Sugar Addiction

The biggest single issue I see is the superabundance of sugar in people’s diets. It’s essentially sugar addiction, which comes in many forms, and I don’t know that I’ve ever met a single person who isn’t a victim of it at some level. There are the obvious ‘bad’ sugars—soft drinks, alchohol, candy and sweets, etc.—and then there are what I term the ‘stealth’ sugars: fruits, which are insidious sources of sugar because we’ve been convinced that they are invariably ‘good for you’; and the grains. Even whole grain baked products are indeed sugars. The body functions best when it is exposed to the fewest sugars. I recommend a diet of quality proteins and fresh vegetables—organic when possible.

I’m frequently met by people who assure me that they eat according to a healthy diet. But when they describe what they eat, the flaws become quickly apparent. As an example, someone might come to me and describe a breakfast of cereal with blueberries, a serving of fruit juice, and coffee. Not so bad, right? But even if the cereal is whole grain, it contains added sugar. The grains themselves contain sugar. The coffee is sweetened, and the fruit juice is pure sugar.

Sugars, or foods that the body rapidly convert into sugar, produce the energy yo-yo effect so common these days: high sugar breakfasts which generate a sugar spike in the bloodstream followed by the inevitable lethargy that follows when we ‘come down’. Then lunch, then dinner, each of which follow the same pattern.

I’d suggest replacing that ‘healthy’ breakfast with one that included more protein and vegetable matter—perhaps an omelet of a couple of organic eggs and vegetables. Proteins and vegetables take the body longer to convert into fuel. These foods—unlike the quick-burning sugar-foods—slow-burn over a long period of time and don’t produce the yo-yo. Blood sugar levels remain even and balanced—so important to the maintenance of good health.

For a snack, you might be better off with protein in the form of some nuts—walnuts, almonds, pecans—rather than the more standard cookies, snack cakes, or candy. Or a whey protein shake with flax meal. In each case the body converts these foods into fuel over a longer period of time, avoiding the spiking effect on blood sugar levels.

I’d never demand that someone not enjoy a piece of their own birthday cake…so long as they remember that they only have the one birthday per year! Seriously, though, everything apart from the quality proteins and vegetables I’ve mentioned should be approached with caution, or at least with the awareness of the effects they have on our health, and consumed in moderation.

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