SWEET FOOD

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Chapter 4-3 of Healing Foods by Walter Last

In some form sweet foods can be beneficial but as commonly used, they tend to

create a lot of problems for our health

SWEET FOOD

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF4-3.html#Sweet_Food

 

The main problem with sweet foods is that sugars are absorbed too quickly.

The body tries to maintain a fairly constant blood-sugar level close to 100 mg

of glucose per 100 ml of blood, and this becomes rather difficult with the

habitual consumption of sweet foods.

 

When we have a starch meal, it takes several hours until all the starch is

converted into glucose. The absorption through the intestinal wall is gradual

and the liver can easily regulate the blood-glucose level by forming glycogen or

fat from surplus glucose. It is equally safe to eat raw cabbage or raw

carrots that may contain equal amounts of sugar to a spoonful of honey. Again,

it

takes hours for the glucose from raw vegetables to enter the bloodstream while

from honey or fruit juices it may take less than 30 minutes.

 

However, when sweet food is eaten during or after a protein meal, the sugar

is absorbed considerably more slowly. The same applies when sweet food is

combined with fat. Sweetened starches, on the other hand, cause digestive and

metabolic problems and are not recommended for habitual use.

 

In former centuries only limited amounts of sweet foods were commonly

available in middle and northern Europe. More sweet food was used in

Mediterranean

countries and descendents from these populations generally have a stronger sugar

metabolism. In addition, formerly it was much more common to work hard

physically and in this way burn up the glucose as quickly as it entered the

bloodstream after a sweet snack. Food was largely unprocessed and rich in those

vitamins and minerals that are needed to maintain the blood-sugar regulation and

sugar metabolism.

 

Minerals required for metabolizing sugars are zinc as a component of insulin

and of several enzymes, chromium as part of the glucose tolerance factor that

allows glucose to enter the cells and manganese, as an important enzyme

factor. In addition to these trace minerals, we need sufficient potassium and

magnesium for producing energy from sugar. The vitamins most important for

producing

this energy from glucose are B1, B2, nicotinamide and pantothenic acid.

 

In contrast to former centuries, most people now suffer from vitamin and

mineral deficiencies that make good blood-sugar regulation nearly impossible and

severely weaken the energy metabolism. On top of this, large amounts of sweet

food are consumed almost daily, and all the work that many modern people do

after a sweet snack is raising a cup or staring at the television screen.

 

The combined effect of all these negative factors is a rather erratic

blood-sugar level. It rises higher and higher after the ingestion of sweet food

and

falls steeper and lower shortly afterwards. Depending on our metabolic

constitution, this has different effects on different people.

 

If you look at the table below you will be surprised at the variety of

symptoms that may occur and the number of chronic diseases to which a weak sugar

metabolism contributes. The reason that sugar can cause such a very wide range

of

problems is that glucose has a central position in producing our daily energy

requirement. If our cells cannot efficiently produce energy, basically all

organs and body functions are affected.

 

DIABETES

 

The disease most widely associated with a breakdown of blood-sugar regulation

is diabetes. When diabetes develops during childhood or in young adults, the

main problem is usually a deficiency of the hormone insulin that is produced

in the pancreas. Insulin is required to channel the blood glucose into the

cells. Therefore a deficiency of insulin leads to a rise in the blood-glucose

level.

 

Currently accepted medical opinion does not see a connection between the

over-consumption of sweet food and the development of diabetes. However,

experiments have shown that the insulin response decreases with frequent use of

sweet

food. Starting with a raw-food diet that excluded all sweet food as well as

other problem foods, I have been able to help diabetics of both types to improve

their blood-sugar regulation so that insulin injections or drugs were no

longer needed.

 

In so-called maturity-onset diabetes there is usually sufficient insulin

available but its effectiveness is greatly reduced. The main reasons for this

are

the 'disaccharide effect' as explained below and a deficiency in chromium,

which is part of the glucose tolerance factor. Insulin and the glucose tolerance

factor work together like key and keyhole to let glucose into the cells. A

deficiency of chromium prevents glucose from entering the cells.

