We’ve talked a lot about the detrimental effects of sugar and how many people can develop and addiction to sugar. The word is really getting around; in fact, 60 Minutes recently did a special on sugar and the toxic effects it can have on your health.
[tubepress video=”B56Gpf1f5_A”]
I watched Dr. Lustig’s entire talk on SUGAR a few years ago when Dr. Mercola had it linked to his site. It helped me (and my family–although they’re still struggling a bit) tremedously cut down on the amount of sugar I eat/drink.
I cut out diet pop four years ago; in March 2012 I cut out ALL pop from my diet on my doctor’s advice that not drinking soda pop would help stabilize my high blood pressure. She was right! Now I drink water, herbal tea, or black tea (which I need to start using decaf–apparently, my body no longer likes caffeine).
I have cut out sugar to the point where I no longer crave it–I can actually leave a sweet on the tray and not eat it if offered. Or eat just one–because now that I rarely eat sugar, I can’t hardly stand the sweetness. I still eat chocolate, but very dark chocolate–the kind made with no milk of any kind. That type of chocolate gets to the point of almost being “bitter.” The bitter/real chocolate taste takes care of my need/want for chocolate, so that I only need a square or two to satisfy my chocolate craving–making the chocolate bar last a lot longer too!
I’ve noticed that a lot of organic and gluten-free companies are now doing away with using organic raw cane sugar and have instead replaced it with Agave syrup or rice syrup–which is almost as bad as HFCS. So I’ve been watching what I buy lately and have been trying to find other brands that don’t rely so heavily on (those) sweeteners. Or I make my own or just plain don’t use/buy the product at all.
It’s hard finding good food that fits the criteria of what you need/want to eat unless you make it yourself. And making everything yourself sometimes isn’t possible. It would be nice if the food manufacturers would start listening to us, the consumers, and start using food ingredients that we actually want to buy and use.
(Just an FYI, I had a very hard time watching this 60 Minutes video because it kept spooling on me.)
Hi Ann,
Thanks for the reply – you bring up a lot of great points. In particular, the hard part for most people is getting started; once the sugar-craving cycle is broken, it is relatively easy to pass it up (as you mentioned). However, getting past those cravings can be tricky. We have several posts on ways to get rid of sugar cravings and good alternatives for sugar for those that are interested.
You also mentioned the need to make a lot of your own food. The unfortunate truth, nobody cares as much as you do about your health, so those interested in maximizing their health will end of cooking, or at least preparing, much of their own food. However, this doesn’t need to take a lot of time. We offer a number of cooking classes to help people make meals quickly; our monthly potluck is another great resource for ideas (and a free meal!).
Thanks for the heads-up on the video – it should stream better now!
Dr. Chad