Friday, May 18, 2012

Sugar Is Destroying Health


Yep, I was right!;)  Ken sent me an email about this very topic and told me I was right all along.  Steven grew up thinking eating sugar was a sin.  Well, it just well may be close to sinning...{not really}.  It just isn't good for you.

On 60 Minutes, they had a program called Sugar ~ A Toxin.  Dr. Robert Lustig who is an pediatric endocrinologist has found out through in depth research that sugar is the main culprit in obesity, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, strokes, cancer, and heart disease.

When people started eating low fat to prevent all these diseases, all these diseases sky-rocketed because we replaced fat with sugar.  It turns out that our body needs healthy fats and doesn't need sugar.  He believes that we have a public health crisis in America.

Most Americans eat 130 pounds of sugar a year.  He explained that sugar spikes your insulin which causes many adverse affects in the body.  He even found that it is as addictive as cocaine.  It affects the same part of your brain that cocaine affects.

Never before in human history have we seen "adult onset" or Type 2 diabetes in children. There has been a more than 1,000 percent increase in Type 2 diabetes in children over the last two decades. (1) Fifteen years ago 3 percent of new cases of diabetes in children were Type 2 diabetes. Now it is 50 percent. (2) Forty percent of children are now overweight and 2 million are morbidly obese, exceeding the 99th percentile for weight.
Huffington Post

Try giving up sugar for several weeks and see if you don't have more energy and sleep better.   If is is truly a toxin in your body, you should be eating very little of it.  Eat real food, the way God created it to be.  You will feel so much better and our health care system will thank you.

What? know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have of God, and you are not your own?
I Corinthians 6:19

Comments (22)

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Not just this, but the average American consumes more than 40 pounds of HFCS every year too! HFCS contributes to all the obesity and other health problems more than sugar alone!
1 reply · active 671 weeks ago
HFCS is just another name for sugar so that makes sense.
Sheila Payne's avatar

Sheila Payne · 671 weeks ago

I am in the middle of making deserty snacks for fourteen people in their 20's at my sons' Bible study tonight.. It smells SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good and I was struggling to resist. Your post was just the resolve I needed to stay away from it. Do you have any of a sweet tooth left after being so good at eating healthy for so long? If you do, what do you choose? How about birthday's, Christmas, and occassions like that?
6 replies · active 670 weeks ago
I have found that after not eating something for a long time, it doesn't taste good anymore. I use to love Taco Bell, McDonalds, Snickers, Ding Dongs, etc. But now after not eating them for so long I think they are nasty. I don't like sodas anymore either,
We are experiencing the same at our house. We buy most of our food from Trader Joe's without preservatives. I remember in the beginning most of the food tasted sort of blah. Foods we used to enjoy now taste horrible ~ especially packaged foods. I was at a birthday party last week and they served Costco pizza. The crust tasted like plastic. I asked a couple of people if they agreed and I think they thought I was nuts. My 4 year old wouldn't eat it. We have a long way to go, but are definitely on our way.
Danielle B's avatar

Danielle B · 671 weeks ago

You learn how to make cakes w/healthier sugar for us it's Rapadura/Sucanat, I haven't bought a box mix in yearsssssss. Many cookie recipes can be converted too. There are one of two cookie recipes i make at Christmas that if I used Rapadura the color would be off. In those cookies i'll use organic cane sugar. A bit healthier than white sugar, not much tho. Seeing as I only make the cookies at Christmas it doesn't bother me. I don't want to turn easting healthy into an idol, so i don't obsessed about it.