 

There are two main reasons for chromium deficiency: the habitual consumption

of, first, refined food and, second, sweet food. Refined food is deficient in

chromium, while eating sweet food raises not only the blood-sugar level but

also the blood-chromium level; this causes more chromium to be excreted with the

urine. The foods highest in chromium are brewer's yeast and liver.

 

Another effect of chromium deficiency in diabetics and others is the

excessive formation of cholesterol after eating sweet food and the subsequent

development of arteriosclerosis. Furthermore, the same factors also lead to the

formation of cataracts. A diet high in fructose is especially implicated in

causing

eye diseases in diabetics. Fructose and glucose are the two components of

sucrose - the normal household sugar - and also of honey. Fructose (best from

fruits only) can enter the cells without requiring insulin and thereby can help

to

normalize the diabetic metabolism, but this is risky if mineral deficiencies

are not corrected at the same time, especially deficiencies in magnesium, zinc

and chromium.

 

However, the main cause of decreased insulin production in insulin-dependent

diabetes is a chronic inflammation of the pancreas caused by a hidden food

allergy, in particular to cows' milk combined with an overgrowth of the

intestines with unfriendly microbes as explained in the section on Cows' Milk &

Lactose. In addition, a more recent epidemic increase in the number of children

diagnosed with this condition has been linked to vaccinations. It has been

concluded that this increase in the different age groups correlated with the

number of

vaccines given in various countries.

 

While sugar may not directly cause insulin-dependent diabetes, it greatly

aggravates the seriousness of the condition. In animal experiments an excessive

intake of sugar resulted in greatly enlarged pancreas and pituitary glands,

both of which are involved in blood-sugar regulation. A group of Aboriginal

diabetics who lived for several weeks on bush food all quickly returned to a

normal

blood-sugar regulation. Indians living in Natal (South Africa) have a high

sugar consumption and high levels of diabetes and heart disease compared to

Indians living in India who use very little sugar and have very low rates of

these

diseases.

 

The great majority of diabetics have type 2 diabetes. It used to be called

maturity-onset diabetes because it commonly started after the age of forty.

However, now it is also common in overweight children. It is mainly due to the

reduced effectiveness of otherwise normal levels of insulin. Type 2 diabetics

are

generally treated with tablets to lower blood glucose levels.

 

As with insulin, also these hypoglycaemic drugs do not protect the patients

against the various harmful effects of long-term diabetes, such as degenerative

eye changes especially involving the retina, degeneration of the peripheral

nervous system and atherosclerosis especially affecting the legs and heart. On

the contrary, studies seem to indicate that these drugs accelerate such

degenerative changes.

 

Doctors W.A. Philpott and D.K. Kalita point out in their book 'Victory Over

Diabetes' (Keats, 1983) that the overwhelming evidence of recent studies shows

a shortened life expectancy and more serious complications from using diabetic

drugs. In fact, the death rate actually doubled in those taking oral diabetic

drugs. Most of these same drugs are still in use now.

 

From a biochemical point of view this is only logical and to be expected

because if sugar levels are lowered without converting them into energy, then

they

have to be converted into fat and cholesterol that then cause many of these

problems.

 

When the liver and bloodstream are already loaded with lipids then it is

difficult to convert excess glucose into more lipids. Therefore, obese or

overweight individuals have greatly decreased insulin sensitivity, while insulin

becomes much more effective if they lose weight. Other studies show that the

blood

sugar regulation is best maintained with a diet high in vegetable fibre,

especially from legumes, while a high intake of simple carbohydrates or sugars

tends to make insulin less sensitive.

 

Sugar added to the diet of research animals or increased in the diet of

healthy volunteers has been reported to disturb the glucose metabolism and cause

diseases of the eyes, kidneys and blood vessels. Even if combined with a

high-fibre, low-fat diet added sugar still adversely affects the glucose

tolerance.

 

However, short-term studies may not show the harmful long-term effects of

sugar in the development of type 2 diabetes. This is because household sugar or

sucrose consists of one molecule of glucose and fructose. Only glucose elevates

the sugar level in the normal way while fructose affects it only slightly.

Therefore, in the glycemic index, which measures the effect of different foods

on the blood glucose level, sucrose is listed as a good food.

