Over the next three entries, I would like to address health issues surrounding sugar, artificial sweeteners, and natural sweeteners. This entry will deal entirely with sugar.
Our family has made and is continuing to make every effort to reduce and eliminate refined sugars from our diet. This is extremely difficult because it's a whole lot easier said than done. Sugar is in just about everything we eat. In the United States 25% of our caloric intake is from sugar. The equates to 170 pounds of sugar per person per year. Compare that to 200 years ago, it was ten pounds per person per year. That doesn't necessarily mean 170 pounds of granulated sugar, but also includes corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, fructose, sodas, and many other forms. For example, eating white bread is just like eating sugar. America has a giant sweet tooth! Refined sugar definitely contributes to our obesity epidemic. Refined sugar is empty calories with no positive nutritional value.
Why is refined sugar so bad for you when it tastes sooooo good?
Sugar is a cancer feeder. If you cut off sugar, you cut off one important food supply to cancer cells. Sugar promotes the growth of disease causing bacteria. Sugar robs your body of valuable nutrients needed to metabolize it. It also blocks various forms of spoilage bacteria by tying up the water in which bacteria grow. It's used as a major preservative by the food industry. It causes bone loss and tooth decay. A study done by Dr. Melvin Page found that sugar causes tooth decay not because of bacterial growth in the mouth, but because it alters body chemistry. Brown sugar is not any better for you. It just contains molasses. What about corn syrup? Corn syrup as denoted in the name, does come from corn. It is still highly refined and contains mostly fructose. Fructose is especially harmful for growing children. With that said, think about all the sugary drinks, yogurts, snacks, crackers, cereals, and other foods that are marketed to children. Read the labels. How many of those things contain corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup? What's even more appalling, is many of these things are marked "nutritious" on the label. Go through your cupboards and pantry at home. Read labels. How many things sitting on your shelf contain corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup? In addition to that, how many items contain sugar AND corn syrup? As my son got older and was eating more finger foods, I began to search for something healthy to feed him. I could not find a single "baby snack" that did not contain sugar. Needless to say, my son did not get any of those.
A 1970's study linked sugar to 1) kidney disease, 2) liver disease, 3) shortened life span, 4) increased desire for coffee and tobacco, 5) atherosclerosis, 6) coronary heart disease, 7) hyperactivity, 8) behavior problems, 9) lack of concentration
A British researcher (Yudkin) did a study in the 1950's linked excessive sugar usage to the release of free fatty acids in the aorta, as well as a rise in blood cholesterol. This leads to high blood pressure and a greater risk of heart disease. A rise in tryglicerides is linked to coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus. Excessive sugar use also causes an increase in blood insulin levels, gastric acidity, shrinkage of the pancreas, and a host of other health problems. Now, keep in mind that this study was done for excessive sugar usage. However, our sugar intake in America is NOT decreasing. Diabetes, especially for children is on the rise.
A lot of "low fat" or "light foods" may contain less fat, but do contain more sugar. These products are not health foods.
With that said, what can we do? Well, I will address some sugar alternatives in a future entry. But for now, we defintely can reduce the amount of sugar we consume. My husband loves his sweet tea and soda. Per his request, I have reduced the amount of sugar in his tea. (I prefer unsweet when I drink it at all.) He has also made a very conscious effort to reduce his intake of soda. I gave up soda completely. To be perfectly honest, I don't miss it one bit! We try to only eat desserts on the weekends, and they are homemade. I do not buy packaged ice cream anymore. We make it at home with maple syrup. I'll be sure to post a few of our healthy dessert recipes so you can try some.
We definitely want to honor God with our food choices, and this is one way to start. Next time, I want to address the issue of artificial sweeteners. This is even a worse choice than sugar, especially if you are trying to lose weight. It's not a "diet" food.
For further explanation or information check out The Maker's Diet and Nourishing Traditions. Also www.breadbeckers.com.
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