Sugar - The Hidden Enemy

sugar In our over-loaded information industry, we have been told many conflicting facts about proteins, carbohydrates and fats, but one area that has been misunderstood is SUGAR! By now, we should all know the answer to the question, “how much sugar am I allowed in one day?” The nutritional answer is ZERO. There is no recommended daily allowance for sugar.   Most of you are probably saying , “What? No sugar”.  Let me clarify this….I am not saying you can’t eat sugar, but there is NO such thing as a recommended daily allowance of refined sugar. We, as individuals, have been fooled by the word “sugar” thinking our bodies need man made, refined sugar for survival and for energy. What our bodies actually need is GLUCOSE and it is found present in our bloodstream via the breakdown of natural foods such as raw fruit, vegetables and rice, etc.  The body uses glucose for energy and it is metabolized to produce body heat.   Today’s ad campaigns for all the various food products we ingest daily would have us believe that it is the candy bar, diet shake, donut, muffin, etc. that gives us the needed energy to make it through another work day.  In reality we need the foods that come straight from nature to keep our bodies in a healthy, balanced, and energized state of well being. Many food manufacturers will try to disguise the addition of refined sugar ingredients by using different names on the product label such as high fructose corn syrup or malitol.  In addition sugar carbs and complex carbs found within the same food product are sometimes grouped together on the label, so you can’t quite tell how refined the product might actually be.  But thankfully many products will list out the SUGAR grams on the label.  Beware of any product that has a total of 25 grams of carbohydrates of which 20 grams are SUGAR. This product is mostly all sugar and is not a very healthy food. Manufactures are also using sugar alcohols to mask the amounts of sugar content in foods. If an ingredient does not significantly affect insulin, it is deemed low sugar. In actuality all sugar alcohols are still in the sugar family. Here are words used to describe sugar in the ingredients on a food label: LACTOSE- Sugar from milk. The health condition known as “Lactose intolerance” is caused by the presence of sugar in the milk. MALTOSE- Sugar from malt FRUCTOSE- Sugar from fruit DEXTROSE- Sugar from starch. “Corn Starch” SUCROSE- Refined sugar from sugar cane or beats MALITOL, SORBITOL, XYLITOL – these are just a few of the sugar alcohols used especially in diet foods, gums & mints Be especially aware of SUCROSE – it can be very addictive. The more the body has, the more it wants. The spike in insulin is followed by a crash of blood sugar levels, usually below normal levels, which then sets up the roller costar insulin ride. The bottom line is that sugar is detrimental to your health. Many people have developed diabetes, cancer and skin problems, mineral imbalances and a myriad of health problems all due to long term overdoses of sugar. Next time you get a craving and your first thought is sugar- remember this article, drink a big glass of water and reach for a healthy substitute!

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