Who doesn't love a sugary, sweet treat now and again? I think we all do! The key here is "now and again", not on a regular basis. Sugar is addicting and can present all kinds of problems for our bodies. Sugar has been linked to various types of cancer, diabetes, food allergies, increased cholesterol, decreases growth hormones, obesity related ailments, and on and on.
Sugar comes in all kinds of forms...refined white sugar, raw sugar, high fructose corn syrup, sucralose, dextrose, fructose, maltose, lactose, sucrose, evaporated cane juice/syrup, brown rice syrup, and a few others. Then, there are the natural forms of sugar - honey, maple syrup, molasses, and fruit to name a few.
Do you read nutrition labels? Well, after you read this blog I hope you do. I found myself shocked recently when I picked up a container of organic chicken stock. Never dreaming there would sugar in it, I picked up the stock while it was on special. I later read the nutrition label to find how many servings were in the container as I went to use it and noticed the list of ingredients...big as life was "sugar"! In chicken stock??? Food manufacturers put sugar in more things than you can even begin to imagine. They do this to enhance the flavor and entice us to consume more of their products.
Think about the things you consume daily - cereal, bread, hamburger buns, bagels, english muffins, yogurt - sweetened or even plain (sugars occur naturally in yogurt and milk), protein bars or shakes, crackers, peanut butter, soda (don't get me started on soda, that's a whole other topic in itself), juice, condiments, salad dressing, soup, the list goes on and on.
I found this little tidbit about how much sugar the average American consumes per year...
"One hundred and fifty-six pounds. That's how much added sugar Americans consume each year on a per capita basis, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Imagine it: 31 five-pound bags for each of us."
Is it me, or is that number shocking? I think most people are totally oblivious to how much sugar we consume daily.
I am participating in a sugar challenge that started May 1st. The goal is not to eat anything with added sugar, with the exception of 3 servings of fresh fruit per day. It hasn't been too bad on the whole. I had a few cravings in the evening but over-came them by eating a little fruit or some no-sugar added, organic peanut butter. I also had some flu-like symptoms about 5 days into it. Surprisingly though, I think my face is not as puffy and my tummy is flatter. The scale also reflects about a 4 pound deficit. I'm 13 days in and anxious to see the changes in my body over the course of the 30 days. If nothing less, it has definitely made me very aware of how I am fueling my body. It forces you to eat clean, no added sauces, mayo, catsup, etc, high quality carbs, lean protein and lots of good fruits and veggies.
The point I am trying to make with all this is we need to be aware of what we put in our bodies every day. I've said it before and I'll say it again, you can't put crappy fuel in a Maserati and expect it to perform optimally! The same goes for your body...you have to fuel your body with high quality nutrients if you want to feel good and have the energy to do the things you need and want to do in life. I also want to be healthy and fit as I age. Eating foods in their naturally occurring state is really what we're going for here.
Wishing you all good health!
Kim
