Sugar sugar, sweet and good?

Now don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not one of those health nuts that believes that everything is bad for you except for the organic and vegan. I'm a baker after all; I have a crazy sweet-tooth. I love to eat, I love food. But I do believe in understanding what you're putting in your body and how it effects you. I believe in keeping a healthy equilibrium on the food scales.
So I've been doing some reading. Partially because I've been doing a lot of reading lately on "healthy eating" but mostly because my mom recently was put on medication to control her blood sugar, a problem that runs in the family. I notice it in myself- the shakes, the irrational grabbing of whatever food I can stuff into my mouth when my blood sugar is low, the uncontrollable emotional roller coaster that follows my blood sugar peaks and crashes.
Anyway, so I've been doing some reading.
What is sugar?

• "In its simplest form, it is the juice from a sugar cane plant. A plant-- that seems benign, right? And it is, in moderation, ingested in its raw, simplest form." (1)
  
• However, most sugar that we consume is refined, processed sugar. This refining process destroys all the enzymes, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. (2)
• Hypoglycemia, yeast overgrowth, weakened immune system, hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, enlargement of the liver and kidneys, increase of uric acid in the blood, mental and emotional disorders, dental cavities, and an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain are among some issues linked to refined sugar intake. (3)

But don't go reaching for the sugar-free foods or the diet sodas! Those contain Aspartame (aka NutraSweet, Equal). Aspartame contains methyl alcohol, which on entering your body, turns into formaldehyde. Remember formaldehyde, that stinky stuff from bio class that the fetal pig was soaking in for preservation? Yeah, the same stuff. It's toxic and carcinogenic and gross. (4) On that note, a long list of side effects (92 to be exact!) listed by the FDA include arthritis, birth defects, fibromyalgia, Alzheimer's, lupus, multiple sclerosis, memory loss, nerve cell damage, migraines, reproductive disorders, mental confusion, brain lesions, blindness, joint pain, bloating, nervous system disorders, hair loss, food craving, diabetes, and weight gain. (5) The FDA has received more complaints about aspartame than any other ingredient to date. (4) To keep this rant and my post to a reasonable length, I won't go into detail on Sweet & Low and Splenda but know that their composition are not so different and equally harmful as aspartame. Besides Dr. Joseph Mercola in article "The Potential Dangers of Sucralose (the main component of Splenda)," points out, "There is no clean-cut evidence that sugar substitutes are useful in weight reduction. On the contrary, there is some evidence that these substances may stimulate appetite." (6)
There goes your excuse for poisoning your body with artificial sweeteners. It's no calorie benefit vs. your health? Think about it.

Some natural, healthier alternatives for refined sugar:

• agave nectar or syrup
• Stevia
• evaporated cane juice
• Sucanat
• brown rice syrup
• barley malt syrup
• Rapadura sugar
• Turbinado sugar
• raw sugar
• beet sugar
• date sugar
• maple syrup
• molasses (be sure you are buying 100% pure, organic products because some molasses manufacturers add lard to maple syrup or molasses to reduce foaming)
  

These natural sweeteners possess one or more of the following benefits: enzymes, calcium, iron, potassium, protein, the B vitamins, magnesium, chromium, fiber, and folic acid.

umm... food for thought?



1. "Skinny Bitch" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin
2. "Sweet Poison" by Amar Chandel
3. "Sugar Blues" Natural Nutrition, http://livrite.com/sugar1.htm
4. "Diet for a Poisoned Planet: How to Choose Safe Foods for You and Your Family" by David Steinman
5. "Department of Health and Human Services-Symptoms Attributed to Aspartame in Complaints Submitted to the FDA" U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
6."The Potential Dangers of Sucralose" by Joseph Mercola, M.D. http://www.vitaminlady.com/articles/sucralose.asp