Are You Eating Too Much Sugar?

Here in the US, Halloween is behind us, but the consumption of candy and sugary treats has just begun. If you think about it, it's really a long season that lasts over many months. In fact, it's institutionalized (and extremely commercialized)!

It begins with a bang with Halloween treats, then Thanksgiving's marshmallowy sweets, then Christmas with candy, chocolates and all manner of deserts, followed by New Years parties, spiked drinks and indulgences.

And it's not over quite yet. Two months later, we have Valentine's Day in February with it's heavy emphases on candy, chocolate and children's sugar hearts. Following Valentine's Day, in March or April we have Easter with over-sweetened chocolate bunnies everywhere, many with gummy marshmallow fillings.

Finally, we get a break until the next Halloween aside from birthdays and anniversaries.

Or do we? Studies show that Americans consume sugar continuously. The average American eats 25 pounds of candy every year. Halloween accounts for at least two pounds of that.

And that's just candy. The season for soft drinks, sugary fruit drinks and high fructose corn syrup never ends. Not only is it year-round, but it continues to rise every year.

Sugar Consumption Rises Every Year

Before the turn of this century (between 1887-1890), average sugar consumption was only 5 lbs. per person per year. By 2000, the average American was consuming 2-3 pounds of sugar each week. By 2010, the average American was consuming 3 or more pounds of sugar each week. That's one hundred and fifty-six pounds a year!

In 2000 the average intake of added sugars was about 32 teaspoons per person per day! This amount of sugar adds more than 320 largely unnoticed calories a day to a person's diet.

What are "added sugars?" Added sugars are any sugars or sweeteners added to food that is not naturally occurring, such as in fruits or whole foods.

Where Is The Sugar In Your Diet?

Most people are completely unaware of the amount of sugar added to their diet. They guzzle soft drinks not realizing that a typical carbonated 16-ounce soft drink contains a whopping 12 teaspoons of sugar! Those 12 teaspoons of sugar provide 200 calories – and every one of those calories comes from sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Sugar, by the way, contains 16 calories per teaspoon. High-fructose corn syrup contains 53 calories per teaspoon.

The three top sources of added sugar in the American diet are:

1. Soft drinks, energy drinks, and sports drinks
2. Grain-based desserts, such as cakes and cookies
3. Fruit drinks

But there are plenty more "hidden" sources…

Hidden Sugar in Processed Foods

It's easy enough to identify sugar in soft drinks, cakes and fruit drinks, but what many people don't realize is that highly refined sugars are incorporated in all types of prepared and processed foods in the forms of sucrose (table sugar), dextrose (corn sugar), and high-fructose corn syrup. They are processed into foods such as bread, breakfast cereal, soups, mayonnaise, peanut butter, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, snack foods, frozen foods, yogurt, microwave meals and many, many more.

Michael Jacobson, executive director of CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest), said today at a Washington press conference, "Sugar consumption has been going through the roof. It has increased by 28 percent since 1983, fueling soaring obesity rates and other health problems. It's vital that the FDA require labels that would enable consumers to monitor—and reduce—their sugar intake."

The High Fructose Corn Syrup Scourge

One of the biggest hidden sources of sugar is high fructose corn syrup. Plentiful and inexpensive, high fructose corn syrup is found in almost every imaginable prepared and processed food, and especially in sodas, snack and junk foods, which have been linked to diabetes, obesity and a number of other health issues rampant in the U.S. Shockingly, the average person consumes more than 40 pounds of high fructose corn syrup annually.

High fructose corn syrup has gotten such a bad reputation lately that the corn industry is trying to change its name to "corn sugar" in an effort to improve it's image. Even the sugar industry doesn't want to be tainted by any connection to the infamous sweetener and is willing to go to court to protect itself.

See full article from Daily Finance

There is debate as to whether high fructose corn syrup is worse on the body than sugar (in my opinion it is) but both sugar and high fructose corn syrup and its derivatives are extremely harmful to good health.

The Health Dangers of Simple Sugar

From obesity to asthma, mood swings, personality changes, mental illness, nervous disorders, diabetes, heart disease, gallstones, hypertension, and arthritis, habitual sugar consumption creates problems. The American Dietetic Association and American Diabetic Association agree that sugar consumption in America is one of the three major causes of degenerative disease.

Being devoid of minerals, vitamins, fiber, sugar deteriorates the endocrine system. The body must draw upon its micro-nutrient stores in order to metabolize it. Once the storehouses are depleted, cholesterol and fatty acid metabolization is impeded. This contributes to higher blood serum triglycerides and cholesterol. It promotes obesity due to increased calories and higher fatty acid storage around organs and in sub-cutaneous tissue folds.

