by 11 people |
Sugar, Sugar Everywhere...
So it's a real enemy, isn't it? We know we should cut down on the amount of sugar we eat. We know that it makes us fat and gives us diabetes...or does it?
Contents
- Sugar in Disguise
- No Added Sugar
- Sugar and Obesity
- Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet
- Sweet Tip
- Is Sugar Addictive?
- Sugar and Diabetes
- Sugar on Zazzle
- Sugar Facts
- News about Sugar from Google
- Sugarcane workers in the Dominican Republic - 16 Oct 07
- Blogs about Sugar from Google
- Like This Lens?
- What's your opinion?
- Stazjia's Social Networks
- About Me
Sugar in Disguise
Tooth Decay
Sugar can fly false colours, though, and may be disguised under other names. It can be called:
*sucrose - the type of sugar found in domestic use for coffee and general sweetening. It usually comes from sugar cane or sugar beet.
*fructose is associated with the sugars found in fruit and vegetables
*glucose - the human body converts sugars into glucose
*lactose - found in milk
If you see these names on food labels, remember they all mean the product contains sugar and bear this in mind when deciding whether to eat it or how much you choose to eat.
Picture above: Copyright © Dozenist - GNFD license
No Added Sugar
A Healthy Habit: Read Food Labels Art Print
Buy at AllPosters.com
Unfortunately this label doesn't necessarily mean that the food is low in sugar. It might be naturally high in sugar. Incidentally, many people think that honey is a healthy alternative to processed sugar. This may or may not be true but what must not be overlooked is that it adds extra calories to food in the same way as ordinary sugar does.
Another great trick that manufacturers try on food labels is "50% less sugar" (or whatever percentage they choose). Again it doesn't always mean the product is low in sugar. If a portion of food, according to the label, still contains 30 grams (g) that would be a third of your 'Guidelines Daily Amount' (GDA).
Sugar and Obesity
Fat Cats II Art Print
Buy at AllPosters.com
Sugar is not the real culprit in the battle of the bulge. Yes, like alcohol, it does add 'empty' calories to the diet but the real cause of obesity is eating more calories than the body requires.
Calories are the fuel that keeps are bodies running. If we don't eat enough calories to sustain our activities and bodily functions, we will lose weight. This is what happens in a famine or when somebody suffers from anorexia.
If we eat more calories than we require, we will store those extra calories as fat - nature's way of practising 'waste not, want not'. We have a store of calories in case we encounter a famine situation and can use it to avoid starving to death.
It doesn't make any difference whether these excess calories come from sugar, fat, protein or carbohydrates. Too many calories equal added body weight, it's as simple as that for most people. Consuming sugary food is a particularly easy way to overeat.
Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet
Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar(TM) Diet
Amazon Price: $6.00 (as of 11/11/2009)
During his 40 years of medical practice and in his nationally syndicated newspaper column, Dr. Gott's patients and readers have continually asked him for a way to lose weight that is both simple and foolproof. In response, he developed the No Flour, No Sugar diet which has prompted countless weight loss success stories from his patients, thousands of letters from readers of his column raving about their successes, and a New York Times bestselling book.
Sweet Tip
To sweeten your breakfast cereal, sprinkle on powdered cinnamon in place of sugar and it will give the cereal a sweeter taste.
Books about Weight
Good Calories, Bad Calories
Amazon Price: $18.45 (as of 11/11/2009)
Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir
Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 11/11/2009)
The Sugar Fix: The High-Fructose Fallout That Is Making You Fat and Sick
Amazon Price: $11.37 (as of 11/11/2009)
Hungry: Lessons Learned on the Journey from Fat to Thin
Amazon Price: $15.56 (as of 11/11/2009)
"If you are bitter at heart, sugar in the mouth will not help you."
Is Sugar Addictive?
Sugar Art Print
Buy at AllPosters.com
Three researchers from Department of Psychology, Princeton University (Avena, Rada and Hoebel) published research in 2007 describing their work on the addictive qualities of sugar.
They said:
"Recent behavioral tests in rats further back the idea of an overlap between sweets and drugs. Drug addiction often includes three steps. A person will increase his intake of the drug, experience withdrawal symptoms when access to the drug is cut off and then face an urge to relapse back into drug use. Rats on sugar have similar experiences. Researchers withheld food for 12 hours and then gave rats food plus sugar water. This created a cycle of binging where the animals increased their daily sugar intake until it doubled."
Books about Sugar
Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars
Amazon Price: $18.89 (as of 11/11/2009)
The New Sugar Busters! Cut Sugar to Trim Fat
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 11/11/2009)
Today, diabetes is now epidemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control,
the National Institutes of Health, the American Diabetes Association and other national healthcare leaders."
Tim Holden
Sugar and Diabetes
Magnified Grains of Sugar
Diabetes is not directly linked to the consumption of sugar. The disease is linked to excess weight, however that weight was caused.
Obviously, if someone eats large quantities of high sugar food and piles on the pounds, eventually leading to diabetes, one could argue that it was sugar that caused it. However, the same result could occur from excess weight gained through eating enormous quantities of high fat food, for example.
People with type 2 diabetes obviously cut out or down on sugar whenever possible but that's not enough to maintain their blood glucose (or sugar) at the optimum level.
The usual medical advice is that diabetics should eat a good, healthy diet. That is one low in fat, high in fruit and vegetables and high fibre foods like whole grains with small portions of protein and refined carbohydrates.
