In the past 30 years the obesity statistics have double to 600 million. Diabetes: it has tripled its numbers to 347 million in the whole world.
All these problems are associated with lots of factors, it could be the lack of exercise, maybe there’s people that eat too much, or a diet rich in saturated fats or it can be the sugar.
It is incredible that every time scientists show evidence very precise it comes to the conclusion that investigations about sugar must continue to be done. Even though there is clear evidence, they are considered as NOT definitive. Doctors and scientists have argued that sugar is a kind of intoxication that could bring one to death. Something that sounds very dramatic but when severe cases of diabetes are shown, we can understand what they mean.
After vigorous reading of plenty medical articles about the sweet in our lives, I ask myself, with all these research and evidence, what would happen with the sweet industry? Or in other words, how would the food industry society and the consumers that are most of the world react to this findings?
Is not as easy as it sounds! The consumption of foods containing sugar gives us pleasure and satisfaction, the only thought of eating a chocolate cookie or a sugary dessert… Oh my God! It’s happiness, it’s shared cheerfulness and how to forget the celebration of our first year that is the first time that we tried the delicious, addictive and pleasurable sugar.
During the 60’s various studies were made that revealed that sugar is a stimulating toxic. There has been debates, magazine articles, newspapers that have published these investigations and studies that show sugar is a silent toxic that can be mortal. In the studies involving sugar, I’ve found a doctor pioneer in these kind of studies, he refers to sugar as the biggest epidemic in the world that we have today, creating chronic diseases and most worrying very frequently.
Dr. Robert H Lusting (M.D., pediatric professor in the endocrinology division at the University of San Francisco) has investigated and analyzed different scientific studies that during all his years of research, the results have demonstrated the big consequences that sugar can unleash in each individual in different ways, like developing and accelerating chronic illnesses that are lethal but silent.
The daily consumption of sugar has been increasing throughout the whole world by a 46% in the last 30 years.
Our old people, grand-parents and previous generations thought us to eat small portions to sweeten our days and with the purpose of diving it in fair portions for all members of those big families of 5 to 8 kids in the past. Nowadays the statistics show the huge quantities that the market has to offer and how it gets more and more economic with double the quantity. The eating culture today means to eat a lot seeking satisfaction.
Sugar has razed the world, it has seduced us, enchanted us, and has conquered palates that hardly can stop.
To wipe sugar from the world would be a huge catastrophe!! It would be to take the sweetness from life!
It is incredible that sugar is the toxic most consumed and desired in the whole world, you find it in vinaigrettes, ketchup, BBQ sauce, bread, milk, artificial beverages, fruity juices, cold meats, sushi, bakery, and plenty of more products that contain more than 50 different names of added sugars like: modified corn syrup, etc.
The massive and excessive consumption of all these sweetened and altered sugar products are the beginning to develop sicknesses like diabetes.
Moderation is the magic key that I would suggest to maintain a balance and take care of our health.
Sugar moderation on the consumption must be the equivalent of around 6 to 8 teaspoons on a regular day. The American association of the hearth recommends from 9 to 12 teaspoons of sugar for a healthy cardiovascular system. In Europe they consume around 17 teaspoons and USA around 20 teaspoons, not to mention all the American food that is invaded with sugars in all kind of forms that is occasioning a huge change in the health of the current community. Adolescents consume around 39 to 41 teaspoons of sugar in a day.
Dentists have more and more work every day, receiving kids and adolescents with huge cavities and caries developed by the sugar and even cases of some adults loosing molars and teeth. The massive consumption of chewing gum completely sweetened are intoxicating and creating infections in the teeth and nasal cavities.
Sometimes I think that if I would like to be part of the sugar industry, the mass media should be utilized in order to inform people about the quantities that must be consumed, but we find ourselves poorly educated.
It is only concluded that if you eat little and do lots of exercise you can lose weight, if you consume enough and do exercise you maintain your weight, but if you eat enough but don’t do exercise you gain weight, and then it’s your own fault. You let yourself get fat because of your own fault!!! Nobody is responsible hahaha how crazy.