What Else Can Sugar Cause?

Here is a list of just some of the ways sugar can affect your health. Sugar can:

• Suppress the immune system
• Upset the body's mineral balance
• Contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children
• Produce a significant rise in triglycerides
• Cause free radical formation in the bloodstream
• Cause cardiovascular disease
• Cause hypertension
• Cause headaches, including migraines
• Cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children
• Reduce helpful high density cholesterol (HDLs)
• Promote an elevation of harmful cholesterol (LDLs)
• Cause hypoglycemia
• Contribute to a weakened defense against bacterial infection
• Cause kidney damage
• Increase the risk of coronary heart disease
• Lead to chromium deficiency
• Cause copper deficiency
• Interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium
• Increase fasting levels of blood glucose
• Promote tooth decay
• Produce an acidic stomach
• Raise adrenaline levels in children
• Lead to periodontal disease
• Speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and grey hair
• Increase total cholesterol
• Contribute to weight gain and obesity
• Increases the risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
• Contribute to diabetes
• Contribute to osteoporosis
• Cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity
• Leads to decreased glucose tolerance
• Increase systolic blood pressure
• Causes food allergies
• Cause toxemia during pregnancy
• Contribute to eczema in children
• Overstress the pancreas, causing damage
• Cause atherosclerosis
• Compromise the lining of the capillaries
• Cause liver cells to divide, increasing the size of the liver
• Increase the amount of fat in the liver
• Increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney
• Cause depression
• Increase the body's fluid retention
• Cause hormonal imbalance
• Cause an increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter the mind's ability to think clearly
• Increase bacterial fermentation in the colon

Source: www.nancyappleton.com

Why is Too Much Fructose and Not Enough Fiber Not a Good Thing?

Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, studies damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that too much fructose and not enough fiber appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic and many other rising health issues. Watch the video below to hear Dr. Lustig's talk:

What To Do?

Clearly the amount of sugar consumption needs to be reduced. The USDA advises people who eat a 2,000-calorie healthy diet to limit themselves to 10 teaspoons of added sugars per day. The truth is, the average American does NOT eat a healthy diet, nor is the average American good at calculating added and hidden sugars.

A good rule of thumb would be to avoid soft drinks, candies, cakes and cookies, limit fruit drinks, and read labels carefully and avoiding foods with sucrose, dextrose, high-fructose corn syrup, corn sugar, corn syrup solids, etc. Rediscover water and try unsweetened green tea or herbal teas.

A wonderfully tasting, pH balanced, glacial-pure water can be made extremely economically with Prill Beads. Prill water increases hydration and detoxification of your body, rejuvenates cells and improves the taste of everything it is used with. It's like rediscovering what water should be like.

Are There Any Healthy Sugar Substitutes?

When you need a sweetener, try Stevia. Young Living has the best tasting Stevia extract anywhere. I use it in drinks and baked goods.

Stevia works great with many foods, but not all. Sometimes, you need something closer to sugar or honey. In those cases, organic Blue Agave Nectar is perfect! Blue Agave nectar comes from a cactus-like plant. It contains nutrients and inulins (naturally occurring oligosaccharides) that are healthy for your digestive system. It is sweeter than sugar (so you use less than sugar) and has a low glycemic index rating.

Not all agave is alike. Beware that many products labeled "Agave" on the market are actually nothing more than flavored high-fructose corn syrup. It is very important to know that the Agave you buy is organic and comes from the Agave Tequilana plant. That's why I recommend the Young Living organic Blue Agave Nectar.

A nutritional profile performed this Blue Agave brand showed that 1 teaspoon contained 20 calories and had a glycemic index (GI) of 25. Compare this to table sugar containing 21 calories and a GI of 68 (GI is a measure of the effects on blood sugar levels). The higher the GI, the greater the blood level spikes.

Agave nectar is created by taking juice from the agave leaf of the Agave tequilana and filtering it, then heating and thickening it. This nectar is generally 1.5 times sweeter than sugar with a consistency similar to that of honey. It can be used as a sugar substitute in most recipes and beverages. In general, use ½ to ¾ cup in place of 1 cup of sugar or honey. You may also want to reduce the overall liquid added to the recipe.

Its not easy to steer clear of sugar and high fructose corn syrup in most developed countries, but it can be done. If you want to stay healthy, steering clear of added sugar is a MUST.