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Not just another food blog.

Turn on the TV, read the newspaper, pick up one of the countless health magazines in the check-out line at the grocery store…..the headlines are in black and white spelling out the good, the bad and the ugly of food in America.

These days even if we wanted to, we cannot escape our surroundings shouting at us to make healthy lifestyle choices and the reasons that we should.  Talk shows on health are saturating daytime TV: The Chew, The Talk, The View, The Doctors, Rachel Ray, Dr.Oz, etc.  Many of these shows have created entire seasons directed at good nutrition and helping America get healthy. Every single day, the Dr. Oz show focuses on health food, exercise, stress relief and/or total wellness.

The problem = the majority of us aren’t listening or just don’t care.

A common, reoccurring, unhealthy choice is the amount of sugar being consumed by Americans. Business Insider tells us that, “In 1822, the average American ate the amount of sugar found in one of today’s 12-ounce sodas every 5 days. Now, we eat that much every 7 hours!” The average American is now consuming 150 lbs of sugar per year! That is just plain yuck.

The negative effects that sugar and/or sugar substitutes have on our bodies run the gamut; including the most visible one – weight gain.  It is true that most Americans have a “sweet tooth.” However, that “sweet tooth” has also been created. Facts are that the more sugar an individual eats, the more his/her body will crave; the more sugar one consumes, the less sweet food will taste causing more to be eaten to “satisfy” that sweet tooth.

The science behind it can be put into these simple terms:

–          Sugar comes in 3 forms:  monosaccharides (simple sugars – honey); disaccharides (complex sugars – table sugars & milk); polysaccharides (starches in grains, legumes and vegetables).

–          Your body breaks down all sugars/carbohydrates into glucose to use for energy – some is stored, some is used immediately.  More importantly, what is consumed in excess is stored as fat.

By definition, it is obvious which types of sugars we should be consuming – none of which come wrapped in a colorful little package, propped up at eye level, on a shelf next to those health magazines in the checkout line.

But the reality is, a large number of Americans are not consuming the “right” sugars and do not think about the negative effects that those nutrient-lacking sugars are causing to their bodies.  Another hit against the average consumer is the food companies and their marketing schemes to hide the sugar on the nutrition label.  Sugar comes with many alternate personalities; also known as…..

Agave, Beet sugar, Brown sugar, Cane sugar, Carob syrup, Corn syrup solids, Corn syrup, Date sugar, Diatase Diastatic malt, Dextrose, Ethyl Maltol, Fructose, Fruit juice, Fruit sweetener, Galactose, Glucose, Glucose solids, Grape sugar, High fructose corn syrup, Honey, Invert sugar, Lactose, Malt syrup, Maltodextrin, Maltose, Mannitol, Maple sugar, Molasses, Raw sugar, Refiner’s syrup, Rice sugar, Sorbitol, Sucrose, Turbinado sugar

And here are just some of the issues that excessive sugar consumption can contribute to….

*diabetes * interfere with the absorption of protein *decrease growth hormone (the key to staying youthful and lean)
*reduction in defense against bacterial infection * feed cancer * increase cholesterol *drowsiness and decreased activity in children
*food allergies * eczema in children * cardiovascular disease * impair the structure of DNA
* hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children
* greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections)

So, with all of that awesome sugar knowledge you gained from reading this – here is my intention for you and purpose for this blog……