Get off the sugar rollercoaster ride and see a sweeter side to life!
Sugar is certainly to be avoided, not only by the obese and those with health challenges, but by healthy individuals as well.
Sugar is an addictive, toxic poison and higher than normal blood sugar levels can kill you! Not only do many packaged foods contain large amounts of sugar, studies have shown sugar to have similar addictive qualities to that of opiate drugs.
Because there are so many sugar-laden foods around, and we have an insatiable desire for sweet things, our blood sugar levels are dangerously high – killing millions of people worldwide every year. That’s the finding of researchers from Harvard University, who looked at population health surveys and reviews of studies of 52 countries around the world over the last fifteen years, studies looking at the health of people with raised blood sugar.
How do we know if it’s sugar? Sugar includes glucose, fructose (in fruits) lactose (in milk), sucrose (in table sugar), maltose or malts (in rice malt and honey), jam (contains concentrated juice, which is high in fruit sugar), maple syrup, corn syrup, palm sugar (traditionally used in macrobiotic cooking), and organic brown or raw sugar.
Only 1 teaspoon of sugar (that miniscule amount) sets the immune system back 3½ hours, creates fatigue, adrenal weakness, triggers a rise in blood sugar, feeds internal parasites, may lead to Crohn's disease and is believed to accelerate cancer cells using glucose as fuel. Large amounts of sugar daily contributes to an immune system that is constantly operating below par.
Because sugar is robbed of all nutrients, the body must borrow missing vitamins and minerals from its own tissues and creates havoc with the immune system, which contributes to diseases such as obesity, tooth decay, damage to the pancreas and premature aging. Sugar contributes to the risk of heart disease and auto-immune diseases such as arthritis, asthma, and multiple sclerosis – to name a few.
As far back as 1957, in his article published in the Michigan Organic News, Dr William Coda Martin classified sugar is a poison because it is stripped of life forces, vitamins and minerals. “What is left consists of pure, refined carbohydrates. Incomplete carbohydrate metabolism results in the formation of “toxic metabolite” such as pyruvic acid. This interferes with the function of a part of the body and is the beginning of degenerative disease.”
Nancy Appleton, a Clinical Nutritionist, has compiled a list of 146 reasons on ‘how sugar is ruining your health’ in her book Lick the Sugar Habit. A few notable mentions include decrease growth hormone (the key to staying youthful and lean), feed cancer, causes food allergies, contributes to diabetes and eczema in children, can cause cardiovascular disease, can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating and crankiness in children, and contributes to osteoporosis.
The irony is we don’t actually need sugar! What we do need is glucose – the major source of energy our body uses to drive our metabolism, to keep our cells functioning. We get this from ’complex’ carbohydrates found in grains, fruit and vegetables, that are broken down in the gut into glucose molecules, which is gradually absorbed into the blood.
Do your own research and make sure you read the labels on your foods, as there are many hidden sugars in canned foods and processed foods.
Eating too many refined carbohydrates like bread, wheat, pasta, biscuits and cakes causes sugar cravings. The more sugar you eat, the more you will crave it, and using it as a comfort food in times of stress or depression will only make things worse, as blood sugar levels raise and then plummet, resulting in further cravings within a few hours and then mood swings and depression occur. A rollercoaster ride!
When blood sugar levels become low, when a person goes for too long without food, is generally a time most people will reach out for a chocolate bar for a quick fix. To avoid blood sugar dropping, eat every few hours foods such as Nuts (almonds, walnuts or Brazil nuts), Seeds, Fruit, Dried fruit (raisins, dried cranberries, dried peaches), Vegetables (carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices). These foods will provide fibre, vitamins and nutrients and will keep your blood sugar from dropping.
Research shows that one way of overcoming sugar cravings is to fast on vegetable juices and vegetable broth for 3 days and to cleanse the bowel with Epsom salts flush.
There are also numerous resources available to support people to minimise and remove sugar from their daily diets. A few tips from Mandy King (Mind Body Green), include:
I know, from personal experience, at times it may seem easier to reach for the processed, convenient snack, but at what cost? There are so many fresh, healthy, natural foods available from grocers and farmers markets, often at a lower price than the supermarket, so I say ”GO NATURAL”.
Oh sweet, sweet sugar, how enticing and deceiving you can be! Irrespective of whether you’re considered friend or foe, the overwhelming evidence shows you’re more likely a death sentence in disguise. I implore you, heed the experts’ advice and say “NO” to sugar .... and live a FIT, happier, healthier, longer life and live a life you love! :-)
Karen Low is the owner of Coach Me Now! To learn more, please contact Karen on 0409 343 336.
Follow us on Facebook for inspirational quotes and links, events, workshops, networking opportunities and resources.
Sugar is an addictive, toxic poison and higher than normal blood sugar levels can kill you! Not only do many packaged foods contain large amounts of sugar, studies have shown sugar to have similar addictive qualities to that of opiate drugs.
