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But not more than 25g of sugar /day

Have you ever wondered why you haven’t been able to shed off all those excess pounds? Regardless of how much of an effort you put into food prep, making healthier food choices and getting at least 30-minutes of daily exercise.

For the sake of diet and exercise alone, we’re going to rule out any possible underlying health issues that may be preventing you from losing a few inches off the waist. Now, it’s perfectly safe to say that all of those excess pounds could possibly be blamed on all the excess sugar you consume daily without even knowing it.

nutritionIndex

So here are a the facts: The FDA requires all food and dietary supplement manufactured in the United States to have a ‘Nutrition Facts’ label on the product. Found on the ‘Nutritional Facts’ label, you will find: The ingredients, serving size, servings per container, calories, fat, sodium, protein, and sugar.

Most of these things come with a % daily value, to keep track of your daily intake of whatever it is you’re consuming. But, if you’ve ever paid close attention, you’ll see that sugar doesn’t have a percentage daily value. It’s almost as if sugar as an ingredient isn’t at all important. Fun Fact: It most certainly is, and here’s why… Sugar; it’s highly addictive, horribly debilitating and absolutely delicious.

That’s the problem.

Let’s go back in time for a second. In 1822: Americans consumed 45 grams of sugar every five days. The amount of sugar in a can of coke, basically.

In 2012: Americans consumed 756 grams of sugar every five days. 130 pounds of sugar per year.

Now, I’m not sure how those numbers look from your point of view; but if you look at the average Americans waistline, you’d know just what it means for us as humans. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day are:

  • Men: 150 calories per day (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons).
  • Women: 100 calories per day (25 grams or 6 teaspoons).

The human body was not designed to consume sugar in the way that we do in modern times. We rely heavily on added sugars to satisfy our brain’s pleasure sensors.

We’re not just talking regular white or brown bag sugar. Things have gotten a tad bit more scientific and inexpensive for companies that mass-produce their products; all thanks to good old high fructose corn syrup.

Now, you’re not going to find this on the shelf at your local super market or tucked away in a kitchen pantry; because that’s simply not how we prepare our food at home. Fast foods, frozen foods, canned goods, and baked goods (to name a few) use it as one of many preservatives to extend a products shelf life and also to keep you, the consumer, coming back for more.

And I think it’s again, pretty safe to say, that their century old plan has been very successful for them and often times very deadly for us. Scientific research has linked Sugar increases to the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Large-scale studies have shown that the more high-glycemic foods (those that quickly affect blood sugar), including foods containing sugar, a person consume, the higher his risk for becoming obese and for developing diabetes and heart disease.

Yikes.

So I leave you with this:

If you want a long and healthy life; free from diabetes, obesity, and other long-term health complications – say “NO!” to processed and refined sugars. Get back to the sugars that nature has to offer, Fruits, that also pack tons of vitamins and nutrition that are absorbed into the body and are kind to the body – unlike processed sugar, which has no nutritional value at all. Drink plenty of water to help flush out sugar and other toxins to help replenish the body to its natural state. Set aside 30 minutes or more per day for exercise; even if it’s a mild walk, just get that body moving.

Lastly, Research! Research! Research! Google, contacting the FDA with your own personal questions and concerns, and referring to your local library are great places to begin expanding your knowledge about all sorts of things. Always keep in mind that “Health Is Wealth.”

#BecauseSixLovesYou <3

Sources: American Heart Association, FDA – http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm2006828.htm