June 01st, 2014

   Ever heard the saying, "Everything in moderation including moderation”? This is the approach some people take in regard to their diet. The problem with this mentality is that some foods shouldn't be consumed at all, but should be completely eliminated from your diet. This is true of the overly processed  and  refined carbohydrate called sugar. 
Although suddenly removing all added sugar from your diet might be unrealistic, since sugar (in one form or another) has made its way into nearly all of the processed foods available to us, it is wise to greatly limit these foods or to replace them with healthy alternatives. Here are several reasons why. 
  a) Studies have shown that diets high in sugar promote cancer.
 b) Sugar greatly increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and liver disease, just to name a few.
 c) Sugar makes you fat because of the effect it has on your body's insulin.
 d) Just like abusive drugs, sugar is addictive, and since your brain considers it to be a reward, you are left craving more and more of it.
 e) Sugar, by itself, has no nutritional value whatsoever and ends up weighing you down with useless, empty calories.
And, as we well know, sugar causes tooth decay because it supports the growth of harmful bacteria in your mouth.
  These are only some of the many reasons why you should kick added sugar to the curb. You certainly should not, however, confuse the natural sugar found in fresh fruits and vegetables with refined sugar. Your body can benefit not only from the natural sugar found in these fresh foods but also from the fiber and nutrients that they contain. So, protect your body from the dangers lurking inside that sugar-filled candy bar or bottle of pop by grabbing an apple and a glass of water instead.

---