Sugar Madness
Why all the fuss about sugar? What’s so wrong with a little bit of sugar? The truth is a little bit can be ok, but the amount of sugar americans consume is beyond a bit. The average american consumes roughly 140 pounds of sugar a year. Which is 6 oz or 170 grams a day. What?
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends limiting the amount of added sugars you consume to no more than half of your daily discretionary calories allowance. For most American women, that’s no more than 100 calories per day, or about 6 teaspoons of sugar or approx. 25 grams. For men, it’s 150 calories per day, or about 9 teaspoons approx. 36 grams.
Sugar is everywhere and in so many things. It’s madness. The many words describing sugar is huge. We may be consuming it and not even realize it! Here’s a few uncommon names to look out for, disaccharides, succanat, polysaccharides, sucrose, fructose, invert sugar, dextrose, glucose, lactose, sorbitol, mannitol, malt, malt extract, maltose, rice extract, and golden syrup. “There is a lot of hidden sugar in our food supply, and it’s not just in sweets,” said Dr. Frank Hu, a member of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee and a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard.
This is the first time in history that we have a emergency need to lower our blood sugar. We are seeing an increase in type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol, insulin resistance, heart disease, metabolic syndrome and the list continues. Our body is in a state of inflammation when we eat too much sugar.
It really doesn’t matter if you’re drinking it or eating it. Sugar effects the body the same. Are you eating dessert for breakfast? It’s surprising how much sugar we consume and we don’t even realize it.
When we consume natural sugar from fruit and vegetables it’s mixed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and the beneficial phytonutrients, which moderate the stress it causes on the metabolism. It’s the massive doses of sugar that americans consume that is dangerous. We can reduce insulin surges by eating appropriate ratios of macronutrients to help the body utilize fats for energy rather then glucose.
Working with a nutritional therapy practitioner and assessing your unique nutritional needs with the appropriate ratios of nutrient dense whole food in your diet can help reduce whole body inflammation, which in return can alleviate many health symptoms you may be struggling with.
Another awesome way to recalibrate your system is to do a sugar detox. The 5-week Restart® nutrition classes I teach are a simple approach to give your body a rest and as I like to say recalibration. We really hit the restart button, and with support and education people see real results and positive lifestyle changes. Please sign up for the July 26th class here. If you’re not able to join this time contact me here to be put on the list for the next class in September.
Be kind yourself, and listen to your body. It’s speaking to you in many ways.
Lets stop this sugar madness.
Yours in health,
Rachel