I don't get upset if my children get a treat in children's church. It's not every week, and it's not worth it.
We eat fresh fruit and sweeten things with stevia and organic, raw honey.
I raised my children on good, whole foods so they really only enjoy healthy food. My mom raised us this way also. It makes it a lot easier to eat healthy but most will lose their desire for junk food if they give it up.
So true! When I was researching where we would move I always checked to make sure each town had a taco bell! But because our homestead is so far out of town it's MORE inconvenient to eat convenience foods like that, and the last time I went back to have some it tasted terrible! Soooo salty and foreign. Basically, it tasted like what it was, FSKE FOOD.
MY FAVORITE ALL TIME youtube video...this is the reason I decided to become a health counselor. Thanks for sharing...I didn't know he was on 60 minutes.
1 reply · active 671 weeks ago
The news is finally getting out there thankfully!
scienceteacher's avatar

scienceteacher · 671 weeks ago

When I saw the program, I thought the message was good, but could be confusing. It is important to know which sugars we need to avoid- the artificial and added sugars. Some things, like fruits, contain natural sugars and are still healthful, when eaten within the recommended dietary allowances. (But! although fruits are good, mass produced fruit juices are one of the worst culprits for "hidden" sugar.)

As an aside, because so many things are now being made "sugar free", and people avoiding sugar are now turning to them instead, I think it is also important to advise individuals to be wary of the chemicals used in place of sugar (Aspartame, Sucralose, Xyletol etc.). The sweeteners used in diet sodas, for example, actually cause the body to crave sugar, and when one turns to more of the "fake" sugar to satiate the sweet tooth, that craving is only intensified.

Like you mention so often, the best choice is to prepare foods at home using fresh, real, healthy ingredients.
2 replies · active 670 weeks ago
I completely agree with you!
Yeah! I wish this story had been coupled with some details about good fats. Whenever I'm craving junk I search out a good fat and it takes care of the problem. The thing is this: your body asks for something because it's missing something. If you are craving sugary foods it's not just because they taste good and are literally addictive, it's because your body needs energy. Fuel. GOOD FAT.
The first thing I noticed when I started to make recipes that were from the US, the amount of sugar - often twice as much compared to either English or Australian recipes. And if I made the recipes as per the instructions it was way too sweet. I use maple syrup or honey in replace of sugar in cakes and muffins and that works really well and creates a very nice taste and I find you don't need anywhere as much. I don't eat commercial cakes and chocolate bars etc.. due to the amount of calories - just too hard to remove so better not to touch in the first place. After removing high calorie foods from my diet to reduce weight, I find I no longer want to eat "bad" foods anymore - I just think of all the chemicals in them and that is enough to put me off - just read the labels. Stick to home cooked basic foods - if you want a cake, bake your own - at least you know what is in it.
1 reply · active 671 weeks ago
Great advice, Joluise.
Seriously, almost every blog you write is amazing. I LOVE that you are talking about health. I am studying to be a nutritionist and am currently becoming Vegan. There are great documentaries out there like Forks Over Knives. God showed me the reason to lose weight and eat healthy is so you can be at your optimal health so you can serve him and others to your fullest potential.That is my main motivation for studying nutrition and health and starting a blog. Sugar is the number one thing to get rid of. Thanks for posting:)!!
1 reply · active 671 weeks ago
You are welcome, Victoria. May God bless you in your endeavor with your blog. People definitely need to be educated about health!
I definitely need help here. My husband and I have been talking about cutting out sugar especially to benefit our children, but I felt like I didn't know where to start. Then yesterday he pointed out the amount of sugar in the cereal my boys picked out and I knew I had to get serious.
Did you find it better to go cold turkey or phase things out a little at a time?
I have already taken baby steps, like baking with half the sugar called for in a recipe and making my own granola using honey. We also cut dessert out except parties or visits to Grandma.
Thanks for any advice.
Somehow I knew this but never wanted to admit it because I love to eat sugar so. Wow...those are some show stopping statistics. I'd love to have you link this up to Titus 2 Tuesday this week on Cornerstone Confessions..

Hopping over from Women Living Welll.

Kathy
I have found the mineral manganese to be good for regulating blood sugar. I take it as a supplement however I also eat hazelnuts which are a natural source.
i've learned to grow my own stevia herb and then convert it into extrat for so little money and NO calories!!!! oh, there are health benifits too

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