SUGAR: THE SILENT KILLER!

If you are a patient of mine, you have heard me say more often than not that, “You should avoid sugar at all cost, and to only eat desserts as a special treat and then only on occasion”.  You may wonder why is it that I am so insistent upon removing sugar from your diet for a particular health issue, either for weight loss or high cholesterol, or even auto-immune diseases and mood disorders. Is it a personal obsession of mine or do I have very specific reasons to repeat over and over to you: “Avoid sugar, desserts and artificial sweeteners”? How bad is sugar really and, what am I referring to when I talk about sugar?

1. THE DIFFERENT FORMS OF SUGAR:

FACT: One of the problems with sugar in our modern society is that it is insidiously hidden everywhere!  It is not only in cookies and candies, but also in salad dressings, breads, seasoning, bagels and muffins, sauces and gravies, prepared frozen dinners, spices, chips, coffee and on and on and on. Buying a sandwich, a flavored coffee at Starbucks, a bag of nuts at the gas station, or a pizza at CPK, is a sure way for you to be subjected to one form of sugar or another!

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP (HFCS) is the most popular form of sugar used by the food industry. It is made from corn, mostly genetically modified corn, and it is sweeter and cheaper than cane sugar. Its use is so economical that the number of new foods and snacks with HFCS soared to more than 2000 per year in the eighties. Today the average person consumes approximately 63 pounds of HFCS a year.

FRUCTOSE may seem good at first blush but is actually extracted mostly from corn, as is HFCS. It has a low glycemic index but still increases the pancreatic secretion of insulin. Fructose also occurs naturally in fruits. It is not that fruits are bad for us, but I think that they are over rated for their benefits. I agree that they have vitamins, enzymes and minerals, but they also have fructose, which is never measured in the blood, so we don’t know if people have too much fructose or not. I limit the intake of fruits to two servings per day, because FRUCTOSE does indeed induce a pancreatic reaction as much as glucose.  

WHITE SUGAR comes from beet or cane and is always refined and bleached. It is a highly processed food WITHOUT any nutrient value. Because White Sugar is so depleted of nutrients, it actually robs your own body’s minerals and vitamins. It is absolutely a must: AVOID WHITE SUGAR AT ALL COSTS!

BROWN SUGAR comes also from beet or cane, but is not bleached. So it is a little less processed than white sugar. There are several types of brown sugar and the best is called RAW CANE SUGAR. Because it is not refined it keeps its enzymes, vitamins and minerals which give it some benefits for the body. It can be used very moderately.

HONEY is one of the most natural and healthy forms of sugar, but unfortunately it is too often denaturized by being heated to temperatures that kill the enzymes and friendly bacteria collected by the bees. For HONEY to keep its numerous healing properties it has to be raw, unfiltered and unpasteurized.

MAPLE SYRUP, BROWN RICE SYRUP, BARLEY MALT, MOLASSES are also natural forms of sugar. To keep their NATURAL properties, they must NOT be refined, NOT pasteurized, and NOT filtered. Under these conditions they may be used on occasion.

AGAVE NECTAR is a newer sweetener “claimed” to be good for your health, but in reality it is still high in FRUCTOSE, much higher than honey or maple syrup. It comes from a plant of the succulent family. AGAVE NECTAR is a highly processed product that you see on the shelves of your grocer. I do not recommend it.

All these sweeteners have a moderate to HIGH GLYCEMIC INDEX. They have calories, and do force the pancreas to secrete insulin. The less refined, the better but….it is still sugar so… watch out!

WHAT ABOUT MAN MADE ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS?

ASPARTAME is the most popular artificial sweetener used in about 6000 food products worldwide and sold under the name Equal, Canderel or NutraSweet. It is FDA approved and recognized safe for consumption. However, I believe that if consumed regularly, Aspartame poses a high risk to your health. It has been known to induce headaches, dizziness, seizures, fatigue, tachycardia, vision troubles, anxiety attacks, vertigo and joint pain, just to name a few.

