Killing us sweetly with sugar
Our cells need sugar for energy, therefore, it is only natural that we have a deep love for sweetness. But how much sugar we consume, and where we get it from has changed dramatically over the years.The key word in research conducted on over-consumption of sugar is “added.” A healthy diet contains a significant amount of naturally occurring sugar in fruits and grains, however, the problem is we are consuming large amounts of added sugar in processed foods. Whilst we add a small amount of sugar in food, most added sugar is contained in processed and prepared foods including breads, cereals, snacks and desserts, sweetened beverages, fruit juice, salad dressings and sauces. Sugar sweetened beverages and breakfast cereals are two products that contain a significant amount of added sugar.
Manufacturers constantly introduce new products, such as fruit juice, energy drinks, vitamin water, protein water, sports drinks and many other new options increasing the consumption of calorie-sweetened beverages that play a key role in the epidemic of obesity. Added sugar such as sucrose or fructose (free sugars added by the manufacturer) in soft drinks and fruit juice, and high consumption of these beverages suggest unhealthy dietary habits. The calories provided by added sugar in sweetened beverages have little nutritional value. But the industry continues to find new ways to increase liquid sugar consumption.
Researchers cite that sugar presents far greater dangers than cavities and love handles, stating that excessive consumption of sugar is a key factor in the epidemic of obesity and metabolic disorders such as diabetes. And the complications sugar can cause in the body is evident in those suffering from diabetes. In diabetes, the glucose level in the blood becomes too high, particularly after a meal. In the West, diabetes is a leading cause of blindness, amputations, renal failure and kidney transplants. Sometimes amputations are necessary as the wounds tend not to heal well in diabetics, particularly around the feet. This is because sugar damages blood vessels resulting in poor blood circulation to the feet. These wounds can become easily infected as glycated(glucose attached) white blood cells are no longer able to effectively combat bacteria, which has significant consequences (glycated white blood cells cannot fight infection as well as unglycated white blood cells can).
Many believe that fattening sugars are found mostly in biscuits, tarts, soft drinks, and cake but miss the most important daily source of these sugars, a source that most people indulge in large quantities two or three times a day: bread, potatoes, pasta and rice. By avoiding these foods, or eating less of these foods, type 2 diabetes can be reduced in some patients. Researchers in Adelaide South Australia have introduced a diet and exercise programme proving to be highly effective in reducing the symptoms of type 2 diabetes. The diet recommends an eating pattern that is very low in carbohydrates and higher in protein and unsaturated fats. The programme is based on the findings from an AUS$1.3million National Health and Medical Research Council (NH&MRC) funded study in Australia. Of all the diets that diabetes patients had tried, this was a diet that had a far-reaching effect.
So we know that sugar is unhealthy, however, sugar also plays an important role in our health. We need sugar as much as we need oxygen. If we indulge in sugar products it is important to indulge in those products that release sugars slowly into the bloodstream. Products that yield low sugar peaks are products with a low-glycemic index (the glycaemic index (GI) classifies food and beverages according to how quickly they raise the glucose level of the blood). For example, wholemeal bread has a lower glycemic index than white bread because it produces less pronounced sugar peaks in the blood.
Limiting the intake of processed sugars and eating plenty of fruit freely as it is full of natural sugars, vitamins, minerals, fibre and choosing water, unsweetened coffee or green tea/ginger tea in place of calorie sweetened beverages is critical to being healthy and maintaining weight. With the right attitude, staying sugar-free becomes a lot easier than we could possibly imagine.