SUGAR IS ENERGY!!!!

Said by every person who owns or works for a food company. Trying to use something that resembles science to back up this argument. Saying we use sugar as energy is a rather simplistic view on it to say the least. We use a type of sugar, not all sugars. Saying we use sugar with no other definitions seems to give justification to pumping as much as humanly possible in all our food. Yep it is pretty much in everything you buy. You only have to spend a few minutes looking up all the dangerous effects added sugar does to the body.

I get asked about fruit sugar, and how these people are told by their doctors to stop eating certain fruits to help prevent them from developing diabetes. Already that’s wrong. Fruit sugar (fructose) has been shown not to spike blood sugar. Insulin is produced when we absorb glucose through our small intestine, when glucose is in our blood this is known as a blood sugar spike.

Table sugar, which is either made from cane or beets, is generally made up of 50% glucose and 50% fructose (no fibre). This is normally the sugar in our food. In America there is also high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) this is 45% glucose 55% Fructose, and in some products it can be called glucose-fructose syrup. On the surface you’d look and by right in thinking that our bodies will use the glucose as energy, right? Not really. Your body will create glucose from all the food you eat. This is normally enough, to fuel your body. The rest is added sugar, the body will decide to store it for later use (it becomes fat) unfortunately, later doesn’t come. If you think of it like when you fill your car up. The light comes on, you fill up, also you fill up a 5-litre jug as a just in case scenario. When the light comes on, instead of using your 5-litre reserve, you fill up again and you fill another 5-litre jug. Now, there is 10-litres in your boot (trunk). You keep doing this and before you know it, your boot is over flowing with petrol (gas), same thing happens as we over it and store un-used glucose.

What we are being made to believe in a very haphazard way by food companies is that we NEED to eat their food, sugar and all to live and maintain energy. As I wrote that I was making a stupid face. This angers me so much that they think we are dump, with no real understanding. Yes we need to eat to live, our body is an amazing machine, it creates the things we need to live in the right amounts this includes sugar (glucose). Our bodies do not need to ingest sugar at all. Fruit sugar (fructose) doesn’t spike insulin. This could explain why it makes up quit a lot of sugar in processed food. Not spiking insulin is a good thing to a point. Though to much fructose with out fibre, like from fruit can damage the liver. This could cause non-alcoholic liver damage or fatty liver. This can drive you towards becoming diabetic if left unchecked.

Dr Robert Lustig has said that sugar is like cocaine for children, funny but sadly true. I would go, as far as to say this is the same for adults too. How many times have you or someone you know said, “I can’t give up (insert food)!” This is the reaction of a sugar addict. It’s challenging, on one hand you’re being told one thing and on the other something that contradicts the other. I am a fan of keeping things as simple as possible. The best and simplest piece of advice I could give you right now would be to change one or two items from your weekly shopping every other week. How to do this would be to pick two items. Look at the sugars per 100g on the back. Find one that has less, either if its only 1g. As you do this over the coming weeks your added sugar consumption will be less. Don’t compromise on taste if you can help it. Some sauces have 33g of sugar per 100ml, that’s 4g more than 100ml of soda. Yet we let our kids drown their food in the red stuff. This even works with things like ice cream too. Obviously the less sugar you take in the better, though take your time, let things become habits, make small changes which will be easier to stick to.

“If you don’t know how to cook, you’re hostage to the food industry for the rest of your life and unwittingly will pass this on to your children.” ― Robert H. Lustig,