Health Section
The Truth About Sugar is not so Sweet
by Justine Campbell
Did you know the average American consumes 175 lbs of sugar per year? That’s about 46 tsp, or 15 tbsp or a half pound per day! If all this sugar actually had some benefits, a half pound per day woulnd’t seem so bad!
But the truth is that most sugar has no nutritional value whatsoever and can rob our bodies of vitamins, minerals and some enzymes.
How many of us have felt so exhausted at the end of our busy days that we slip right through a fast-food drive-thru or in and out of a grocery store with boxed nuggets and tater tots? After a day of depriving our bodies of the foods it needs, its no wonder we lack the energy to cook up a nourishing meal for ourselves and our families. The problem is that now these poor eating habits are being passed on to our children.
Most of us think of candy, soda and junk food when the sugar topic comes up, but there is plenty of sugar hiding in foods you may not expect. Some types of yogurt, crackers, ketchup and peanut better, for instance, are loaded with sugar and most likely high fructose corn syrup or some other highly processed form.
Sugar has devastating effects on our bodies, but we do know sugary foods taste great…in the moment. So, what’s the story behind the average American diet and our ever pressing urge for that donut at breakfast or afternoon candybar?
Let’s start with breakfast. Breakfast is an important meal because it lays a nice foundation for the rest of our day. Eating the typical high sugar or carbohydrate breakfast, or even skipping it all together, has a huge impact on our day. Here’s why: Blood sugar or glucose fuels every cell in our body which in turn fuels us. Because of this, it is important to eat balanced meals every couple of hours to insure optimal energy throughout your day.
Breakfast foods like cold cereals, pancakes or waffles with syrup, bagels, donuts, or even oatmeal with sugar and fruit are all high in sugars and simple carbohydrates and can cause a spike in your blood sugar leaving you with an unpleasant crash soon after.
This “crash” or low blood sugar can cause us to have many unpleasant, yet familiar symptoms. Usually these symptoms start with difficulty concentrating or processing information, because the brain is an energy hog and needs lots of fuel to do its job. Next you may feel anxiety, irritability, addictive behavior and cravings for sweets or carbohydrate foods and very commonly fatigue.
We are usually in a hurry to get through lunch, so it’s easy to grab quick and convenient processed foods. Usually these foods are full of refined carbohydrates and remember that breakfast blood sugar spike? It’s back, but in a lunch time package that leaves you craving something sweet when the afternoon crash sets in.
Now we’re looking for a sugary “pick-me-up” that which in no time will have us back to the low we started in. Our afternoon go-to snacks usually contain refined carbohydrates like white flours and white sugars. Sugar becomes a bandit that robs the body of important enzymes, minerals and vitamins, especially B vitamins which help with proper brain and nervous system function.
There are many alternatives to sugary snacks. We all should take responsibility for our diets and take time to plan ahead and do a little research to prepare healthy meals.
The truth is the less sugar the sweeter your health.
