{"id":4149,"date":"2012-11-13T18:40:12","date_gmt":"2012-11-14T02:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/?p=4149"},"modified":"2012-11-13T18:40:12","modified_gmt":"2012-11-14T02:40:12","slug":"sugar-harmless-or-harmful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/sugar-harmless-or-harmful\/","title":{"rendered":"Sugar: Harmless or Harmful?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2751\" title=\"Pure Vegan\" src=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/PureVegan600x180.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/PureVegan600x180.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/PureVegan600x180-300x90.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>When a fetus is being carried by a woman with too much amniotic fluid, the practice used to be injecting a sweet-tasting substance into her womb.\u00a0 The result is that the fetus will drink in more of the fluid which then gets flushed out through the umbilical cord thus alleviating the dangers associated with this condition.\u00a0 Is this innovative problem-solving on the part of the medical community?\u00a0 Absolutely. But it\u2019s also fascinating when you consider that even in the womb we humans are drawn toward sweet-tasting substances.\u00a0 This combined with the fact that the average American currently takes in an average of 70 pounds of <em>added<\/em> sugar every year might feel a little bit like a losing battle or worse yet a battle not even worth engaging in.\u00a0 But we have to because we\u2019re in trouble as a nation when it comes to health.\u00a0 We\u2019re growing more obese and more diabetic by the day and the top killers are all lifestyle based. Included in the mix the pendulum swing extreme position that suggests \u201c<em>all carbs are bad because they convert to sugar in the body and should be avoided<\/em>\u201d people. In fact, a growing number of research studies suggest that sugar might be the biggest problem as far as natural substances go and since sugar and most other types of sweeteners is vegan, our community doesn\u2019t have any less of a problem on our hands.\u00a0 Here we\u2019ll take a look at the difference between types of carbohydrate and how your body deals with them, whether or not sugar addiction is a real thing and what to do to cut back on sweet-based foods.<\/p>\n<p>Simple Carbohydrates: What Would Your Liver Tell You If It Could?<\/p>\n<p>Carbohydrates are one of three macronutrients (along with protein and fats) that supplies energy (calories) to the body. Three broad categories of carbohydrates are sugars (also called simple carbohydrates), starches (also called complex carbohydrates), and fiber. Except for\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/lowcarbdiets.about.com\/od\/nutrition\/p\/fiberinfo.htm\"  rel=\"external nofollow\">fiber<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/lowcarbdiets.about.com\/od\/glossary\/g\/resistntstarch.htm\"  rel=\"external nofollow\">resistant starch<\/a>, carbohydrates cause more and faster blood glucose rises than the other macronutrients. Fiber and resistant starch are not digested in the small intestine, but have many positive effects. Depending on the type of carbohydrate (simple vs. complex) it is handled differently in the body. \u00a0A 100-calorie potato (mainly glucose) and a 100-calorie soda (glucose plus fructose) are metabolized differently.\u00a0 Fructose goes straight to the liver verses glucose from sugar and starches is metabolized by every cell in the body.<\/p>\n<p>Some research suggests that when fructose hits the liver in sufficient quantity and with sufficient speed, the liver will convert much of it to fat which they believe is not only contributing to an increase in a person\u2019s waistline but also eventually induces a condition known as insulin resistance. This is the beginning stages of diabetes and there\u2019s also a very strong link between this and heart disease.\u00a0 One compelling question yet to be answered conclusively is whether being overweight is the risk factor or if too much simple sugar is the greater culprit but what we do know is that sugar oftentimes replaces foods that are nutrient dense while at the same adding a lot of calories and contributing greatly to excess weight gain.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4151\" title=\"sugar donuts\" src=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/sugar-donuts.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"389\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/sugar-donuts.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/sugar-donuts-300x233.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Is Sugar Addictive? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can probably answer this question yourself either from personal experience with how it makes you feel but there\u2019s also enough scientific evidence to suggest two aspects of a physiological addiction to sugar.\u00a0 First of all there are the same kinds of changes in brain dopamine after ingesting a good amount of simple carbohydrate as there is with illegal drug use.