salt, fat or sugar - which do you reduce first?

[queenlives]

over time there have been many threads here on prime about diet / health. there's no shortage of opinions about what can / should be done to improve our health by eating "better", so i'm curious, all things being equal, in what order would you place salt, fat or sugar for importance of reduction? (i get that reducing / managing them all + caloric intake + exercise / condition would be a good thing.)

 

[Ryanmcd2]

1. Salt 1st IF you eat out a lot, if you cook most of your foods salt is not a issue. Just think a 1 foot long from subway has over 2000 salt in it, that is your daily intake.

2. Sugar, if you need sweets take in some low GI stuff like fruit. Sugar has no value but wasted cals.

3. Fat, the reson I say fat last is because look at what is going on, everything is low fat and people keep getting more fat lol. All fat is is 1gram = 9cals thats it, some of the best foods for you have lots of fat such as olive oil, stay away from the fats in cookies and stuff like that. Some people only eat fat and never have heart issues such as the eskimos.

 

[tosugrad]

Hal, I'm no doctor but I think it depends on your baseline. IE, where are you at now?

I for one have average to low blood pressure so salt is really not an issue for me.

Id like to lose about 10 lbs so fat intake is.

Sugar is not really good for much. But if I was diabetic, things would be different, for sure.

 

[queenlives]

great feedback, thx, guys.

re my health, i need to lose 40 pounds... i eat a reasonably healthy diet, but waaaay too many calories vs my burn rate.

we rarely eat out and i use salt very sparingly in our food. my bp is in a very healthy range.

i consume processed sugar sparingly, though do have ~1 tablespoon of our honey each day; we eat fruit from our numerous fruit trees, but it's a small part of our diet.

fat. ah... i'm sure i eat too much of that... though that's been improving over the past 6 months.

thx for the feedback, guys.

 

[Vega$ NSX]

Well the answer will really depend on what is the most egregious. You just need to cut back on which one is the most out of line first. Like credit card debts; pay off the one with the highest interest rate.

However, if all things being equal, my opinion would be to cut:
1) Fat
2) Sugar
3) Salt

The reasons are much more psychological than physical. No diet is any good if you can’t stick with it and you stand a better chance reducing fat first. Salt is the hardest to cut back on because you have become accustomed to the taste. If you reduce salt, foods will start to taste very bland and there is a chance you will eat more or more sugar to compensate. Keeping sugar to some degree is important because if you start exercising you need some carbs to have the energy to have a good workout. A good workout with carbs is better than no/crappy workout with reduced carbs. Finally, reducing fat is easier than you think. There are plenty of foods that taste great without or little fat. Additionally, you’ll be surprised how much unnecessary fat we add to our food. Take grilled cheese sandwiches. I know people who use a half a stick of butter to “fry” up their grilled cheese. But I bet if you sprayed just a mist of olive oil and cooked the sandwich that way, you’ll be hard pressed to taste the difference.

 

[DocL]

I'd go with reducing sugar first, salt second, and fat third. The more refined a product is, the more likely you are going to develop a problem. Sugar comes in so many forms that almost everything we eat has sugar in it. Take a look at your next "sugar free" product. I bet is has "sugar alcohol" or sorbitol in it. Those have the same effect as sugar, but to a somewhat less degree.

Everyone's body has their ideal diet. For me, I do the best with a high protein, high caffiene, moderate fat, and close to zero sugar and no carbonation consumption. Alcohol isn't even an option for me, I avoid it 100%.

 

[sahtt]

I'm already fit/healthy, so I focus on reducing salt consumption. I instinctively eat healthier foods but it is not always intuitive what amount of salt a food contains. Sugar and fat are usually pretty easy to estimate. If I was over weight, I'd focus on sugar. Fat gets too much attention, there is often no difference in end product (fat on your gut) whether it's fat, carbs, sugar, etc.

