Kevin Brown
Sadiqua Hamdan
Annette Presley
Debbie Wysocki
Paul Ericson
Maureen Diaz
Janet Demeter
Liz Reitzig
Julie Burns
Jenny Westerkamp, RD
Lauren Snyder Grosz
Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN
let'spoon
Morley Robbins
Janet Stuck, ND, CNC, MH, CNHP
John Chisholm
Dr. Richard Walicki
Jimmy Moore
Sugar: How Much Are You Worth?
Sugar is a bitter sweet subject. Americans have a sweet tooth. We know it’s not healthy for us, but Americans are eating more sugar than ever before. We will work out an extra 15 minutes, give up meat, and eat a supersized portion of broccoli so we don’t feel guilty updating our Facebook status with, “Had a great time at the movies tonight. Really enjoyed that lightly buttered popcorn, small diet soda and low-fat goobers.” Sugar is hard to give up.
Pour Some Sugar on Me
Our brains are wired to want sugary things, and food companies know that SUGAR SELLS. If nature hardwired us to wanting sugar, what’s the problem with having an occasional treat? Well, it looks like that has led to an increase in obesity, cancer, diabetes and cravings for more sugar.
This sounds extreme, but let’s look at some numbers. In 1904, Americans were consuming 75 pounds of sugar per year. In 2009, we’re up to 156 pounds per year. What about portion sizes? Let’s use soda as an example. In 1915, the standard soda portion came in a 6.5 ounce glass bottle. Today, the standard size is 20 ounces (and let’s not forget the supersized thirst quencher found at movie theaters and fast food joints, which is available in 44 ounces).
Sugar Overload
Not only is sugar found in foods where you’d expect to find it (such as candy, pies, soda), but it’s found in crackers, bread, fruit juices, ketchup, peanut butter, yogurt, toothpaste, mouthwash and barbeque sauce. People may also overlook the amount of sugar in cereals because it helps fulfill their daily servings of grains. But let’s get real. Cereals should be re-named to Sugar Flakes, Sugar Bran and High Cracktose Syrup Puffs.
They’re loaded with a lot of sugar, and without sugar, cereals would have no flavor. Companies can’t sell “No Flavor Bran,” no matter how many raisins they add to it.
High Fructose Corn Syrup
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) deserves it’s own blog post. Not only has sugar consumption gone up, but natural sugar has been replaced with HFCS. If too much natural sugar isn’t so good for us, what makes us think this stuff is any better? Developed by a Japanese scientist named Yoshiyuki Takasaki in 1966, HFCS was introduced in the US market in 1975. It was economically cheap as it cost about half the price of sugar.
What’s the side effect of cheap? In this case, HFCS has no enzymes, vitamin or minerals. It robs the body of micronutrients. Research indicates that it interferes with the heart’s use of key minerals like magnesium, copper, and chromium. It has been implicated in elevated blood cholesterol levels and the creation of blood clots.
HFCS is not metabolized the same as other sugars. Instead of being converted to glucose, which every cell in your body uses, it has to be removed by the liver. It’s supposed to signal the pancreas to release insulin, but there isn’t a receptor in our body that recognizes HFCS. It doesn’t know what it is. What does this mean? Insulin regulates your appetite. If the insulin button isn’t pushed, then there’s no message being delivered to the brain that says, “I’m full. It’s time to stop eating.”
In my next blog, I’d like to expand the discussion on HFCS and other alternative sweeteners on the market.
The next time you go shopping, check out the back of the label. How many items have HFCS or an alternative sweetener?
