Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Sugar - The Silent Killer
How much sugar do you consume in a day? It probably is a lot more than you think. In this day and age the average American (man, woman, and child) consumes about 115 pounds of sugar per year. Sugar (pure sucrose) is an unnatural, crystalline substance that is produced by processing sugar cane or sugar beets. The problem with this refining process is that, when it is done, all of the natural and beneficial nutrients have been taken out. Natural sugar cane and sugar beets contain proteins, vitamins, enzymes, minerals, and nutrients that are refined out when sugar is made.
Sugar would not be such a problem if it wasn't so widely accepted. The quantities that we ingest on a normal basis are far beyond what our bodies can handle. This is a major reason for many common health problems seen today. The medical definition as to whether a substance is good or bad for you, has to do with how much is taken in. For example, many snakes have venom that is deadly to humans if too much is taken in, yet that same venom can be used for medicinal purposes in very small quantities. The same goes for sugar, but we as a society take in way too much.
Approximately 95% of people are addicted to sugar in some way. The reason sugar is so addictive is due to its seductive taste. People develop a strong craving for sugar at very young ages. Even at birth, babies are fed formulas that contain sugar. Babies who are breastfed still develop a taste for sugar because a mother's breast milk contains the sugar that the mother eats. Most foods we eat on a daily basis contain large amounts of sugar. Americans are supposedly the best fed people in the world; but are we eating the right things? If you actually read the labels of the food we eat, you would realize how much sugar we take in. Almost every processed food contains it. The list is endless, but examples of such foods would be: ketchup, most cereals, hotdogs, and many soups.
Over the course of many years, sugar can damage your pancreas (which can cause diabetes). Your endocrine system (your body's natural glands that produce essential chemicals) can be thrown out of balance. This will cause your body's blood sugar to dramatically fluctuate. Excessive sugar intake can also contribute to: heart disease, arteriosclerosis (thickening of artery walls, causing them to be less flexible), depression or other mental illness, cancer, high blood pressure, cavities, tooth loss, bleeding gums, fatigue, overgrowth of yeast, increased premenstrual syndrome (PMS), anxiety, irritability, and hyperactivity in children. In short, sugar may taste good, but it is definitely not good for you.
Sugar would not be such a problem if it wasn't so widely accepted. The quantities that we ingest on a normal basis are far beyond what our bodies can handle. This is a major reason for many common health problems seen today. The medical definition as to whether a substance is good or bad for you, has to do with how much is taken in. For example, many snakes have venom that is deadly to humans if too much is taken in, yet that same venom can be used for medicinal purposes in very small quantities. The same goes for sugar, but we as a society take in way too much.
Approximately 95% of people are addicted to sugar in some way. The reason sugar is so addictive is due to its seductive taste. People develop a strong craving for sugar at very young ages. Even at birth, babies are fed formulas that contain sugar. Babies who are breastfed still develop a taste for sugar because a mother's breast milk contains the sugar that the mother eats. Most foods we eat on a daily basis contain large amounts of sugar. Americans are supposedly the best fed people in the world; but are we eating the right things? If you actually read the labels of the food we eat, you would realize how much sugar we take in. Almost every processed food contains it. The list is endless, but examples of such foods would be: ketchup, most cereals, hotdogs, and many soups.
Over the course of many years, sugar can damage your pancreas (which can cause diabetes). Your endocrine system (your body's natural glands that produce essential chemicals) can be thrown out of balance. This will cause your body's blood sugar to dramatically fluctuate. Excessive sugar intake can also contribute to: heart disease, arteriosclerosis (thickening of artery walls, causing them to be less flexible), depression or other mental illness, cancer, high blood pressure, cavities, tooth loss, bleeding gums, fatigue, overgrowth of yeast, increased premenstrual syndrome (PMS), anxiety, irritability, and hyperactivity in children. In short, sugar may taste good, but it is definitely not good for you.
