Why sugar is the real dietary problem

• In 1938 the per capita consumption of HIDDEN sugar (in manufactured foods) was 16.3 kilograms. An equivalent study, in 1989, showed the per capita consumption to be 48.3 kilograms. Over the same 50-year time frame, obesity, diabetes and heart disease have reached epidemic proportions.
• Think you don’t eat that much? Start reading labels – even soda water often has sugar added. Fat free products are common culprits, and may even contain up to 50% sugar – even when marketed as healthy. Restaurants also have a lot to answer for – Did you know that 90% of Chinese foods contain added sugar? They also genetically modify crops now to add more sugar to fruit.
• Some of the healthy bottled drinks have around 20 grams of sugar, and a Strawberry/Kiwi Snapple has 52grams!
• The worst of the worst: High fructose corn syrup! It actually tells your brain to tell your stomach that it isn’t full when it should be. Avoid this ingredient as much as possible. But it’s hard, it is everywhere, even in Wheat Thins.
• Daily consumption of sugar means that your body is constantly releasing the hormone insulin (to manage and store sugar). One of insulin’s primary jobs is to store fat. Excess sugar causes tooth decay, iron and magnesium deficiencies, arthritis, disruption to your sleep patterns, digestive dysfunction and weight gain.
• Sugar adds empty calories without filling you up or giving lasting satisfaction.

Why fat got a bad name

• Although fat contains more calories per gram than sugar, it is extremely nutrient dense. Also a small amount (such as 20% of your daily diet), will result in satiety. When you add good fat (raw organic nuts, avocados, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and seeds) to your diet, you’ll notice you can drastically reduce portion sizes, and will no longer need to snack as frequently between meals. The French can eat the way they do because they don’t fill their foods with preservatives, sugar and chemicals. They eat a much more natural and fresher diet.
• Your body needs fat for healthy function. Fat allows your brain to work well, it supports and protects your heart and vital organs, and eating it actually helps you lose weight. Fat fuels your metabolism and enables your body to release stored fat for energy.
• Good fats are natural foods. Refined sugar is basically a man-made food. It’s ok to include fat from animals (only eat the fat from organic meat, as conventional meat fat holds toxins which are held in your fat cells). If you don’t eat much meat, or can’t access organic meat, include coconut oil. This 92% saturated fat is made of medium chain fatty acids, which goes straight to your liver for energy. This type saturated fat is really good for you.
• Sugar is more addicting than fat. When we eat more sugar, we want more sugar and then food producers can sell more products to feed our addiction to sugar! Cheap sugars are a lot less expensive than high quality fats. This is why most “energy bars” are made up of brown rice syrup and puffed brown rice. Cheap, empty, addictive calories.

The dangers of synthetic sweeteners

• Splenda(Sucralose) is made by chlorinating sugar. It was discovered in the 1970s by researchers looking to create a new pesticide. They now admit that the chlorine is absorbed into the body. Equal or NutraSweet (Aspartame, Saccharin) is not made from sugar but from two amino acids that are isolated from bacteria. Saccharin is produced from a combination of the flavor chemical methyl anthranilate and ammonia. But they say it’s ok in small amounts! Wholefoods has banned these items stating that they don’t meet their criteria of “real food”. They should be totally avoided in my opinion.

So what do you eat?

• Pure Maple Syrup, coconut palm nectar, raw honey or stevia. They are all natural, digest better in your body and taste great. Works for baking, coffee, hot and iced tea. Give them a try.