Carole Carson

Is Sugar Evil? Is Sugar Your Recreational Drug of Choice?

Demonizing particular foods and specific categories of foods, such as carbs or fats, is a peculiarly American trait. If you are over 30 years old, you watched margarine dethrone butter only to be dethroned when butter was restored to its former glory. You watched eggs disappear from refrigerators only to be welcomed back as an excellent source of protein. Remember when fat-free diets were promoted? A few years later when the Mediterranean diet was introduced, we learned that all fats were not evil. Some, in fact, were good for us.

Is sugar the latest food to be demonized? Is it addictive? Do you crave a sugar fix?

As a nation, two facts are undisputed. We are getting heavier, and we are consuming more sugar—in fact, 30 percent more than in 1970. The average American consumes 350 calories a day in the form of sugar, mostly in sugared beverages. According to researchers, even drinking one 12-ounce can of regular soda boosts the risk factors for heart disease by 25 percent.

If you’re going to locate all of the sugar you are consuming, you will need to become a very clever food detective. Sugar is hidden in processed foods, such as breakfast cereals, bread and spaghetti sauce. And it regularly is masked under different names, for example, sugar, brown sugar, fructose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, malted corn syrup, barley syrup and molasses. And although federal regulations require listing the main ingredient on products first, you won’t necessarily find sugar listed even when it is the key item. Listing the different kinds of sugars as separate ingredients effectively circumvents this requirement.

Even when we know we are consuming sugar, we have a hard time resisting. In The End of Overeating, author David Kessler asserts that foods that combine fat, salt and sugar (and are, incidentally, accessible on a 24/7 basis) alter brain chemistry and trigger an impulse to eat more.

The increase in sugar consumption and sugar’s possible link to the epidemic of obesity have triggered questions about the relative virtues (or vices) of corn syrup versus natural honey versus white sugar. Because results are inconclusive and in some cases conflicting, some of us have simply tuned out the argument and are switching to sugar substitutes. If life gives us lemons, we say, we can still make sugar-free lemonade.

To be fair, sugar substitutes are not without their critics, but here are the current options if you are determined to avoid the evils of sugar:

• Stevia is made from a plant leaf and is considered generally safe. Product names are Truvia, PureVia and SweetLeaf.

• Sucralose is made by chemically altering sugar molecules. It is considered the safest sugar substitute by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Product name is Splenda.

• Aspartame is used in desserts, yogurts and beverages. Recent research on rats raises questions about safety. Product names are NutraSweet and Equal.

• Saccharin was one of the first sugar substitutes. Long-term studies indicate it is safe to use. Product names are Sweet’N Low and Necta Sweet.

• Acesulfame-K is a calorie-free artificial sweetener. Some recent studies on rats suggest this product is not safe. In some people, gas and bloating have been reported. Product name is Sunett.

We can be assured that if we remove sugar entirely from our diet, we won’t be missing any essential nutrient. Except for blackstrap molasses, which contains a modest amount of calcium, iron and other nutrients, sugar lacks significant nutritional value. For this reason, calories consumed as sugar, while boosting our energy, are frequently referred to as empty calories.

At the same time, humankind is not likely to live by whole wheat unsweetened bread alone. An occasional sweet treat brightens our day. For some of us, though, occasional is a word that does not appear in our sugar vocabulary. Sugar is to us what one drink is to an alcoholic. We can’t stop with one cookie or one scoop of ice cream. Consequently, we find it easier to abstain entirely than to eat sugar in moderation.

Whatever your strategy, be prepared to pay more for sugared treats. Several giant food firms are predicting a shortage that may drive prices up. Besides paying more, you may have to adjust your perspective on sugar as new research challenges our current thinking. If history is our guide, we can be certain of only one truth: sugar fashions, just like clothing fashions, are subject to change. Until we learn otherwise, however, minimizing the sugar in our diet is highly advisable.

Three Tips for Eating Right: Feed Your Nose and Shrink Your Stomach

Too often, the problem with eating right is that it is not as satisfying as eating wrong. Our food preferences often stem from our training from birth to enjoy overly salty, sweet and fatty foods. For example, who doesn’t love a chocolate chip cookie? But who can stop with just one? The combination of the three flavors (salt, sugar and fat) is hyperpalatable, according to Dr. David Kessler, author of The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite.

When we change to a more healthful diet with less salt, sugar and fat, we initially don’t enjoy our food as much. Gratification is delayed until we see a slimmer self in the mirror or start to feel more energetic.

Besides the preference for this unhealthy trio of tastes, another piece of the puzzle involves how eating triggers specific mechanics that translate into feelings of satisfaction, hunger and pleasure. Researchers have concluded that satisfaction is initially registered in the brain rather than the stomach. Although the process seems counterintuitive, the way to trigger a sensation of satisfaction is through the nose.

In one research study of 1,436 subjects, noncaloric crystals were added to food to stimulate satisfaction. The results were astounding: the average weight loss was 30 pounds.

Olfactory nerves are directly linked to the emotional center in our brain, so an appetizing smell activates a specific part of our brain. Brain scans can measure and monitor the degree of activation. Messages sent to various parts of the body from the activation tell us whether we are satisfied or want to eat more.

