Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Sugar Sugar

Did you know that about 25% of the calories that you burn come from sugar? As a fuel, sugar is very efficient. It is quickly absorbed by the body and quickly converted into energy. The feeling of a sugar rush is common in North America; almost everything that you eat has extra sugar added. At the end of the 19th century, the average American consumed about five pounds of sugar per year. Now we consume about two or three pounds of sugar PER WEEK!

Sugar has no nutrition. Once the fuel is burned there is no supplementary advantage that remains. We often ingest more fuel than we require, particularly when overeating is combined with a sedentary lifestyle. This excess fuel is stored as fat.

The processed food industry has us addicted to sugar. Check the labels on manufactured foods and do the math. A can of cola contains about ten teaspoons of sugar. Can you imagine drinking a coffee with ten spoons of sugar? Everything from bread to peanut butter is loaded with sugar and we are used to a daily rush.

Awareness is the first step of change. Become aware of the sugar that is in your food. Become aware of how your body reacts to sugar; choose to eliminate sugar from your diet for short periods of time and notice the difference. You are in control if you choose to be.

Randi’s column appears weekly at ilove2cooknaked.com

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