Hey everyone! You know, life is really great!
I have been sitting here thinking about what I am going to teach for my next round of classes at my local community college this next semester. And as I’ve been going through nutritional studies and other articles to prepare for my class, I’ve come to the conclusion, the airwaves are being bombarded by the doom and gloom crowd. Whether the reports are political, societal, economical, or even about the foods we eat, I think they want us to think we are all doing it wrong and that everything is going to kill us. Well I hate to break it to you, but yeah we are all going to die someday and either show up at those pearly gates or bask in the warmth of a different gate. So while we are here in this life lets learn to live and enjoy the life we have been given.
However with this being said, I am not ignorant of being bit by snakes in the grass. For years I’ve taught the importance of emergency preparedness and EDUCATION is key to whether we can act appropriately in a situation or be acted upon.
So, today let’s talk about everyone’s favorite subject.
Sugar!
Oh, I know for many it’s a taboo subject. Everyone loves something sweet every once in a while but do you know what’s lurking on those grocery store shelves?
Laura Schmidt, a UCSF professor at the School of Medicine and investigator on the project, SugarScience explains,
“added sugars…are sugars that don't occur naturally in foods. They are found in 74 percent of all packaged foods… have 61 names and often are difficult to decipher on food labels,” SugarScience according to their website, “is the authoritative source for evidence-based, scientific information about sugar and its impact on health."
For further information on the scientists working on this project go to, http://www.sugarscience.org/sugarscientist-team/#.VLlVtnuAH6M
What are the 61 names for sugars Schmidt is talking about talking about?
61 Names for Sugar
Agave nectar
Barbados sugar
Barley malt
Barley malt syrup
Beet sugar
Brown sugar
Buttered syrup
Cane juice
Cane juice crystals
Cane sugar
Caramel
Carob syrup
Castor sugar
Coconut palm sugar
Coconut sugar
Confectioner's sugar
Corn sweetener
Corn syrup
Corn syrup solids
Date sugar
Dehydrated cane juice
Demerara sugar
Dextrin
Dextrose
Evaporated cane juice
Free-flowing brown sugars
Fructose
Fruit juice
Fruit juice concentrate
Glucose
Glucose solids
Golden sugar
Golden syrup
Grape sugar
HFCS (High-Fructose Corn Syrup)
Honey
Icing sugar
Invert sugar
Malt syrup
Maltodextrin
Maltol
Maltose
Mannose
Maple syrup
Molasses
Muscovado
Palm sugar
Panocha
Powdered sugar
Raw sugar
Refiner's syrup
Rice syrup
Saccharose
Sorghum Syrup
Sucrose
Sugar (granulated)
Sweet Sorghum
Syrup
Treacle
Turbinado sugar
Yellow sugar
The above list is found on the SugarScience website at,
It is important to note that not all sugars are unhealthy when used in moderation. Remember moderation is the key.
In a healthy diet, Women should not eat more than 6 teaspoons of sugars a day, and Men should not eat more than 9 teaspoons of sugars a day.
American Heart Association Comments on the World Health Organization’s, March 31, 2014,
“Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children”, the American Heart Association explains, “most women should not eat more than 100 calories from added sugars, or about 6 teaspoons, per day and most men no more than 150 calories, or about 9 teaspoons, per day of added sugars.”
Today the average American consumes on average 19.5 teaspoons (78 oz.) of sugar per day.
So, where are all these added sugars coming from?
In the article, Scientific team sounds the alarm on sugar as a source of disease, by Barbara Sadick, with the Chicago Tribune, Sadick states,
"Pediatric endocrinologist Robert Lustig, a member of the SugarScience team and the author of Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease states, that more than half of the U.S. population is sick with metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors for chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and liver disease that are directly related to the excessive consumption of added sugars in the Western diet. Too much sugar causes chronic metabolic disease in both fat and thin people," he continues by saying that, "instead of focusing on obesity as the problem, we should be focusing on our processed-food supply."
In addition to this, the majority of sugar available on grocery store shelves today, especially in processed foods, consists of sugars which may be genetically modified or sprayed before harvest with glyphosate. Many modern farming procedures incorporate the use of glyphosate, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides that have the potential to cause severe negative health impacts. In the article,
“Half of All Children Will Be Autistic by 2025,” Dr. Stephanie Seneff a MIT scientist explains,
“… The side effects of autism closely mimic those of glyphosate toxicity, and presented data showing a remarkably consistent correlation between the use of Roundup on crops (and the creation of Roundup-ready GMO crop seeds) with rising rates of autism. Children with autism have biomarkers indicative of excessive glyphosate, including zinc and iron deficiency, low serum sulfate, seizures, and mitochondrial disorder… of course autism is a complex problem with many potential causes… [yet] glyphosate is present in unusually high quantities in the breast milk of American mothers, at anywhere from 760 to 1,600 times the allowable limits in European drinking water. Urine testing shows Americans have ten times the glyphosate accumulation as European.” http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/mit-researcher-glyphosate-herbicide-will-cause-half-of-all-children-to-have-autism-by-2025/
Sugar in and of itself is not evil. The problem lies in the fact that:
1. Sugar is hidden in processed foods, even foods we are led to believe are healthy.
2. Sugar consumption levels far exceed healthy levels.
3. Many sugars are tainted with toxic chemicals and substances.
4. Companies and corporations are more concerned about profit margins, and benefit from public ignorance.
Educate yourself on how to avoid toxic chemicals, genetically modified foods, hidden sugars, and avoid processed foods. Buy products that are certified organic, and look for the official non-gmo project symbol. http://www.nongmoproject.org/
So the question still remains, what types of sugars are better? I personally like to use organic granulated pure cane sugar, organic pure cane brown sugar, organic brown rice syrup, pure maple syrup, organic molasses, raw honey, organic dates, organic bananas, organic carrots or other clean fruits. When used in moderation the above sugars add a depth of rich and unique flavors to my baked goods. When you research more you will discover the types of sugars you will like using in your particular style of cooking or baking.
For those who have diabetes or other blood sugar disorders, Greenlitebites has a wonderful little glycemic level table. Glycemic means the amount of glucose [sugar] in the blood and this varys from sugar to sugar.