Also, I have a grand father who suffered from hardened arteries that was supposedly linked to excessive salt consumption. He's one of those guys that put a tea spoon of salt on each slice of tomato when he ate one.

 

[TURBO2GO]

I'd concentrate more on eating foods that are less processed than whether it has more fat or sugar or salt. How many steps does it look like it is away from it's natural source? A bowl of oats is pretty close, a white McDonald's hamburger bun is probably 40 steps away. It's actually not that hard to just look at a food and know. Processing IMO is far worse for you than anything else.

 

[W]

It sounds like the OP needs to reduce his food intake. Those other aspects are lesser bottlenecks.

 

[queenlives]

It sounds like the OP needs to reduce his food intake. Those other aspects are lesser bottlenecks.

thx for the feedback.

 

[TURBO2GO]

thx for the feedback.

I think the type of food has AS MUCH to do with things as the quantity. Hal, a true whole grain piece of bread is much more filling than 6 slices of white bread. But it has fewer calories, and more importantly does different things in your body. It takes slightly longer to lose weight eating unprocessed foods than "dieting". But its effect is permanent instead of temporary. Simple foods are better than complex foods. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains. More beans and less meat will give you high protein but more fiber and water content that makes you feel fuller. Drink lots of unsweetened tea, water, and add a slight increase in cardio. Cut alcohol and sugar intake, natural foods are already low in sodium. Don't go nuts, just slowly make changes.

 

[Stephen@NCAutoUSA]

All at once. If your diet is that bad then it should be easy to pinpoint a couple things to reduce all 3.

Stephen

 

[Sig]

over time there have been many threads here on prime about diet / health. there's no shortage of opinions about what can / should be done to improve our health by eating "better", so i'm curious, all things being equal, in what order would you place salt, fat or sugar for importance of reduction? (i get that reducing / managing them all + caloric intake + exercise / condition would be a good thing.)

Hal-

Kill the sugar first. In truth, there is no one answer and ideal macronutrient breakdowns are very different depending on your own genetic makeup. That said kill the sugar first And by sugar, I also mean white bread, white rice, breads, and just about most simple carbohydrate sources which your body will basically treat as sugars when it comes to glycemic load and your corresponding insulin response. Consistently elevated insulin levels and the inevitable insulin resistance that gradually builds make it practically impossible to burn fat over any sustained period of time. Get as many of your carbohydrates from vegetables (non-starchy) as possible. Brown rice, quinoa, lentils, are a few non-veggie carb sources worth consideration. Use things like hot sauce, pepper, fresh garlic and other herbs/spices to keep your food interesting while attempting to reduce your salt.

Relative to fat consumption, chances are your overall intake is fine... the biggest issue is typically with the types and ratios of fats you consume. Good fats are increasingly being seen as helpful in turning on your body's ability to burn fat stores (Omega-3"s and CLA are two examples). Ironically most people who think that they eat great... actually don't eat enough fat. Their skin, joints, and hormonal profiles suffer as a result. So keep your fat intake up, but get representation from all the good types and eliminate that caustic ones (trans fatty anything, partially hydrogenated anything). Also try to balance the ratios of fats you eat. For example, Omega 6 fats are necessary, but a diet too high in 6's (most Americans) can create chronic inflammation throughout your body. I see you like red meat from your posts in the other thread. Start buying your meat from the internet or another local organic & GRASS FED cattle source. Grass fed is the absolute key. The USDA organic seal, while better than eating antibiotic/hormone filled beef, is still dripping with an unatural fat balance (tons of O-6's, virtually no O-3's or CLA) brought on by a diet of grains. Grass fed beef from a trusted source is a superior choice in every way (except for its wallet impact:wink when it comes to your health when compared to non-grass fed beef. It actually has a good balance of Omega-3's, 6's and CLA. Here a few fat source recommendations that can easily be incorporated into your diet:
Grass fed beef
Wild caught salmon (there are expensive sources that certify low mercury content. I can send you links if you want)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Walnuts
Organic Nut butters: Almond and Walnut are my choices (if price is no issue, go for the 'Sprouted/Organic options.... avail at Whole Foods)
Fish Oil Capsules
Ground Flax Seed
Unrefined Virgin Coconut Oil - a good MCT