SUCRALOSE is the artificial sweetener in the brand Splenda. It has gained a lot of popularity over the past 15 years, being claimed as a “healthy sweetener”. But soon after its entry on the market, people have been complaining about allergies, itching and rashes, nausea, stomach cramps, forgetfulness, moodiness, anxiety, panic attacks, diarrhea, bloated abdomen, and sometimes seizures.

SACCHARINE is the oldest of the artificial sweeteners presently on the market. It is known as the brand Sweet’n Low. It is very often mixed with other artificial sweeteners because of its bitter after taste. Some countries have banned saccharine because of its potential risk of bladder cancer. Other reactions can be headaches, breathing difficulties, skin eruptions, diarrhea allergies, irritability, and muscle dysfunction.

ACESULFAME K is listed in the ingredients on food label as ACESULFAME K, ACESULFAME K potassium, Ace-K or Sunett. It is 200 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar) and is often used as a flavor-enhancer. Even if it is FDA approved, ACESULFAME K has not been tested in long-term studies. It does contain the carcinogen methylene chloride, which can also cause headaches, depression, nausea, mental confusion, liver and kidney disorders, and visual disturbances.

The problem with all of these artificial sweeteners is that although they have no calories, no sugar, and very low glycemic index, they can still induce the release of insulin, which in long term will affect your pancreas, your weight and your metabolism. They are chemicals transformed by man for convenience, and I don’t believe that we should use them at all. This is one of the reasons I recommend my patients to read labels before they buy a product because it may be inserted in just about any kind of food.

WHAT ABOUT SUGAR ALCOHOL?

Sugar Alcohols are newer sweeteners, called polyols; one part of their chemical structure resembles sugar, the other part resembles alcohol. Examples of common sugar alcohol are maltitol, sorbitol, isomalt and xylitol. Some of them are extracted from plants; sorbitol comes from corn syrup, and maltitol comes from seaweed, and others are manufactured from sugars and starches. They are not completely absorbed by the body, thus they don’t impact your blood sugar level and they cannot make you drunk; they provide very low calories and very low glycemic index. They don’t promote tooth decay, so they are often used to sweeten chewing gums. One of them, xylitol actually inhibits bacterial growth in the mouth. One major inconvenience is that because they are not absorbed completely, they may ferment in the intestines and cause bloating, gas, or diarrhea. I think they are safe in low dosage, but ...don’t go out of your way to find them.

WHAT ABOUT STEVIA?

STEVIA is a NATURAL sweetener from a plant called Stevia Rebaudiana, a small shrub used for centuries by the South American Indigenous peoples. STEVIA’S leaves are 2-3 cm long and have a natural sweet taste. Indigenous people used STEVIA not only to sweeten their food but also for medicinal properties such as a cardio-tonic, lowering high blood pressure, and preventing heartburn.

Japan started using Stevia in the 1970’s to sweeten anything from pickles to soy sauce and soft drinks. Coca-Cola and Beatrice Foods use Stevia to sweeten foods for sale in Japan and Brazil, but NOT in the U.S.  In a move to protect the sugar / agricullture industry, Stevia has never been given FDA approval and as such cannot be sold as an "artificial sweetener" in the U.S!  However, Stevia can and IS freely sold as a dietary supplement.  Some Stevia brands are known to have a bitter after taste. With this bitter after taste problem in mind, I researched the different brands and I chose one called ERBA DOLCE STEVIA that has NO bitter after taste.  It comes in boxes of 50 or 100 small individual packets (1 gram per packet) or in a bulk form bottle for larger usage.

Stevia has no side effects, absolutely none, zero! It has zero calories, zero level of glycemic index, and doesn’t trigger any (zero) pancreatic response.  I recommend it to every one of my patients instead of sugar or an artificial sweetener. It helps them to get off their bad sugar habits, lose weight, control diabetes, and allow them to have a treat from time to time or to sweeten their favorite beverage. And the Stevia brand ERBA DOLCE  does all of this and has NO BITTER AFTER TASTE!  ERBA DOLCE can be purchased directly from my practice store, Your Good Health Store.

WHAT ABOUT REFINED CARBOHYDRATES? 

