In the early nineteenth century the average American consumed about 12 pounds of sugar a year. Today, some experts estimate that it’s more than 150 pounds, in the form of sugar and other sweeteners.   

By contrast, the human body needs only about two teaspoons of sugar in the bloodstream at any one time. Is it any wonder overweight and obesity have reached epidemic proportions in this country?

Sugar has been blamed for almost every known health problem: cancer, cardiovascular disease, Type-2 diabetes, hypoglycemia, and impaired immunity, as well as adrenal gland exhaustion, behavior problems, candidiasis, fatigue, hyperactivity, impaired digestion, mood swings, over acidity, and tooth decay. Prevent these problems with these quick tips.

7 Tips

• 1) Don’t add sugar to cereal or drinks. If you don’t enjoy unsweetened foods, add a touch of the sweet herb stevia (naturally low in calories). Remember, though, a little goes a long way!
• 2) Avoid processed carbohydrates (white bread, white pasta, and white rice), which are quickly converted to blood sugar, disrupting the body’s metabolic balance and fat-control systems.
• 3) Eat whole foods: eggs, fish, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, poultry, and vegetables. While these contain some naturally occurring sugars, they’re also full of fiber and important nutrients to help balance blood sugar.
• 4) The more natural, the better. Choose an orange, rather than orange juice. Not only will you get less sugar but you’ll also benefit from more nutrients.
• 5) Dilute natural sweets, like juice with water. If you love granola, add plain cereal and nuts to lower its sugar content.
• 6) Beware of fat-free labels: These foods actually contribute to health and weight problems. What the labels don’t tell you is that these products contain more sugar—sometimes two or more times that found in the “regular” version of these foods!
• 7) Become a food detective. Learn all the “other” names for sugar: cane juice, caramel, corn syrup, dextran, dextrose, fructose, fruit juice (and concentrate), glucose, high fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, lactose, malt syrup, maltodextrin, maltose, mannitol, molasses, raw sugar, refiner’s syrup, sorbitol, sorghum syrup, sucrose, and yellow sugar. If you must have real sweets, select some from the chart.

Healthy Substitutes

To reduce the amount of natural sweets (honey, juice concentrate, maple syrup, and molasses) in cooking, cut the sweetener in half and substitute unsweetened applesauce or mashed sweet potato for the other half.  Almond milk, amasake, rice milk, and soy milk lend creamy sweetness to recipes where you want to cut the sugar.Learn the sugar content of sweeteners you want to use by comparing the following:

Sweetener  -  Grams of Sugar

Amazake - 2

Apple juice concentrate - 7.5

Barley malt - 6

Blackstrap molasses - 11 to 15

Brown rice syrup - 5

Date sugar - 3

Fructose - 12 to 15

Granular FruitSource - 7.5

Honey - 16 to 18

Nut, rice, or soy milk - 0. 5 to 1

Rice syrup powder - 4

Unsweetened applesauce - 2

Check out Get The Sugar Out  by Ann Louise or visit www.annlouise.com.

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