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April 2015 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
What Not To Eat:
Sugar
Overall health suffers from
consuming too much sugar
By Jean Jeffers, Staff Writer
Americans have heard the warning,
but they continue eating sugar.
On average, Americans consume
about 77 pounds of added sugars
in the form of both natural sugar
and high fructose corn syrup every
year, says the U.S. Department of
Agriculture. Some experts bump that
figure even higher.
Both substances are detrimental
to overall health. They damage large
blood vessels, thus causing heart
disease, as well as small blood vessels,
such as those in the eyes. They harm
the nerves and kidneys (in the case
of diabetes), leading to tissue damage
and disease.
One hundred calories of glucose
from a baked potato and 100 calories of sugar are metabolized differently — and that contributes to the
problem. Glucose is broken down by
every cell, but fructose (half of sugar)
is broken down in the liver. Once it
is overwhelmed by its job, the liver
begins converting sugars to fat. So the
calories from sugar would more likely
be converted to fat than the calories
from a baked potato. Thus the sugar
contributes to obesity—and disease.
What is the lesson we need to
learn?
Highly processed foods contribute
more sugar to our waist bands than
more substantial high-fiber foods.
This could explain the ever-expanding percentage of ob \