Sugar consumption has increased 45 times over the last 300 years from 4 pounds per year to 180 pounds...per person! Sugar is found in almost everything today, from fruit juices to bread to barbecue sauce to baby's formula. In fact, most baby formulas now have as much sugar in them as one can of soda...and we wonder why obesity has become such a deadly epidemic!?In the last 35 years, the obesity rate in our country has more than doubled, from 15 to 32%. This has been shown to increase the risk of heart and kidney disease, as well as diabetes. A little over 100 years ago, the chances of having diabetes was .003%. Now it stands at 8%. Although 8% may not sound like much, diabetes is the fastest growing condition today, faster than heart disease and cancer!
"So what kind of sugar should we be looking out for?"
Believe it or not, the typical table sugar, "sucrose", is not the sugar of choice today. Today, "fructose" is consumed much more, and usually in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
"But isn't fructose found in healthy things...like fruit?"
Yes! However, when found in fruit, fructose is accompanied by vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and beneficial phytonutrients, all which prevent any negative metabolic effects. When our food and beverage companies give us HFCS, it is alone and in HUGE quantities, which leads to metabolic devastation and chaos within our bodies. HFCS actually contains the same two chemicals as table sugar, "glucose" and "fructose". The difference is that in HFCS they are not bound together, so our bodies don't have to break them down and can absorb the fructose much more rapidly...Hello liver damage!
"So why do the food and beverage companies give this stuff to us?"
Come on people!...$$$...Surprise surprise! HFCS, as opposed to regular sugar, is much cheaper and actually 20% sweeter. The food and beverage companies saw this as a win-win! There's just one small problem...this stuff is killing us!
"So how does fructose hurt me?"
- Fructose elevates uric acid which causes blood vessels to constrict (high blood pressure and possible kidney damage)
- Leads to chronic, low-level inflammation (causes heart attacks, strokes, and even some cancers)
- Turns off the hormone that makes you feel full (leading to increased appetite, weight gain, and diabetes)
- Leads to elevated blood sugar and eventual insulin resistance
- Leads to NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease)
Aside from raising your blood pressure, uric acid has also been shown in thousands of studies to cause: obesity, heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease...just to name a few!
"So what kinds of foods should I be avoiding?"
Almost ALL processed foods contain unsafe levels of fructose, and in combinations that are completely unnatural to our bodies. You'll also want to avoid the following:
- ALL sweetened sodas, drinks, and juices (This includes diet soda...sorry!)
- Adding extra sugar to your drinks or food
- Alcohol (especially beer as it contains guanosine which leads to uric acid production)
- Sucralose (Splenda - chlorinated and artificial, with detrimental health effects)
- (You may want to read Sweet Deception: Why Splenda, NutraSweet, and the FDA May Be Hazardous to Your Health
by Dr. Joseph Mercola)
- Sugar alcohols like xylitol, glycerol, sorbitol, maltitol, mannitol, and erythritol (are incompletely absorbed from your small intestine and can cause problems with bloating, diarrhea and flatulence)
"So what sweeteners are safe?"
If you want to be truly safe you must eat in line with your genetic makeup. God gave us plenty of sweet foods to enjoy, from blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries, to peaches, melons, oranges, and apples! These foods are extremely sweet and contain all the other essential nutrients needed (and in the perfect amounts might I add...how convenient!) to make their sugar safe to consume.
If you absolutely need an additional sweetener, try something that's actually natural:
- Organic, raw honey (man will never make anything as well as nature does!)
- Stevia (a highly sweet herb derived from the leaf of the South American stevia plant)
- Agave syrup (make sure it's organic and not processed!)
When we eat whole foods like organic, free-range meats and grass-fed beef, locally grown fruits and vegetables, and raw nuts and seeds, our bodies will get exactly the nutrients they need. This will help us to develop a normal sugar craving, and we will actually start to crave healthier foods! Give it a try for a few weeks and see for yourself! The intelligence of your body will truly amaze you!
For further information on the dangers of sugar, you may want to read The Sugar Fix: The High-Fructose Fallout That Is Making You Fat and Sick
by Dr. Richard Johnson. It's a great resource that lists 76 additional dangers of the over-consumption of unnatural sugars and sugar substitutes.Remember, health is your God-given right!
For references to any of the information above, you may contact Dr. Eric Jaszewski at eric@pierceresults.com.
