealing with some bacterial issues—and it's pretty clear I've become resistant to antibiotics at this point—I am currently exploring every possible way to wipe them out. Because of that, I'm wondering: what exactly is the connection between sugar consumption, dairy, and bacterial growth?

Thanks

PS Sandra Hayes88 and dustycanyon6, please hold off on the comments until driftinggull13 and rustymoose54 have had a chance to reply to me.

Double post—my bad!

Amanda Ward80 said:rustymoose54 and driftinggull13, thanks for the reality check... honestly, you guys kind of convinced me that my take on nutrition is actually totally sane and normal, so I feel pretty good about just keeping on ignoring all those various "nutrition gurus" out there. I’m not having any issues with my diet, and whatever extra weight I managed to Store Fat this winter, I successfully burned off over the last few months just by hitting the pavement for regular runs...

What I'm really wondering about—and maybe this isn't even directly related to the main topic, but bear with me—is the whole connection between sugar intake and bacteria in the body.

Since I've been dealing with bacterial issues and it seems like I've become resistant to antibiotics, I'm basically looking into every possible way to wipe them out, so I was curious if there's a link between how bacteria multiply and consuming sugar and dairy.

Thanks

Sandra Hayes88 and dustycanyon6, please hold off on the comments until driftinggull13 and rustymoose54 get a chance to reply to me...

Thanks for the shoutouts, though I think credit should go to dustycanyon6 and Sandra Hayes88 too, because if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be going on such long rants...
But where are these bacteria? Urinary tract, digestive system? And don't be so certain about being resistant, either... bacteria don't just become resistant that easily.

driftinggull13 said:Bacteria don't just develop resistance overnight.

I truly hope you're right—really, I do—but I’ve spent months playing by the rules, watching the clock, and swallowing those tiny, stinky little pills every eight hours, only to have my lab results come back exactly the same way every single time. 😉
At this point, I'm honestly open to anything—whether it's standard medical practice or those "alternative" approaches.

Brenda Morales46 said:😂

😕