Investigators, scientists and various studied doctors on these important subject have found that the most damaged organ with the consumption of sugar is the liver. When the liver receives, for example the quantity of sugar of a soda can, it remains completely over-saturated with glucose and fructose that are types of sugar, this produces a kind of tsunami, since this torrent attacks the liver, this one ends up segregating fats in order to liberate from this massive convulsion. If this occurs constantly, plus the consumption of junk food, fats and toxins, the liver ends up being a fatty liver elongated and swollen. At this point the nowadays sicknesses begin, like: diabetes, cardiovascular problems, dementia, hypoglycemia, between others.
When researching old data but very curious, the very first ones in discovering that the liver gets fat, was the Egyptians, that used to give sweet foods to their goose so that in a future they could eat a big liver. The tradition was continued with the French that wanted the liver to make Foi Gras or goose pate.
Are we doing the same with our kids?
Some other very studious people explain that if the massive consumption of sugars in kids was much lower, their behavior would be much more calm and less agitated. They would be less hyperactive, unhurried and less aggressive.
Doctors recommend less sweets for infection causes and not to lower defenses rather than impulsive behaviors in their personalities.
It is really difficult not to give sweets to our kids when they look so satisfied and happy that we want to give our young ones even more sweets, or otherwise they will feel anxious.
The economic power that the sugar industry generates in each country worldwide is huge, which explains why this controversial subject is not widely known by scientist.
Some doctors from prestigious universities are against the scientific evidence blaming fats as the mayor cause of heart illnesses. Each year the monetary incentive from each of the different sugary food industry are enormous amounts of money for universities to continue investigations on sugar and casually these are the ones that have denied the validity and evidence about the sugar issue. This being the main tool and weapon to justify to the health ministry and government not to pass a law against sugar. Various scientists and doctors from different universities have presented to the congress some debates showing clear evidence about the sugar dangers, but somehow it has always been denied. It seems as there is a huge manipulation in this investigation process and its results.
On the 70s the FDA reported that sugar was safe for society consumption. All investigations require more evidence. Just after the FDA mention that in the united states, the sugar association won the silver ANVIL award for their public relations campaign. Meanwhile 1 out of 41 Americans developed diabetes. Today 1 out of 11 Americans suffer from this disease.
The nutrition and health issue has become a really sensible topic; what I mean is, when you present this valuable information of how to obtain more knowledge on consuming sugary food, we find all kinds of reactions, liberal people speaking loudly saying: “Wait a minute! Do not come telling me what to eat!”.
And then I ask myself, where have we all been while the food industry changed their procedures in the past 50 years? No protest has ever been made.
Maybe we need new business models and regulations for the food industry, or at least for us to have the chance to know how super markets are doing things, whether their good or bad, at least to have a choice, but currently we don’t even know what’s going on.
Today is more important the quantity and saving money than the quality with the right portions. This means that the quality and small portions of something sweet like juices, chia pudding or rice pudding can be sweetened with stevia or honey. Find your preferred sweetener and use it with moderation.
When our kids stop eating frozen and processed foods and start eating real home-made food, their metabolism starts working better and have a better chance at losing weight, they feel better and are more efficient at school. Their lives show a huge change. But the only truth is that the FDA approves the sugar consumption in the desired quantities, on any products with no limits. We have the best toxic to our reach on a real sweet way and ideal to live.
The Canadian stroke and heart foundation came out with the first severe legislation on the limit of sugar consumption.
The American heart associations also started to improve their nutritional guidelines recommending the low consumption of sugar, after plenty of debates in congress, at least it’s becoming a known sweet problem that has taken over our gastronomic culture.
I would like to share this delicious recipe to sweeten your children palate:
Chocolate and almond butter apples
Ingredients
- Red and green apple slices, passed through water with lemon so that they do not get yellowish.
- Almond or peanut butter.
- Some drops of dark chocolate low on sugar
- Crushed nuts
- Sprinkles of different colors (optionals) to give some color.
Instructions
Add to each one of the apple slices some almond butter to taste, then top with dark chocolate and crushed nuts and finally decorate with some multicolor sprinkles.