Sugar, the bad side.

Almost everyone I know has a sweet tooth, the craving to eat something sweet is so strong that we tend to drop whatever we are doing and go grab a  bite. I decided to do some research about the health effects and this is what i came up with.  

There will be no exaggeration if we call sugar a ‘Waste Product’ instead of food. It is because during the refining process, all its food value -vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, enzymes or anything else that is nourishing – is removed and what is left behind is a product that is extremely sweet, a pure form of carbohydrate. Therefore white sugar is nothing but a refined waste which consumed in excess is extremely harmful.

Over hundreds of years, the cells of our body are accustomed to deal with natural foods- fruits, vegetables, honey, sugar cane etc which are rich in natural vitamins, minerals and digestive enzymes. Since white sugar eating deranges the bodily cells and side tracks them from their natural kind of nourishment, there is no wonder if it causes obesity, diabetes, joint pains, tooth decay etc. You may think that we get energy from our food, especially from carbohydrates and since sugar is pure carbohydrate, why not get more energy out of it?  True, but we need to get our required energy from natural carbohydrates. Thousands of years before man knew how to get refined sugar, he worked from dawn to dusk at jobs requiring far more energy than present day work requires!  Some of the natural food abundant in sweetness as well as rich in minerals and vitamins are grapes, carrots, apples, dates, plums etc.

What are some of the problems due to excessive eating of white sugar?

• It causes tooth decay: especially among little children who loves their candies and chocolates
• It disturbs the calcium Phosphorous balance in the body. The result is that one becomes more prone to joint pains, cancer and many other degenerative diseases.
• Oscillating blood sugar levels: When we eat white sugar, it is absorbed rapidly resulting in a sudden boost of blood sugar level and if the diet is poor in proteins, it falls down below the normal level. The result is fatigue, nervousness, hunger, restlessness, dizziness etc.
• Though it is a myth that excess sweet causes diabetes, once diagnosed for the disease, a diabetic patient should completely avoid the refined sugar. Or else the corollary diseases like stroke, heart attack, blindness and kidney failure will soon set in.

How to get along without sugar?

We eat sugar more out of habit than necessity.  Eat more proteinous foods like white meat, fish, eggs, nuts, legumes and large amounts of fresh fruits and fibrous vegetables. Have some freshly tossed salad when you feel like munching some sweets. Consume naturally sweet foods like raisins and berries. By eating the above foods your craving for white sugar becomes weaker and weaker to the point when you can totally dispense with the use of white sugar.