Sugar... the Not So Sweet Deal
We humans love sweet things! We even love the word sweet. We call our loved-one sweetheart; we refer to a bargain as a sweet deal; stretched out into two syllables, “suh-weet” becomes hip for something excellent and cool. What would a birthday celebration be without cake? And chocolate, where would we be without chocolate? Ah, our sweet tooth…
Just this morning, while eating a nectarine, I am reminded of the simple luxury of eating fresh food at the height of season. Surely nothing could be more self-indulgent, enjoyable and luxurious than my nectarine. It was intoxicating. It was so sweet!
The endorphins, the feel-good chemicals, flood our system and activate the pleasure response in our brains when we eat something sweet. Long before people started eating refined sugar, we sought out foods with sweet tastes like my nectarine. They make us happy. And as the nectarine juice ran down my arm, I knew that as truth.
But there is nothing simple in our love for sugar today. Our love affair with sugar has turned into a Fatal Attraction. William Duffy, author of Sugar Blues, describes it graphically, “Like heroin, cocaine and caffeine, sugar is an addictive, destructive drug, yet we consume it daily in everything from cigarettes to bread.” That seems a little harsh, but true, as sugar is highly addictive.
Like any drug, eating sugar, even in a small amount, creates a desire for more, for when we quit suddenly, we have withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, mood swings, cravings and fatigue.
The average American now consumes an astounding 2-3 pounds of sugar a week, and that statistic continues to rise. Sugar is the largest source of calories for individuals living in industrialized nations. Let’s think about this good and hard. Is your largest daily source of calories coming from sugar? I'm not talking about my nectarine either, but unnatural, man-made forms such as sucrose, dextrose (corn sugar) and high-fructose corn syrup well hidden in common, every-day processed foods – sugar! Those calories do nothing to build a healthy body nor will they help you develop a well-nourished soul. In fact, quite the opposite.
Why does it matter? Sugar is a simple carbohydrate that occurs naturally in foods such as grains, beans, vegetables and fruit. When unprocessed, these types of sugar contain a variety of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and protein. These carbohydrates break down uniformly, entering the bloodstream slowly and evenly, allowing your body to absorb all the good stuff.
Refined table sugar, sucrose, is very different. Extracted from sugar cane or beets and then highly processed, it lacks any vitamins, minerals or fiber – thus requiring extra effort for our body to digest. The body must deplete its own store of minerals and enzymes to absorb sucrose properly. Therefore, instead of providing the body with nutrition, it creates deficiency.
Sugar enters the bloodstream swiftly and wreaks havoc on our blood sugar levels – first pushing it sky high, causing excitability, nervous tension and hyperactivity—and then dropping it extremely low- causing fatigue, irritability, crabbiness, cravings, weariness and exhaustion. Most of us know our blood sugar fluctuates wildly after a sugar binge, but we don’t realize the emotional roller-coaster ride that accompanies that high. We feel happy and energetic for a while, and then suddenly, inexplicably, we find ourselves cranky and arguing with people. What goes up must come down, so the roller coaster crashes. This is one roller coaster ride that can make life difficult for us and our loved ones.
Think you don’t eat a lot of sugar? Think again. It’s everywhere and in everything. Manufacturers are tricky with their labeling tactics. Sugar is listed in grams – most people do not have a clue how much sugar equals one gram (4 grams equal one teaspoon of sugar). Plus, they monkey around with serving size, which further skews our label fact-checking. Do the math!
So how much sugar is too much? One guideline suggests keeping the added sugar to no more than six teaspoons per day for women and nine teaspoons for men. While that may be easier said than done, it is well worth the effort. Over-consumption of refined sugars has directly led to an explosion of obesity, hypoglycemia, type-2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers. Sugar causes inflammation that changes the structure of collagen in our skin, causing premature aging and wrinkles. Sugar suppresses your immune system at a cellular level. Sugar consumption is the number one cause of inflammation, a silent but deadly side-effect.
Inflammation it is one of the root causes of most of the deadly diseases plaguing us today. Anything causing inflammation in the body needs our attention and must be addressed.
Your life will be different when you stop eating processed, refined sugar – processed, refined food in general. Think of it this way: Our food goes into our stomach, and as it is digested, it goes into our blood. Our blood is what creates our cells, our tissues, our organs, even our moods. We do think differently when we eat well. We feel differently when we eat well. We will look different when we eat well. What we eat changes everything. Why not give it try?
Here are some tips to cut back your sugar consumption:
If you want to eliminate sugar from your life completely, the best way to do so is to go cold turkey. No sugar, from any source! Remember that even a small amount of sugar creates the craving for more, just like a drug. While the first few days will seem hellish, it becomes easier and easier as time goes by. Believe it or not, you are retraining your taste buds and your brain to recognize true sweetness, and (pardon me) not the chemical sugar-induced shit storm we have grown to know and supposedly love.
Read labels carefully. Avoid all foods with excess added sugar and be especially vigilant for high-fructose corn syrup. Learn all the many euphemisms for sugar on the labels. Until you are familiar with these labels, a quick reference to watch for any words containing juice or syrup, and words ending in “ose” and “itol” are suspect. Remember that four grams of sugar equals one teaspoon of sugar! Better yet, avoid foods with labels and packaging altogether.
Low-fat versions of commercially prepared food are a sugar/salt nightmare. Manufacturers have added copious amounts of salt and sugar to replace the flavor that fat adds to foods. Do not demonize fat, we took several wrong turns decades ago with our “low-fat lifestyle.” If you want to declare an dietary enemy, make it sugar!
Using artificial sweeteners in place of sugar is not the answer. Our bodies do not know how to assimilate these chemicals so they do more harm than good. Experiment with natural sweeteners instead: agave nectar, honey, and real maple syrup are delicious. Stevia is another great natural sweetener. It is extracted from a green leafy herb and is 100 times sweeter than white sugar. And while the adage “Sugar is Sugar” is true, at least these types of sugar provide some nutrition.
Watch out for breakfast. Starting the day with a sugar bomb cereal, pancakes or pastry is obviously loaded with sugar, but sugar has been added to bread, instant oatmeal, yogurt, granola, power bars and other supposedly healthy breakfasts. Have a breakfast of plain oatmeal sweetened with honey or fruit, eggs with vegetables, a smoothie or plain yogurt with fresh fruit.
Avoid sodas and other sugary drinks. Drinking caffeinated sugar-bombs (such as caramel macchiato anything) creates a double whammy for your body between the caffeine and the sugar. Avoid sports drinks, vitamin waters, flavored teas as they are all loaded with chemicals and sugar. Milk does a body good, but only if you’re a cow. And nothing will improve your health more than to wean yourself from soda, diet or regular. As an alternative, try mixing a little unsweetened fruit juice with mineral water, or one of the many wonderful naturally sweet herbal teas. Consider this another shameless plug to Drink Water! Aim for half your weight in ounces per day.
Increase the amount of whole grains (such as brown rice, quinoa or spelt) and sweet root vegetables (such as carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, or squash) in your daily diet. These naturally sweet foods help eliminate sugar cravings when eaten regularly.
Snack wisely. Plan ahead and carry healthy snacks with you, such as nuts or fresh fruit in season, so that you aren’t tempted by the vending machine.
Limit desserts to special occasions and then enjoy them fully. As I said earlier, what is a birthday without cake? Life is meant to be enjoyed.