Cutting out sugar isn't a magic pill for maintaining a healthy blood glucose level. The whole diet needs to be healthy. All sugary treats are not necessarily always on the banned list either. A very experienced diabetic nurse told me that she had a patient who loved Mars Bars (very sweet chocolate bar in the UK). Of course, she could no longer eat them regularly but the nurse told her to cut up a Mars Bar into small pieces and to keep them as her emergency glucose if she was hypoglycemic (her blood sugar fell dangerously low, usually as a result of too much insulin medication and not enough food to use it all).
Sugar Facts
Icing sugar (UK) = confectioner's sugar (USA)
Castor sugar (UK) = fine-grained sugar (USA)
One tablespoon of sugar has 18 calories less than the same amount of honey.
Sugar Bowls on eBay
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
News about Sugar from Google
- A Kiss to the United States of Burgers, Fries and Sugar
- ... who cooked at the old Oceana and received accolades for his command of Gilt, has updated with a napping of sugar snap peas, passion fruit and chives.
- El Salvador says Ida caused sugar, coffee losses
- SAN SALVADOR, Nov 10 (Reuters) - El Salvador's agriculture chamber said on Tuesday up to 28000 short tonnes of sugar and 76666 60-kg bags of coffee were ...
- Got chocolate milk?
- Organizations like the National Dairy Council say the small amount of added sugar in flavored milk is a fair trade for the nutrients provided. ...
- In denial? You might have diabetes and not realize it
- I have to exercise more often, and I have to monitor my blood-sugar level." However, diabetes is a manageable disease, as Murphy will attest. ...
Sugarcane workers in the Dominican Republic - 16 Oct 07
Blogs about Sugar from Google
- DENVERSTROPE: Sugar Axe
- When he joined the U.K. government, and entered the House of Lords thanks to Gordon Brown's patronage, Lord Sugar seemed completely baffled as to why anyone might think this move had political connotations. ...
- Pawar says sugar mills may start crushing this week
- New Delhi, Nov. 10 (ANI): Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said that sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh are expected to resolve their pri.
- Sugar
- As a fan of the Toronto Blue Jays, I took a particular interest in watching ?Sugar? because of the Jays' history of Dominican players and GM Alex Anthopoulos's desire to focus on latin american scouting for the franchise. ...
Sugar on CafePress
Like This Lens?
- Rate this lens:
- Email it
- Favorite it
- Lensroll it
What's your opinion?
kimmanleyort wrote...
I definitely have a sweet tooth. But I also know that the more we reduce sugar, the less we want it.
Posted September 07, 2009
CleanerLife wrote...
I think sugar is better than artificial sweeteners, but I try to limit how much I'm using.
Posted May 28, 2009
flighty02 wrote...
Good information here. My partner is diabetic so we try to cut down on sugar wherever we can.
Welcome to The Cooks Cafe group
Posted January 13, 2009
Margo_Arrowsmith wrote...
What a great lens. I am not diabetic but am currently on some strong medicine to get rid of the candida that sugar (and things that turn into sugar in your stomach) has given me. The doctor had me on two different ones. I won't be eating much sugar when I finally get rid of this.
This is an important lens, and I thank you for doing it.
margo
Posted October 23, 2008
poutine wrote...
Unfortunately I love sugar, but I'm trying to cut down as much as possible. Not easy, it is an addiction.
Poutine
Posted October 06, 2008
About Me
Lensmaster Stazjia, aka Carol Fisher, has been a member since September 26 2006, has rated 1,278 lenses, favorited 740, and has created 129 lenses from scratch. Carol Fisher donates their royalties to Dolphin Communication Project. This member's top-ranked page is "Classic Funny Poems for Kids". See all my lenses
Check out these great lenses...
-
- Angel in Disguise
How strange to become an Angel. My friends and family will laugh when I tell them as I'm sure they'll agree I'm a very unlikely candidate for Angel status - definitely an Angel in disguise. As I'm a volunteer, I can't complain t... view lens -
- Art Nouveau - A Beginner's Guide
During the last quarter of the 19th century, many artists and designers were disenchanted and bored with the fussiness of art, design, style and fashion. The first revolution in style was led by the Aesthetic Movement followed by Art and Crafts. Wit... view lens -
- Traditional English Recipes
Traditional English food is often described as 'good plain cooking', particularly by the people who like it. In fact, most of us over about 30 or 40 years old have been brought up on it in the days when home-cooked meals were a regular occurrence. A... view lens -
- Gardening Jargon: What It Really Means
You hear gardeners using jargon like 'vigorous' or 'free seeding' to describe the attributes of plants but do these terms describe desirable or undesirable qualities? Should you be pleased when you read that the plants you just bought are 'strong gr... view lens -
- St Paul's Cathedral, London
St Paul's Cathedral is one of London's most famous buildings. It may come as a surprise to learn that, although there has been a cathedral on the spot for 1700 years, the present building is only just over 300 years old. It has been used for major s... view lens
by Stazjia
I am English and I've spent the last 11 years writing freelance for UK magazines, a couple of books and online. More on my Lensography.
(more) Explore related pages
5 Ways to Reduce Blood Sugar- Just 5 simple things you can do to Reduce Blood Sugars and Control your Diabetes...
Healthy Sugars - Are There Any- We've been told by countless people over countless years that Sugar is bad for u...
Avoiding High Fructose Corn Syrup- You know that it's not good for you, but it's in nearly everything - how can you...
Insulin Weight Loss or Insulin Weight Gain?- How is your pancreas today? I’ll bet you haven’t been asked th...
Understanding The Diabetes Symptoms- I have created this lens to help people get a better understanding of Diabetes....
Control Your Blood Sugar- Everywhere I go, I am coming across people who are having a hard time controllin...