These are not sugars per say, but they certainly increase your blood sugar and insulin when you eat them. White flour, white rice, white bread, pasta, bagels, potato, pizza and boxed cereals are all transformed into sugar within the body.

When the so called “Food Pyramid” claims that these refined carbohydrates are at the base of our nutrient’s needs, I totally disagree! I know by experience that patients of mine who eat these refined carbohydrates have very high blood sugar and many health issues that go with it!  Stay away from refined carbohydrates at all cost!  Instead eat plenty of vegetables, and some unrefined, whole type of flours and grains. Even if you can eat and digest unrefined and whole carbohydrates, never forget to balance them out with a good amount of protein in the same meal; otherwise they can still raise your blood sugar.  I have patients who were able to get off their diabetes medication, or their blood pressure medication, or their cholesterol medications simply by totally removing sugar in any form, refined and whole grain carbohydrates. By simply staying away from them, and following a diet of healthy animal proteins, organic vegetables, fruits and nuts, they can manage to have a normal blood sugar, a healthy blood pressure, and a normal cholesterol level.

2. THE EFFECTS OF SUGAR ON YOUR HEALTH

As you may know, the negative effects of sugar on your body are numerous. To function optimally your body needs only about 1 teaspoon of sugar at any time in the blood. Too much or too little sugar creates problems. Too little sugar is called Hypoglycemia , which is characterized by the symptoms of fatigue, dizziness, lightheadedness, shakiness, sometimes to the point of malaise and fainting; mood swings, irritability, depression, lack of energy, headaches, cravings, heart palpitations, or insomnia. When you are Hypoglycemic, you usually crave sugar because it is the quickest way for the body to raise your blood sugar. You then eat sugar, feel better for an hour or so, and crash again with symptoms of low blood sugar. If this roller coaster of ups and downs blood sugar continues, then it exhausts the adrenals which try desperately to compensate for the fatigue. Later on, Hypoglycemia and the roller coaster blood sugar will eventually lead to Diabetes as the pancreas reduces its ability to produce enough and proper insulin.

Once you have Diabetes, your entire body is going to suffer dearly as high blood sugar is extremely damaging to your body. What are the disastrous effects of high blood sugar on your body?

A. Blood Vessels:  Too much sugar in your blood irritates your blood vessels. As a response your body sends “repair” material into the lining of the vessels, mostly cholesterol, to try “patching” the damaged areas. As more cholesterol is sent, more debris and sticky material adds up to the patched area, which in times develop to atherosclerotic plaque. The plaque builds up and blocks large or medium-sized arteries in the heart, brain, legs or to the penis. The walls of small blood vessels are damaged so that the vessels do not carry oxygen normally to the organs. Poor circulation can cause wounds to heal poorly and can lead to heart disease, stroke, gangrene of the feet and hands, impotence, and chronic infections. Poor circulation to the brain can affect your mood and eventually contribute to Dementia.

B. Eyes:  The small blood vessels of the retina can become damaged. This leads to decrease vision, and ultimately to blindness.

C. Kidneys:  The blood vessels in the Kidneys thicken; the proteins are not filtered properly by the Kidneys and the proteins leak into the urine. This can lead to poor Kidney function and eventually to Kidney failure, which is the case with many diabetic patients.

D. Nerves:  The nerves become damaged when glucose is not metabolized normally and because the blood supply is inadequate. This leads to sudden or gradual weakness in the legs, numbness and tingling, pain like pins and needles in the hands and feet and chronic damage to the nerves.

E. Autonomic Nervous System:  The nerves that control blood vessel pressure and the digestive process become damaged. The blood pressure swings from up to down. It can also become more difficult for people to swallow as the Autonomic Nervous System directs the digestive tract. The digestive tract gets disturbed with bouts of Diarrhea.

F. Skin:  There is a poor blood flow to the skin as well as a loss of feeling and sensations. This leads to repetitive injuries, sores, chronic ulcers and deep infections that cannot heal.

 G. Blood:  The white blood cells function becomes impaired, which increase the susceptibilities to infections such as urinary tract infections and skin infections.

