How Sweet Is It?

For our bodies to function optimally they need the proper nutrients: macronutrients – which are carbohydrates, fats and proteins and micronutrients – which are vitamins and minerals. Just as water plays an important role in helping our bodies use all of these nutrients, conversely, refined sugars play a negative role in our bodies ability to utilize all of these nutrients.

Sugars fall under the category of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are divided into two groups -- simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates, sometimes called simple sugars, include fructose (fruit sugar), sucrose (table sugar), and lactose (milk sugar) as well as several other sugars. Complex carbohydrates are also made up of sugars, however they also include fibre and starches. Foods rich in complex carbohydrates include vegetables, whole grains, peas and beans. Carbohydrates provide the major fuel for all of the body's cells and the only source of energy for the brain and red blood cells.

So the enemy is not carbohydrates themselves, but the refined sugars as found in most prepared foods. Refined sugar offers none of the vitamins and minerals that are important to your health. In fact, a leading researcher in the field Dr William Coda classifies it as a poison because it robs the body of its nutrients and it has the potential to cause disease. It drains and leaches the body of precious vitamins and minerals through the demand its digestion, detoxification and elimination make upon one's entire system.

Here are 10 of the 124 ways that refined sugar can ruin your health:

1. Sugar can cause arthritis
2. Sugar can cause premature aging
3. Sugar can cause asthma
4. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis
5. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children
6. Sugar can suppress the immune system
7. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defence against bacterial infection
8. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating and crankiness in children.
9. Sugar can weaken eyesight.
10. Sugar causes food allergies

(From the article 124 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health, by Nancy Appleton PhD. www.nancyappleton.com. You can take her on-line quiz to see if you are sugar-addicted.

When choosing carbohydrate-rich foods for your diet, always select unrefined foods such as fruits, vegetables, peas, beans, and whole-grain products, as opposed to refined, processed foods such as soft drinks, desserts, candy, and sugar. Kicking sugar and substituting whole grains, vegetables and natural fruits in season, is the core of any sensible eating plan. Changing the quality of your carbohydrates can change the quality of your health and life.