[BRUMI1968]

From the internet - a good nutritionist......

Sugar AINT SO SWEET-HERES WHY

If there's one topic in all of the G-Files I've ever done that just isn't getting through to people in the way I would like, it has to do with sugar. Mama mia, is this stuff ever junk for you.

Most people don't even know why it's bad for them. So I have to start off by saying that in order for the body to process sugar it needs to leach out of you all of the B vitamins and minerals: calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12. All this just to process it.

And this idea that we have to have it every day? There's no recommended daily requirement for sugar, so people who say they need it are really saying that they have to have it.

This leads me to my third point. If sugar just became available now as an item, it would be classified as a pharmaceutical product because it's crystalline pure and has addictive properties.

Think I'm kidding? Just ask someone to get off of sugar.

So am I exaggerating here? I don't think so. I punched out 124 ways that sugar can ruin your health, backed up by medical references.

Sugar can cause or contribute to the following:

Weakened eyesight
Premature aging
Obesity
Varicose veins
Osteoporosis
Cardiovascular disease
Pancreas damage
Headaches (including migraines)
Depression
Cancer

These are just 10 ways sugar can ruin your health. And it's not like you haven't been told about this. There's a plethora of books out there against sugar: Sugar Blues; Lick the Sugar Habit; Pure, White and Deadly; and Sugar Busters! are just a few.

Hey, I like a New York cheesecake like everyone else but this is not a product we have in moderation. The truth is it (having sugar) should be a rarity because quite honestly, sugar is junk. Take it out of your diet and you'll notice health benefits across the board.

In the studio

"I'm talking about sucrose which is 50 per cent glucose and 50 per cent fructose. Now as soon as you get into other types of sugars, such as dextrose, lactose, etc., from different derivatives, that's a different situation," Sikk said. "We're really talking about white, crystalline pure 10,000-year shelf life sugar."

When reading labels, some of the words you're looking to avoid are sugar, liquid invert sugar, glucose, fructose and sugar solids. Since labels are listed in order of abundance, if you see any of those words in the top three, try not to pick it up - unless you have the product very rarely.

By Gunn Sikk

[Kaycee]

Totally, totally agree with you.
Sugar is addictive.
It seems to be in all processed food. They make a product low fat, but it is full of sugar.
There is nothing like coeliac to make me stand up and take notice of what I put in my body.
Sugar is not one of those things. Only occassionally.
I did start off trying to find things that would replace what I would normally eat or drink, but realized that was making me just as sick as before even though it was gluten free, but they sure weren't fat free, or sugar free. So I said bye to those things, and now start nearly everything from scratch, so I know, and have now at last gained control over what I eat, and I don't need to put my life in the manufacturers hands anymore. My life is in my hands, probably for the first time ever. What I eat is my responsibility and it is a big challenge to say the least, to get it right. Do you know what I mean?
I think the more sugar you eat, the more you crave it.
But like you say, nobody is hearing the messages. Nobody wants to I guess.

Cathy

[taz sharratt]

a lot of what you said went over my head ( bit dull here) but i di agree with you that suger is def addictive, and is bad for you ( not in moderation). had no idea about the absorbtion from the sugers with the vits , gees thats frightening! glad you made me aware of it tho. i guess im a suger junckie. marzipan , MMMMMM. will try to cut down.

[lindalee]

I want to do some research but I think sugar cravings are a deficiency of Chromium and Vandium.... Corn Syrup is really bad and in everything...YEAST LOVES SUGAR!!! LL

[tarnalberry]

Robbin, on Aug 1 2006, 09:15 AM, said:

Even the recipes have to have more fats and sugar to make them palatable.

You can often cut out about half the sugar from many baked recipes and they're just fine (once your taste buds adapt, of course). The fat's not a huge problem, and there are plenty of subs for that as well. And, of course, you can choose better sugars - honey or agave or molasses, for instance.

[BRUMI1968]

HI all. I quit wheat/dairy about two years ago; then quit gluten about three months ago...and was doing lots of good for you food. I felt lots better, but was still bloated. So then I cut out all grains and beans. Better, but still bloated. The only thing that finally cut the bloated nonsense, was quitting all sugars, including fruits (for a short time). Within a day my bloating was so much better. It's possible that a lot of us have yeast and bacteria problems in our guts. We add probiotics, but we still happily feed the bad bacteria all their favorite foods. The idea is, you have to starve them out, then replenish with good bacteria/yeast. I added back fruit aq week or so later and am still good, though it is hard to watch it. Eating fruit on an empty stomach is best so that it doesn't ferment and feed the bad guys.

Anyway, quitting sugar is certainly an option for restoring intestinal health. Not easy though, that's for sure.

Check out Wax Orchards fruit butters -diabetic friendly - for killing the sweet tooth, and stevia.

[lindalee]

Corn Syrup is in EVERYTHING..bad stuff.

[rinne]

I totally agree, whether it is organic or not sugar is very hard on my body. I feel it immediately in the arthritis in my hand with stiffness, swelling and pain and I know it is doing more damage than that.

I tried the gluten free treats once and felt horrible afterwards, I won't do it again. I've taken to baking, which I did before anyways, and enjoy my treats more.

I have noticed a correlation between my craving for sugar and needing more protein, when I have enough protein in my diet I am happy with minimal sweetness. Also, those times in my life when I have given in to sugar I just wanted more sugar, I could eat a box of cookies and still want more and now my body says enough after a treat made with maple syrup and I stop eating.

I find it interesting that there are children's treats nowadays that are sour, I think it reflects on the fact that their general diets are saturated with sugar whether it is in their breakfast cereal or their canned soup or....please excuse the drift.