Sweet Deception – Sugar
Many
are still in the dark about the amount of sugar they are consuming and ignorant of what it’s doing to their bodies.
Folks think they are healthy eaters, when in fact, they are eating far more sugar then they realize.
Breads,
crackers, processed foods and juices are all loaded with sugar. Most Americans start their day off with a glass of orange
juice – the juice alone contains more grams of sugar than most dietitians would recommend for the entire day! Add
to this a slice of toast, possibly with jam, a drink from your favorite coffee shop on the way to work, and you've just thrown
your body in to a “code-red.”
The purpose of this blog article is to wake people up to the hidden dangers
of sugar. Don't be deceived by the taste – sugar is bad for you. The harmful effects of sugar go beyond empty calories.
Added sugar is so unhealthy, it’s probably the single worst ingredient in the modern diet. Don't take our word for
it, consider these facts.
Why Sugar is Toxic
Added Sugar Supplies a Large Amount
of Fructose. The reason added sugar (and its evil twin… High Fructose Corn Syrup) is bad for you, is that it supplies
a very large amount of fructose. Sugar and HFCS is half glucose. Glucose is essential and can be metabolized by pretty much
every cell in the body. Fructose, however, is not essential to our functioning in any way.The only organ that metabolizes
fructose is the liver. When large amounts of fructose enter the liver and it’ already full of glycogen, fructose
turns into fat. Too much fat is a roadblock to good health. Just remember natural sources of sugar, such as fruit –
rich with vitamins, minerals, and fiber do not count. The body is capable of metabolizing whole food sugar sources.
Added Sugar Deposits Fat in The Liver. As previously mentioned, when we eat fructose,
it goes to the liver. There are a few instances when we need a boost of fructose. Runners deplete their glucose levels after
a long race – fructose is used to bring glucose levels back to a healthy level .However, most people aren't consuming
fructose after a long workout and their liver is already full of glycogen. Overwhelmed, the body turns this excess fructose
into fat. Some of the fat gets shipped out, but the rest remains in the liver. Over time this can ultimately lead to “Non-Alcoholic
Fatty Liver Disease.”
Added Sugar Causes Insulin Resistance. The
main function of insulin is to drive glucose from the bloodstream into cells. A Western diet, rich in processed foods and
added sugars can cause the cells to become resistant to the effects of insulin.Why is this bad? The pancreas goes into overdrive,
secreting more insulin in an effort to remove the glucose from the bloodstream. Elevated blood glucose is toxic to the body
– just ask a diabetic. When the body becomes resistant to insulin, the beta cells in the pancreas eventually become
damaged and lose the ability to produce sufficient insulin. The result? Type II diabetes, which now afflicts over 300 million
people worldwide.
Sugar Facts:
Sugar is linked to obesity, hypertension,
heart disease, type II diabetes.
American’s consume 130 lbs of sugar per year.
There is a strong link between
sugar and increase in risk factors for heart disease and stroke.
Daily consumption of HFCS increases blood levels of
small dense LDL within two weeks.
Low fat food tastes terrible – the food industry knows this, so it replaces
fat with sugar.
One-third of all cancers including breast & colon cancers, have insulin receptors - sugar feeds
cancer cells.
Sugar is just as addictive as cocaine.
Don't let sugar
deceive you with it’s tempting flavor. Added sugar can increase your risk for disease.
10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SUGAR
Every time you buy something rich in sugar, you are sending a message that you don't care
about your body, that you are satisfied with food that is making you sick, fat, and unhealthy.
1. WHY SHOULD YOU BE CONCERNED ABOUT HOW MUCH SUGAR
YOU CONSUME?
- Sugar adds empty calories to your diet. “Empty calories” means foods, which don't have any
nutritional benefit.
- Sugar promotes belly fat.
- Eating excess sugar could lead to weight gain, obesity, diabetes
and “diabesity” which bring a host of other health problems such as heart disease.
2. WHAT HAPPENS IN OUR BODY WHEN WE EAT SUGAR?
When
we consume sugar, our body has two options on how to deal with it:
- Burn it for energy.
- Store excess sugar
in our fat cells.
3.
HOW DOES OUR BODY STORE EXCESS SUGAR IN FAT CELLS?
- When our pancreas detects a rush of sugar, it releases a hormone
called insulin to deal with all of that excess sugar.
- Insulin helps regulate that level of sugar in our blood and
store all of this glucose in fat cells
4. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ADDED SUGAR AND NATURAL SUGAR?
- Added sugars are those that
are added to foods. The most common added sugars are regular table sugar (sucrose) or high fructose corn syrup.
- Natural
sugar is the kind of sugar contained in fruits, vegetables, and other plants.
5. HOW MUCH ADDED SUGAR SHOULD YOU CONSUME PER DAY?
According to the
American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day are:
- Men: 150 calories
per day from added sugar (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons).
- Women: 100 calories per day from added sugar (25 grams or 6
teaspoons).
6.
HOW MUCH NATURAL SUGAR IS GOOD FOR YOU?
- Specific sugar recommendations aren't available for natural sugars which occur
in fruits.
- Fruits are packed with beneficial vitamins, minerals and fiber.
- Your daily consumption of Fruits
and Vegetables should be around 33% of your diet.
7. WHAT ABOUT FRUIT SUGAR?
- When you consume fruit, you are not only consuming fructose, but
also consuming fiber and lots of vitamins and minerals, which are good for your health.
- But yes, fruits do have an
effect on our blood sugar, as it is sugar.
- Generally fruit will cause less of a blood sugar spike compared to nutrient-void
table sugar.
8.
WHAT ABOUT FRUIT JUICES?
- When you consume fruit juices, the juice is squeezed, giving you all of the juice but very
little of the fiber or nutrients that get left behind in the process.
- For this reason, many fruit juices should probably
be called “sugar water”.
- If you are going to eat fruit, get it in fruit form, not juice form.
9. WHICH ARE THE FOODS THAT CONTAIN LOT OF SUGAR?
- White bread (maida)
- Pasta (unless whole grain)
- White flour (maida) products made with it such as cake,
cookies, crackers, doughnuts and muffins.
- Potato chips and sugar rich chocolates
- Products with added sugar,
e.g. jams and jellies
- Salad dressings and sauces with added sugar
- Fruit drinks containing added sugar
-
Sugar-sweetened soft drinks
10. WHAT ARE THE BEST THINGS TO EAT WHEN YOU CRAVE SOMETHING SWEET?
- If you are going to eat
sugar, get it from fruits.
- Go for plain yogurt with fruits.
- If you can't pass up something with added sugar,
make sure it is made with oats or whole grains instead of white flour (maida). So, there you have it.
I encourage you to decrease your sugar intake, start
eating more real foods and cut back on soft drinks purchases. Are you up to the challenge?
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