Is Sugar Toxic?

April 14, 2012

Sometimes you hear something that you know is true even without knowing all the facts. I felt that way when I heard the 60 Minute piece Is sugar toxic? by Dr. Sanjay Gupta “He reports on new research showing that beyond weight gain, sugar can take a serious toll on your health, worsening conditions ranging from heart disease to cancer.” I knew it was true.

I love sugar! Like a lot of people I find that I crave it. The problem is my body doesn’t. I don’t think that I consume a lot sugar, I don’t drink soda or sweetened drinks of any kind, I don’t even eat a lot of desserts, but the sugar that I do consume is too much for my body.  I’ve always thought that there is so much added sugar hidden in our foods that even if we knew it was there it is almost impossible to avoid it!

I grew up with sugar served as a treat for dessert or a snack. What French child doesn’t have a pain au chocolat at least once a day?  If I eat sugar I want it to be my choice, I want it to be a treat I enjoy—not hidden in unexpected foods.

For my well-being I know sugar has to go. Once I’ve gotten through the withdrawal the benefits are amazing; I stop being hungry, those stubborn pounds just drop off and the rest of my body seems to regain the energy I thought was lost forever.

With all those benefits you would think this would be a no brainer and if it wasn’t for the withdrawal it would be.  What the 60 Minutes piece brought out is that sugar is addictive, very addictive and that giving it up is not easy. That is a really important fact, one that we don’t give ourselves credit for. It is not easy!

So the big question is how do you deal with the withdrawal. I think Stevia may be part of the answer, it is sweet, but is not a sugar and does not affect our insulin levels. It is natural and can be added to food. It isn’t perfect and has a slight taste, but I find that it does the job and gives me the feeling that I am eating something sweet when I want it.

Here is a simple recipe you can try.

Mocha pudding  

2 cups plain low fat yogurt
2 cups strong black coffee I added 2 teaspoon of instant dried espresso to it
3 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
1 packets of Knox Gelatin
6 – 8 packets of Stevia (depending on your taste)

 

• Place gelatin, Stevia instant espresso and cocoa into the 2 cups of coffee and heat in the microwave to dissolve the gelatin. Mix well

• Combine the yogurt and the coffee together until well blended

• Taste for sweetness, Stevia is much sweeter than sugar so your taste buds will need to decide if you need to add any more.

• Pour into a container and refrigerate about 2 hours until set

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