Canadians eat an astounding 88 pounds of sugar per year—it’s about one in every five calories we consume. Sugar by any name; barley malt, brown rice syrup, corn syrup, cane syrup, dextrin, dextrose, and sweeteners, *, is still a substance that if consumed in excess can lead to the proliferation of many cancers. In fact, it is hard to find food that doesn’t contain sugar.
Join the free Medisys 30-day-no-refined-sugar challenge, click here: Free No Sugar Challenge
Did you know that sugar is found in many packaged chicken broths? Yes, chicken broth! I picked up a box of organic chicken broth; cane syrup is listed as one of the ingredients. Why? Because North Americans like sweetened foods and food manufacturers, feed our sugar habit. In fact, it is hard to find many processed foods that don’t contain sugar.
Why the concern? Insulin resistance leads to chronic illnesses.
Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body produces insulin but does not use it effectively. When people have insulin resistance, glucose builds up in the blood instead of being absorbed by the cells, leading to type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. In insulin resistance, muscle, fat, and liver cells do not respond properly to insulin and thus, cannot easily absorb glucose from the bloodstream. As a result, the body needs higher levels of insulin to help glucose enter cells. That puts the body on the path toward metabolic syndrome, most commonly defined as having, at least, three of the following conditions: obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and elevated levels of so-called “bad” cholesterol **
What can you do to cut down on sugar and sugar products?
- Read food labels on packaging and look for the food ingredients. You will quickly realize that many foods contain sugar that you didn’t think are sweet—like tomato sauce, crackers and salad dressings.
- Know the names that are commonly used to identify sugar as an additive in food.
- Limit buying packaged foods; they usually contain sugars.
- Avoid soft drinks and sweetened fruit juices. Eat whole fruit instead. Whole fruit provides you with a lot more nutrition than fruit juice including more fiber and a lot less sugar.
- Once you know where sugars are hidden, buy foods that say ‘unsweetened’ or ‘no sugar’ like almond milk, soymilk, applesauce, oatmeal, unsweetened baking chocolate squares.
- Cut down on sugar. If you use two packets of sugar, use one instead. If you are used to buying sweetened yogurt, buy plain yogurt or cut down by using half plain and half unsweetened. If you want to have that piece of chocolate –have a piece instead of the whole bar.
- To cut down on sugar cravings, try loading up on protein, fiber, and vegetables that fill you up and will slow your digestion down. Fiber will keep you fuller and will help cut down on your cravings.
- Don’t substitute buying foods with artificial sugars—diet cokes, sugar-free candy—they can increase your cravings for sweet treats and may lead to weight gain.
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* For a complete list of names for sugar