Sugar Free Farm

[Georgiesmum]

Has anyone else been watching the programme Sugar Free Farm? What did you think of it. ? Would you loked to have joined them? The programme really made you stop and think about how much we eat, especially all these hidden sugars in every day foods.

[Old_Geezer]

It had such a garbage title I didn;t look at it, byut channel hopping last night I came across it and it llooked as if it might be interesting. There was Rory saying his cider was too sweet (and thus he'd ruined a treat in his life). And the rest not daring to even try anything either in case they cracked, or because they found no interest in the sweets or comfort food any more.

I don't think I could be so dedicated to keep looking at sugar content. Bad enough I check calories and saturated fat already.

[Old_Geezer]

didn't look at it, but
Like I typed !

[Georgiesmum]

It was interesting and in three parts. The one last night was the last one.

[pastafreak]

I saw the first two episodes,will watch last night's on catch up. None of it surprised me as I've been reading loads about the dangers of hidden sugars for several years. I realised how bad it was when I found sugar in cheese.
As for the program,I was disappointed that the participants were not given much meat...considering the physical labour they were doing. The dietician involved seems to favour a heavily plant based diet...bit not totally.

[jackthehat]

I was a bit disappointed with it.
I think there was an important message about sugar consumption and practical ways to reduce/substitute our sugar-intake.
Unfortunately, basing the programme around 'farming', a circumstance few of the viewers are actually ever to find themselves in, took away from the message.
There was not enough time given over to the food preparation/recipes which *would* have proven invaluable.
An opportunity lost, I think.

[pastafreak]

I suspect that since the participants were put on a diet of totally unprocessed food-no junk- it was deemed a good idea to set their experiment on a farm so they could be involved in the actual production of their food. Think of all the school children who supposedly haven't a clue where their food comes from. A lot of adults don't give it much thought either.

[maggiebee]

I haven't seen this programme but interesting that they are looking at "hidden" sugar in products. Weight Watchers have recently changed the way they "point" food items and now include the sugars in carbohydrates. This is apparently in line with Government guidelines and I have been quite shocked at the sugar content in things we eat every day like cornflakes. WW are NOT recommending that any food should be cut out of our diets, but making us very aware of exactly what we put in our mouths.

[Retrochic]

They could have eaten very well and still avoided sugar, but were made to live on iron rations for TV effect. A low carb diet consisting of lean meat fish and loads of leafy green veg and salads would have been better accepted than the rubbish they were given,and this would put a lot of people off trying to cut down on sugar.

[pastafreak]

Maggie...all carbohydrates translate/are used by the body as sugar. That includes all grains,starchy isfoods,the usual cakes,biscuits,breads...and all fruit and veg-which contain naturally occurring sugars. Don't be fooled by the "it's honey/maple syrup/dried fruit...its natural so its OK" rubbish. It's still sugar.

[pastafreak]

Retro...if carbs are removed,they need to be replaced by more fat in the diet. Do some research...fat is not the enemy. So add a bit of butter to your veg,eat some of the fat on your meat.

[nailit]

I missed the first show but viewed the last two.
Ive lived and worked on a farm and theres no way I would have survived on the food they were given. I could sympathise with Mark Labbet when he was saying that he was missing a large slab of meat. Farming is hard work and a diet of (mainly) vegetables...with maybe a bit of chicken here and there...wouldnt have got much work out of me. And Jane McDonald was right when she said that life was too short NOT to have a scone...

[Retrochic]

pasta -I do not need a lecture on nutrition thankyou. I was commenting on a TV programme who seemed to get it very wrong about what and what not to eat when avoiding sugar. They seemed to be given inadequate amounts of meat ,fish and dairy for the work they were doing -it was 'no sugar' farm not fat farm. I am quite aware of the new thinking on fat - I'm not researching further as they who decide what is and is not good for us will have changed their mind in a few months, like they usually do.

[pastafreak]

You live a sheltered life if you think that was a lecture,retro.
Meanwhile...I'll keep reading and educating myself.

[Clanad]

To bad Pasta's attempt at imparting education on a serious subject is attacked, but, never-the-less, I've been adding my 2cents worth on this subject for a while here and would only add that many Doctor's see sugar addiction[i as one of the most serious health risks we all face.

The important take-away from Pasta's discourse is the discussion on [i]all] carbohydrates... really important in understanding their affect on insulin production and other factors.

Lastly, I suspect nutrition labels are required in the U.K. as they are here in the U.S., but misinterpretation of them is easy, especially when food manufacturer's are attempting to disguise the actual, real sugar content. Picked up a boxed meal the other day and it said "Sugar - 1 gram", which I initially thought to be good, but read one line farther and found "Sugar Alcohols - 14 grams". To understand the serious problem of this notice, read this short article:
http://www.joslin.org/info/what_are_sugar_alcohols.html

[ummmm]

I understand how bad sugar is (and caffeine)

I used to drink about 10 cups of coffee a day...two sugars each cup. My other drink of choice was Coca Cola and I'd probably have 2 cans a day minimum.

I gave both up for lent one year and I was so ill. Luckily, at the time, I didn't connect me being ill with sugar/caffeine withdrawal. This was about 10 years ago and now I drink one coffee in the morning and only drink coke if I go to the pub.

[Retrochic]

Sugar and all processed foods are bad for you and not necessary to health. I thought the OP was discussing the TV programme -if she had been wanting a 'serious' narration on sugar carbs and the role of these in nutrition then she would surely have put the question in a more appropriate Topic, not chatterbank. The nutritionist on the programme gave the contestants or whatever they are, inadequate amounts of basically rabbit food -which would put a lot of people off even thinking about cutting down on sugar -that is my point -you can do a lot for your health by just avoiding obvious sugar to start with, then when you see the benefits worry about how much sugar is in your lump of mature cheddar...

[pastafreak]

Just because a query is in Chatterbank does not mean that informative answers cannot be given...this *is* a site for the exchange of knowledge.
If we criticise the food provided by the dietitian( as some have done ), then it seems right and balanced to be giving options or reasons why the situation was not ideal.

[silliemillie]

This is ok as a type of detox, it's not sustainable in real life but I suppose if it helps people to at least reduce their sugar intake.

[pastafreak]

There's no reason why giving up sugar should be unsustainable. Plenty of people do it. It's about deciding what you want to do to benefit yourself and your health. It's only unsustainable if you don't want to do it...like anything in life.