 

Instead, the danger of fructose lies in causing an exaggerated insulin

response, mainly when it is together with glucose in the same meal, be it from

sucrose, honey or even starches, but to some degree even when ingested on its

own

as a sweetener. However, fructose in whole fruits is generally fine, provided

it is not ingested close to a meal containing starches.

 

Lets look at the common habit of eating sweetened starches as in bread with

jam, marmalade or honey, cakes, biscuits, muesli or breakfast cereals. The

fructose contained in the meal causes a strong rise in the blood insulin level.

At

the same time a large amount of glucose from the breakdown of starches enters

the bloodstream. The excess of insulin quickly channels the glucose inside

muscle cells, which are now overloaded with glucose. Only a small amount is

needed for energy production, the rest may be converted to lactic acid, causing

overacidity, or to body fat. Gradually cells learn to protect themselves by

becoming less responsive to insulin and making it harder for glucose to enter.

 

Until 1980 the rate of obesity and type 2 diabetes was fairly stable.

However, when the health authorities in the U.S.A. started vilifying foods

containing

fats and cholesterol and recommend eating carbohydrates instead, obesity

increased from 13 to 14% of the adult U.S. population to 25% within one decade

and

continues to rise. Type 2 diabetes became an epidemic as well. In addition,

for the first time in history a large number of obese children developed type 2

diabetes. Since then it is no longer called maturity-onset diabetes.

 

While an exaggerated insulin response and resulting loss of insulin

sensitivity is most pronounced in obese individuals, it gradually develops also

in

others after prolonged use of sucrose. The damage is the greater the more

sucrose

is eaten in a gorging pattern instead of in small, spaced out meals.

 

Surprisingly, sucrose has a worse effect than eating its two components,

glucose and fructose, at the same meal. This is called the 'disaccharide effect'

and applies also to other sugars with two components, such as maltose with two

glucose molecules. A hormone in the duodenum (G.P.I.) releases more insulin

after ingestion of disaccharides than after monosaccharides, such as glucose or

fructose.

 

While increased insulin levels are desirable for type I diabetics, with type

II diabetes they just mean more glucose is converted into fat and cholesterol.

However, there is a way to increase insulin sensitivity of muscle cells

naturally - with regular aerobic exercise.

 

HYPERACTIVITY AND ADD

 

Much more widespread than diabetes or hyperglycemia is the opposite condition

- low blood sugar or hypoglycemia. The most common milder form is reactive

hypoglycemia in which the blood-sugar response after eating non-sweet foods is

normal. However, when sweet food is eaten, including sweet fruits, too much

insulin is released and glucose floods the cells.

 

Glucose cannot be stored in cells and has to be metabolized. Which way this

happens depends on the condition of the metabolism. The first stages are easy

and result in the glucose molecule being split in half. This process is

anaerobic: it does not require oxygen. However, oxidizing enzymes are necessary

for

the next stage and these are usually deficient in adults with this condition.

Children, on the other hand, often still have a reasonable supply and are able

to convert most of the glucose to energy.

 

This creates an energy burst that just has to be used, whether it is needed

or not. The result is extreme restlessness: the muscles must move to use the

surplus energy, and the brain is racing as well. When the straw fire of excess

energy is used up, not enough glucose is left to sustain normal activity and

attention. Mental and physical exhaustion follows until a sweet snack lights

another straw fire of hyperactivity.

 

This temporary speeding-up of the energy cycle is exaggerated, and in other

cases triggered off, by various factors that cause stress on the nervous and

hormonal systems. The most frequent cause of such stress is a hidden allergy to

food additives and to common foods such as wheat and cow's milk products.

Usually children's favorite foods are also to blame. Additional triggers may be

fluorescent lighting, television viewing, strong electromagnetic radiation,

petrochemical fumes, tobacco smoke and emotional stress.

 

In adolescents and adults such energy bursts, especially when combined with

dietary allergens or stimulants, lead to periods of uncontrolled violence. Many

studies, involving thousands of institutionalized male juvenile delinquents,

have shown a large drop in the incidence of antisocial behavior in those on

diets low in sugar and allergens. While the average improvement rate was almost

50%, repeat offenders improved by more than 80% and the suicide rate fell

100%.

