Tonight I was reading through Owlhaven’s blog and started to comment about loosing weight i.e. about cutting out sugars. I did a little more research and found more information about sugar worth sharing.
My Mom always recommended reading, “Sugar Blues” by William Duffy. Read this extraction from his book if you wish. It was banned from being sold in Canada when it was first published in the mid 1970’s. She got a hold of an “underground” copy. He wasn’t the first to write up about the “poison” effects of (refined – added) sugar. Sugar is added into almost everything from the obvious to the hidden and bizarre, it has an addictive nature.
In the 1940’s the average person consumed around 5 pounds of refined sugar per year. The stat in the last couple of years will make you sick, it did me at least! According to the USDA, the average American consumes 64 pounds of refined sugar per year ~ teenage boy… 109 pounds per year!!! Most of that is from Pop (Soda)! Here are some foods with their sugar amounts that are worth checking out.
Now, I’m not a health-nut or granola-head here. I enjoy my can of Coke from time to time and I love my large double double. I’m extremely fond of chocolate and don’t pass up the chance for a treat very often. I do have a sweet tooth and I’m the first to admit it.
But since reading (do a little Google yourself) through the effects sugar has not only on my teeth, gums and waistline… but on my heart and brain, I want to be around to see my children’s children! So I know some changes have to be made. It won’t be easy – sugar is addictive – I hear it’s even in cigarettes.
I will try to change ~ will you be able to lick the sugar habit?
I found a chocolate bar that is glutin and sugar free..sold at Safeway..when I remember the name I’ll let you know..it’s organic cocoa sweetened with honey and really good…I eat 4 squares a night! And am still losing on average 1 – 2 pounds a week via weightwatchers.
Oh, yeah, and thanks so much for your awesomely wise and encouraging words in my comments to today’s post. You lift me up!!
I love you!
I very recently switched to a meat free diet and have cut out SOME refined sugars (soda’s and most white flours/ sugars etc)
i DO feel amazingly more healthy though i know I would have to work VERY hard to cut out all refined sugars, I think ever little bit helps.
It’s so hard to give up the sweets. I’ve got a sweet tooth too and I just LOVE chocolate. But I also know how much healthier I felt when I had cut out ALL refined sugars for several months AND I was exercising 6 days a week. Just getting started is the hard part. I really wish I hadn’t started it up again.
A wonderful post! I read this book awhile ago and I was convicted. I dropped out most of the sugar in my diet and now no I longer crave sweet. On the other hand, I DO crave salty foods. I’ve solved that problem by eating handfuls of cashews when I feel like snacking. A great reminder, thanks!
Another owner of a sweet tooth here. I have tried giving up sugar a couple of times, but have never had much success. I’m addicted, I tell ya! Addicted! Lol. No seriously, I am. But reading your post is making me think I should try to give it up again. (At least until I block this info out of my mind with a sugar wall.)
I wanna know the name of the glutin and sugar free chocolate bar Mugwumpmom found at Safeway too. (Maybe something like that would help us give up the sugar, ladies, ya never know.)
I am a confessed junk food junkie! I could not live without Dove dark chocolate candy bars, mint chocolate chip ice cream and BROWNIES! But as I get older I do pay more attention to my health and what I eat overall. I think I have a healthy diet – even with all the chocolate! 🙂
It truly is amazing how sugar can affect our body and mind. Really strange. But it is not only sugar that can affect our body. Have you ever seen the movie “Supersize Me”? Oh my, we haven’t had a fast food burger since March 2005…Can you believe that they add things in MD’s burgers so people can dependent on it? Yeah, I couldn’t believe it either…
I also have stopped drinking pop all together since last summer…And I do like my granola bars – hehe. It is just a quick breakfast for me and I am not even sure if it really is that healthy. Good for you that you are trying to cut out some sugar out of our diet.
Cool, and thanks for visiting my blog. If you go to Ensenada for church the Calvary Chapel on Riverol and 8th has an English servic at 9:30.
I’ve heard of “Sugar Blues”…and believe in the ill-effects. Like you, I’m not a super health nut and have a sweet tooth…but am trying to cut way back. (Except for chocolate…now that’s healthy sugar, I hear!) 😉
Thanks for visiting me site, too! And by the way- October is the month we’re going to be in Hawaii, too! 🙂
Blessings,
~Tammy
I sure know how dangerous sugar is to the body. It has no nutritional value. We have to value our health in turn value the joy of a long life.
This is really interesting
Mary, mom to many