Replacing Refined Sugars with Natural Sugars One Step At a Time

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Replacing Refined Sugars with Natural Sugars One Step At a Time

_http://www.westonaprice.org/transition/sugars.html_

(http://www.westonaprice.org/transition/sugars.html)

By _Lori Lipinski_ (http://www.westonaprice.org/transition/sugars.html#lori)

 

The average American now consumes 175 pounds of sugar per year! That's 46

teaspoons a day! If we pretend that sugar actually had some benefits, eating

one-half pound every day would not seem like such a bad idea. But the truth is

that sugar has absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever. Not only does it

totally lack nutrients, but when you eat sugar it actually robs your body of

nutrients-- vitamins, minerals and even enzymes.

Sure sugar may be temporarily pleasing to the taste buds, but the rest of

the body suffers for it. The sad thing is that most people are not aware of the

devastating effects that excess sugar consumption has on the body. The

cartoon illustrates a typical day for many Americans and how the standard

American

diet affects our health, especially the way we think and feel.

 

1. Who has time for breakfast?

 

Eating a typical high carb breakfast or skipping it all together can have a

major impact on the rest of your day. Here's why: Blood sugar (glucose) is

the fuel for every single cell in your body. So naturally you want your fuel

supply to be constant all day long. Eating balanced meals at regular intervals

throughout the day is necessary to maintain this balance. Breakfast is

important because it lays the foundation for the rest of the day. Typical

breakfast

foods--cold cereal, bagels, donuts, pancakes, waffles, or even oatmeal with

sugar, fruit, toast with jam, and fruit juice--are all high in sugars and

simple carbohydrates which cause the blood sugar to spike up and then crash.

2. The morning crash

The " crash " actually has a medical word for it--hypoglycemia. It is a state

of low blood sugar, not actually a disease. When your blood sugar drops too

low (after eating a high sugar, high carb meal) or stays too low (after eating

nothing at all) many symptoms can occur. The first symptoms to set in are

usually mental difficulties, because the brain requires a lot of fuel to do its

job. So you may have trouble concentrating or processing information, being

forgetful, or feeling mentally dull. Other symptoms include anxiety, feeling

overwhelmed, irritable (especially when hungry), depression, crying spells,

addictive behavior and cravings for sweets or starches. And, of course, if

your fuel supply drops too low, fatigue will obviously be a factor. Many people

rely on caffeine to pick themselves up when they crash, creating a

" tired-wired " feeling. Many are not aware that the caffeine creates further

problems

by weakening the adrenal glands which produce hormones that help your body

deal with stress.

3. Lunch on the go

It's common for many people to rush through lunch, grabbing something quick

and convenient, basically whatever it takes to make the hungry feeling go

away. Convenience foods are high in refined carbohydrates, which not only

perpetuate the up-and-down cycle of the blood sugar roller coaster, but also

weaken

the immune system. Studies have shown that the ingestion of 100-gram

portions of carbohydrates, such as glucose, fructose, sucrose, honey, and

orange

juice, all significantly reduced the ability of neutrophils to engulf and

destroy bacteria. These effects started less that 30 minutes after ingestion

and

lasted for over five hours.1 Eating sugar throughout the day is a constant

assault on the immune system.

Even if you don't think you eat a lot of sugar, you'd be surprised at how

quickly 100 grams can add up. Just 10 gum drops, three pancakes with syrup,

four pretzel rods and a pop, or even a " healthy " meal like oatmeal with

raisins,

a banana, and a glass of orange juice, are all well over 100 grams each!

4. The afternoon crash

Ever feel that slump in the middle of the afternoon? You know, when you're

so exhausted the only thing you can think about is taking a nap. This is the

time when most people go in search of some caffeine and sugar to pick

themselves up quickly--especially at work because falling asleep at your desk

doesn't

go over really well with your boss! The problem with the quick " pick-me-up "

is that in no time your blood sugar crashes down again. " What goes up

quickly, comes down quickly " applies to your blood sugar as well as other

things in

life!

