Did you know that the Department of Agriculture recommends no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar daily? You remember the pyramid from elementary school? The "other" at the top just simply indicated "use sparingly." Well, when they revamped the pyramid, that last category was eliminated, and replaced with just oils. (See here for more information on the food pyramid.) Basically, what this tells me is that sugar should be used so sparingly that they don't even want to include it on the food pyramid anymore. However, the average American consumes 2-3 lbs of sugar a week! Hence the reason it's the perfect thing to eliminate from our diet for one month!
A recent report from the University of Colorado indicated that when people consumed more than 42 teaspoons of added sugar a day, their blood pressure rose 5 points in two weeks.
How quickly does this add up?
2 tablespoons of sugar in cup of coffee = 6 teaspoons
2 tablespoons in second cup of coffee = 6 teaspoons
1 soda at lunch = 10 teaspoons
4 tablespoons ketchup on fries at lunch = 4 teaspoons
1 cup pasta sauce with dinner = 4 teaspoons
1 piece chocolate cake = 6 teaspoons
TOTAL SUGAR COUNT = 36 teaspoons!
Further online research found that there is no need for sugar in our diet. Sugars from carbohydrates and fruits more than exceed our need for sugar for energy. Additionally, Danie indicated that she remembered reading an article a few months ago that said that sugar added to the breakdown of collagen in your body, making you more susceptible to wrinkles, and who needs that? Other dangers of sugar include:
1. Suppressing of immune system, making you more vulnerable to infectious diseases
2. a significant rise in total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol and a decrease in good cholesterol.
3. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function (this relates to what Danie said about wrinkles)
4. Sugar is enemy #1 of your bowel movement.
5. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines
6. Sugar is considered a poison because it has been depleted of its life forces, vitamins and minerals
7. Sugar aggrevates asthma
8. Sugar can contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children
9. Sugar can promote tooth decay.
10. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
11. Ok, do I seriously need to continue?
Don't ask me to cite where I got this information from, nor am I going to do any extensive research to determine the validity. The one conclusion I think we can all come to is that it's best to limit your sugar intake. So, regardless of how you've been doing this month, I hope you can vow to finish off these last 14 days with no sugary sweet treats!
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