SugarNOT AS SWEET AS YOU THINK
The average person in a developed country consumes around 1000 grams of sugar PER WEEK. From clear additions of dietary sugar (stirred right into coffees and teas) to the unknown amounts present in daily meals, drinks and snacks, you are consuming sugar with virtually EVERYTHING you're eating. And to think that it adds nothing nutrition wise and is only inviting a lifetime of problems and disease. Let's take a look at the sweetest killer in the assassin book.
SUGAR: WHAT IS IT? We all know that carbohydrates are an important part of a healthy diet. These can come in the form of complex carbohydrates in healthy edibles like whole grain foods that contain starch or they are present as simple carbohydrates such as the “empty” (of nutrition) ones in table sugar. The important thing is to make the distinction between the two sources. Scientifically, sugar is a monosaccharide (such as fructose, present in fruits) or disaccharide (such as sucrose, present in table sugar). When we commonly refer to sugar, we are actually meaning the latter: A white crystalline disaccharide. The disaccharide sucrose is also used as a preservative and sweetener in almost all commercially prepared foods. THE BODY’S REACTION Our body breaks down the simple carbohydrates fairly easily which results in rapid increase in blood sugar level. On the other hand, the complex carbohydrates take some time to disintegrate and allow the sugar level to increase much more gradually.
When the body takes in a sudden dose of sugar, it doesn’t utilize all of it at once. While you're gulping down cakes, cookies and chocolates, glucose (a type of sugar) level in the blood rises rapidly. The pancreas kicks in and starts releasing a lot of insulin which delivers the glucose to the cell where half of it is used for immediate energy, 10% is stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver, and the remaining 40% is stored as fat. That 40% plays a vital role in obesity and diabetes.
If all of the above aren't enough to scare you away from the sugar jar, feel free to click here and view a list of all the 146 ways in which sugar is jeopardizing your health.
HOW TO CUT DOWN ON YOUR SUGAR CONSUMPTION As always, what's natural is good. Stay away from refined sources of carbohydrates (such as table sugar). Fruits and other natural sources of simple carbohydrates, also contain sugar but they are not bad for your health. You can fulfill all your energy needs from good carbohydrate sources like:
Is sugar vegan? I am not going to tell you that it is or that it isn't - this is a decision that vegans have to make themselves. Just bear in mind that some refined sugar goes through a process which involves animal bone char. For that reason, some vegans prefer to use alternative sweeteners, while others don't see it as a problem. Make your own mind up, but do try to cut down.
Leave Sugar and go to the Vegan Food Pyramid
Leave Sugar and go to Healthy Balanced Diet
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