In my article from last month, I talked about how the opioid epidemic was 20 years in the making due to opioids being overprescribed during that time period. It turns out the sugar epidemic has been 40 plus years in the making when high fructose corn syrup first hit the market in 1975 and the nationwide effort beginning in the 1970s to reduce fat in the diet to decrease heart disease (by increasing sugar intake). Unlike opioids where the consequences can be deadly very quickly if too high a dose is taken, high sugar consumption is more of a gradual death sentence that will eventually lead to weight gain, diabetes, high triglycerides, cardiovascular disease, kidney problems, hypertension, memory issues, depression, gout and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. We now consume 152 lbs of sugar per year or 22 teaspoons per day in adults (even higher in children at 34 teaspoons per day!) which is way beyond the recommended 6-9 teaspoons per day and way beyond what our bodies were designed to handle. We now know that like drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, sugar activates the reward system in our brain that leads to pleasure, craving, and loss of control for more sugar.
Why is this happening? The truth is real food is hard to find in this day and age when 80% of the food in supermarkets is spiked with sugar. This includes many foods you would never suspect have sugar added unless you properly read the food labels including: flavored yogurt, granola, bread, canned soup, canned vegetables, salad dressing, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, sports drinks, protein bars, packaged meats, and some peanut butter. There are actually 56 names for sugar that you may find on any ingredient list but no matter what the name, sugar is sugar.
56 Names for Sugar
Barley malt
Barbados sugar
Beet sugar
Brown sugar
Buttered syrup
Cane juice
Cane sugar
Caramel
Corn syrup
Corn syrup solids
Confectioner’s sugar
Carob syrup
Castor sugar
Date sugar
Dehydrated cane juice
Demerara sugar
Dextran
Dextrose
Diastatic malt
Diastase
Ethyl maltol
Free flowing brown sugar
Fructose
Fruit juice
Fruit juice concentrate
Galactose
Glucose
Glucose solids
Golden sugar
Golden syrup
Grape sugar
High fructose corn syrup
Honey
Icing sugar
Invert sugar
Lactose
Malt
Maltodextrin
Maltose
Malt syrup
Mannitol
Maple syrup
Molasses
Muscovado
Panocha
Powdered sugar
Raw sugar
Refiner’s syrup
Rice syrup
Sorbitol
Sorghum syrup
Sucrose
Sugar (granulated)
Treacle
Turbinado sugar
Yellow sugar
Many holistic practitioners tell us in idealistic terms that we should make the decision to quit cold turkey all sugar, gluten, grains and dairy and replace with foods with protein (meat, eggs), healthy fat (nuts, seeds, coconut oil, avocado) and fiber (vegetables, berries, nuts, seeds). Without a doubt, there are people who have the discipline to make these changes but the reality is most people and children are not willing to give up sugar entirely (myself included!). Thus, any discussion about giving up sugar to the average person is a dead end and such advice will be ignored. Is there a Plan B?
The Plan B I would propose would focus on using sugar more as an occasional reward and not a major part of our every day diet. This would include the following steps:
Adopt the 80/20 rule. 80% of your diet is healthy and wholesome and the other 20% would be the high carb/processed food that you might have once or twice a week.
Limit processed sugar to 25 mg per day (or 6 teaspoons) but don’t waste it on foods where sugar is not necessary for the food to still be enjoyed such as spaghetti sauce or bread.
Learn how to properly read a food label so that you recognize how many grams of sugar are in the food and that sugar is not one of the major ingredients.
Be willing to cook more and keep healthy treats available. Find low sugar replacements for high carbohydrate foods. Think stevia and almond flour for baked goods, cauliflower crust pizza, or zucchini pasta. Artificial sweeteners are no better than sugar when it comes to blood sugar levels but natural sweeteners such as stevia, monk fruit are best and perhaps smaller quantities of honey, agave, and maple syrup. Fresh fruit is also okay in limited quantities as there is fiber to neutralize the sugar (fructose).
Always have a healthy breakfast so that you can start out the day with a balanced blood sugar level. This might include protein (meat, eggs, protein powder shake), healthy fat (avocado, coconut oil, nuts, seeds) and fiber (vegetables, berries, nuts, seeds).
If possible quit or minimize use of gluten and grains which are high carbohydrate foods that are converted to sugar. Avoid starchy foods like potatoes.
No more soft drinks or sugary liquids.
Hungry? Try water first. Sometimes feeling hungry is a signal the body is dehydrated. Eat slower and wait 20 minutes for second portions.
People are always surprised to learn how much sugar they are consuming without realizing it. Last week, I met with an 18 year old patient who told me he does not have a sweet tooth and is not drawn to sugary treats very often. However, upon further questioning he did mention that he drinks two bottles of iced tea every day that are sweetened. In fact, there are 60 mg of sugar (15 teaspoons) if you add up those two bottles which is twice the amount of recommended sugar per day. I advised him to start being aware of how much sugar he is consuming and consider making his own tea with a healthier sweetener. Unfortunately, education will probably not be enough to get people to change their habits when it comes to sugar. I’m also not very optimistic that the food industry or government will intervene in any meaningful way to change course. What’s left is for each of us to make our own decisions and hopefully not suffer too much in the process. Most people will start making changes when their health problems start mounting but it is my hope that more people will become motivated to feel their best and with less sugar that would include more energy, better skin, better sleep, mood, and memory.