Pulling That Sweet Tooth

Think of the last soda you drank. That 12 ounce can of soda is equivalent to shoveling seven teaspoons of sugar in your mouth. What about the last fruit smoothie you bought at Smoothie King and thought it was making you healthier? Oh, think of it as eating a bowl of over 20 teaspoons of sugar. Before we scare you away from sugar, know anything in excess is bad. Sugar is good for a quick burst of energy and fun to feed that sweet tooth at times. The key word: at times.

Back in the 1890s people consumed only five pounds of sugar per year. These days we consume that in a week! Heart disease and cancer were virtually unheard of before this century. Coincidence? Maybe, but studies have shown sugar feeds cancer cells. It is not as easy as just saying cutting out sugar will cure cancer, but it is as easy to say sugar feeds every cell in the body. Cancer cells have six to ten times the number of insulin receptors than a regular cell in the body. Studies have also shown that sugar is a contributing factor in diabetes. We have been told for years that being obese leads to diabetes in adults. During the World War sugar was not readily available. Studies show during that time there are not as many cases of diabetes. After the war ended sugar consumption increased over 30 percent. The cases of diabetes increased as well.

Sugar creates a dependency where the body feels it needs more sugar to satisfy it. Some say it is as habit-forming as narcotics! It does create an energy, but that energy can only last so long until the body is depleted and left feeling lethargic. The cycle repeats itself as we hit that low and think we need more sugar for more energy.

The world isn’t going to stop eating baked goods or begin to push sugar off the grocery store shelves. There has to be a way for us to eat foods that still taste sweet without worry. Some say that best answer is in sugar substitutes such as aspartame and sucralose. Others claim these substitutes are even worse than sugar. Natural substitutes for the sweetness of sugar are honey, applesauce, fruit juices and dates. Maple syrup is sometimes used, but its strong taste is often a turnoff to sugar lovers. Many scientists say honey is actually the best substitute for sugar in most baking instances.

When it comes to your health there should be no excuses. It’s either sugar or sickness. Remember feeding that sweet tooth is okay in moderation, but feeding that sweet tooth without hurting your health at all can easily be done with sweet substitutes. You can’t take away that last soda you drank; however, you can run from those seven teaspoons of sugar in the future.