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[tired and homeless]

I'm hypoglycemic as well, but my diet doesn't seem to affect me. I could eat sweets all day and sugar galore, and only feel slightly nauseous. Its only when I don't eat that I get dizzy, faint, blurry vision, etc. My doctor says its because I have a high metabolism, and when my metabolism slows down, my hypoglycemic issues may disappear also. I literally have to eat like, 5-6 times a day, constantly snacking, or else I feel I sick. I don't get the jacked up sugar rushes, the caffeine buzzes either. I don't drink a lot of caffeine. I've drank regular soda (20 oz or so) maybe twice in the last two months. It seems to be a monthly thing with me and soda, but it mostly has to do with the carbonation more than the caffeine. I feel like I can't breathe when I drink soda, thanks to chronic allergies.

I eat carbs all the time. Complex carbs mostly, and I have a steady easily maintainable weight, unless I have an episode where I faint, get dizzy, etc, and then I can lose like, 10-15 pounds in a matter of days. I'm 5'4"ish and usually no more than 125lbs soaking wet and fully clothed, 2000-2500 calories daily, 50/40/10 c/p/f ratio for the most part. I'm also anemic and have low blood pressure also. Luckily, I like red meat and raw spinach and iron-rich foods, so its not too bad.

[MinervaMac]

It could even be all of the above, human technology + climate change + disease.  In fact, the sheer numbers of bees that are dying out points to there being more then one factor at play here.  

[Immortelle]

I generally tend to question the research that links aspartame with brain tumours, even though there have been a few write ups in the Lancet about it.  But the issue with the formaldehyde - yes.  People don't drink as much booze and tomato juice as they do other food, now do they..  Sure normal food has formaldehyde in it.  Just like the potato plant is related to Deadly Nightshade, which has arsenic in it (although its not the leaves that we eat now, is it).  But the problem is the amount of food people tend to eat with aspartame in it, and the levels of aspartame in that said food.  Sure, formaldehyde is a natural chemical process.  But the levels that are being consumed are not natural or safe.

Don't pay so much attention to what is said on wiki, a lot of it has been written by a PR officer for the FDA which is in cahoots with the pharamceutical companies, who actually make the aspartame.  Its not in the companies best interest to take an impartial stance on the issue. No money in it for them, you see.  Cross reference, and don't just stick to stuff published on the internet, as the validity of a lot of stuff online is often questionable at best.

At the end of the day, Honeyeaters, we ain't.  We've got a different metabolism to them.  I hand raised a honeyeater once.  It loved honey, and fruit syrup and honey dipped pears, and all things sweet.  But it needed the sugar levels.  We don't.  We're omnivorous, which means we need sugar, but we also need a lot of other things too.

[CJane]

Maybe I'm a nitpicker Meanie, but we actually don't need sugar, not even as omnivores. Gluconeogenesis does the job handily, without a body ever ingesting a molecule of sugar/carb.

I've gone for a long, long time without carbs (though I am low carb, not no carb at this time) and nothing adverse happened to me. On the contrary, I was left in much better health for it.

I think you're right on when you mention the difference between our metabolism and the Honeyeaters...a human body can't metabolize all that sugar and not have something out of whack afterward, even if it's not immediate...could be later down the line. It makes one wonder why everyone is so surprised by the obesity epidemic and the extreme rise in the numbers of type 2 diabetics when we tend to eat a lot of things that a human should think twice about before ingesting. And I'm not even talking about the non-natural, chemical laden sweeteners (which I am not opposed to having every now and again, lol).

[SoggyFox]

I can't do no-carb without my doctor deciding my kidneys are in danger, from the ketones.  Since I'd rather not be on extra meds, I'll have to stick to lowish carbs, as much as I did feel better on no-carbs, as well as losing weight.

[Kragey]

I used to have baby spinach in the crisper until the husband let the cat know I had it. Then she played all cute and loving with him and he rewarded her with my spinach. The cat is totally obsessed with it, even preferring it over catnip. Damn brat...

Your cat eats spinach?! Wow, there's one I haven't heard before. Although my cat has a strange affection for rice; any time I have cooked rice, she works tirelessly to get her nose in to the bowl, then whines when I push her away.

