Let’s talk about Sugar Consumption

Before he passed from colon cancer, my father-in-law told me one final thing, “Don’t ever forget…sugar is poison!” Such an ominous statement, but I’ve come to realize he was telling the truth. You may think I am exaggerating, but “a poison is anything that directly causes harm and can lead to a diseased state when you ingest it” writes author, Isabel D. Price in her book, Food Meets Faith.

Do you or anyone you know suffer from these diseases or symptoms? (If so, sugar may be the cause.):

• Atherosclerosis 
• Attention deficit disorder and attention/deficit/hyperactivity disorder
• Behavior problems
• Cancer
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Colon cancer
• Coronary heart disease
• Diabetes
• Food intolerance
• Kidney disease
• Liver disease
• Malnutrition
• Osteoporosis
• Overgrowth of yeast, especially Candida albicans
• Tooth decay
• Violent tendencies

Look for Hidden Sugars

As such a prominent part of our American diet, you may imagine that sugar is found only in the sweet desserts you savor after a meal. Not true! Sugar hides in most of the foods we eat. Start reading the labels of your favorite foods like catsup, granola, and even “lite” salad dressing. Some names that commonly are used to disguise sugar are sucrose, fructose, dextrose, lactose, maltose, barley malt, invert sugar, nectar, and corn syrup.

“Sugars” that are unhealthy include:

• Equal (Aspartame)
• Sweet and Low (Saccharin)
• Splenda (Sucralose)
• Truvia
• Xylitol
• Erythritol
• Maltodextrin
• Cane sugar
• Brown rice sugar
• Agave

When the liver receives more sugar than it can store, it returns the sugar to the blood as fatty acids. These fatty acids accumulate in the buttocks, belly, breasts, and thighs, the most inactive areas of the body. When these are filled with fat, acids are then distributed to the heart, liver, and kidney organs, increasing the possibility for organ disease.

Manage Your Emotions Without Sugar

Sugar is said to be as addictive as heroin. Have you been using sugar in carbonated drinks as a “pick me up” when you need energy? In cakes and cookies as an upper when you feel depressed? Or in heavy carbohydrate foods like pasta when you want comfort? Think again.

Isa Kay, with a Master’s of Public Health in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Michigan writes, “Many people may be suffering from symptoms of common mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety, without realizing that variable blood sugar could be the culprit …A growing body of evidence suggests a relationship between mood and blood-sugar, or glycemic, highs and lows.”

So, how can you immediately and positively change your health? Eat sugar only in moderation or eliminate it completely. Reen and I are finding many new foods that remove sugar completely.

The only caveat is to be certain the sugar replacement is not more dangerous than sugar itself (like Aspartame in diet drinks that literally affects and distorts brain activity). Look for products that use Stevia, a natural plant, to provide that sweet taste you crave.

Practical Ways to Moderate or Eliminate Sugar Consumption

1. Check the labels on the foods you buy before purchasing. You will be surprised at the hidden sugars in so many of the foods we commonly eat. Always  check the labels before you purchase any food and soon you will quickly know which foods are not laced with sugar and instead are safe and healthy.
2. Increase your intake of protein and fiber. I’ve been amazed that eating three meals a day in proper proportions is actually better for losing weight than eliminating the dinner meal in an attempt at fasting (often ending up snacking before bedtime).
3. Remove “low-fat” foods. Many low-fat foods are high in sugar to compensate for the fat. Again, check the labels before buying.
4. Eat healthy sugars to remove cravings. Eliminate processed sugars in food and soon the natural sugars found in fruit will be sufficient to satisfy your sugar cravings. How about a sliced apple with 2 Tbsp. of almond butter as a snack? Filling and delicious.
5. Keep a container of healthy snacks in the fridge. Reen is a “grazer.” He would rather eat small meals all day long than sit down to a large meal. Though we do try to eat three properly sized meals a day full of fiber and protein, I also keep a container of cut up veggies like carrots, broccoli, tiny tomatoes, and celery in the refrigerator when he simply must have something which he dips in sugar-free dressing.
6. Look for new and interesting sugar-free foods. Some we’ve come to enjoy are G Hughs Sugar Free Vinaigrettes and Ketchup as well as Yo Mama’s Sugar-Free Dressings. How about Mott’s No Sugar Added Applesauce or Ray’s No Sugar Added Sweet and Smokey Barbecue Sauce? Sucralose is not the best sweetener but works in a pinch. As said before, Stevia is the best as found now in Ocean Spray Zero Sugar Mixed Berry Juice ( I mix ¼ cup with 32 oz. of water- I hate the taste of water.)  All these can be found economically at Walmart.

So, the next time you’re tempted to grab a quick sweet pastry from the convenience story, remember your body is God’s temple to be cared for by you. And there is a phrase I learned long ago, “Nothing tastes as good as it feels to be thin (and healthy!)”