Americans have an addiction to sugar. On average, Americans consume an estimated 156 pounds of sugar per year. It’s not only found in candies, baked goods and other confections but also in the most unlikely of places. Canned vegetables, condiments, salad dressings, pastas, gravies, even chicken stock and other foods that don’t taste distinctly sweet at all are often loaded with the substance to enhance flavor. This is especially true with “low fat” foods, which are loaded with sugar in the place of fat. Given the ubiquity of sugar in the modern industrialized diet, it can be a challenge to get away from. However, the need to do so has become painfully obvious. Refined sugar is incredibly destructive to the human body and contributes to many of the most common diseases of modern times.
Sugar Feeds Cancer Cells
It’s widely known that consumption of refined sugar can promote cancer by causing chronic inflammation and obesity, but did you know that once you have cancer, it actually serves as fuel for the errant cells? Cancerous cells grow much faster than normal cells, approximately eight times faster, and this process requires considerable amounts of sugar for energy. Take away the sugar and the cancer will starve and become weak. Because people typically have cancer long before they are diagnosed, it’s better to simply avoid it at all costs. Those snack cakes might be tasty, but are they really worth your life?
Cold and Flu and Reduced Immunity
Each year, right around cold and flu season, the public is bombarded with advertisements reminding them to get their flu shot and alerting them to great deals on tissues and cough remedies. Have you ever looked at the ingredients on these cough remedies? Most are loaded with sugar. Meanwhile, nobody seems to question why these problems are so common in the first place. It is not a natural thing to get sick every year without fail, and the fact that it does happen means something is very wrong with society’s collective health. Science has revealed in recent years that sugar may be the cause. Sugar has a direct suppressant effect on the immune system that lasts for as long as five hours after consumption. When you consider how much time sugar-eaters spend in public with one another, it’s easy to see why these yearly epidemics happen. Eating sugar is tantamount to laying out the welcome mat for viruses!
Digestive Diseases
Digestive problems have become one of the most common complaints of Americans in the last few decades and nearly all of them can be traced to an unhealthy, sugar-laden diet. The intestines are home to hundreds of different species of yeast and bacteria, some good and some bad. Many of the harmful microorganisms thrive on sugar, so if you consume a diet high in refined sugar, you are helping them crowd out the good yeasts and bacteria. When harmful organisms overwhelm your body, a variety of illnesses can result.
Digestive disorders aren’t the only things that can be caused by dysbiosis, however. Secondary problems like nutritional deficiencies, obesity, chronic fatigue and mood disorders are also common results. Good bacteria consume soluble fiber from fruits and vegetables and turn them into valuable vitamins, especially those of the B group. This particular vitamin group is essential for nervous system health and maintenance, energy production, metabolic support and creating mood-enhancing neurotransmitters like serotonin. Immune insufficiency may also be caused by a poor bacterial balance in the gut. Good bacteria act as guardians of the immune system, protecting it from the bad microorganisms and teaching it to recognize true threats.
Anyone who wishes to avoid detrimental effects on their health and well-being is advised to give up refined sugars and processed carbohydrates in all of their forms. These include corn syrups, evaporated cane juice, pasteurized honey, white flours and anything with ‘sugar’, 'cane' in its name and/or ends is “ose”. Although giving up these things promotes good health, it may not always be enough. If you’ve been eating a lot of sugar, your populations of beneficial gut bacteria need to be brought back into balance. For this, fermented foods or a high-quality probiotic supplement and are recommended. And be sure to choose a wheat and soy free Probiotic that contains several bacteria strains for optimal results.
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