Too Much Sugar
Recently a group of
dieticians published a pamphlet on the
harmful effects of excessive sugar
consumption. They begin with this
fascinating sentence: “Judging by the size
of America’s sugar bowl, it really ought to
be a sweet world.” Someone has said, “Every
day in America is sweeter than the day
before,” and it is! According to a survey by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Americans eat approximately 3,500,000 pounds
of candy each year. That’s about 16 lbs. for
every man, woman and child in the country.
This is only the beginning of the story.
America’s sweet tooth gets longer each year.
Our craving for sweets seems more intense
each passing decade. Each American consumes
approximately 120 lbs. of sugar per year. In
the last 170 years, the increase in sugar
consumption has been remarkable.
In 1822 the average American
ate 2 teaspoons per day.
In 1890 the average American
ate 10 teaspoons per day.
In 1905 the average American
ate 20 teaspoons per day.
In 1974 the average American
ate 33 teaspoons per day.
In 1995 the average American
ate 40 teaspoons per day.
ONE STEP AT A TIME: WHAT TO
DO
Most sugar we consume is
hidden sugar. Most processed foods contain
sugar in one form or another. Americans
average 54 gallons of soft drink per person
per year. One 12-ounce soda may contain 12
teaspoons of sugar. One piece of chocolate
cake contains 15 teaspoons of sugar and a
cup of frozen yogurt has 12 teaspoons.
You’ll also find hidden sugar in foods such
as canned soups, potpies, TV dinners and
many brands of peanut butter. You should
also realize that giving it a different name
might also hide sugar. Sucrose, dextrose,
lactose, fructose, and maltose are all
sugars. So are corn syrup, honey and
molasses. More than 100 substances that are
sugars exist.
Sugar does produce quick
energy. Refined, concentrated sugars enter
the bloodstream quickly. Up goes the blood
sugar, resulting in a quick energy boost. A
sugar-high! But the high is only temporary,
because it triggers a surge of insulin.
Insulin brings down blood sugar levels and,
in the absence of the modulation effects of
fiber, sometimes pulls down too fast and too
far. A falling blood sugar often mimics
symptoms of hypoglycemia, producing feelings
of weakness, hunger, fatigue and letting
down. The sugar-blues! The usual reaction is
to reach for another sugary snack, and then
another, leading to a sort of grazing all
day long. If you would try eating a banana
or a bowl of brown rice, the fiber in these
foods would slow down the absorption of
sugar into the bloodstream. The sugar levels
wouldn’t jump around so much, your energy
would stabilize, and you would feel
satisfied longer.
Many well-meaning parents
are switching from soda pop to fruit juices
as the beverage of choice for their toddlers
and children. Children under the age of five
consume an average of nine gallons of juice
annually. Sugars also appear to be habit
forming. The more a person eats, the more
they want. This presents a problem since
sugar is replacing the more nutritious,
balanced foods.
All that sugar doesn’t
seem to be making us a sweeter nation. It
may be contributing to mood swings, fatigue,
and a host of diseases. Sweet foods affect
brain chemistry. Research from Yale
University showed that children who were
given sugar on an empty stomach released
large amounts of adrenaline, which resulted
in shakiness, anxiety, excitement and
concentration problems. Significant
relationships have been found between
destructive, aggressive and restless
behaviors in hyperactive children and
refined sugar intake. Other studies indicate
that high sugar intake is associated with
lowered intelligence and achievement scores
of children ages 5 to 16. Children who eat
many sweets are particularly vulnerable to
colds and infections.
Sugar contains no
nutrients or fiber. It is high in calories
and can crowd more nutritious foods out of
your diet. Nutritional research continues to
produce evidence that the imbalance in the
American diet is causing an alarming
increase in degenerative diseases. Our sugar
consumption is too high. Sugar calories not
used by the body are stored as fat.
Yuck!!!!!
Too much refined sugar
depletes the body of B vitamins. B vitamins
are essential for healthy nerves. A
depletion of B vitamins lowers our
resistance to infection and makes us
irritable and depressed. Sugar also weakens
the white blood cells, which furnish our
main line of defense against invading germs.
One white blood cell can normally attack and
destroy 14 invading germs. After eating
sugar, this capability is reduced
dramatically.
Eat 6 teaspoons of sugar and
the white cells attack 10 invading germs.
Twelve teaspoons of sugar and they can
attack 5.5 invading germs. Eat 24 teaspoons
of sugar and 1 invading germ is destroyed.