By the way, I politely disagree with the fruit recommendation. Other than blueberries, I would consider limiting your fruit intake. A few other random tidbits:
When eating a meal with high fat content (even good fats), try to go conservative on the carb intake. A common time for meal like this would be your final meal of the day. Conversely, when eating a meal high in carbohydrates (even good carbs and especially bad ones), limit the fats. A commone time for this sort of meal would be breakfast or post-workout. Btw, my assumption is that you are pairing some sort of protein source with all your meals. Your overall protein intake is a very peronal choice. If you plan on materially increasing your excercise load, you may want to consider increasing your protein intake a little bit. If you were 20 years old, you could crank it way up But, unless you are on some sort of HRT program, you probably don't have enough testosterone to make use of massive protein quantities without taxing your kidneys and pancreas.

At the end of the day, diet is as personal as it gets. Go into it with educated starting points, but trial and error will net you the best results over time. It is the only way for you to figure out the right balance of overall calorie intake and what macronutrient breakdown for that given calorie intake will allow you to lose weight and still feel good while doing it. In the long run, this will also permit you to find a very healthy new normal.

Good luck.
-Jason

 

[passline]

High LDL-fat first
Hypertension-salt first
Diabetic-sugar first
Best=all at once

 

[Ryanmcd2]

Hal-

Kill the sugar first. In truth, there is no one answer and ideal macronutrient breakdowns are very different depending on your own genetic makeup. That said kill the sugar first And by sugar, I also mean white bread, white rice, breads, and just about most simple carbohydrate sources which your body will basically treat as sugars when it comes to glycemic load and your corresponding insulin response. Consistently elevated insulin levels and the inevitable insulin resistance that gradually builds make it practically impossible to burn fat over any sustained period of time. Get as many of your carbohydrates from vegetables (non-starchy) as possible. Brown rice, quinoa, lentils, are a few non-veggie carb sources worth consideration. Use things like hot sauce, pepper, fresh garlic and other herbs/spices to keep your food interesting while attempting to reduce your salt.

Relative to fat consumption, chances are your overall intake is fine... the biggest issue is typically with the types and ratios of fats you consume. Good fats are increasingly being seen as helpful in turning on your body's ability to burn fat stores (Omega-3"s and CLA are two examples). Ironically most people who think that they eat great... actually don't eat enough fat. Their skin, joints, and hormonal profiles suffer as a result. So keep your fat intake up, but get representation from all the good types and eliminate that caustic ones (trans fatty anything, partially hydrogenated anything). Also try to balance the ratios of fats you eat. For example, Omega 6 fats are necessary, but a diet too high in 6's (most Americans) can create chronic inflammation throughout your body. I see you like red meat from your posts in the other thread. Start buying your meat from the internet or another local organic & GRASS FED cattle source. Grass fed is the absolute key. The USDA organic seal, while better than eating antibiotic/hormone filled beef, is still dripping with an unatural fat balance (tons of O-6's, virtually no O-3's or CLA) brought on by a diet of grains. Grass fed beef from a trusted source is a superior choice in every way (except for its wallet impact:wink when it comes to your health when compared to non-grass fed beef. It actually has a good balance of Omega-3's, 6's and CLA. Here a few fat source recommendations that can easily be incorporated into your diet:
Grass fed beef
Wild caught salmon (there are expensive sources that certify low mercury content. I can send you links if you want)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Walnuts
Organic Nut butters: Almond and Walnut are my choices (if price is no issue, go for the 'Sprouted/Organic options.... avail at Whole Foods)
Fish Oil Capsules
Ground Flax Seed
Unrefined Virgin Coconut Oil - a good MCT

