Would you put sugar in your car’s gas tank? If your answer is “No” to this statement, then why would you put sugar in your digestive system? While the prank of adding sugar to one’s gas tank only clogs the fuel filter, the consequences of human sugar consumption are a lot more serious when it comes to our health. Sugars’ and sugar substitutes’ (artificial sugars’) biggest concern is obesity. Obesity can lead to high triglycerides, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. There is an on-going debate about sugars and artificial sugar that raises questions whether they are hazardous to one’s health. John Hopkins University considers sugar as a fuel for cancer cells.
Sugars come in many forms such as Agave Nectar, brown sugar, corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, maple syrup, honey, table syrup, high-fructose corn
syrup, fruit juice concentrate, and that’s just to name a few. Artificial sweeteners, like sucralose (Splenda) and aspartame (Equal), and natural sugar substitutes, such as Stevia, are popular substitutes for sugar since they are calorie free or nearly calorie free. Sugar substitutes also add the hope of a healthy alternative to sugar. Neither sugars nor artificial sweeteners offer any health benefits; rather, they offer the probability of future health issues. These “added sugars” are found in processed foods, which should be avoided as much as possible.
Sugar is enjoyed best in its natural form. One way to enjoy sugar naturally is by eating raw fruits, which contain fructose (natural sugar). Another way to enjoy natural sugar is by 
adding Medjool dates. Some experts suggest small amounts of raw honey and dark molasses to naturally enhance foods. I consider raw honey and Medjool dates as the perfect fit to my morning hot cereal, mid morning Greek yogurt, afternoon smoothie, and evening frozen yogurt.
Conclusion:
When it comes to a healthy balance diet, sugar and sugar substitutes fail to fit the bill. Sugar is blamed for the obesity problems of today and a lot of the diseases we face from being overweight. We need to spurn our sweet tooth and get back to a healthier diet that includes more raw foods.
Resources:
http://www.organicnutrition.co.uk/articles/is-sugar-bad-for-you.htm
http://evolvingwellness.com/posts/1096/sugar-wars-are-any-natural-sweeteners-healthy-for-us/
1 comment
3 pings
Melania Kautzman says:
April 16, 2011 at 3:07 pm (UTC 0 )
Wow! Your blog has quite a few comments. How did you get so many viewers to look at your site I’m jealous! I’m still learning all about posting articles on the net. I’m going to view pages on your site to get a better understanding how to get more visable. Thanks for the help!
Recipes for Bean Salad, Three Bean Salad Recipe, Healthy Bean Salads | says:
January 16, 2012 at 6:29 pm (UTC 0 )
[...] sugar and improve the quality of bean salads by substituting Splenda, which is now said to be an unhealthy sugar substitute, too. Recently, I have substituted raw honey or raw maple sugar for white sugar. When recipes [...]
What is High Fructose Corn Syrup; Processed Foods to Avoid! | says:
January 20, 2012 at 1:37 pm (UTC 0 )
[...] the shelf life of processed foods; mixes easy with other ingredients; and it tastes sweeter than traditional sweeteners. It is estimated that we consume approximately 60 pounds of HFCS per person every year. Since the [...]
Health Benefit of Cocoa & Is Hot Chocolate Healthy? | says:
February 2, 2012 at 5:05 pm (UTC 0 )
[...] looking at a couple of our more popular hot chocolates, the first ingredient was simply unhealthy sugar; the next ingredient was corn syrup, followed by processed cocoa; then, hydrogenated coconut oil. [...]