Sugar and Health
Sugar and Health:
I once read that "sugar is the most prevalent drug in our society." While some may disagree with the analysis of sugar as a drug, how many know about the way which the body deals with C12H22O11 (table sugar) ?
The type of sugar in the processed stuff we commonly use is sucrose which usually comes from sugar cane or sugar beets. Your digestive system turns this into glucose which is a key regulator of your body that is naturally produced when you need it. What you put in through your mouth acts on receptors that control the release of insulin and other neuropeptides from the pancreas, drastically altering how you feel and process food - putting you in sluggish, fat-storing mode. The consumption of sugar affects the pineal gland in the brain and interferes with it's production of serotonin. Once this is depleted depression can be triggered and a lot of people in this state are often attracted (if not addicted) to sugar products like chocolate, cola and energy drinks such as Red Bull to lift their mood.
Shocking Fact:
Sugar turns acidic to a potentially lethal degree when you digest it. If it wasn't for your bodies response of releasing massive amounts of calcium from your bones and teeth to nullify the acid one sugar cube would be enough to kill you! Does that sound terribly far fetched? If you consume a lot of sugar there is a chance that the bones and teeth begin to show the consequences, one of which can be osteoporosis.
Fruits have a different kind of sugar called fructose. If you have cravings for sweet food this is what I recommend!
We usually think of lemon as very acidic but infact it turns very alkaline when it hits your digestive system, does that sound crazy to you? It's True! So integrating more lemon into your diet or eating it to balance out sugary foods is a great idea. It can also help cure a number of afflictions. If you do not like the taste of it on it's own (I eat whole lemons) you can try putting a slice in a glass of water or herbal tea. Another great idea I bet many will enjoy is squeezing a half lemon over a portion of rice, perhaps with parsley or corriander!
Sugar Substitutes
Before you rush to grab your canderell and switch to diet drinks I want to briefly inform you about aspartame, though I'm aware that many of you will have heard about it already. It has been alleged that aspartame (present in most sweeteners and "diet" alternatives as well as "sugar free" gum) is yet worse than sugar and can be responsible for all sorts of negative effects ranging from headaches to brain tumors, brain lesions, and lymphoma. I will leave it to you to do further research on this, but may add links (feel free to submit) in further reading.
I personally recommend Stevia Leaf Powder which is a natural powder taken from the Stevia plant. The same FDA that won't ban aspartame ruled that it may not be sold as a sugar substitute but only as a dietary suppliment under industry pressure, even against it's own regulations. Stevia Leaf Powder has no callories or carbohydrates, no effect on blood sugar (very suitable to diabetics and persons suffereing from hypoglucaemia) and is not bad for your teeth - infact when mixed in a glass of water it can be used as a mouth wash. It is widely available on Ebay.com and Ebay.co.uk or from other sources online. I bought a packet for a friends mum who is pre-diabetic and she now always uses it instead of saccharine which I think is a very positive change of diet.
I hope you found this article useful and informative, please link to all your friends. Peace, Love and Good Health to all.
Sources and Further Reading:
How Sugar Affects You:
Molecules of Emotion by Candace B. Pert PH.D., p191 and Appendix A
Mike Lambert http://www.theshenclinic.com/
This video http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ONTiIyW6hEQ&feature=related
Lemons in Diet:
Lemon Acid Or Alkaline - http://www.godsdirectcontact.com/vegetarian/ch/aa.htm
Lemon Cures - http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/lemons.html
Lemon Nutrition - http://www.great-workout.com/nutrition/fruit/lemon-nutrition-facts.cfm
Aspartame:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GdvRfKWYnjU This one is great and cites sources
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dv9pIUVdmpw Media - Carcenogenic?
http://www.rense.com/general79/plast.htm Aspartame turns tissues to plastic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame_controversy
By all means google it, there are plenty of books that glance over it as well.
Stevia Leaf Powder:
Checkitout on Google and Wiki fugoodnessakes!