By the way, I politely disagree with the fruit recommendation. Other than blueberries, I would consider limiting your fruit intake. A few other random tidbits:
When eating a meal with high fat content (even good fats), try to go conservative on the carb intake. A common time for meal like this would be your final meal of the day. Conversely, when eating a meal high in carbohydrates (even good carbs and especially bad ones), limit the fats. A commone time for this sort of meal would be breakfast or post-workout. Btw, my assumption is that you are pairing some sort of protein source with all your meals. Your overall protein intake is a very peronal choice. If you plan on materially increasing your excercise load, you may want to consider increasing your protein intake a little bit. If you were 20 years old, you could crank it way up But, unless you are on some sort of HRT program, you probably don't have enough testosterone to make use of massive protein quantities without taxing your kidneys and pancreas.

At the end of the day, diet is as personal as it gets. Go into it with educated starting points, but trial and error will net you the best results over time. It is the only way for you to figure out the right balance of overall calorie intake and what macronutrient breakdown for that given calorie intake will allow you to lose weight and still feel good while doing it. In the long run, this will also permit you to find a very healthy new normal.

Good luck.
-Jason

Fruit is fine, don't use bro-science. Look up Alan Aragon, he wrote my diet plan and he does diet plans for the LA Lakers too and has a MBA in it and knows his shit and has books to show it. I do 2 fruit a day.

http://www.alanaragon.com/Home.html

 

[Dr.Honda]

as a physician, I'll take exception to the previous emphasis placed on a low salt diet and suggest that sugar and fat should be eliminated first from the average American's diet. Not everyone with hypertension is salt sensitive, and most young people are not hypertensive.
Most Americans are, however, overweight and calorie reduction is the most important goal. Fat is more calorie dense than sugar, however, sugar tends to raise serum insulin levels more abruptly and insulin is an anabolic hormone for fat. Thus, sugar actually increases fat depostion via it's insulin stimulating effect. I've seen people "cure" their diabetes and improve their lipids (cholesterol,etc.) and their blood pressure simply by losing only 10% of their body weight.
Therefore, unless you have salt-sensitive (renin-aldosterone dept.) hypertension or congestive heart failure, I'd vote: sugar>fat>salt.

 

[Ryanmcd2]

as a physician, I'll take exception to the previous emphasis placed on a low salt diet and suggest that sugar and fat should be eliminated first from the average American's diet. Not everyone with hypertension is salt sensitive, and most young people are not hypertensive.
Most Americans are, however, overweight and calorie reduction is the most important goal. Fat is more calorie dense than sugar, however, sugar tends to raise serum insulin levels more abruptly and insulin is an anabolic hormone for fat. Thus, sugar actually increases fat depostion via it's insulin stimulating effect. I've seen people "cure" their diabetes and improve their lipids (cholesterol,etc.) and their blood pressure simply by losing only 10% of their body weight.
Therefore, unless you have salt-sensitive (renin-aldosterone dept.) hypertension or congestive heart failure, I'd vote: sugar>fat>salt.

I would have to say the same, just seems lots of people eat out I know I used too all the time and take in 4-5000 salt a day. But all in all 3500 cals = 1 pound.

 

[passline]

as a physician, I'll take exception to the previous emphasis placed on a low salt diet and suggest that sugar and fat should be eliminated first from the average American's diet. Not everyone with hypertension is salt sensitive, and most young people are not hypertensive.
Most Americans are, however, overweight and calorie reduction is the most important goal. Fat is more calorie dense than sugar, however, sugar tends to raise serum insulin levels more abruptly and insulin is an anabolic hormone for fat. Thus, sugar actually increases fat depostion via it's insulin stimulating effect. I've seen people "cure" their diabetes and improve their lipids (cholesterol,etc.) and their blood pressure simply by losing only 10% of their body weight.
Therefore, unless you have salt-sensitive (renin-aldosterone dept.) hypertension or congestive heart failure, I'd vote: sugar>fat>salt.