 

Females, because of their lower adrenaline levels, tend less towards violent

behavior. Instead, the effects of the strong blood-sugar fluctuations after

ingesting sweet food are more internalized. In sensitive individuals, emotions

closely follow the blood-sugar levels, often up and down in quick succession,

alternating between elation and depression.

 

PROBLEMS OF HYPOGLYCEMICS

 

The speedy metabolism that results in hyperactivity and violent behavior

explains why the name 'fast oxidizer' has been coined for those who burn sugar

too

quickly. 'Fast oxidizer' and 'hypoglycemic' mean basically the same thing:

someone with a speeded-up glycolysis (the breakdown of glucose inside the

cells), which ultimately results in a lower than normal blood-sugar level.

 

Contrary to hyperactive children, most adult hypoglycemics have a shortage of

oxidizing enzymes and this interrupts the normal energy that is produced at

the end of glycolysis. Instead of energy, lactic acid is produced in a final

anaerobic stage. Thus only 20% of the total energy is produced that would be

available if glucose was completely oxidized to carbon dioxide and water.

 

This results in overacidity and chronic lack of energy, which is typical of

hypoglycemics who are on sweet diets. Additional energy is required to remove

the lactic acid via the kidneys. Lactic acid must be partly neutralized and

this depletes the body of positive ions, especially calcium. A further result of

overacidity is a high histamine level, which makes us susceptible to strong

allergic reactions and frequent inflammations, while the skin becomes

oversensitive to stings and all forms of irritation.

 

High histamine levels together with a calcium deficiency cause low blood

pressure, which contributes further to a lack of energy and poor circulation,

with

cold hands and feet. Calcium is withdrawn from the blood vessels, resulting

in varicose veins. Calcium deficiency also creates menstrual problems and

weakens the eyes, making us shortsighted.

 

Shortsightedness or myopia actually results from a deficiency of two

minerals, and both are induced mainly by a high consumption of sugar. Chromium

deficiency arises from eating much refined food that lacks this mineral, and

also

from increased excretion of chromium in the urine, which occurs after eating

sweet food when the blood levels are raised in response to high levels of

insulin.

 

The ciliary muscles in the eyes need chromium to accommodate the lens for

near-vision focus. If the ciliary muscles become fatigued from a combination of

chromium deficiency and prolonged close-focus activity, then the eye relieves

this muscle strain by increasing the intra-ocular pressure; this pressure in

turn leads to an elongation of the eyeball and thus to myopia.

 

Increased intra-ocular pressure, however, leads to an elongation of the

eyeball only in those of younger years when the body has a high requirement for

calcium and a relatively soft tissue structure. With increasing age, the tissues

become more and more calcified and rigid. In this situation the eyeball cannot

expand with increased intra-ocular pressure and may glaucoma result.

 

Scientific studies have shown that the excretion of calcium in urine

increases up to fourfold in those with a strong insulin response when given

large

amounts of sugar; this is because plasma-calcium levels are increased after

eating

sugar. The most common sources of the calcium excreted are the bones and

teeth; this contributes to osteoporosis and caries. In elderly individuals high

plasma-calcium levels also accelerate irreversible bonding with collagen and

elastic protein structures, leading to increased rigidity and bone deformations

as in arteriosclerosis and arthritis.

 

A high calcium concentration in the urine leads to an increased risk of

kidney stones as well as kidney damage from the calcification of the filtration

mechanism. A scientific study revealed that young men had increased levels of

female sex hormones on a high sugar intake.

 

Lactic-acid formation that occurs after eating sugar contributes to strong

inflammations such as in rheumatoid arthritis and gingivitis (inflammation of

the gums). Normally the saliva is nearly neutral, which is less favorable for

the growth of plaque bacteria than the acid saliva of hypoglycemics. Sugars are

the only energy source of these bacteria. When we are strictly on non-sweet

diets, plaque bacteria are denied energy and they cannot multiply. This

effectively prevents caries.

 

Giving up sweet food, however, is extremely difficult for our children and

for many adults, because they are thoroughly addicted to it. This addiction is

in principle the same as later addictions to stimulants and drugs. A main

feature of addictions is a weakening of the adrenal glands.

