Sugar: Love Gone Bad
Unless you live in a cave, you know about the diet-related surge in overweight and obesity in America. What one thing has done the most damage to our diet? After much pondering, my answer is “sugar”. Better said, the problem is that sugar is the #1 additive in processed foods. The experts don’t agree on how much sugar the average American is eating, but a good estimate is 30 teaspoons a day. You don’t put that much sugar in your food? You don’t have to; it’s already there. A large bowl of ready-to-eat breakfast cereal, an 18 oz. soda and candy bar for snacks during the day, and a slice of cake after dinner adds up to 30 tsp of sugar. And that’s just a fraction of what we eat in a day. The foods in our diet are ever changing, but sugar is a constant.
My engineering career was in the medical device field. During those years I gained an appreciation for the limits (and cost) of therapy for the chronic diseases. I learned one big lesson: Because these diseases generally aren’t curable, prevention is much better than treatment. We were always looking for the next new application of technology for treatment. I was fortunate to be part of a start-up company with a revolutionary treatment for brain aneurysms—for someone with a treatable aneurysm, this was a big deal. If I were to invest in the next “big thing” today, I would put my money in companies working on diabetes.
Although overweight and obesity are risk factors for diabertes, no one sets out to get diabetes—the diagnosis usually comes as a surprise. Like high blood pressure, diabetes is a silent killer; a person is typically diabetic for seven years before the symptoms bring them to a doctor. Some 24 million Americans are diabetic; six million don’t know they have the disease. Most people have type 2 diabetes—mainly caused by too much sugar in the diet—which is usually preventable. (Not so with Type 1, a tragic autoimmune disease typically diagnosed in childhood.)
Our high sugar intake doesn’t just ruin our figure; it ruins our health. Sugar is linked to a host of diseases besides diabetes, including atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, some cancers (including breast and prostate cancer), autoimmune diseases like arthritis and Parkinson’s disease, kidney disease, and so on. I forgot to mention dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. And the meanest cut of all—accelerated aging.
Later this week we’ll post a review of the best book about dietary sugar. There’s also an upcoming post on Word of Wisdom Living as a protection against breast cancer.
Of the 52 Healthy Changes, five address the problem of too much sugar in our diet. We previously addressed the problem of sugary drinks and candy-like breakfast cereals. The next biggest source of sugar is candy. Walk through your grocery store and observe the space dedicated to candy, including the treats conveniently located by the cash register. Though this candy is sweet, have you noticed that much of it doesn’t even taste good? We all enjoy an occasional treat; the goal of this change is focused on the word occasional:
This is a change you can live with. Remember there isn’t a limit on the sugars in fruits and other natural foods, which come with a host of protective nutrients. And if you’re baking a homemade chocolate cake, feel free to bring a piece by my house.
There will be two more Healthy Changes about sugar; one will address diet drinks and how they actually cause us to eat more sugar. The goal of these changes is to bring our intake below the American Heart Association recommendation of 6 teaspoons (25 grams) daily for women, and 9 tsp. (37 grams) for men. Yes, the guys are allowed a little more; the rule is based on average body weight.
Need a reminder? Download our Healthy Change reminder card. Print and fold, then place in your kitchen or on your bathroom mirror to help you remember the Healthy Change of the week.
Monday, February 21, 2011 at 8:44AM | by Skip Hellewell | 15 Comments | 41 References | Share Article | in desserts, healthy change, sugar | Email Article
Reader Comments (15)
I just wanted to thank you for this blog. A friend mentioned it and I have loved it! Your posts are simple and to the point. The changes you suggest are easy to incorporate into our family's eating habits. I have been looking for an easy way to get my family back on a healthy track and with your blog I have found it.
Again, thank you.
Gerb, thank you for the kind words. Because eating is such deep-rooted behavior, change is difficult. People are most successful in making profound changes when they do it with a friend—like the friend you mentioned. This truth was discovered in a study of how people managed to stop smoking, another difficult change. All benefit when we share good things with friends.
Skip - this is great work. Sugar is EVERYwhere - even in my 100% whole wheat bread it is the 2nd ingredient! Candy is a weakness to be sure. Many times, I buy a bag of something & dole out my portion & then hand it to my husband with instructions to hide it.
Cheers!
