Oh Sugar! 🍯🍩🍭
Have you heard about the sugar conspiracy?
Did you know that in 1972 a British scientist, John Yudkin, discovered that sugar and not fat was the greatest danger to our health? He published a book entitled, "Pure, White and Deadly", but his findings were dismissed and he was discredited. He had hypothesised that sugar had been part of the western diet for just 300 years whereas saturated fat was bound up with evolution and was present in breast milk.
It was not until nearly 40 years later in 2009 that Robert Lustig, who specialised in the treatment of childhood obesity, produced a youtube video entitled, "Sugar: The Bitter Truth", which has been viewed over 6 million times and which vindicates the findings of Professor Yudkin.
Health effects
It is now scientifically proven that sugar has been responsible for obesity rates taking off in the 1980's rather than saturated fat and cholesterol. The figures are startling. In 1980, 15% of Americans were obese and 6% of Brits. By 2000, 35% of American were obese whilst two thirds of Brits were either obese or overweight.
The figures were also closely related to the rise in diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. In fact, research has shown that there is a close association between sugar intake and the development of type 2 diabetes, though there are other causes including stress, lack of exercise and genetic predisposition.
Sugar is also implicated in the development of cardiovascular disease, dementia and tooth decay.
In the case of cardiovascular disease, sugar is found to have a more significant impact than that of saturated fats.
To avoid tooth decay, it is recommended by the World Health Organisation that sugar should form a maximum 10% of our energy intake, with a reduction to below 5% bringing additional health benefits. 10% equates to 70g of sugar for men and 50g for women, though in the U.K., on average these recommendations are exceeded.
How to cut down on sugar
There are three sources of sugar in our diets:
- Added or "free sugars" which provide no additional, nutritional benefits (vitamins and minerals) e.g., biscuits, cakes, fizzy drinks; 🍩🍿
- Natural sugars including honey and fruit; 🍯🍒 and
- The product of digestion of more complex carbohydrates such as bread, rice and pasta. 🍚🥖
We need to avoid mainly added or free sugars which mostly come from sugar cane or sugar beet. If we can get most of our carbohydrates from starchy rather than sugary foods, we will feel fuller for longer as starchy carbohydrates give a slower release of energy. It should be noted that complex carbohydrates form an important part of a balanced diet and provide energy.
If you have enjoyed learning about this topic, please upvote and comment, @fleur 🍒
Credits:
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/apr/07/the-sugar-conspiracy-robert-lustig-john-yudkin
bhf.org.uk
diabetes.org.uk
Bing and Pixabay for images
Sugar.... the new white powder
Very true! 💡
I try to use sweeteners but i have heard some say the chemicals are bad in other ways just not as bad as sugar.
You may find this interesting: Sugar Substitutes Linked to Weight Gain and Health Problems
Stevia is an all natural sweetner.
Sugar is extremely easy to overconsume due to the lack of satiation and tastiness.
Hello,
True it's overconsumed in most country specially in EU by young peoples...
Hi kylek717, thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Thanks for this, what an important topic! I have noticed that when I eat fatty foods like bacon, or I fry my food in lots of oil, I am less likely to fall into the carbo trap where you get hungry faster, crave more sugar and refined carbs. Downward spiral, makes me fat, tired, and hungry.
I have also heard eating a spoon of peanut butter helps you not to get hungry. But this is a big interesting subject.
Diabetes is a killer I agree.
I love peanut butter , thanks for commenting 🥜
Good post. Now I just need to cut the "added sugar" out of my diet and should be ok.
Thanks @jonnyblaze710 🙂
Wow! Excellent information! You know... I've heard that sugar is a legal drug. It cause lot of damage! :\
Thanks for stopping by 🙏🏽
Thanks to you! Greetings :)
Hey @fleur that was a great article.
The food pyramid though?
I would say that I'm no longer so sure about red meat and/or salt being unhealthy.
I keep reading a lot of articles that seem to suggest beef is in fact healthy.
There have also been a few articles I've seen mentioning about salt, and a new book on that subject that suggests we might be eating too little of it, and not too much.
(I'll have to dig a few of those articles up and send them your way).
Here are 2 articles that suggest red meat as good for you:
http://roguehealthandfitness.com/red-meat-is-health-food/
http://www.menshealth.com/health/heart-protection
I'll have to find the salt related ones (I forgot to bookmark them).
Hi @futuristgear, thanks for taking the time to respond and for info about beef. I will look into other health issues in future blogs 🙂
No problem!
When I get the time to find the salt articles I'll post them as a comment for you too. :-)
I must cut down a lot but i like cakes and other sweet things, i went a month recently without having sugar in my tea or coffee and avoided chocolate and other indulgences and it made me kinda depressed :( i like cake .
I love cake and have a little sugar in my tea, difficult to give up! ☕️ 🍰
It's incredible how they tie candy and french fries with good fats then flip the food pyramid up-side down. I love seeing articles like this. I've been living outside of the US for most of my adult life. I got used to seeing populations of people that are healthy. It's first time back in the US for over 3 years and the what I saw I found so startling I couldn't even write my normal travel reports and tips. I wrote about culture shock instead. I'm now heading to Thailand in a week. I'm looking forward to a healthier diet there. Lot's of vegetables, fresh herbs and spices. Yes plain refined white sugar is terrible for the body, but I think GMO corn syrup is even worse!
I Following and up-voted
World Travel Pro!
I have always thought that sugar is not a nutrient necessary because it is not produced by our body and because its intake abruptly raises important parameters that are equivalent to a reaction of our organism to something unnatural.
Interesting point, thank you @ginotesta 🙂
Thank you @fleur, great post!