H. Connective Tissue:  The soft tissues such as ligaments and muscles thicken or contract which lead to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, or Dupuytren’s Contractures.

In summary, HIGH BLOOD SUGAR is damaging to every single cell of your body.  With too much sugar around the cells, they become sticky, which is called glycation. It means that it slows down every single process: repair is impaired, metabolism is sluggish, arteries become plugged up, the brain slows down, circulation is impaired, nerves are damaged, hormones get imbalanced, digestion is disturbed etc… So in fact, you age faster! Nowadays, modern medicine is trying to defy Mother Nature by promoting anti-aging treatments: joint replacement, skin therapy, happy long sex life, having children at 70 years old, etc. Wouldn’t be more simple and efficient if we were paying attention to our blood sugar? I think that proper diet, which IN FACT implies low sugar, is one of the most important key to staying young.

3. WHAT TO DO TO ELIMINATE SUGAR FROM YOUR LIFE?

So, you may now realize why it is so important to remove sugar at all cost from your diet, if you want to stay healthy or to become healthy. But you may also say to yourself that, “It is easier said than done”, and I do not disagree with you because one of the characteristic of sugar is its ADDICTION! I know and you know that when you have some sweet things, you usually want more. So, what to do to get away from this Sweet Thing called SUGAR?

First, I believe that it is best to CUT SUGAR out 100% and cut it out cold turkey!  I have never seen it work if you “compromise” with yourself by allowing some here and there.  It’s like someone who wants to quit smoking or drinking. One cigarette puff or one glass from time to time NEVER WORKS!!  IT IS SURE, if you are a sugar addict and cut it cold turkey, YOU WILL experience withdrawal symptoms. You may have a headache, or extreme fatigue, or body aches or insomnia. To bring you relief, take a hot bath with Epson salts and put 3 Detox Tea bags (bought in a health food store) in the bath. And if you can, soak in the bath 2 or 3 times a day if necessary.

Second, increase your protein intake as proteins help balance out your blood sugar.  This will reduce the cravings, maintain a leveled blood sugar and sustain your energy, and help you to relax. Healthy proteins are organic eggs, fish and poultry, and grass fed red meat.

Third, exercise to flush out the toxins. A good brisk walk, a hike or a bike ride will do you a lot of good and take your mind off the desire to eat the deadly sweets.

Fourth, drink copious amount of water or herbal tea.

Fifth, SLEEP… the more sleep you can get, the fastest the symptoms of withdrawal will go away.

Sixth, explore the emotional reasons why you are craving sweets. Is it fatigue, frustration, loneliness, fear, or anxiety? Most of us know that when we are in an intense emotional state, we are inclined to reach for food, mostly sweets.

Finally,  I can recommend two supplements that will help your cravings. One is called Gymnema from Standard Process.  Gymnema not only reduce cravings but also improve pancreatic function. Take 2 Gymnema three times a day as long as you crave sweets. The other supplement I use successfully is Crave Arrest from Designs for Health, and the recommended dosage is 2 Crave Arrest twice a day. Crave Arrest acts upon your neurotransmitters, so it improves your mood and helps you feel calmer.

I wish you the best to REDUCE and STOP your sugar intake.  I know it is a battle for so many of you, and as a Naturopath, I cannot give a stronger message to my patients than to STOP SUGAR because I know the horrible detrimental effects it has on the body. Basically by eating sweets, you are aging faster; your body’s sticky and gluey cells get damaged quickly, cannot repair, which means that you shorten your life. This is not fun!  You should do EVERYTHING you can to avoid sugar, and if you need help, don’t hesitate to give me a call to discuss your individual conditions and to set up an appointment at 831-642-0202. I will be most happy to work with you and help you.

Yours in Health,

Beatrice Levinson, Naturopath
 

1011 Cass Street Suite 107 * Monterey, CA 92940 * TEL: 831-642-0202

The entire contents of HEALTH AWARENESS are based upon the opinions of Beatrice Levinson, Naturopath, unless otherwise indicated. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as an offering and sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Beatrice Levinson, Naturopath within the U.S. and Europe. Beatrice Levinson, Naturopath encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.

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