Because there are so many sugar-laden foods around, and we have an insatiable desire for sweet things, our blood sugar levels are dangerously high – killing millions of people worldwide every year. That’s the finding of researchers from Harvard University, who looked at population health surveys and reviews of studies of 52 countries around the world over the last fifteen years, studies looking at the health of people with raised blood sugar.
How do we know if it’s sugar? Sugar includes glucose, fructose (in fruits) lactose (in milk), sucrose (in table sugar), maltose or malts (in rice malt and honey), jam (contains concentrated juice, which is high in fruit sugar), maple syrup, corn syrup, palm sugar (traditionally used in macrobiotic cooking), and organic brown or raw sugar.
Only 1 teaspoon of sugar (that miniscule amount) sets the immune system back 3½ hours, creates fatigue, adrenal weakness, triggers a rise in blood sugar, feeds internal parasites, may lead to Crohn's disease and is believed to accelerate cancer cells using glucose as fuel. Large amounts of sugar daily contributes to an immune system that is constantly operating below par.
Because sugar is robbed of all nutrients, the body must borrow missing vitamins and minerals from its own tissues and creates havoc with the immune system, which contributes to diseases such as obesity, tooth decay, damage to the pancreas and premature aging. Sugar contributes to the risk of heart disease and auto-immune diseases such as arthritis, asthma, and multiple sclerosis – to name a few.
As far back as 1957, in his article published in the Michigan Organic News, Dr William Coda Martin classified sugar is a poison because it is stripped of life forces, vitamins and minerals. “What is left consists of pure, refined carbohydrates. Incomplete carbohydrate metabolism results in the formation of “toxic metabolite” such as pyruvic acid. This interferes with the function of a part of the body and is the beginning of degenerative disease.”
Nancy Appleton, a Clinical Nutritionist, has compiled a list of 146 reasons on ‘how sugar is ruining your health’ in her book Lick the Sugar Habit. A few notable mentions include decrease growth hormone (the key to staying youthful and lean), feed cancer, causes food allergies, contributes to diabetes and eczema in children, can cause cardiovascular disease, can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating and crankiness in children, and contributes to osteoporosis.
The irony is we don’t actually need sugar! What we do need is glucose – the major source of energy our body uses to drive our metabolism, to keep our cells functioning. We get this from ’complex’ carbohydrates found in grains, fruit and vegetables, that are broken down in the gut into glucose molecules, which is gradually absorbed into the blood.
Do your own research and make sure you read the labels on your foods, as there are many hidden sugars in canned foods and processed foods.
Eating too many refined carbohydrates like bread, wheat, pasta, biscuits and cakes causes sugar cravings. The more sugar you eat, the more you will crave it, and using it as a comfort food in times of stress or depression will only make things worse, as blood sugar levels raise and then plummet, resulting in further cravings within a few hours and then mood swings and depression occur. A rollercoaster ride!
When blood sugar levels become low, when a person goes for too long without food, is generally a time most people will reach out for a chocolate bar for a quick fix. To avoid blood sugar dropping, eat every few hours foods such as Nuts (almonds, walnuts or Brazil nuts), Seeds, Fruit, Dried fruit (raisins, dried cranberries, dried peaches), Vegetables (carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices). These foods will provide fibre, vitamins and nutrients and will keep your blood sugar from dropping.
Research shows that one way of overcoming sugar cravings is to fast on vegetable juices and vegetable broth for 3 days and to cleanse the bowel with Epsom salts flush.
There are also numerous resources available to support people to minimise and remove sugar from their daily diets. A few tips from Mandy King (Mind Body Green), include:
- Eat a high protein breakfast – to help maintain a steady blood sugar level throughout the day (ie. eggs, protein shake).
- Snack on healthy fats – to help you feel satiated, reducing the likelihood of reaching for processed and sugar-laden foods (ie. coconut oil, avocado).
- Eliminate artificial sweeteners – aspartame and sucralose can increase your sugar cravings and can have damaging effects on your body.
- Sleep a minimum of 8 hours a night – prolonged sleep deprivation causes the body to feel hungry and therefore increases the likelihood of reaching for processed and sugar-laden foods to get a quick “hit”.
- Sweeten with cinnamon – natural ingredients can provide a sense of sweetness, without the sugar.
I know, from personal experience, at times it may seem easier to reach for the processed, convenient snack, but at what cost? There are so many fresh, healthy, natural foods available from grocers and farmers markets, often at a lower price than the supermarket, so I say ”GO NATURAL”.
Oh sweet, sweet sugar, how enticing and deceiving you can be! Irrespective of whether you’re considered friend or foe, the overwhelming evidence shows you’re more likely a death sentence in disguise. I implore you, heed the experts’ advice and say “NO” to sugar .... and live a FIT, happier, healthier, longer life and live a life you love! :-)
Karen Low is the owner of Coach Me Now! To learn more, please contact Karen on 0409 343 336.
Follow us on Facebook for inspirational quotes and links, events, workshops, networking opportunities and resources.