Evil Candy?
Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 2:04 pm
Interesting article in the NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/dinin ... .html?_r=1
Some highlights:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/dinin ... .html?_r=1
Some highlights:
“At least candy is honest about what it is,†[Dr. Kawash] said. “It has always been a processed food, eaten for pleasure, with no particular nutritional benefit.†Today, she said, every aisle in the supermarket contains highly manipulated products that have those qualities.
many people who avoid candy will cheerfully eat sugar-packed chocolate-chip energy bars and drink Gatorade for health reasons, although a serving of Gatorade contains about the same amount of sugar as a dozen pieces of candy corn.
Dr. Johnson said that candy is considered bad because it lacks the “health halo†that hovers over sweet food like granola bars and fruit juice.
I'm a little curious as to what goes into the definition of candy used to calculate the 6%; do chocolate bars count? In any case, the main point stands, and it's something I mention a lot in the book: self-deception and the eating patterns that facilitate it are the main culprits in overeating. Make excess obvious (like candy) and the problem almost takes care of itself.Dr. Johnson also noted that candy provides only 6 percent of the added sugar in the American diet, while sweet drinks and juice supply 46 percent. “There’s reason to believe that sugar in liquid form is actually worse than candy, because it fills you up and displaces healthier food choices,†she said.