These " pick-me-up " convenient snack foods are high in refined carbohydrates,

such as white flour and white sugar, which rob the body of enzymes, minerals

and vitamins, especially B vitamins. B vitamins are essential for proper

brain and nervous system function. A deficiency in B vitamins includes symptoms

like depression, anxiety, panic attacks, heart palpitations, and muscle

weakness and tenderness, to name a few.

5. Who feels like cooking dinner?

I'm sure at one time or another, possibly every day of your life, you have

felt like the woman in our cartoon; let's call her Suzie. Suzie has deprived

her body of the proper nutrients and fuel it needs to do its job. It's no

wonder that she, just like millions of other Americans, feels so exhausted by

the

end of the day. So when she comes home from work, taking the time to prepare

a nourishing meal for herself and her family is probably the last thing on

her mind. The problem is that now Suzie's poor eating habits--and all the

problems caused by poor eating habits--are being passed on to her children. So

after loading up on a convenient high-carb meal, Suzie, as well as the rest of

the family, is likely to experience symptoms of low blood sugar, creating an

evening full of mood swings, tension and chaos.

6. Why can't I sleep?

At the end of a long day of exhausting your body with a poor diet, sleep

couldn't come soon enough. But for those who have sugar-handling problems,

falling asleep and staying asleep can be quite a challenge. The purpose of

sleep

is to heal and repair, and the body requires fuel for this work. So if your

body doesn't have enough fuel to do its job, chances are you'll find yourself

just lying there in bed, unable to fall into a deep sleep no matter how

exhausted you may feel. If staying asleep is the problem, you've simply run out

of

fuel, so you find yourself staring at the clock at 2:57 A.M. unable to go

back to sleep. Not only does a lack of sleep further weaken your immune system,

but it also causes an even deeper level of fatigue, weakness, anxiety and

nervousness.

This is an example of what can occur during a typical day in the life of an

American who eats the standard American diet. And this is just one day. Over

time, this pattern can seriously affect the way that we think and feel, and

ultimately our overall health. It's much easier to enjoy life when you're

healthy! Before we can build good health, we have to stop doing the things that

destroy it--eliminating white sugar is a great start! The following program

will help you replace refined sugar with natural sugars, one step at a time.

1. Eliminate all sugar drinks

Avoid all sodas, powdered drinks, sports drinks and fruit juices (basically

anything in a can, bottle or drink box). Instead, drink plenty of clean water

(reverse osmosis filtration is best). It can be flavored with juice of

lemon, orange, or essential oils like cinnamon, tangerine or peppermint. Also,

herb teas make tasty drinks and come in many delicious flavors (but avoid those

with added " flavorings " ). Try serving tea chilled and add a pinch of stevia

(a natural low-calorie sweetener available at health food stores). If you have

access to some sour lacto-fermented drinks or are willing to make them,

these would be great.

2. Limit sugar foods to three times per week

Even if you don't think you eat a lot of sweets, you might be surprised at

how quickly they can add up without your even knowing, especially if you have

a habit of " unconscious grazing. " Use this step to help you pay close

attention to the foods you put in your body. Food journaling can be quite

helpful

for some people. Most important, pay attention to how you feel after eating

sweets. Once you have given up the habit of eating sweets on a daily basis, it

is common to experience symptoms like nausea, headache, fatigue, or dizziness

after indulging in sweets. After giving up sweets for a while, many people

say that they don't even taste that good anymore.

3. Make a habit of eating at least three good meals per day

One of the best ways to overcome cravings for sweets is to eat balanced

meals at regular intervals throughout the day. To build a balanced meal, begin

with a protein (complete protein is anything from an animal), include a natural

source of carbohydrates (veggies, legumes, properly prepared whole grains,

or fruits), and don't forget the good fats (butter, lard, tallow, coconut,

oil, palm oil, and olive oil). Don't be afraid to eat lots of good fat at every

meal. Fats slow down the entry of sugar into the blood stream and prevent

those morning and afternoon crashes. If your breakfast, lunch and dinner are

filled with nutritious, high-fat foods, you probably won't even think about

snack foods between meals.

