NLSugarGood

The Sweet Chronicles: The Ugly, The Bad and The Good ------------------> The Good

Sugars and sweeteners can be good. We have cakes at weddings and birthday parties. We celebrate holidays with special desserts. When our diet is in balance we can enjoy sweets.

Below is a list of sweeteners that can be considered good to add to an overall healthy diet.

Maple Syrup is rich in trace minerals and does not promote tooth decay. Make sure you look for maple syrup that is formaldehyde free
Molasses a “waste” product of sugar will contain many minerals if from sugar grown in fertilized soil.
Raw Honey is loaded with enzymes.
Agave is a low glycemic sweetener.
Rapadura is dehydrated sugar cane juice and is rich in minerals.
Stevia is a natural herbal sweetener that has no calories. It can regulate blood sugar and has use in S. America to help people with diabetes and hypoglycemia.

We can also satisfy our sweet tooth with fresh fruit such as pineapple, bananas, papaya, etc. Even rip organically grown vegetables can have a touch of sweetness to them; such as carrots, lettuce and tomatoes. Plan ahead to have good healthy wholesome sweets available. In a pinch it’s easy to whip up some organic chocolate fondue with fruit.

Also consider your intake of carbohydrates in the form of breads and grains. Overeating puts stress on our bodies no matter how healthy the food is that we are eating. And if our caloric intake from carbohydrates is high in the form of cereals we make no allowances for sweet treats. The average adult female needs around 2000 calories for weight maintenance. The average adult male needs around 2500 calories for weight maintenance.

Keep in mind that sugar is found in more than just treats. A cup of orange juice contains as much sugar as a candy bar – even fresh squeezed has about the same amount of sugar per cup. Processed foods will contain more sugar. Even juices considered healthy should be taken in limited quantities. 1 cup of pomegranate juice contains more sugar per cup than orange juice.

“When sugar and starches are eaten in their natural, unrefined form as part of a meal containing nourishing fats and protein, they are digested slowly and enter the blood stream at a moderate rate over a period of several hours.”1

It’s very important to take carbohydrates with healthy fats and proteins. So take that into consideration when looking for healthy sweets to add to your diet. Two examples of sweets that have healthy fats and proteins are home-made ice cream and Jeanne’s Banana Bread (see recipe below).

Home-made ice cream made with raw honey or maple syrup is a delicious and healthy dessert. And honey if not heated will retain its nutritional value. The sugar in most dessert recipes is at least twice as much as needed to add the right amount of sweetness and to enhance flavor. Sometimes only a third is needed. Experiment by making your own desserts. Start with cutting the sugar in half. Even co-ops and health food stores will add too much sugar to their sweets. Sometimes the only way to get a good dessert with less sugar is to make it yourself of find someone to make it for you.

In conclusion we agree with Sally Fallon that, “ To make us healthy, our food must taste good; it must be digestible and it must be eaten in peace.”

So with that we encourage you to enjoy good food thankful and hopeful often with the company of friends and family.

Jeanne’s Banana Bread

Ingredients:

6 T butter            1/3 cup sugar                   2 eggs                   ¾ cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup oat flour      6 T ground flax seed        ¼ cup nuts
1 tsp soda           ½ tsp salt             3 smashed bananas just ripened
Large organic chocolate chips around 3 oz. (ForeverGreen’s Fondue Chocolate is recommended)

Preparation:

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and mashed bananas. Sift together flour, flax seeds, soda and salt. Add nuts and chocolate if desired. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour in greased bread pan.

1 loaf is about 2700 calories. It has 163 grams of sugar, with the chocolate; which is less than 3 teaspoons per slice of 12. A 2 oz Snickers candy bar has more than twice as much sugar.

Counting The Many Ways Sugar Harms Your Health… Continued

Contributed by Nancy Appleton PHD, Author o f the book Lick the Sugar Habit

1. Sugar can make your tendons more brittle.¹

2. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.²

3. Sugar can reduce the learning capacity, adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders.^3,4

4. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves which can alter your mind's ability to think clearly.⁵

5. Sugar can cause depression.⁶

6. Sugar can increase your risk of gout.⁷

7. Sugar can increase your risk of Alzheimer's disease.⁸

8. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalances such as: increasing estrogen in men, exacerbating PMS, and decreasing growth hormone.^9,10,11,12

9. Sugar can lead to dizziness.¹³

10. Diets high in sugar will increase free radicals and oxidative stress.¹⁴

11. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.¹⁵

12. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration and is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.^16,17

13. Sugar is an addictive substance.¹⁸

14. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.¹⁹

15. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.²⁰

16. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.²¹

17. Your body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.²²

18. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.²³

19. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).²⁴

20. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.²⁵

21. Sugar can slow down the ability of your adrenal glands to function.²⁶

22. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.²⁷

23. I.V.s (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to your brain.²⁸

24. Sugar increases your risk of polio.²⁹

25. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.³⁰

26. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.³¹

27. In intensive care units: Limiting sugar saves lives.³²

28. Sugar may induce cell death.³³

29. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44 percent drop in antisocial behavior.³⁴

30. Sugar dehydrates newborns.³⁵

31. Sugar can cause gum disease.³⁶

^References

1. Nash, J. Health Contenders. Essence. Jan 1992; 23:00 79_81.

2. Grand, E. Food Allergies and Migraine.Lancet. 1979:1:955_959.

3. Schauss, A. Diet, Crime and Delinquency. (Berkley Ca; Parker House, 1981.)

4. Molteni, R, et al. A High-fat, Refined Sugar Diet Reduces Hippocampal Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor, Neuronal Plasticity, and Learning. NeuroScience. 2002;112(4):803-814.

