Dr. Robert Lustig, pediatric endocrinologist, sugar crusader and YouTube phenom from his
Sugar: The Bitter Truth, told Gupta that we have a
"public health crisis" with the
over consumption of sugar. As a matter of fact, the
average person in the US today consumes about
130 pounds per year-that's more than
1/3 pound of sugar per day! Consider that
in 1820, the average American consumed only
45 grams of sugar per day (about 20 pounds per year) which is equivalent to
one can of soda.
Why is it bad to produce too much insulin and why does it matter? When we ingest sugar, the pancreas is signaled to produce the hormone insulin. Insulin's main job is to
escort sugar out of the bloodstream and into the cells where it can be
used for energy. Insulin is meant to go to
muscles for energy, but with the overproduction of insulin and lack of movement or exercise (
with most Americans getting exercise only by moving their computer mouse!) there is no need. Therefore, the insulin takes the
sugar to fat cells where it
gets stored with overflow even getting into the bloodstream. This then can build up as plaque and raise our LDL (the bad cholesterol) linking it to
Heart Disease, hypertension and stroke. Keep in mind if something is
sticky (like sugars), it will
remain sticky inside your body.
Even
cancer is a well known sugar feeder based on many studies
. Its cells have
insulin receptors which thrive on insulin causing it to grow. The more sugar it gets, the more it helps it grow (hint:
don't feed cancer sugar.)
As I've said many times,
avoid the low fat diet hype. In fact, ever since the 70s when the low fat craze came out,
Heart Disease and diabetes have skyrocketed as fat in food products was
replaced with sugar to make them taste better. You be the judge.
Sugar is linked to the following:
- Obesity
- Heart Disease
- Hypertension
- High blood pressure
- Hypoglycemia
- Depression
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Nervous tension
- Aching limbs
- Diabetes
- Acne
- Stiffening of arteries
- ADD
The good news is that, as per Dr. Robert Lustig, 75% of these diseases and symptoms are reversible. Make it your business to read labels and reduce your sugar intake. The American Heart Association recommends that men eat 150 calories in sugar per day and the women eat 100 calories in sugar per day. That is about 38 grams (or 9.5 tsp) sugar for men or 25 grams (or 6 tsp) sugar for women.
To get an idea of how much sugar is in food, there are 40 grams (10 tsp) of sugar in a 12 oz can of Coke. One can of soda is also equivalent to eating 2 frosted pop tarts along with a twinkie. That's more than the total day's allowance! Even a 12 oz. Gatorade has 31 grams (8 tsp) of sugar and so-called healthy SoBe Green Tea has 61 grams (15 tsp!) of sugar. That "healthy drink" is like eating 4 slices of Sara Lee Cherry Pie.
The easiest way to start eliminating sugar is by drinking more water and just skip the sugary drinks. Yes, that includes skipping those juice boxes for the kids. Be sure to read labels. The food industry purposely tries to make it a little harder to figure out by making the sugar count in grams. The trick is that every 4 grams of sugar is equivalent to 1 tsp of sugar. That will give you a better idea of how much sugar is in a product.
As always, shop the perimeter of the grocery store. Avoid processed and boxed foods where sugar is added in tons of forms and names (mostly that we can't even pronounce).
The most important thing you can do is take action now. The best part is that you will be amazed at how great you will feel. Yes, the first week is tough, but once you get over the hump, your cravings will subside and you will feel amazing. Pass this article on to someone you love.