4. Replace refined sugars with natural sugars

Get in the habit of reading labels and avoid products made with white sugar,

corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, dextrose, fructose, and ALL

artificial sweeteners. Instead use natural sweeteners, including pure maple

syrup, molasses, stevia, Rapadura (dehydrated cane sugar juice) or raw

unfiltered honey. Many health food stores offer products made with natural

sweeteners, like cookies and ice cream, and even licorice, although it is

better to

make your own. Use this step to help you become acquainted with all the natural

alternatives to replace refined sugar products.

5. Limit natural sweets to three times per week

Blood sugar imbalances occur after eating too many sweets, even the natural

ones! So it's important to limit even the natural sweets in your diet. And

remember, the best way to prevent sweets from causing a major crash in blood

sugar is to avoid eating them by themselves. Instead include dessert as part of

a balanced meal. A steak with some steamed veggies, a salad topped with

olive oil-based dressing, and a couple of natural cookies made with butter and

eggs would be a healthy and balanced way to include dessert. Avoid having

dessert with a meal that is high in carbohydrates like pasta, bread, or rice.

Eliminating refined sugar can be quite a challenging step, but the

incredible impact it will have on your overall health and well-being is

definitely

worth it! Set a target date for accomplishing each step and be sure to complete

one step before moving on to the next one. Be patient with yourself through

this process. Many times people try to quit sugar " cold turkey, " but end up

dreaming about it all day long until eventually they binge on sweets. Then they

are right back on the blood-sugar roller coaster. The goal is to stabilize

your blood sugar by eating balanced meals at regular intervals throughout the

day so that you no longer crave sweets. True success comes when you do eat

sweets and they no longer taste good, better yet, they give you a headache,

make you nauseous, tired, dizzy and depressed!

Next Issue: Finding and Avoiding White Flour

References

1. Role of Sugars in Human Neutrophilic Phagocytosis. American Journal

of Clinical Nutrition, 1973, 26pp. 1, 180-4)

Sidebar Articles

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How to Stabilize Your Blood Sugar

Blood sugar (glucose) is the fuel for every single cell in your body. Eating

balanced meals at regular intervals throughout the day is the most important

thing we can do to keep our fuel supply stable. In order to know how to

balance a meal, it is necessary to understand how different foods burn. I like

to

use a simple campfire analogy to explain this to clients. Food burns a lot

like a nice campfire.

Fats are like the big log in the fire that burns for a long time. Fats are

slow-burning fuels that help to stabilize blood sugar and allow you to go

between meals without feeling so hungry. Fats also send a signal to your brain

to

tell you when you're satisfied, so you know when to stop eating. This

explains why people on lowfat diets are so hungry all the time. Eating fats at

every meal helps to control your appetite. The best fats for consumption are

butter, lard, tallow, coconut oil, palm oil or olive oil. Good fats should be

included with every meal.

Protein is like the teepee which provides the support and structure for the

campfire. Protein is the building block for every single cell in the body.

It's what the body uses to heal and repair. Protein also supplies the body with

amino acids which help to stabilize blood sugar and reduce cravings for

carbohydrates. Complete protein comes from animal sources and should be the

base

of every meal.

Carbohydrates are quick burning fuels which are like the kindling in the

campfire. Carbohydrates that are high in fiber burn a little slower, like

little

twigs. The processed carbohydrates like white bread, sugared cereals, candy,

cakes, cookies, crackers, pasta, and bagels burn up more quickly, like

leaves and paper. And what would happen if you threw a bunch of twigs, leaves,

and

paper in a pile and lit them on fire? You'd get a huge blaze and then it

would burn out quickly. The same thing happens when you eat a meal of nothing

but carbohydrates, even the natural ones like fruits, vegetables and whole

grains.

So to keep your blood sugar stable, think of building a nice campfire at

each meal. Start with your protein teepee, add some natural carbohydrate

kindling, and be sure to include your big fat log to keep your fire burning

strong!

 

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About the Author

Lori Lipinski is a Certified Nutritional Consultant, lecturer and writer

whose articles have been published and quoted in highly respected national and

international health journals and books. Lori developed the " Making the

Transition " series to help people transition toward a REAL food diet, one step

at a

time.

 

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