Sugar has become an epidemic in our society. It is an incredibly difficult challenge trying to pull food off the shelf that does not have added sugar. Think not? Take a look at the food labels in your pantry. Sugar hides in some crafty places like corn syrup, corn sweeteners, confectioner's sugar, dextrin, dextrose, brown sugar, cane sugar, evaporated cane juice, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, agave, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar, lactose, malt syrup, maltose, maple syrup, molasses, raw sugar, sucrose, syrup, table sugar, turbinado sugar ... and of course the health wrenching sweeteners such as aspartame and the like. Sugar by any other name ... is still sugar.
But I get it, I get it ... it tastes good, you like it, but if you really wanted to quit consuming so much you could, right? On the contrary, it seems that a sugar addiction is actually worse than a cocaine addiction. And over half the population more than likely suffers from this addiction. Have you ever noticed that the more sugar you eat the more sugar you crave? We may joke about that sugar high we get after eating a sweet snack, but according to recent brain scans ... sugar really is as addictive as cocaine, if not more so! It causes a euphoric effect that triggers dopamine, the chemical that controls pleasure in the brain. "Along with prescription drugs, internet porn, computer games, and dozens of other consumer items, we are forming an intimate relationship with sugary snacks that supplements and complements the “traditional” addictions to alcohol, gambling and illegal drugs. Just think about what happens at the office when a co-worker walks in carrying a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. There’s a general squealing sound and everyone rushes over excitedly. You would think that someone had just arrived at a party with a few grams of coke. People descend on it in the same way."
This modern sugar addiction is also the primary reason that so many people have become obese and diabetic in the past 30 years. Consuming excessive amounts of refined sugar is a huge dietary link to several other chronic ailments like heart disease, hypertension, and many common cancers. In the 1970s there was a landmark study known as the Seven Countries Study, which provided compelling evidence that saturated-fat consumption was the best dietary predictor of heart disease. But it turns out, in the same study, sugar consumption was almost equally predictive.
Additionally, having regular blood sugar surges destabilizes your brain through the process of glycation. Basically, glycation is a chemical process where glucose, proteins, and fats become tangled together making body tissue stiff and inflexible, including your brain. Glycation is also a free radical problem that causes rapid aging. To put it in neurological terms, glycation has the potentional of literally shrinking brain tissue. Which is why it has been linked to many neurological disorders including Alzheimer's disease.
While your surging blood sugar levels are caused by overconsumption of processed foods like white bread, candy, soda, and some alcohols, having a diet comprised of whole, plant based foods will conversely stabilize the neurological force and promote clear thinking, a healthy body, and stable emotions. Break the addiction!
(for more on neurological issues with sugar see http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/depression-your-brain-on-sugar/)
As discussed, excess sugar is tied to chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and nonalcoholic fatty-liver disease. Doctors say these diseases are "the complications of metabolic syndrome where blood sugars and fat levels rise and the accumulation of fat around the midsection - hence, the apple-shaped body." So let's take a brief look at metabolic syndrome, which is a condition known basically as being insulin-resistant. Your body (pancreas) secretes insulin in response to the foods you eat in order to keep blood sugar under control after a meal. When your cells become resistant to insulin, your body responds by rising blood sugar and pumping out more insulin. Your pancreas eventually cannot keep up, which results in pancreas exhaustion. Now your blood sugar will rise out of control and you have diabetes. So because of the unique way that we metabolize sugars and corn syrups and due to the mass levels that we consume it, sugar causes fat to accumulate in livers followed by insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. This process ultimately triggers heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
Still in disbelief that we are consuming sugar at epidemic levels in this country? The Department of Agriculture stated that we were consuming 75 pounds of sugar per person per year in 1980. At that time, roughly one in seven Americans was obese and 6 million were diabetic. By the early 2000s, our consumption was over 90 pounds of sugar per person per year. This also lead to stats that one in three Americans was obese and 14 million were diabetic. Currently, the average American eats a third pound of sugar a day and consumes over 130 pounds of sugar a year ... think where we are heading ...
So what can you do to combat this addictive and health-devastating substance? Break the addiction, join me on a 21 Day Sugar-free Vegan Challenge! How to eat? We'll be covering the day-to-day PBD Starter Kit next week, but for now keep these staples in mind:
- Vegetables (steamed, sauteed, stir fried, salads, with dip, in green smoothies, soups, in casseroles, etc.)
- Fruit (fresh, frozen, in smoothies, with a plant-based no sugar added dip, on top of pudding recipe below)
- Lentil beans, legumes, hummus
- Veggie pastas, whole grains (brown rice, cous cous, quinoa, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta)
- Limited nuts, seeds, nut butters, avocados, guacamole, etc.
I'll provide more recipes next week, but definitely go online and search plant-based recipe for ___ whatever you're craving, it's out there!
If you have a sugar craving that is not being satisfied by some delicious fruit, use the PBD recipes below or get creative and search plant-based desserts, which will mean they have no animal products, no added sugar, and limited if any added oils. To sweeten your desserts stick to the basics:
- Fresh fruit
- Dried fruit
- Applesauce (no sugar added)
- Cinnamin
- Molasses (sparingly)
- Honey (sparingly)
- Maple syrup (real, sparingly)
- Stevia (sparingly)
(The challenge and many recipes courtesy of Scandi Foodie at http://scandifoodie.blogspot.com/2012/01/21-day-sugar-free-vegan-challenge-week.html)
PBD Dessert Recipes
Simple Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients:
1 medium ripe banana
1 cup of dates
1 tbsp vanilla extract (alcohol-free preferably)
3/4 cup oat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder (aluminum-free)
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup raisins (packed)
Preheat oven to 350F.
Make date pasted by soaking cup of dates in water for several hours to soften (add only enough water to cover the dates). When dates appear swollen and flaky, pour out some of the water and blend for 1 minute until smooth.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas and mix in date paste and vanilla extract. Slowly stir in the oat flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. When mixture is smooth, add the rolled oats and raisins.
Scoop dough by tablespoons onto baking sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
*Note that if you do not have oat flour you can simply blend rolled oats to make it or use brown rice or whole wheat flour.
*You can also add other dried fruit (non-sweetened), pecans, walnuts, etc. for more variety.
Sweet Fruit Dip
Ingredients:
1 14oz package of silken tofu
2 tbsp vanilla extract (alcohol-free)
3/4 cup dates
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor until creamy (45-60 seconds).
Use dip for topping on baked goods, yogurt, or dipping fresh fruits!
Chocolate pudding
2 avocados
1 banana
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup dates, pitted, soaked in water for a few hours, drained
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 banana
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup dates, pitted, soaked in water for a few hours, drained
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Combine all ingredients in a food processor until
smooth, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Transfer to a bowl
or individual serving bowls and chill several hours before serving. Serves 6.
*For best taste, serve chilled with plenty of berries (blueberries are especially good!)
*For best taste, serve chilled with plenty of berries (blueberries are especially good!)
(recipe courtesy of Whole Foods Market)
You can start the challenge anytime, I wish you luck and good health! Keep me posted if you start it! If you are curious about more info about sugar, check out Dr. Lustig's youtube lecture "Sugar: The Bitter Truth." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbh8SMsA7RI)
All the best from Your Healthy Herbivore,
S
"This generation is the first in recorded history predicted to live a shorter lifespan than the preceding generation. What does that tell you about our health?" - Julianna Hever, M.S., R.D.
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