Is This Poison in Your Daily Diet??
Would any of you knowingly swallow a pill on a daily basis that was proven to cause the following:
Inflammation Suppresses the Immune System
Insulin Resistance Encourages Candida Overgrowth
Type 2 Diabetes Suppresses Enzyme Function
Increased Cancer Risk Creates Tooth/Bone Decay due to Mineral Loss
Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Creates an Acidic Environment
Mineral Depletion Eczema/skin issues
Food Addiction Advanced Aging
Obesity Hyperactivity in Children
I am pretty certain that you would NOT swallow that pill if you realized the consequences.
Well, the list above portrays just some of the consequences of too much sugar in the diet. I would venture a guess that most American households have a sugar bowl in their kitchen filled with the white stuff. You might be thinking to yourself “Huh, well I only put two spoonfuls in my cup of coffee in the morning,” (2 tsps. = 8 grams of sugar) or ” My kids just put a few spoonfuls on their cereal.” Well, if that were ALL the sugar you were getting, you would not have so much to worry about but unfortunately processed sugar, hidden in processed foods, contributes greatly to your daily grand total.
Sugar consumption is out of control in the standard American diet (SAD). Because of subsidies to the farming industry it is very cheap to produce and has found it’s way into almost every processed food on the market. From the expected, (‘juice’ drinks and baked goods) to the unexpected, (processed meats, condiments, salad dressings). Americans on average eat over 150 pounds of sugar in their diets per year! Do you really need sugar in your sliced turkey?
Dr. Lustig, a professor of Pediatric Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco and a leading expert in childhood obesity states emphatically, "It's a poison by itself,". Studies show that refined sugar releases a surge of dopamine and when chronically repeated can cause dopamine receptors to be less responsive, requiring more and more refined sugar to get to that feel good state.
James DiNicolantonio is a cardiovascular research scientist. In discussing his work with rats who are given first cocaine, then the option of sugar, he states “even when you get the rats hooked on IV cocaine, once you introduce sugar, almost all of them switch to the sugar.” It is a highly addictive legal substance that unfortunately too many of us are hooked on.
The American Heart Association recommends that adult males not ingest more than 36 grams of sugar daily. Adult women should stick closer to 20 grams and children should be eating 12 grams or less PER DAY! Remember...2 teaspoons of sugar equals 8 grams.
Hmmmmm, how many of you (hopefully not many!) know children or teens that drink a 20 ounce soda everyday? Or they have a soda WITH candy! Would we ever give our children the disease causing pill I mentioned at the start of this post? Absolutely not! But when it is disguised as a SLURPEE (with toxic red or yellow dye) it becomes a special treat! Do we have to think hard on this one? The choice seems pretty clear. Explain it to your children, I bet even they would agree!
A 20 ounce Coke contains 65 grams of sugar. That is the equivalent of the recommended amount for the adult man, woman and child COMBINED! Do not forget that in the case of the SAD diet, that soda would be in addition to the processed food and treats already eaten throughout the day.
It is no wonder that 70% of Americans are overweight and either chronically ill with the various maladies mentioned on my list above or headed there quickly!
Dr. Mercola, a leading natural health expert, recommends that if you are wanting to avoid the diseases and illness related issues that come from having too much sugar in your diet, “... then start getting VERY serious about restricting the level of fructose to no more than 25 grams per day. If you already have any of these diseases or are at high risk of any of them, then you are probably better off by cutting that to 10-15 grams per day.”
I challenge you to consider carefully monitoring how much total sugar you are consuming daily, breaking sugar’s addictive hold, and keeping your total grams of sugar count low.
How to accomplish this?
Yes, you will have to be vigilant in regards to what you are putting in your mouth. Eat food in it’s simplest state which makes it easy to avoid processed food with added sugars. Create meals with dark greens and colorful vegetables, eat grass fed and wild caught proteins, healthy nuts and seeds and healthy fats. Choose low glycemic load fruits to keep that sugar total down and use natural stevia or monk fruit if you require a sweetener. There are delicious, healthful treats you can make without sugar!
If you know you are a sugar addict and are having crazy cravings, investigate supplementing with L-glutamine, an amino acid that can help with sugar cravings. Also consider using therapeutic grade essential oils like grapefruit and cinnamon. Add one drop into the palm of your hand, rub your hands together, ‘tent’ them over your nose and deeply inhale, repeating several times. These oils may benefit your body’s effort to stabilize after being on a high sugar diet. Balance healthy eating with physical exercise to burn off the natural sugars you do consume in your diet. Exercise can also help in reducing stress and the sugar binges that may accompany it, leaving you with a natural high from endorphins, no sugar required.
When you eat a diet low in sugar you will notice a multitude of positive health benefits. Feeling great, improved mood, avoiding chronic illness and disease far outweigh any fleeting ‘benefit’ processed sugar may provide. Get the sugar monkey off your back - It’s your life ...CHOOSE HEALTH!