By now you know that sugar, especially refined white sugar, is not good for you. In fact, that could very well be the understatement of the decade, as research links sugar with promoting all kinds of diseases in your body including cancer, diabetes, heart problems, and much more. As a first step in helping you protect your family from harm, let’s do some basic math:
- The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that the average American consumes anywhere between 150 to 170 pounds of refined sugars in one year!
- To help you clearly visualize that amount, just picture 30 to 34 five-pound bags of sugar side by side on your kitchen counter!
- This equates to gobbling down ¼ to ½ pounds of sugar every day!
- And that equals 30-60 teaspoons in a 24-hour period!
Impossible, you think? Well check out these numbers:
- An average 12-ounce can of soda contains about 8 ounces of simple sugar.
- It only takes four 12-ounce cans of sodas to equal 1/4 pound of sugar!
For many, unfortunately, sugar is a daily habit that includes soda, of course, but extends well beyond to include the likes of cookies, donuts, pastries, chocolate, and more.
And then there are all the foods that you would never dream of containing sugar. But they’re out there, alright, hiding behind such common aliases as: barley malt, corn syrup, dextrose, fruit juice concentrate, maltose, maple syrup, and molasses. And here are just some of the food products steeped in these manufactured, unhealthy sugars:
- barbecue sauces
- breads
- canned-fruits
- cookies
- crackers
- frozen dinners
- hot dogs
- ketchup
- marinades
- peanut butter
- pickles
- salad dressing
- soup
- vegetables
So what’s a careful consumer to do? Read the labels, and look for those hidden sugars lurking in the most unsuspecting foods. Second, substitute some of these healthy sugar alternatives in everything from your morning coffee to all your cooking and baking recipes:
- Honey
- Agave Nectar
- Molasses
- Fruit
- Stevia
- Coconut palm sugar
- Unsweetened applesauce
Say “no” to sugar and “yes” to a healthier you!