 

Another effect of general overacidity is an inability to alkalize the gastric

content when it enters the duodenum. This makes the pancreas enzymes

inefficient, which require an alkaline medium, and in time may lead to

deficiencies

and digestive problems.

 

SYMPTOMS OF ALLERGY AND BLOOD-SUGAR PROBLEMS

Allergies and blood-sugar problems reinforce each other, and can cause the

same symptoms, or contribute to the same chronic diseases

[ This list did not transfer well to email: you can see it at the url

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abdominal painsaddictions adrenal exhaustion aggressiveness alcoholism anemia

anxietyangina arthritis asthma auto-immune disease backachebloating blurred

vision burning eyes cancer caries chest pain chronic coughschronic indigestion

cold hands and feet colitis coldsconfusion conjunctivitis constipation

convulsionscrying spellsdepression diabetesdiarrheadistended veinsdigestive

problemsdizzinesseczemaemotional instabilityepilepsyexhaustioneye

weaknessfaintingfatigueforgetfulnessgall bladder paingastric

pain/ulcerglaucomahemorrhoidshay

feverheadacheheart attacksheartburnhyperactivityhypertensionimmune

deficiencyindigestioninfectionsinflammationsinsomniairritability joint

painslow blood

pressuremigrainemouth ulcersmucus congestionmuscle crampsmuscle

painsmyopianervousnessneuralgianeurosesnose

bleedingnumbnessobesityedemapalpitationsphobiapoor

circulationrashesrespiratory problemsschizophreniasinusitisskin

problemssweatingtachycardiaunderweightvaricose veinsvomitingweakness

 

 

FRUCTOSE AND THE DISACCHARIDE EFFECT

 

It has been estimated that about half of all ingested carbohydrates in the

USA are in the form of sucrose, the common household sugar, which supplies about

15-20% of the total calories of the diet. One half of the sucrose molecule

consists of fructose and the other half of glucose. The daily fructose intake is

approximately 70 g.

 

Fructose is metabolized more slowly than glucose and also induces a much

stronger insulin response, especially in the presence of glucose. This means

that

reactive hypoglycemia occurs mainly when fructose is part of a meal.

 

Another effect of habitually high insulin levels is a gradual decrease in the

sensitivity of blood-glucose levels to insulin. Higher insulin levels also

cause an increased loss of chromium in the urine. The result is the gradual

onset of maturity-related diabetes.

 

The higher the insulin levels, the more are sugars converted into fat and

cholesterol. Biopsy samples of the human liver showed that fructose was

converted

into fatty acids at rates 3 to 24 times faster than glucose. Fat levels after

fructose consumption rise especially high in those who have a tendency

towards atherosclerosis; this can lead to diabetic complications and

cardiovascular

diseases.

 

These negative effects of a high fructose intake also occur after eating

sucrose. Other health problems arising from the fructose component in sucrose

are

raised blood pressure, caries, elevated uric-acid levels and obesity.

 

Controlled experiments with various species of animals as well as with human

volunteers revealed significant rises in blood pressure not only after

long-term ingestion of sugar but even after a single dose. If taken on an empty

stomach the blood pressure rose 9-10 mm Hg for one to two hours.

 

After sucrose ingestion there is also an increase in uric-acid levels. Uric

acid is produced in the liver from breakdown products of fructose. A raised

uric-acid level in the blood is a feature of gout, some forms of arthritis and

also of heart disease. Men generally produce more uric acid after eating than

women.

 

Experimental studies on animals and humans have shown that sucrose is

possibly the most caries-producing substance in our diet. Plaque bacteria

convert

sucrose to polymers that stick to the teeth. Some individuals have inherited

fructose intolerance and must avoid all fructose and sucrose; they have been

found

to have substantially less tooth decay than the general population.

 

Various animal and human studies have also shown that a diet high in sucrose

can lead to a greater accumulation of fat deposits in susceptible individuals

- generally those with a strong insulin response. Monkeys fed a diet high in

sucrose had produced three times as much deposited fat than those fed an equal

amount of glucose.