The research has major implications for food manufacturers, who are keenly aware of the impact of aroma. The development of aromas and additives in foods is an $18.6 billion industry. Clearly, food manufacturers understand the link between smell and satisfaction.

Most importantly for us, however, this scientific research suggests that aromas can be used to fight obesity. Here are three tips in using aromas to trigger satisfaction and become more FIT: 

F: Focus on adding aromatic spices to your dishes as you prepare them. A little basil in a soup or fresh mint on a piece of melon adds fabulous flavor. A couple of fresh herbs and spices growing on the window ledge of your kitchen can make the difference between a drab meal and a meal that your family will ask you to prepare again.

I: Ingest your food first through your nose. Talented wine tasters perform their best work with their noses. If you sniff your plate and don’t say wow, then chances are good that you won’t leave the table satisfied. And remember to make the plate aesthetically appealing as well.

T: Take the time to really appreciate food. Food is culture; food is life. Too often in our day-to-day lives, we eat mechanically—for example, when distracted by television. Cultures that enjoy a healthy relationship with food emphasize the daily pleasure in and enjoyment of food. Find a middle ground.

In some non-Western cultures, food (especially spices and herbs) is considered medicine and may be the sole source of healthcare. If food is medicine and obesity is the illness, then we need to replace the unhealthy trio—sugar, salt and unhealthy fats—with herbs and spices.

Make the time to give your body the nutrition it needs and the satisfaction it craves. When you do, you’ll find that your pleasure in food—rather than your iron discipline—will eventually shrink your waistline.

Three Tips for Keeping Kids Healthy and Trim: Tackling Childhood Obesity One Child at a Time

 

One out of three American children is overweight, a condition unacceptable to First Lady Michelle Obama, who recently launched the first salvo in her campaign against childhood obesity. In response to her concern, President Obama signed a memorandum on February 8, 2010, that created a national task force to address the issue. Members consist of the major heads of government agencies, and their charge is to define and implement ways to reverse the worrisome trend.

 

While the task force is convening, researchers suggest three actions parents can take today to ensure that their child will maintain a normal weight and develop healthy habits that will carry into adulthood. In a study of 8,550 children, researchers led by Dr. Sarah Anderson at Ohio State University found that the children of parents who followed these three simple practices were 40 percent more likely to achieve normal weight than other children were.

 

February is National Parent Leadership Month. Here’s how parents can lead their kids in becoming healthy and FIT:

 

F: Focus on eating meals together. The family that eats together becomes healthier together. Family meals tend to be more nutritious and are more likely to include fruits, vegetables and whole grains. And children who take part in family meals are less likely to fill up on fast foods and sugary sodas. Aim for 5 or more nights a week.

I: Institute a nightly routine for bedtime to ensure that children get adequate rest. School-age children need 10 to 11 hours of sleep a night. A survey in 2004 by the National Sleep Foundation found that American school-age children were, on average, sleeping less than 10 hours a night. This deficit can contribute to surplus pounds.

T: Turn off the television. Take control of and limit all screen time (DVD, video, video game, computer and television use). In one study, children ages 8 to 18 averaged nearly six hours a day of screen time. When limiting use, consider the age of the child: no television viewing before age 2, no more than one to two hours a day for preschool children and no more than two hours a day for school-age children.

 

These three practices will help your child avoid the discrimination and social embarrassment of being overweight as well as future medical problems associated with surplus pounds. As an added bonus, your child will perform better in school and be less likely to get into trouble.

 

Pediatricians, healthcare professionals and others who work with children, while concerned that childhood obesity rates have tripled in the past 30 years, also assure us that we can eliminate the scourge of childhood obesity. They agree with First Lady Obama that the problem is “imminently solvable.” But to reverse the trend, we’ll need to make these and other changes that enhance fitness. Government intervention, national task forces and school programs are needed and appreciated, but nothing is as powerful as parental leadership. Childhood obesity can be reversed—one child at a time, one family at a time.

 

Is Junk Food Addictive?

The notion that junk food, like narcotics, is addictive and that this addiction explains the national crisis in obesity is gaining traction. Recent findings based on research with rats reported in Science News (November 21, 2009) provide worrisome support for this idea.

Rats fed a diet rich in junk food (processed cakes, sausage, bacon, cheesecake, etc.) quickly adopted the habits of drug addicts. They wanted more and more junk food and needed more and more to feel normal; they refused to eat regular food once they were hooked on the rich, sweet food even if rejecting normal food meant starving; they continued to eat junk food even when consuming it triggered an electric shock to their feet; and once they went back to rat chow, their bodies took a long time to recover. In fact, some never did return to normal eating habits.

Tests on the rats’ brains and intestines during and after the rats consumed junk food showed biochemical changes. Researchers concluded that the brains and digestive systems of the rats had become captive of the chemical changes resulting from eating junk food—the very definition of addiction. And like drug addiction, junk food addition can produce changes that are difficult to unwire.

If the experiment with rats is predictive of human behavior, then the chemical changes in the rats’ bodies and the rats’ addictive habits could explain the growing problem of obesity in the United States. As we consume more and more rich, sugary food, we will want more and more, and we’ll gain more and more weight.

Where’s the light at the end of the tunnel? Do you see cheese at the end of this maze? Because I’m an optimist at heart, I’m going to keep looking.