Something for us to ponder.
Because refined white sugar
is a double sugar, it requires more work,
often exhausting the human system to invert
and convert this chemical into a simpler
digestible form, ready for assimilation. On
the contrary, simple sugars such as those in
fruits and honey are very easily digested.
Diets high in refined sugars and starches
such as white sugar and white flour product
often crowd out the desire for more
nutritious foods, resulting in nutritional
deficiencies. Pure refined sugar, being the
most depleted of “foodless foods” makes
demand on the body’s store of vitamins and
minerals for its assimilation. Research and
evidence agree that although sugar may
pamper and satisfy your sweet tooth, it acts
as a sneaky and insidious thief of your
health.
Refined sugar also increases
the blood fat levels and has a clogging
effect on the body. The sluggishness of the
body brought on by too much sugar causes
disease. Sugar plays a significant role in
the build-up of cholesterol, which can clog
heart arteries and high triglycerides. There
is concern that higher amounts of sugar in
the blood can combine with LDL cholesterol
to produce a compound that is damaging to
the lining of blood vessel walls, thus
stimulating atherosclerosis.
Too much sugar also
contributes to tooth decay, because it slows
the fluid flow through the tiny canals of
the teeth. The teeth lose their resistance
to viral and bacterial invasion and decay
results.
APPLICATION: HOW TO
DO IT
Education and moderation are
the secrets. A sweet tooth can be
reeducated. Moderation is the guideline. It
doesn’t have to mean giving up a favorite
dessert altogether. Begin by decreasing the
frequency of eating sugared foods. Instead
of eating deserts several times daily,
reduce to three times a week. When dessert
is served less often, you and your family
will begin looking forward to them and enjoy
them more. Another aspect of moderation is
learning to be satisfied with smaller
portions. Big servings and second helpings
are just bad habits. You can learn to eat
one piece of candy instead of the whole box.
You’ll feel better too! Eating more slowly
with pleasure can be more enjoyable than
bolting down several pieces of dessert.
Refined sugar is a lifestyle
stressor worthy of careful monitoring. Be
aware of what you are eating and drinking.
How much sugar have you been getting in
snacks, desserts and drinks? Sugar attacks
happen most often when you haven’t eaten
meals at the right time or when you have not
included enough fibers in you meal.
Recommended Limit: 30
grams or less per day.
Read labels. Every 4 grams on
the label indicates one teaspoon of sugar in
the product.
YOUR CHALLENGE: YOU CAN DO
IT!!
Eat more fiber foods. Fiber
helps reduce sugar cravings. Fiber gives
long lasting energy and raises serotonin
levels to improve your mood.
Eat an abundant supply of
fresh vegetable and fruits. Vegetables and
fruits provide fiber and trace minerals that
satisfy the appetite. Keep fresh fruit
available if you need a snack. A can of
mixed fruit packed in it’s own juice with a
fresh diced apple and sliced banana makes a
quick dessert. Practice satisfying your
sweet tooth by reaching for a bunch of
chilled grapes instead of a doughnut.
Drink water instead of high
sugar drinks.
Try some dried fruit or fruit
leathers.
Instead of a sugar snack,
take a brisk, ten-minute walk for a quick
pick-me-up.
Modify your recipes. Cut
sugar in recipes by 1/2 or 1/3.
Sprinkle slices of
strawberries and bananas on your cereal
instead of sugar.
Choose breakfast cereals that
have 5 grams or less per serving.
If you want to eat sugar, the
best time to eat it is with or following
meals. With good nutrition from a meal, you
are less likely to eat too much sugar.
Reducing the amount of
refined and concentrated sugars in the diet
and eating more high-fiber foods, like whole
grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, will
produce the right kind of sugar highs. These
highs will keep you energetic and feeling
good all day long!
And remember, Health is by Choice...not by
chance! The choice is yours. You don’t have
to be a statistic. By adopting a better diet
and wiser lifestyle habits, you can live
longer, feel better, and enjoy a healthier,
more productive life.
~*~
Nancy Schmieder works with the Better Living Ministries in
Wayland , NY as a Certified Lifestyle Consultant and Specialist.
The Better Living Ministries is a Community Resource for Lifestyle
Education and Support. Health by Choice is a practical, simple
journey on how to incorporate healthy habits into your lifestyle.
Nancy is a Mother of five and she lives with her family in
Springwater , NY . Her e-mail address is
n.schmieder@frontiernet.net