\u00a0 Secondly, many people tend to crave carbohydrates during times of emotional and physical stress because ingesting carbohydrates triggers the release of serotonin which induces sleepiness. Sugar can also have a kind of analgesic effect in the body (temporarily) which brings about the sensation of less pain.\u00a0 Physical symptoms aside, another factor worth looking at is the symptom of dependence; that an individual would still choose to do something that they know is harmful to their well-being and overall health.\u00a0 Despite not being able to sit comfortably or even walk beyond a slow jaunt they will still choose the high sugar content foods.<\/p>\n<p>Susan Kano, author of <em>Making Peace With Food<\/em> suggests that while some people are naturally more sensitive to the ill physical effects of sugar, the greater factor might be whether or not your weight is within a healthy range and has stayed that way for at least a few years.\u00a0 She has found that being underweight cause\u2019s insatiability and research findings would back her up on this one.\u00a0 Some studies have found that being underweight, or having an unstable weight causes\u201cextended taste responsiveness\u201d to sugar.\u00a0 In other words, if a person at a healthy weight begins to drink a can of soda (this is assuming that the person in question is not addicted to caffeine) then it wouldn\u2019t take long for that person to lose their taste for it as opposed to the unstable or underweight person who would continue to enjoy it and even want more.\u00a0 It\u2019s one of the body\u2019s mechanisms for encouraging increased consumption and weight gain or with chronic dieters the body might simply be a bit confused!\u00a0 And then of course there\u2019s the guilt, shame and annoyance that follows as well and maybe even a sick-feeling stomach and grouchy disposition.<\/p>\n<p>So how would you know if you were getting too much added sugar?\u00a0 Well, there are no real guidelines out there as to how much is \u201ctoo much\u201d because the research is inconclusive but it\u2019s safe to say that we\u2019re getting way too much.\u00a0 The American Heart Association recommends that women consume no more than 6 teaspoons per day and men 9 teaspoons.\u00a0 To put this into context, a can of soda has about 8 tsp. of added sugar but you also need to know the conversion of grams to teaspoons because nutrition labels oftentimes give amounts in grams. <strong>One teaspoon of sugar is about 4 grams.\u00a0 <\/strong>As I mentioned earlier, the average American is taking in roughly 70 pounds per year.\u00a0 That comes to around 94 grams (or 24 teaspoons)\/day.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to Break Free From Excessive Sugar Intake<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Be ready for withdraw symptoms:<\/strong> If you\u2019re currently eating and\/or drinking large amounts of added sugar then expect it not to be an easy habit to break.<strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Symptoms of withdraw could include fatigue, depression, insatiability and uncontrollable urges for sweets.\u00a0 Reducing moderate amounts of sugar might not be as physically difficult but you\u2019ll still be dealing with the discomforts associated with breaking a lifestyle habit.\u00a0 The physical effects should dissipate after 4 to 7 days but breaking a habit can take around 3 weeks.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Get rid of all sugar, non-nutritive sweeteners and sugary foods in your home: <\/strong>Once you have broken the habit then you should be able to bring some back in because you\u2019ll be the one in control at that point.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Strive to be an excellent label reader: <\/strong>Pay attention to the Sugar content, not the total carbohydrate.\u00a0 Added sugar is the problem not carbohydrates as a whole.\u00a0 Added sugar is in a lot of foods because it acts as a preservative or is used to replace fat in low or fat-free products.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t allow yourself to get really hungry before eating and have a plan ahead of time for your snacks and meals.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Increase your fresh fruit and vegetable Intake:<\/strong> This hasn\u2019t been scientifically proven but I can tell you from working with clients that the more of these they add to their daily diet the less they crave sugary, fatty and processed foods.\u00a0 Aim for 10-15 servings per day.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Get Physical: <\/strong>Not only will it keep your spirits up but it will prevent sleepiness as well.\u00a0 Just don\u2019t use the extra exercise to justify a few helpings of empty calories!<\/li>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t Reward Yourself or Your Children\u2019s Behavior With Sweets<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Work to Achieve a Healthy Weight and Then Stick To It.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>by Melissa Sanborn of Nutritional Brands, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pure-vegan.net\/\"  rel=\"external nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">PureVegan<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Gelfand, Jonathan L, MD.\u00a0 <em>The Truth About Sugar<\/em>.