I once read that "sugar is the most prevalent drug in our society." While some may disagree with the analysis of sugar as a drug, how many know about the way which the body deals with C12H22O11 (table sugar) ?
The type of sugar in the processed stuff we commonly use is sucrose which usually comes from sugar cane or sugar beets. Your digestive system turns this into glucose which is a key regulator of your body that is naturally produced when you need it. What you put in through your mouth acts on receptors that control the release of insulin and other neuropeptides from the pancreas, drastically altering how you feel and process food - putting you in sluggish, fat-storing mode. The consumption of sugar affects the pineal gland in the brain and interferes with it's production of serotonin. Once this is depleted depression can be triggered and a lot of people in this state are often attracted (if not addicted) to sugar products like chocolate, cola and energy drinks such as Red Bull to lift their mood.
Shocking Fact:
Sugar turns acidic to a potentially lethal degree when you digest it. If it wasn't for your bodies response of releasing massive amounts of calcium from your bones and teeth to nullify the acid one sugar cube would be enough to kill you! Does that sound terribly far fetched? If you consume a lot of sugar there is a chance that the bones and teeth begin to show the consequences, one of which can be osteoporosis.
Fruits have a different kind of sugar called fructose. If you have cravings for sweet food this is what I recommend!
We usually think of lemon as very acidic but infact it turns very alkaline when it hits your digestive system, does that sound crazy to you? It's True! So integrating more lemon into your diet or eating it to balance out sugary foods is a great idea. It can also help cure a number of afflictions. If you do not like the taste of it on it's own (I eat whole lemons) you can try putting a slice in a glass of water or herbal tea. Another great idea I bet many will enjoy is squeezing a half lemon over a portion of rice, perhaps with parsley or corriander!
Sugar Substitutes
Before you rush to grab your canderell and switch to diet drinks I want to briefly inform you about aspartame, though I'm aware that many of you will have heard about it already. It has been alleged that aspartame (present in most sweeteners and "diet" alternatives as well as "sugar free" gum) is yet worse than sugar and can be responsible for all sorts of negative effects ranging from headaches to brain tumors, brain lesions, and lymphoma. I will leave it to you to do further research on this, but may add links (feel free to submit) in further reading.
I personally recommend Stevia Leaf Powder which is a natural powder taken from the Stevia plant. The same FDA that won't ban aspartame ruled that it may not be sold as a sugar substitute but only as a dietary suppliment under industry pressure, even against it's own regulations. Stevia Leaf Powder has no callories or carbohydrates, no effect on blood sugar (very suitable to diabetics and persons suffereing from hypoglucaemia) and is not bad for your teeth - infact when mixed in a glass of water it can be used as a mouth wash. It is widely available on Ebay.com and Ebay.co.uk or from other sources online. I bought a packet for a friends mum who is pre-diabetic and she now always uses it instead of saccharine which I think is a very positive change of diet.
I hope you found this article useful and informative, please link to all your friends. Peace, Love and Good Health to all.
Sources and Further Reading:
How Sugar Affects You:
Molecules of Emotion by Candace B. Pert PH.D., p191 and Appendix A
Mike Lambert http://www.theshenclinic.com/
This video http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ONTiIyW6hEQ&feature=related
Lemons in Diet:
Lemon Acid Or Alkaline - http://www.godsdirectcontact.com/vegetarian/ch/aa.htm
Lemon Cures - http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/lemons.html
Lemon Nutrition - http://www.great-workout.com/nutrition/fruit/lemon-nutrition-facts.cfm
Aspartame:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GdvRfKWYnjU This one is great and cites sources
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dv9pIUVdmpw Media - Carcenogenic?
http://www.rense.com/general79/plast.htm Aspartame turns tissues to plastic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame_controversy
By all means google it, there are plenty of books that glance over it as well.
Stevia Leaf Powder:
Checkitout on Google and Wiki fugoodnessakes!