 

Surprisingly, eating a certain amount of sucrose produces a stronger insulin

response than eating the same amount of mixed fructose and glucose. The same

is true for maltose, which consists of two molecules of glucose and other

disaccharides. Disaccharides are composed of two simple sugars. The increased

insulin effect of disaccharides compared to that of their component simple

sugars

is called the disaccharide effect. The reason for this effect seems to be that

disaccharides liberate about twice the amount of a gastric hormone called GIP

(gastric inhibitory polypeptide) than that of simple sugars.

 

In practical terms this means that it is harmful for most of us to have

fructose and glucose at the same meal. Examples are: having honey, dried fruit

or

fresh fruit for sweetening cereals or starches; as dessert; as muesli; or as

sweetened coffee or tea after meals. Most harmful are the sweetened starches,

such as cakes, sweet biscuits and sweetened breakfast cereals. Beware especially

of mixing fructose with starches if you want to lose weight.

 

NATURAL SWEET FOODS

 

Unfortunately natural sweet foods such as honey, dried fruits or fruit juices

are no better for diabetics or hypoglycemics than food sweetened with white

sugar. It only seems to matter how much sweet food is used and how quickly it

can enter the bloodstream. Fruits that are acid as well as sweet may be even

worse, especially for hypoglycemics, than plain sugar because the fruit acids

reinforce the existing overacidity. However, by neutralizing fruit acids with

dolomite, they can become beneficial , and eating the whole fruit is better than

drinking the fruit juice only. Also, raw honey has a high concentration of

the beneficial starch-digesting enzyme amylase, which is lacking in heated

commercial honey. Likewise, sun-dried fruit are healthier than heated commercial

dried fruit.

 

While fructose from fruits can be helpful for diabetics, with hypoglycemics

it only increases the lactic-acid overload. Lactic-acid overproduction from the

combined effect of strong muscle activity and sweet food is also responsible

for reported cases of allergic reactions after jogging. The resulting

overacidity simply brings already existing hidden allergies into the open.

Cancer

cells have lost the ability to use oxidizing enzymes. They produce their whole

energy simply by converting glucose anaerobically into lactic acid. Apart from

the loss of calcium, another side effect of lactic-acid build-up is a tendency

to anxiety neuroses, phobias and even panic attacks.

 

It is preferable to have sweet food only occasionally and with a protein

snack or meal. Removing the sweet taste from the tongue as quickly as possible

helps minimize the insulin over-reaction. Alternative sweeteners such as the

sugar alcohols manitol, sorbitol and xylitol are not recommended either. In

larger

amounts they may cause diarrhea or, if absorbed, may contribute to the

development of cataracts or simply fuel the glycolysis. Also, they keep the

craving

for sweetness alive and will in time lead to another binge on sweet food.

 

This is also a problem with the herbal sweetener Stevia. Its leaves are 15 to

30 times as sweet as sugar and an extract can be 300 times as sweet. It is

not known if large amounts over long periods cause unacceptable side effects,

nevertheless, I regard it as for safer than aspartame or other artificial

sweeteners. It should be all right to use occasionally in small amounts but not

to

use it in an addictive way instead of sugar.

 

Other sweeteners such as saccharine and aspartame or nutrasweet may cause

allergies or worse. Theoretically, sweeteners based on sweet amino acids should

be harmless, but often they are not. Fructose is the sweetest sugar, followed

by sucrose. Glucose and maltose are less sweet but somewhat safer for most

people, especially combined with starches. Maltose is available as barley sugar.

Preferably use maltose instead of sucrose for sweetening starches.

 

Those who have a low fasting blood-sugar level - possibly feeling weak or

dizzy on an empty stomach - must be more strict than reactive hypoglycemics and

are advised to avoid all sweet food for several years so that the sugar

metabolism has time to recover.

 

As a general rule, for most individuals it is best to reserve sweet food as a

rare treat for special occasions rather than use it as an everyday food.

However, if you do not have a craving for sweet food, then it is not likely to

be

a problem for you.

 

 

Chapter 4: PROBLEM FOODS AND FOOD PROLEMS

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF4-1.html

· Cow's Milk Products and Lactose

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF4-1.html#Lactose

· Wheat and Gluten

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF4-2.html#Wheat

· Sweet Food

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF4-3.html#Sweet_Food

· Meat and Fat

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF4-4.html

· Chemicals and other Food Problems

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF4-5.html