I'd have to say, I am one of those. When I drop 10% of my body weight, all three (diab,BP and lips) fall right into place.

 

[docjohn]

Thanks doc honda for letting me off the hook:wink: Micro managing ones diet makes so many people rich in this country.

 

[Mike-san]

Eat things that fill you up quick. If you're really hungry, you'll eat 2 bags of Doritos and still be starving...What works for me is feta cheese. I mix it w/ eggs, mix it w/ tomatos and avocados and almonds, or just eat it by itself. Stay away from fast food...the only fast food I'll eat are those little, single McDonald's hamburgers, and even then, I'll throw away one of the buns and fold the thing in half. Don't drink (I know, easier said than done...but most people consume junk food w/ drinking...chips, popcorn, etc....I think that once studies suggested that a little alcohol was good for health, people kind of ran w/ that and took too much liberty w/ "a little alcohol".). Take an exercise CLASS that's close to your home. The social pressure to keep up w/ your classmates will result in more productive workouts. If you want to augment your classes w/ home workouts now and then, fine, but classes are better more motivation. When you start class, tell the teacher and your classmates, that, barring any emergency, you'll always be there. That way, you'll feel like a total dickhead if you start to flake out and miss workouts.

 

[Mike-san]

Y'know, I just re-read my post, and I kind of skipped answering the OP question....sorry

 

[W]

I think the type of food has AS MUCH to do with things as the quantity. Hal, a true whole grain piece of bread is much more filling than 6 slices of white bread. But it has fewer calories, and more importantly does different things in your body. It takes slightly longer to lose weight eating unprocessed foods than "dieting". But its effect is permanent instead of temporary. Simple foods are better than complex foods. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains. More beans and less meat will give you high protein but more fiber and water content that makes you feel fuller. Drink lots of unsweetened tea, water, and add a slight increase in cardio. Cut alcohol and sugar intake, natural foods are already low in sodium. Don't go nuts, just slowly make changes.

I agree with what you're saying in general but the OP seems to have those bases mostly covered and openly admits that he eats too much and/or exercises too little. I would like to emphasize a point that you've made. Weight loss and weight gain are long term processes. If you eat and exercise like a fat person, you're eventually going to be a fat person. If you eat and exercise like a slim person, you're eventually going to be a slim person. The change may be fast or it may be slow but it will happen.

 

[queenlives]

I agree with what you're saying in general but the OP seems to have those bases mostly covered and openly admits that he eats too much and/or exercises too little. I would like to emphasize a point that you've made. Weight loss and weight gain are long term processes. If you eat and exercise like a fat person, you're eventually going to be a fat person. If you eat and exercise like a slim person, you're eventually going to be a slim person. The change may be fast or it may be slow but it will happen.

thx to everyone for the discussion and feedback, very much appreciated - i'm (pardon the bad pun) digesting what's been said.

relative to w's comments in this post, a while back whitensx (steve) post contained the comment, "Obesity is a life style..." and, frankly, that stuck in my mind. over the past couple of weeks, i've decided to act on what i perceive is my "weight issue". (aside from these darn dvt's / pulmonary emboli and diverticulitis :redface:, i seem to be in reasonably good health

and, finally, while my original post may have implied the question / issue was about me, given the amount of discussion on these topics in the media / elsewhere, it would be a good topic for prime discussion.

thx again for the feedback, folks, much appreciated.

hal

 

[slamstrom]

In this order due to my current condition:
1) Sugar (glucose just below borderline)
2) Fat (Cholesterol fluctuates between 170-180 with good LDL to HDL ratio)
3) Salt (Blood pressure is around 115/75)

 

[Big_D]

I think if you eat a healty diet, then the sugar and salt levels will improve on their own. I try not to add table salt to any food. I also don't consume sugary drinks like soda, energy drinks or thirst quenchers. I try to drink as much water as possible.

Exercise will improve your results sooner that dieting alone.