5. Christensen, L. The Role of Caffeine and Sugar in Depression. Nutrition Report. Mar 1991;9(3):17-24.

6. Ibid,44

7. Yudkin, J. Sweet and Dangerous.(New York:Bantam Books,1974) 129

8. Frey, J. Is There Sugar in the Alzheimer's Disease? Annales De Biologie Clinique. 2001; 59 (3):253-257.

9. Yudkin, J. Metabolic Changes Induced by Sugar in Relation to Coronary Heart Disease and Diabetes. Nutrition and Health. 1987;5(1-2):5-8.

10. Yudkin, J and Eisa, O. Dietary Sucrose and Oestradiol Concentration in Young Men. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. 1988:32(2):53-55.

11. The Edell Health Letter. Sept 1991;7:1.

12. Gardner, L. and Reiser, S. Effects of Dietary Carbohydrate on Fasting Levels of Human Growth Hormone and Cortisol. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. 1982;169:36_40.

13. Journal of Advanced Medicine. 1994;7(1):51-58.

14. Ceriello, A. Oxidative Stress and Glycemic Regulation. Metabolism. Feb 2000;49(2 Suppl 1):27-29.

15. Postgraduate Medicine.Sept 1969:45:602-07.

16. Lenders, C. M. Gestational Age and Infant Size at Birth Are Associated with Dietary Intake among Pregnant Adolescents. Journal of Nutrition. Jun 1997;1113- 1117

17. Ibid.

18. Sugar, White Flour Withdrawal Produces Chemical Response. The Addiction Letter. Jul 1992:04:00 Colantuoni, C., et al. Evidence That Intermittent, Excessive Sugar Intake Causes Endogenous Opioid Dependence. Obes Res. Jun 2002 ;10(6):478-488. Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Society, Toronto, June 17, 2001 www.mercola.com/2001/jun/30/sugar.htm

19. Ibid.

20. Sunehag, A. L., et al. Gluconeogenesis in Very Low Birth Weight Infants Receiving Total Parenteral Nutrition Diabetes. 1999 ;48 7991_800.

21. Christensen L., et al. Impact of A Dietary Change on Emotional Distress. Journal of Abnormal Psychology.1985;94(4):565_79.

22. Nutrition Health Review. Fall 85 changes sugar into fat faster than fat

23. Ludwig, D. S., et al. High Glycemic Index Foods, Overeating and Obesity. Pediatrics. March 1999;103(3):26-32.

24. Pediatrics Research. 1995;38(4):539-542. Berdonces, J. L. Attention Deficit and Infantile Hyperactivity. Rev Enferm. Jan 2001;4(1)11-4

25. Blacklock, N. J. Sucrose and Idiopathic Renal Stone. Nutrition Health. 1987;5(1 & 2):9-

26. Lechin, F., et al. Effects of an Oral Glucose Load on Plasma Neurotransmitters in Humans. Neurophychobiology. 1992;26(1-2):4-11.

27. Fields, M. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. Aug 1998;17(4):317_321.

28. Arieff, A. I. Veterans Administration Medical Center in San Francisco. San Jose Mercury; June 12/86. IVs of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain.

29. Sandler, Benjamin P. Diet Prevents Polio. Milwakuee, WI,:The Lee Foundation for for Nutritional Research, 1951

30. Murphy, Patricia. The Role of Sugar in Epileptic Seizures. Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients. May, 2001 Murphy Is Editor of Epilepsy Wellness Newsletter, 1462 West 5th Ave., Eugene, Oregon 97402

31. Stern, N. & Tuck, M. Pathogenesis of Hypertension in Diabetes Mellitus. Diabetes Mellitus, a Fundamental and Clinical Test. 2nd Edition, (PhiladelphiA; A:Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000)943-957.

32. Christansen, D. Critical Care: Sugar Limit Saves Lives. Science News. June 30, 2001; 159:404.

33. Donnini, D. et al. Glucose May Induce Cell Death through a Free Radical-mediated Mechanism.Biochem Biohhys Res Commun. Feb 15, 1996:219(2):412-417.

34. Schoenthaler, S. The Los Angeles Probation Department Diet-Behavior Program: Am Empirical Analysis of Six Institutional Settings. Int J Biosocial Res 5(2):88-89.

35. Gluconeogenesis in Very Low Birth Weight Infants Receiving Total Parenteral Nutrition. Diabetes. 1999 Apr;48(4):791-800.

36. Glinsmann, W., et al. Evaluation of Health Aspects of Sugar Contained in Carbohydrate Sweeteners." FDA Report of Sugars Task Force -1986 39 123 Yudkin, J. and Eisa, O. Dietary Sucrose and Oestradiol Concentration in Young Men. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. 1988;32(2):53-5.

References

1. Nourishing Traditions: The Cook book that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon.