Health and Beauty
Sugar
Sugar....that
controversial granule that makes everything taste yummy. Though we
health-conscious- people hate to admit it, sugar is addictive and
without it, so many dishes are found wanting.
So what is so bad about
sugar anyway? My brothers would argue that there isn't anything
bad with sugar...in fact that sugar is an essential to living. Why
do we health nuts go through torturous pains to avoid it?
After
having several debates on the subject with both of my brothers I
decided I needed to arm myself with some facts. I needed to stop
believing other people's advice as fact and learn exactly why
I do give up sugar. I thought
I'd share. :)
What
is sugar?
Sugar
comes in many forms. Sucrose, or common table sugar, is a
disaccharide which breaks down during digestion into the simple
sugars glucose and fructose. Glucose is the primary sugar in the
blood; fructose is the primary sugar in fruit and high fructose corn
syrup. Other common disaccharides are maltose (malt sugar) and
lactose (milk sugar).
maple syrup -- a sugar alternative
White
sugar verses Natural Sweeteners
White
sugar is refined sugar. Only during the last century has man's diet
included high percentages of refined carbohydrates. Our ancestors
ate their foods in the whole unrefined state. In nature, sugars and
carbohydrates – the energy makers – are linked together with
vitamins, minerals, enzymes, protein, fat and fiber. In other words,
sugar and starch support life. But refined sugars and flours
are counterproductive to life because they are devoid of many of
these elements. Digestion of refined carbohydrates calls on the
body's own store of vitamins, minerals and enzymes for proper
metabolization. For example, when vitamin B is absent, the breakdown
of carbohydrates cannot take place, yet most B vitamins are removed
during the refining process.
The
refining process strips natural grains, vegetables and fruits of
their vitamin and mineral contents! Refined carbohydrates have been
called “empty” calories, but as Nourishing Traditions [1]
points out, they should be called “Negative” calories since they
deplete the body's necessary reserves. ( 21, NT) Consumption of
refined sugar (and flour for that matter) only withdraw and do not
refund nutrients. Our nutritional “account” can become
depleted. Different people may feel the effects of refined
sugar/flour sooner or later than others, but inevitably the effects
will be felt by us or our children who will inherit our health, or
lack thereof. For example, to metabolize only one molecule of sugar
the body requires around 56 molecules of magnesium. It is easy to
understand why consumption of this unnatural refined sugar has led to
widespread magnesium deficiency in our modern society, which also
leads to high blood pressure, neurological, immune disorders and many
other issues. (112 GAPS [2])
Rapidura -- a sugar alternative
Sugar
does not only harm diabetics. Many Hypoglycemics are advised to eat
something sweet when they feel the symptoms of low blood sugar.
Dumping sugar into the bloodstream creates a temporary relief. But
the consumption of “negative” calories in refined sugars and
flours deplete the body's reserves, while producing a roller coaster
effect of high and low blood sugars. High blood sugar sets in motion
a harmful process called glycation, the bonding of amino acids to
sugar molecules that can cause terrible damage to the lens of the eye
and the nerves around it. This can take place in anyone who eats
sugar, not only diabetics. (22, 37 NT) Apart from causing the blood
glucose roller coaster and damaging the gut flora, refined sugar also
has been shown to impair the immune system. (111 GAPS)
Staying
away from refined sugar all together, and having a limited diet of
refined flour is a good idea for everyone. Whole foods are what our
bodies prosper on; physically we cannot consume great quantities of
sugar without negative results. It is interesting that with the
increase in sugar consumption so has all the modern diseases. In
1821, the average sugar intake in America was 10 pounds per person,
per year; today it is 170 pounds per person. (23, NT) The average
of an American's caloric intake shows that more than half the diet
consists of sugar, white flour and vegetable oils. (23, NT) This
means that less than half of the diet must provide all the nutrients
to the body that is under constant attack from it's sugar/flour/bad
oil intake. And we wonder why America is plagued by diseases?
Date Sugar -- an alternative to sugar
But I
Like Sugar...
Yeah,
I know. Practically the rest of the world does also. In fact, my
brothers point out that it makes life enjoyable. Everyone eats it,
why are all the health nuts crying out against it? What's the big
deal? Well, it's not only my brothers that say sugar is one of
life's simple pleasures...
“Remember,
eating is one of the real pleasures of life...for most people, sugar
helps other things taste better...Sugar calories are not different
from other calories, from calories obtained from protein, startch,
fat or alcohol.” (25, NT)
That
is a quote by Dr. Federick Staire, former chairman of the Department
of Nutrition at Harvard University's School of Public Health.
What?
You mean there are doctors saying that sugar is okay? Well yes, but
what you didn't know is that Harvard's Department of Nutrition
receives the bulk of its funding from the Food Industry, an industry
thriving off of it's sugar profits – sugar, the cheap, easily
produced, stored, long lasting sweetness conveniently masking
over-processed concoctions labeled “food”. Sugar preserves
packaged processed foods by tying up the water in which spoilage
bacteria grow.
An
yet, evidence against sugar continues to mount. Refined Sugar has
been linked to heart disease, diabetes, eating disorders, mental
disorders, and even shortened life in animal experiments. p.23 But
the uneducated public continues to consume these sugars. The Food
Industry (Americas largest industry) is not going to inform you.
They need vegetable oils, white flour and sugar to produce junk food.
They profit by your ignorance of health.
So
What to Do?
Try
replacing white flour products with a variety of properly prepared
whole grains (ie: sprouted or soaked grains) and organic flours.
Limit sweets to occasional desserts and use natural sweeteners. Of
course this is easier said than done, but your persistence will
reward you with your own improved health as well as your childrens.
Our children will inherit our health, our gut flora...we should care.
We can't rely on the “experts”, or what everyone else is doing.
It's our health, our children's health; we are responsible.
It IS
possible to survive without refined sugar. In fact, life CAN be
enjoyable without refined sugar.
Raw Honey -- an alternative to sugar
Some
“Natural Sweeteners” to look into would include: Raw Honey, Maple
Syrup, Rapadura, Stevia, Date Sugar, Blackstrap Molasses, Malted
Grain syrups, Sorghum syrups and naturally sweetened jam. (See my Sorbet recipe and check out Nourishing Traditions as well as GAPs recipes)
Always
avoid, Fructose and Fructose Corn syrup, concentrated fruit juice or
“raw”, “natural” sugars.
A Helpful Note About Sugar
Eating sugar accompanied with fat
(cream, butter, eggs) will slow down sugar absorption into the
bloodstream while providing fat-soluble nutrients that nourish the
glands that regulate our blood sugar. Also, using honey in baking
can be done. When a recipe calls for one cup sugar, try using the
same amount of honey. Of course honey is heavier and a different
consistency can occur in your baked goods so it does require some
experimenting. But for the most part, honey is a wonderful
alternative to sugar in baked goodies. Also, sugar can hide in the
“chemical” ingredients on the back. A good tip is that anything
ending in -ose indicates a sugar.
Stevia -- an alternative to sugar Blackstrap molasses -- an alternative to sugar Jam -- an alternative to sugar
Resources:
[1]
NT: Fallon, Sally Nourishing Traditions.1999 Washington DC;
NewTrends Publishing, Inc., 2001. Print
[2]
GAPS: Campbell-McBride, Natasha Gut and Psychology Syndrome. 2004
Cambidge: Medinform Publishing, 2014. Print
