Sugar..its not as sweet as you think.

There has been many articles lately on the negative health consequences of sugar.   Is sugar the world's most popular drug? and Big Sugar's Secret Ally are two very interesting and informative articles, though both very long reads.   The Sugar Industry, just like the Tobacco Industry  is very powerful and persuasive in lobbying government  regulations.   Most nutritional researchers ( supported by the industry?) still say "added sugars are the same as natural sugars".   Added sugars to almost all of processed foods have no nutritional benefits.  The new  FDA food nutritional labels, coming out in 2017 and 2018 will finally show the amounts of added sugars to "food" products.   A 20 oz. Pepsi will have to say it contains 130%!! of your RDA sugar, that's just one bottle a day.   Almost all yogurts will have to show the excessive amounts of added sugar, Yoplait Strawberry has 18g of added sugar.   According to many health organizations, including WHO (World Health Organization) and NIH (National Institute of Health) men should consume no more then 38 grams (9 tsp) per day.   Women- 25 grams (6 tsp) per day.   One teaspoon of granulated sugar is equal to 4 grams.   Ex: 16 grams of sugar equals 4 teaspoons of sugar.   Take a look at the food labels in your pantry and refrigerator and see how much sugar is in each one. 

It is no secret that processed sugar is bad for us, but it is not the same as sugar from fruit.  Here is a simple to understand article explaining it fruit sugar versus white sugar.   Processed sugar rots our teeth, packs on pounds and provides zero nutrition.   The biggest reason you should cut down to minimum sugar intake is because it is one of the most inflammatory foods we consume.  Research suggests that chronic inflammation is the cause of many modern diseases like obesity, diabetes, heart disease and even promotes cancer cell growth by providing an acidic environment for it to prosper.  

Here's another great post from Dr. Michael Greger: Sugar. with links to many videos.

Michael Pollan has a great documentary on PBS/Youtube called "In Defense of Food" you can watch it here.  I like his take on healthy eating.."Eat real food...Not too much...Mostly plants".  

Our bodies crave sugar, fat and salt, but we need to consume the right kinds of these.  Instead of drinking a glass of sugar laden processed orange juice, have an orange, loaded with fiber and nutrients.   In the next few weeks we will look at "fats and salt".

Remember:

Have a great week.

Be kind.

Judd