Sugar Facts

Well, this week I took an interesting "webinar" class on SUGAR. It turns out it isn't the devil:) Here's a few facts I found interesting:

1. All sugar has 4 calories per gram. It makes no difference if it is table sugar (sucrose), honey, agave, turbinado, brown, molasses, etc.

2. Sugar DOES NOT cause diabetes. Diabetics CAN eat sugar. The question is how often and how much in relation to TOTAL carbohydrate intake. In other words, eat a balance of carb, sugar, protein, fat, etc.

3. Here's a good one to know: Diets high in sucrose (sugar) and fructose (fruit, fruit juices, and high fructose corn syrup) and alcohol can RAISE triglyceride levels and LDL levels (that's the bad one).

4. Sugar does NOT cause hyperactivity in children. It is a carbohydrate and causes us to release seratonin. Seratonin is soothing, therefore no hyperness. Spoken like a person without kids, right:)

5. Here's a scary one: 10% of Americans calories come from High Fructose Corn Syrup! That is sad and shocking. They put it in everything - start checking your labels. HFCS originated in the 1970's when the government started subsidizing the farmers to grow corn. Since the government was paying, the farmers started growing. Then we had an overabundance of corn, so we created HFCS. Supposedly okay, however I look at our growing waistlines and think otherwise. It's my opinion:)

6. Good news - Table sugar consumption is down 35% since 1970. Bad news - the consumption of HFCS is up 4000%!!!!!! I told you it's in everything!

7. HFCS promotes elevated triglycerides and LDL. No wonder we have an increase of cholesterol medication on the market.

Those are the highlights from the class. I'll fill you in next week on Non-nutritive sweeteners, i.e. Splenda.

Keep in mind - everything in moderation. Sugar is not evil. The ability to taste sugar is the only taste with which we are born; we develop the others. It is an inborn desire for sugar that keeps us alive, i.e. babies want milk. Milk has lactose - sugar. That doesn't mean we have a free pass to reach for doughnuts and candy bars. It means we can enjoy an occasional sweet treat as long as MOST of our food intake is healthy, nutritious, and natural. I'm not talking about the "Natural" potato chips you have in your cupboard. I'm talking about salads, fish, fruit, eggs - God made food:)

The other thing I like to keep in mind is - all sugars might be 4 calories per gram, but not all sugars are created equal. Honey has a lower glycemic response than table sugar. Agave has an even lower response than honey. Why does that matter? It keeps your insulin levels more stable therefore you won't have that "sugar crash". It keeps your pancreas and cholesterol levels healthier.

Then there is Stevia. It comes from a plant and has no calories and no glycemic load. Wow! Sounds like heaven. It hasn't been approved by the FDA, yet. It will because Coke and Pepsi want to use it so they can call their product - natural. Anyway, I highly recommend it in moderation. A little goes a LONG way - it is 200 - 300 times sweeter than sugar. Keep in mind that it won't activate yeast, so no bread making with it. If you use it in any other baking the items will not brown. Otherwise, it is awesome once you get it to the sweetness you like. It can be bitter if you overdo it.

So that's the sweet tips from me. Have a sweet weekend and Eat Intentionally!