I just wanted to say thanks for getting the blurb about Type 1 diabetes being autoimmune right! As a mother of a 4 year with T1, I sincerely appreciate that. Unfortunately, T1 and T2 too often get lumped together when people start talking about sugar and diet.
I just recently cut out all sweeteners, except for agave syrup, stevia and sugar found naturally in fruits and veggies. The biggest difference I've felt? My mood is amazing! I am so glad that you are sharing this, and am really looking forward to your discussion of diet drinks. Blech.
Thanks!
Great post. I've been reading your blog since its inception, and I have recommended it as reading to my friends and family. All of these practical steps to become a healthier human being have been introduced in a way that is not daunting or intimidating, but SO vital.
I have a MAJOR sweet tooth, but recently I have realized that I can satisfy it with one small piece of dark chocolate or with fruit. I just tried my first Cadbury Creme Egg of the year and it did not bring me the joy that it did in the past. After a sabbatical from virtually all sodas, candy bars, jelly beans etc., they now overwhelm me with their processed sweetness. I am sure that many people out there (myself once included) are fearful that depriving themselves of their favorite sugary treat will make them miserable, but the reality is that I don't miss it. I still eat chocolate and bake cookies and indulge in the occasional peanut butter cup, but I find myself often craving fruit when I want something sweet.
I've read that sweetened processed foods and high-fructose corn syrup are many times sweeter than natural raw sugar, which might explain why I had to "train" myself to appreciate foods that weren't loaded with it.
I have been reading your blog since the first post and love it! We had made some of these healthy changes already in our home. Having children I want to teach them and give them the best possible start to a healthy lifestyle so they learn while they are young. Some changes have been harder than others-sugar, like you said is everywhere and in everything it seems! Your efforts in helping us all live the word of wisdom are greatly appreciated. Thank you.
another great and true post. Recently, I realized that I needed to cut way down on sugar, so I cut quite a bit out. I have found that things like fruit taste sweeter now - that I'm not eating so much sugary things...funny how that happens.w2
Great post, for which I'm living evidence. A few years ago a friend of mine informed me of a bet between he and his dad that if he could go without sugar for a year, he'd get $200. In a moment of instinctive pride, i said, "I'll do it for no money." I have no idea why it inspired me so much; perhaps it was his incessant complaining about missing sugar. I went that whole year without any sugar, other than natural sugars from fruits, and it made a HUGE difference. Since then, I'd fallen off the wagon a couple times, but more often than not I've stayed away.
For me, the benefits are a more regular stream of energy throughout the day. I'd imagine the chart going from huge cliffs and valleys of energy and tiredness to smoother rolling hills. I've also found it nearly impossible to maintain healthy weight-loss with sugar in my diet. It definitely keeps my body from burning excess fat more than any other nutrient.
Aside from those benefits, I just plain feel better, and the cravings for sugar go away after a couple months of cold-turkey. I know that's not something everyone can do, but for me it was so much easier than just cutting back. There's enough unavoidable sugar in other foods that doing my best to avoid those obvious sugars makes a big difference.
I think most of us are addicted to sugar. That's the problem. As you mentioned sugar is in everything. It is truly a hard thing to eliminate from our diet. We crave it and love it! Also, about your forthcoming post on diet drinks - I have so many friends that drink diet Coke like it is water and I'm afraid for their health. I'd love tips on how to share information with them without insulting them!
I'm in love with these weekly changes. I find myself trying to get extra credit, and I'm learning so much about what's on the food labels besides calories. Major a-ha moments putting together this week's challenge with the fiber one from early on. Please keep up the great work!
A very doable change!
I really appreciate your blog and your nutrition advice! Thank you for taking the time to share these insights with all of us. I'm totally addicted to sugar. I know this, it's so hard to go a day without sugar for me and I truly want to kick the habit. I currently have no sweets in the house and I love this idea of never buying a bag of candy and bringing it home. I'm trying to figure out how to make a good Easter basket for my kid without loading it with candy. Isn't that sad? That our holiday's revolve around candy? Yikes...
I just recently found your site and will be making many of these changes with my family in 2012. Some I'm already doing so it won't be that hard. Diabetes, heart disease, and cancer are a big problem in my family so I'm always on guard and working to prevent them in my own life. I'm looking forward to reading even more of your ideas.
I have been trying to use natural sweeteners such and honey and pure maple syrup. Would you say that the sugars in these need to be counted towards my 25g per day?