\u00a0 <\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.webmd.com\/food-recipes\/features\/health-effects-of-sugar?page=4\"  rel=\"external nofollow\"><strong>http:\/\/www.webmd.com\/food-recipes\/features\/health-effects-of-sugar?page=4<\/strong><\/a><strong><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Taubes, Gary.\u00a0 <em>Is Sugar Toxic?<\/em> <\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Healthy Alternatives to Sugar<\/em><\/strong><strong>. <\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.naturalnews.com\/022692\"  rel=\"external nofollow\"><strong>http:\/\/www.naturalnews.com\/022692<\/strong><\/a><strong><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Kano, Susan.\u00a0 <em>Making Peace with Food.<\/em> Harper and Rowe, 1989<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When a fetus is being carried by a woman with too much amniotic fluid, the practice used to be injecting a sweet-tasting substance into her womb.\u00a0 The result is that the fetus will drink in more of the fluid which then gets flushed out through the umbilical cord thus alleviating the dangers associated with this condition.\u00a0 Is this innovative problem-solving on the part of the medical community?\u00a0 Absolutely. But it\u2019s also fascinating when you consider that even in the womb we humans are drawn toward sweet-tasting substances.\u00a0 This combined with the fact that the average American currently takes in an average of 70 pounds of added sugar every year might feel a little bit like a losing battle or worse yet a battle not even worth engaging in.\u00a0 But we have to because we\u2019re in trouble as a nation when it comes to health.\u00a0 We\u2019re growing more obese and more diabetic by the day and the top killers are all lifestyle based. Included in the mix the pendulum swing extreme position that suggests \u201call carbs are bad because they convert to sugar in the body and should be avoided\u201d people. In fact, a growing number of research studies suggest that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7417,"featured_media":4154,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,23],"tags":[815,360,817,818,816,809,810,814,819],"class_list":["post-4149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-nutrition","tag-addiction","tag-diabetes","tag-diabetic","tag-fructose","tag-macronutrients","tag-obese","tag-obesity","tag-sugar","tag-sweeteners"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Sugar: Harmless or Harmful? - HappyCow<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/sugar-harmless-or-harmful\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sugar: Harmless or Harmful? - HappyCow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When a fetus is being carried by a woman with too much amniotic fluid, the practice used to be injecting a sweet-tasting substance into her womb.\u00a0 The result is that the fetus will drink in more of the fluid which then gets flushed out through the umbilical cord thus alleviating the dangers associated with this condition.\u00a0 Is this innovative problem-solving on the part of the medical community?\u00a0 Absolutely. But it\u2019s also fascinating when you consider that even in the womb we humans are drawn toward sweet-tasting substances.\u00a0 This combined with the fact that the average American currently takes in an average of 70 pounds of added sugar every year might feel a little bit like a losing battle or worse yet a battle not even worth engaging in.\u00a0 But we have to because we\u2019re in trouble as a nation when it comes to health.\u00a0 We\u2019re growing more obese and more diabetic by the day and the top killers are all lifestyle based. Included in the mix the pendulum swing extreme position that suggests \u201call carbs are bad because they convert to sugar in the body and should be avoided\u201d people. 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- HappyCow","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/sugar-harmless-or-harmful\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sugar: Harmless or Harmful? - HappyCow","og_description":"When a fetus is being carried by a woman with too much amniotic fluid, the practice used to be injecting a sweet-tasting substance into her womb.\u00a0 The result is that the fetus will drink in more of the fluid which then gets flushed out through the umbilical cord thus alleviating the dangers associated with this condition.\u00a0 Is this innovative problem-solving on the part of the medical community?\u00a0 Absolutely. But it\u2019s also fascinating when you consider that even in the womb we humans are drawn toward sweet-tasting substances.\u00a0 This combined with the fact that the average American currently takes in an average of 70 pounds of added sugar every year might feel a little bit like a losing battle or worse yet a battle not even worth engaging in.\u00a0 But we have to because we\u2019re in trouble as a nation when it comes to health.\u00a0 We\u2019re growing more obese and more diabetic by the day and the top killers are all lifestyle based. Included in the mix the pendulum swing extreme position that suggests \u201call carbs are bad because they convert to sugar in the body and should be avoided\u201d people. 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