Health News (Week 25 – 2014)
By Robert Redfern

The media have been reporting recently that Diabetes is on the rise. As if that was news! We all know it has been steadily rising for the past 60 years along with the consumption of sugar and with it… an increase in heart disease, cancer, lung disease and Alzheimer’s disease (the big killers).

The media of course in their reports indicate we should cut down on sugar and sugary foods as though one less bagel (more or less) a day will solve everything. Of course the media is fed this misinformation by the medical business and the food industry. The real goal of these organizations are to get people on drugs or create a smokescreen, in the case of the food industry, as to the huge change needed to stop this avalanche of excess sugar and the disease it causes.

To clarify…these diseases, caused by excess sugar, are not being limited by drugs and these diseases start in the womb.

University of California researchers assessed the diets of 454 mothers of babies born with neural tube defects, like spina bifida. Their diets were compared to the diets of 462 mothers of healthy babies.

The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. For expectant mothers, the results were shocking. The risk of birth defects doubled in pregnant women that ate high-sugar foods, including white rice, white bread, potatoes, and some soft drinks. The risk of birth defects quadrupled in obese women.

Is Sugar Needed?

No, technically. There are many studies showing that a diet high in vegetables and healthy fats (The Ketogenic Diet) can deliver all the energy our cells need and many diseases clear up just by following this diet. For the rest of us who just want to follow a regular diet, the amount of sugar the average person needs is 12 teaspoons. Even this may be too much for sedentary people.

What is Too Much Sugar?

Twelve teaspoons a day may seem generous but it is very small compared with the 60-70 teaspoons consumed in the average Western diet. 60-70 teaspoons of sugar is UNFIT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION.

Sugar in the western diet can add up quickly.

For example:

  • 1 cup of milk = 2 teaspoons of sugar
  • 1 bowl of breakfast cereal with milk = 8 teaspoons of sugar
  • 1 cup of rice (cooked) = 9 teaspoons of sugar
  • 1 banana = 5 teaspoons of sugar
  • 1 baked potato (not including skin) = 7 teaspoons of sugar
  • 2 slices of bread = 4 teaspoons of sugar
  • 1 average soda/soft drink = 8 teaspoons of sugar
  • 1 large soda/soft drink = up to 32 teaspoons of sugar

Poison or Moderation?

If you make it your goal to eat a maximum of 6-12 teaspoons of sugar or 30-60 grams of counting carbohydrates per day, you will be far ahead of the curve. But this sugar must come from ‘acceptable’ foods such as quinoa, a banana, a grapefruit etc

I really hope none of my readers drink fizzy drinks/sodas, if you do replace these with filtered water.

The unfortunate truth is that the average sugar intake in the modern Western diet is 60 to 70 teaspoons each day and this is causing disease. Hidden in bad foods such as: breads, cookies, cakes, pasta, parsnips, drinks, sodas, fruit juices, breakfast cereals, corn products, white rice, white potatoes and of course, all processed foods.

What Can I Do to Cut Sugar Down?

Sugar is addictive, it won’t be easy or simple to stop. Here are my tips:

  • Reduce slowly with small steps. Br dedicated.
  • Take Cinnamon27 before each meal or a drink containing high sugar as this blocks sugar absorption and mitigates the damage it does. Good Health Naturally have this on a Buy 1 Get 1 Free
  • If you have Diabetes get my eBook Solving Diabetes in 27 Days
  • For those contemplating a baby see my Healthy Fertility Plan here

Sources:

1. Am J Clin Nutr November 2003 vol. 78 no. 5 972-978

2. J S Sheffield, et al. Maternal diabetes mellitus and infant malformations. Obstet Gynecol. 2002 Nov; 100 (5 Pt 1): 925 – 930. E L Fine, et al. Evidence that elevated glucose causes altered gene expression, apoptosis, and neural tube defects in a mouse model of diabetic pregnancy. Diabetes. 1999 Dec; 48 (12): 2454-2462.