11/9/2017 0 Comments Sugartimethe not so sweet side of sugarlet’s talk about sugar.Sugarcane is a tropical plant that was introduced to the Caribbean region during the 16th century. The plant was an immediate success in the warm environment of the islands. Shortly after, sugarcane started being exported all over the world and needed more workers to maintain the demand. This was the original product that started the Trade Triangle in the 16th century.1 Today, sugar is a staple in the American diet. Americans consume about 66 pounds of sugar each year! That's each person! Whaaaaat. That's about 19.5 teaspoons a day. [Four grams of sugar is equal to one teaspoon. Thirty five-grams is equal to 8.75 teaspoons] What’s actually recommended? The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of added sugar per day for women and 9 teaspoons (38 grams) for men.2 Why is sugar so bad? Sugar-sweetened beverages are the leading cause of added sugars in the American diet. This can lead to several diseases, including; obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, non-alcoholic liver disease, tooth decay, gout, and types of arthritis.3 Cutting back on sugar can decrease these risks and even lower the appearance of side effects. Another downside to sugar is its addictive nature. Research from Sugar Science, at University of California San Francisco has been conducted to show that sugar does give off endorphins in your brain, these are also called the “happy hormones”. Obviously, your brain likes feeling happy so it keeps asking you to eat more sugar. This leads to vicious cycle.4 How does sugar make you gain weight?Sugar is in the carbohydrate food group. Carbohydrates are your body’s main source of energy. When you don't use all the energy you eat the body stores the extra for later, in case you were to enter starvation mode. -- A lot of fad diets cause you to enter this starvation mode, but that can be dangerous to your immediate health and detrimental as you age. -- When you continue to eat too much sugar the body never uses the saved up energy. The sugar continues to hang around and is stored as body fat. [This does not mean you should eat a lot at once or ever go without eating! That is not healthy.] Surprise sources of sugar per serving size Yoplait yogurt – 26 grams Wonder reduced calorie white bread – 1.1 grams Saltine crackers – 11 grams Reduced- fat peanut butter – 12 grams Campbell’s Brown Sugar Beans – 13 grams Gatorade – 21 grams So how can you cut back on eating sugar?5
This is exactly my goal with the Holiday Spice Collection. Here you will find health benefits to the most common holiday spices and extracts, along with some great recipes! References:
1. https://www.livescience.com/4949-sugar-changed-world.html 2. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Nutrition/Added-Sugars_UCM_305858_Article.jsp#.WgRnVRNSzBI 3. https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/data-statistics/sugar-sweetened-beverages-intake.html 4. http://sugarscience.ucsf.edu/the-growing-concern-of-overconsumption/#.WgRjFhNSzBI 5.http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Nutrition/Tips-for-Cutting-Down-on-Sugar_UCM_461811_Article.jsp#.WgR3iRNSzBI
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