It has been linked with cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, dental decay and hyper active behavior.......to name a few.
There are a number of common sugars that we see in processed foods. If you stay away from processed foods...guaranteed you will stay away from almost all of these.
Glucose(or referred to as Dextrose) is the simplest form....absorbed quickly into the blood stream.
Your body breaks down all carbs into glucose for its main source of energy/fuel.
Glycemic Index(GI) is a scale that is used to measure how quickly glucose enters the bloodstream.
Foods such as certain veggies/fruits, whole grains/seeds, beans tend to have a lower GI and therefore do not cause weight gain or blood sugar and energy fluctuations....when eating proper portion sizes and consistently through out the day with lean protein.
Foods high on the GI are pop, candy, cookies, muffins, sweetened cereals, and white processed items. I won't even refer to these as food.
Fructose is the main sugar in fruits and veggies, absorbed more slowly than glucose and is healthier.
Sucrose is white or table sugar. Refined, refined, and then refined some more.
Lactose is the main sugar in milk. In order to be metabolized, lactose requires a lactase enzyme...people who are lactose intolerant have decreased levels of this enzyme. I still consider dairy processed....think of all it goes through and all the crap that is added to it before it hits the shelf. Yogurt is one of the biggest culprits of being sugar laden.....unless you buy organic plain yogurt that has bacterial cultures and no added fillers or stabilizers.
High Fructose Corn Syrup(HFCS) is very popular and is derived from corn. Extends shelf life of certain products and has been linked to the surge of type 2 diabetes and obesity in North America. Do I need to say anymore about this nasty stuff?
There are alternatives. They take some getting used to....but they are healthier!! And I am not referring to artificial sweeteners.
Molasses is a byproduct of refining sugar cane or beets into sugar....but contains calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, selenium and B6.
Sucanat is derived from evaporated sugar cane juice. Contains more minerals and vitamins than white sugar. Can be used in baking to replace white/brown sugar.
Agave nectar is derived from the Mexican agave plant and is very low on the GI...it has almost no impact on blood sugar and therefore is a great sweetener for diabetics. Much sweeter than sugar so you don't have to use as much either.
Stevia is derived from a plant in Central/South America. Completely natural with few to no calories. Can have a bitter taste but can be substituted for baking.
How can you reduce your sugar intake?
- Eat the fruit and drink the water....get the full nutritional value of fruit by eating it instead of drinking high calorie sugar juices that have been processed.
- Become a smart label reader. If any of the 'unhealthy' sugars are listed in the first 3 to 4 words of the ingredients....put it back on the shelf.
- Break sugar cravings by chugging water, drinking cinnamon/vanilla tea.
- Use natural sweeteners like bananas, plums, applesauce, raisins in baking/oatmeal etc.
- 5 in 5 rule - cereal with a minimum of 5g of fiber and max of 5g of sugar per serving.
- Perimeter shop......don't go down those scary processed crap aisles at all. All the healthy stuff is on the outside.
It is such a simple choice to make....and by reducing your sugar intake your cravings disappear, your energy and health improve all around.
Sounds like a pretty great trade off to me!!
DON'T BE FOOLED BY BROWN SUGAR!!! It is just white sugar with a bit of molasses in it.
