If you were on a diet forty years ago, chances are it was a "low-fat" diet. In the late seventies a new recommendation was made to Americans by the government to reduce their intake of fats. It was believed that fat was the cause of heart disease and other frightening health problems. Since that time, products have made available reduced, low, and non-fat options for the American consumer. Unfortunately, obesity, diabetes, and cancer rates have only risen since then; and it turns out that the culprit may be sugar.
The average American eats four to five times the recommended amount of added sugar (both table sugar and high fructose corn syrup) daily. Our foods are full of added sugar, including unsuspecting culprits such as salad dressing, tortillas, and "reduced-fat" processed foods. Unfortunately, all of this added sugar has begun to cause serious problems in the American population. A diet full of added sugar is linked to diseases like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
According to trials done on laboratory rats and mice, if sugar (whether it be glucose or fructose) hits the liver quickly and in high amounts, much of that sugar will be converted to fat. Repeat this process enough times and it can cause insulin resistance. You secrete insulin in response to the foods that you eat-- particularly carbohydrates. Insulin is your body's way of regulating your blood sugar levels. If you are insulin resistant, your pancreas responds to the rising blood sugar by producing extra insulin. Once your pancreas tires of creating enough insulin to combat blood sugar levels, your blood sugar rises out of control. This results in type 2 diabetes.
The problem with producing extra insulin, besides the fact that it can lead to diabetes, is that it is remarkably linked with other health problems like fatty liver and cancer (even in lean individuals). In fact, you are more likely to get cancer if you're obese or diabetic than if you're not. Excess amounts of sugar, the consumption of which is not uncommon among Americans, can potentially cause these life-threatening diseases.
What You Can Do to Cut Down on Sugar
Stop the Pop
A study reported at the annual American Heart Association (AHA) meeting in 2013 found that 180,000 annual deaths are attributed worldwide to sugary beverages. Soda is the only thing (food or beverage) that has been directly linked with obesity. Drinking liquid sugar is harmful to the body, especially when consumed daily or even multiple times per day as is the case with many Americans. Given the vast amount of research that has discovered the negative effects of soda on the health of an individual, most would agree that there is no excuse for individuals to continue their poor choices. Kick the soda habit today.
Take Sugar Off the Table
Adding table sugar to your food simply isn't necessary, especially now that everything comes with it already. Try to cut down or stop completely the addition of sugar to foods that you eat regularly, such as coffee, cereal, oatmeal, or pancakes. If you prefer things a little sweeter, use fruit! It is full of natural sugars that still provide taste, along with much needed nutrients and fiber. Just be sure that it is fresh, frozen, or canned in water or natural juices.
Check the Label
Here is a list of names that simply mean "added sugar": agave nectar, barley malt, beet sugar, blackstrap molasses, brown rice syrup, rice syrup, rice malt, brown sugar, buttered sugar, buttercream, cane juice crystals, cane juice, cane sugar, caramel, carob syrup, caster sugar, superfine sugar, coconut sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, crystalline fructose, date sugar, demerara sugar, dextran, diastatic malt powder, diastase, ethyl maltol, evaporated cane juice, fructose, fruit juice concentrates, galactose, glucose, golden sugar, golden syrup, refiner's syrup, high fructose corn syrup, honey, inverted sugar, malt syrup, maltodextrin, maltose, maple syrup, molasses syrup, muscovado sugar, organic raw sugar, oat syrup, avena sativa, panela, ponacha, confectioner's sugar, powdered sugar, icing sugar, rice bran syrup, sorghum syrup, table sugar, sucrose, syrup, treacle, tapioca syrup, turbinado sugar, raw sugar, yellow sugar, sugar
It is important to be educated on the different ways that companies sneak added sugars into their products. Read the labels on all of the food products you buy to be sure that they don't contain unnecessary added sugars. Better yet, buy foods without labels, such as fresh produce!
Portion Distortion
Obviously it is unrealistic to cut every gram of added sugar out of your life forever. There will be the occasional treat. But they should be just that: occasional. And when you do splurge, try and keep it to a few bites. Researchers at Stanford have found that the first few bites hold the most pleasure anyway. Split your dessert with a friend, or only make half the recipe.
Spice Things Up a Bit
Sugar is often added to make things more palatable, but there are plenty of other ways to make things taste better without the added calories and blood sugar spikes! Herbs like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger will add flavor without guilt. You can also use extracts-- vanilla, almond, orange, peppermint, and lemon extracts are all great options for added taste.
Sources:
http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Womens_Health_Watch/2013/July/how-to-break-the-sugar-habit-and-help-your-health-in-the-process
http://www.rodalenews.com/files/images/slideshow2/sugar-spoon-pour.jpg
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
http://static.ijreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Soda-Pop.jpg
http://lowfatveganchef.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/sugar-plate.jpg
http://radioactivefitness.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/ingredients_0.jpg
https://neuroscience.stanford.edu/news/researchers-you-will-take-more-pleasure-moderation-overindulgence
http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/57-names-sugar?s=58
http://amyhagerup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/huge-icecream.jpg
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyEating/Tips-for-Cutting-Down-on-Sugar_UCM_461811_Article.jsp
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