I stand corrected. My mom brought home a bag of celery last night and my cat made love to it like it were the greatest catnip ever grown.

[Immortelle]

Well there is actually only one thing we eat that doesn't contain carbs (fats or sugars) and that is water.  Everything else does.  Remember: Sucrose and glucose aren't the only sugars.  There's also fructose and lactose.  Which means there is sugar in fruit and vegetables, in dairy products of any description.

For most of us (with the exception of course, being Pescado ), require glucose to fuel to brain.  We need it to learn, and to think properly. A lack of glucose in the the bloodstream results in a lack of the ability to concentrate.  But we only need a small amount, not of the refined nature found in many foods.

[SoggyFox]

You're right - prolonged low blood sugar leads to brain damage.  So, low blood sugar is possibly worse than high.  Unfortunately, high blood sugar can mess up circulation, and high enough, your body won't heal at all [ 180 ]

[Immortelle]

I guess at the end of the day, its all about moderation.

[CJane]

Well there is actually only one thing we eat that doesn't contain carbs (fats or sugars) and that is water.  Everything else does.  Remember: Sucrose and glucose aren't the only sugars.  There's also fructose and lactose.  Which means there is sugar in fruit and vegetables, in dairy products of any description.

For most of us (with the exception of course, being Pescado ), require glucose to fuel to brain.  We need it to learn, and to think properly. A lack of glucose in the the bloodstream results in a lack of the ability to concentrate.  But we only need a small amount, not of the refined nature found in many foods.

You are mistaken, Meanie. Water isn't the only thing without carbs, though it is calorie free. Fats aren't carbs. They are a macronutrient in and of themselves. Proteins aren't carbs, also being a macronutrient in and of themselves. Grains and vegetables and fruits all have carbs, though they may also contain fat, and protein.

If the glucose required to fuel the brain doesn't come from a dietary source, our body makes it. Actually, the brain functions quite nicely running on ketones.

Pescado is a rare breed I've heard. No telling what his brain runs on, but I won't question it too much.

[CJane]

You're right - prolonged low blood sugar leads to brain damage.  So, low blood sugar is possibly worse than high.  Unfortunately, high blood sugar can mess up circulation, and high enough, your body won't heal at all [ 180 ]

That's the thing though...I eat 20 grams or less of carbs most days. My blood sugar is the most stable it ever has been. I don't have the peaks and valleys in my blood glucose I had when I was not eating low carb. I've been on every way of eating known to man...this is the only way of eating that has stabilized my blood glucose, without ingesting sugars in my diet, for the most part.

You all realize we've totally derailed the original thread topic? Oops...

[Mheyin]

Pescado is a rare breed I've heard. No telling what his brain runs on, but I won't question it too much.

I'm pretty sure Pescado's brain runs on the crushed hopes and dreams of children.

[CJane]

Pescado is a rare breed I've heard. No telling what his brain runs on, but I won't question it too much.

I'm pretty sure Pescado's brain runs on the crushed hopes and dreams of children.

BWAHAHAHAHA! Okay, that was too good. 

I think you may be right!

[Immortelle]

Fats are converted by the body become carbohydrates.  Same as bread.

Some links I came across on carbs and the brain:  just something quickly googled.

http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/carbs.html
http://scienceweek.com/2004/sc041112-4.htm

[CJane]

Excess fat in the diet can be stored, and any macronutrient can be converted by the body into glucose, that is true. But that is only when needed.

I could link and link, and draw diagrams of the processes, and google to support things all night and day. But I won't do that. If anyone is interested in finding out more about a low carb way of eating look up Dr. Mike Eades blog, check out Livin' La Vida Low Carb. They are experts. I am a lowly layman. But, I do have a medical/science background, so for what that's worth...

I'm not going to argue with you, Meanie, I don't think you want to argue either, but I'm having a glass of wine and chilling, so for me I'm done debating...at least at the moment. LOL

I'm just stating what I know to be true for me, and what I've learned from my research on the subject.

Also, a worthy (but truly dry) read is Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes. A lot of good, solid information in the book, and references to the research on the topic of low carb eating.