Sugar, Cancer, Obesity...

Does it seem to you that too many people you love are facing cancer?!? It does to me.

I grew up eating dessert on a regular basis and I didn't see any problem with it. No one in our family is overweight and they definitely seem to work off everything they consume. I equated sweets with fun treats and rewards and thought that since we were getting fat, they weren't really having any effect on us (me!). When I started to learn about the connection between sugar consumption and disease... it startled me. And yet, it made sense.

I still like sweets- evident by my birthday gifts yesterday: homemade truffles and gift wrapped chocolate bars. Yet, I'm more mindful to cut down sugar (especially processed sugar) in other areas where I can. One simple way to do this is to use 1/2 the amount that a recipe calls for; we've never missed it! Another idea is to switch from white sugar to unrefined cane sugar, coconut sugar, or sucanat.

Here is the latest article I read from Dr. Mercola; a great resource on health topics. This little paragraph was my favorite and sums it all up nicely. (There is lots more to read there if you are interested.)


From Dr. Mercola: "The main problem with sugar, and processed fructose in particular, is the fact that your liver has a very limited capacity to metabolize it. According to Dr. Robert Lustig, you can safely use about six teaspoons of added sugar per day unless you are vigorously exercising. But the average American consumes 22 teaspoons of added sugar a day.
 
All that excess sugar is metabolized into body fat, and leads to all of the chronic metabolic diseases we struggle with, including cancer.
 
Four grams of sugar is equivalent to about one teaspoon, and I strongly recommend limiting your daily fructose intake to 25 grams or less from all sources, including natural ones like fruit. That equates to just over six teaspoons of sugar a day"