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Better Health Update #9 - Monte Kline, Clinical Nutritionist

Sugar Sabotage

I often think that the dietary theme song of the average American should be the old McGuire Sisters tune that goes:

Sugar in the morning, sugar in the evening, sugar at suppertime

Refined sugar consumption has skyrocketed in recent decades making sugar intake the number one dietary problem. Eliminating refined sugar from your diet is the single most important thing you can do for your health. In 1830 the average per capita consumption of sugar was 7 1/2 pounds per year. Today, the average American consumes over 130 pounds of sugar per year! Anything we consume so much of is bound to have an awesome effect on health.

PROBLEM OF SUGAR REFINING

In my booklet, The Junk Food Withdrawal Manual, I describe junk food as "dead, refined, and adulterated." It is the refining of sugar that produces its ill-health effects.

Refined sugar is made from either sugar cane or sugar beets, both of which contain significant amounts of vitamins and minerals. The final product, white sugar, is totally devoid of any vitamins or minerals. Guess where all the nutrients ended up? They're in the blackstrap molasses, which contains 70-90% of the iron, calcium, phosphorus and potassium. It is indeed a "foodless food."

That's only half the problem, though. Not only does sugar contribute nothing to the diet in the way of nutrients, it actually depletes the body of nutrients. Here's how: To metabolize sugar you need certain B vitamins and minerals like magnesium and chromium. Since those nutrients are not present in refined sugar, your body has to "steal" them from its reserves. Thus, the more sugar you eat, the more nutrient deficient you become! Sugar has thus been described not as a nutrient, but rather as an anti-nutrient, stealing the nutrition you take in from other sources.

Another aspect of sugar is that it crowds out other nutrients. To the extent you satisfy your hunger and caloric needs with sugar, to that same extent you have crowded out nutrient-containing foods you would have eaten to get those same calories. Bottom line is the same: the more sugar you eat, the more nutrient-deficient you become.

GOOD SUGARS AND BAD SUGARS

So what kind of sugar am I talking about? Refined sugar includes regular white granulated sugar (which is sucrose), but also powdered sugar, brown sugar, so-called "raw sugar," turbinado sugar, corn syrup, corn sweeteners, dextrose (corn sugar), maltose, lactose (milk sugar), and even fructose (fruit sugar). Granulated fructose is possibly less of a problem than other refined sugar, but it is still refined sugar, and it's rather expensive as well.

Our bodies run on glucose, which is what we're talking about with blood sugar levels. Glucose is found, usually with other sugars, in some fruits and vegetables. But basically the glucose fuel of our bodies comes from the metabolism of the foods we eat, eventually turning them into glucose.
So are there any "good" sugars? Yes. I recommend raw, unfiltered honey (that is a non-heat processed honey). Honey contains enzymes and trace elements that make it a health-producing food, though it doesn't have high amounts of vitamins or minerals. It's the only food I can think of that God specifically describes as "good" (Proverbs 24:13), using it as a symbol of spiritual wisdom.

Pythagorus lived exclusively on a diet of honey and wholegrain bread, to which he accredited living to age 90. Apollonius, one of Pythagoras' disciples lived to be 130 on the same diet. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, prescribed honey to those who wished to live long. He did - he died at age 109!

Blackstrap molasses, the strongest form of molasses, is where most of the nutrients ended up in manufacturing refined sugar. It's a little more limited than honey as a sugar substitute. It works well in baking or as a syrup on your whole grain pancakes, though.

Date sugar, which is basically just a concentration of dates, I think is an acceptable sugar substitute as well. Keep in mind, however, that even these more natural and nutrient-containing sugars should be used sparingly. The best way to get your natural sugars is in the natural sweetness of the fruits and vegetables God put them in in the first place. The more we think we have to tear apart food from the way God made it, isolating out this factor or that, the more trouble we get into health-wise. Bottom line: Eat whole foods.

HIDDEN SUGAR

Many people feel that if they're not adding sugar to food, they're not taking in a lot of sugar. Unfortunately, there's a lot of "hidden sugar" in food, such as:

1 piece of cherry pie a la mode 20 teaspoons
1 piece of two layer chocolate cake 15 teaspoons
1 glazed donut 6 teaspoons
1 chocolate candy bar 7 teaspoons
12 oz. soft drink 8 teaspoons

Some breakfast cereals are over 70% sugar.

SUGAR-CAUSED HEALTH PROBLEMS

Nancy Appleton, Ph.D. in her book, Lick the Sugar Habit, lists 59 Reasons Why Sugar Ruins Your Health:

1. Sugar can suppress your immune system.
2. Sugar upsets the minerals in the body.
3. Sugar causes hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
4. Sugar produces a significant rise in triglycerides.
5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection.
6. Sugar can cause kidney damage.
7. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins (HDL).
8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency.
9. Sugar leads to cancer of the breast, ovaries, intestines, prostate and rectum.
10. Sugar increases fasting levels of glucose and insulin.
11. Sugar causes copper deficiency.
12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
13. Sugar weakens eyesight.
14. Sugar raises the level of serotonin.
15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
16. Sugar can produce an acidic stomach.
17. Sugar can raise adrenalin levels in children.
18. Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease.
19. Sugar can cause aging.
20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
21. Sugar can cause tooth decay.
22. Sugar contributes to obesity.
23. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's Disease, and ulcerative colitis.
24. Sugar can aggravate gastric and duodenal ulcers.
25. Sugar can cause arthritis.
26. Sugar can cause asthma.
27. Sugar can cause Candida albicans.
28. Sugar can cause gallstones.
29. Sugar can cause heart disease.
30. Sugar can cause appendicitis.
31. Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis.
32. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.
33. Sugar can cause varicose veins.
34. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in
oral contraceptive users.
35. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
36. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
37. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.
38. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
39. Sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance.
40. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.
41. Sugar can increase cholesterol.
42. Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure.
43. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
44. Sugar can cause migraine headaches.
45. Sugar can interfere with absorption of protein.
46. Sugar can cause food allergies.
47. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
48. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
49. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
50. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
51. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA.
52. Sugar can change the structure of protein.
53. Sugar can make our skin age by changing the structure of collagen.
54. Sugar can cause cataracts.
55. Sugar can cause emphysema.
56. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.
57. Sugar can promote an elevation of low density lipoproteins (LDL).
58. Sugar can cause free radicals in the blood stream.
59. Sugar can cause hunger pains and overeating.

Are you convinced that sugar just might be your number one enemy of health? I hope so. It is a dead, refined, foodless food. It has absolutely no health benefits or need in human nutrition. Do yourself a big favor and get the sugar out in favor of honey and blackstrap molasses. You'll notice the difference.

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this publication is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose illness nor prescribe treatment. Rather, this material is designed to be used in cooperation with your nutritionally-oriented health professional to deal with your personal health problems. Should you use this information on your own, you are prescribing for yourself, which is your constitutional right, but neither the author nor publisher assume responsibility.