The silent killer with a sweet smile
It’s funny that most of us have never considered ourselves addicts of any kind. However, the interesting thing is that we all exhibit and demonstrate very obvious tell-tale signs of an addict. We line up at large coffee shop chains doing what I call, “begging for a solution.” Huge lines at places like Starbucks that provide us with copious amounts of the most desired substance that we all go crazy over …
We all know and have heard or read about the dangerous and fatal side effects of this terribly addictive substance that we all love and crave. Ironically, most of us believe that drug addictions can be fixed and that anyone with a drug addiction could always seek support to combat their problems if they stopped making excuses.
Hearing these beliefs, I often disagreed and sometimes even laughed. I didn’t laugh out of disrespect or because I didn’t understand his point of view. I laughed because it reminded me of the old saying: “People who live in glass houses should never throw stones.”
I often wonder if they realized that, to some degree, we are all addicts and the only difference is our drug of choice. Some people are addicted to illegal or dangerous drugs; however, most of us are addicted to the most common and addictive drug of all: sugar.
In today’s society, I believe that we are all addicted to sugar; therefore, we are all technically addicted.
I firmly believe that sugar is one of the most dangerous and addictive drugs in our world today. It is a sweet and silent killer that affects us all and is present in almost everything we eat and / or drink.
I made a list of foods, condiments, and drinks that have sugar and it was amazing how many contained sugar. Products like:
Store bought pasta sauce (8 grams [g] sugar or 5 sugar cubes) Protein bars (some have up to 25g sugar) Canned soup (20g sugar) Cereals (30g sugar per medium bowl) Salad dressings (more than 6g sugar) Low-fat yogurt (15-24 g sugar) Juices (21-34 g sugar) Frappuccinos (87 g sugar) Sushi (rice water has sugar) Peanut butter (15-21 g sugar) BBQ sauce, ketchup , granola bars, store bought sauces, lattes, specialty coffees and the list goes on.
Research has found that many of Starbucks drinks have more sugar than a can of soda. For example, a Venti white chocolate mocha (extra large) with whipped cream has 73.8g or about 18 teaspoons of sugar. A Venti Chai Tea Latte has 52g of sugar, almost 13 tsp.
These are just a few examples of the incredible amounts of sugar we consume under the guise of indulging ourselves with fancy coffees. This is in addition to the more obvious sugar-filled products and treats that are available to us, such as sodas, energy drinks, juices, candy, chocolate, bars, donuts, desserts, etc., causing problems both visibly and non-visibly. . in our lives.
Sugar is responsible for almost 100% of cavities. It is also responsible for the increased level of weight gain and obesity in our society.
Sugar has also been consistently documented and proven to cause weight gain.
The more sugar we consume, the worse it is for our waistline and our overall health. Scientific studies have concluded that people have a tendency to store sugar in their bodies and any excessive intake of sugar causes weight gain. Sugar is a carbohydrate that will eventually turn into fat in the body.
Sugar also affects insulin resistance and blood sugar levels, which in turn increases hunger and causes you to crave more sugary, carbohydrate-rich foods. Insulin resistance is commonly known as diabetes.
Diabetes is a disease in which the body’s ability to produce or respond to the hormone, insulin, is impaired, resulting in abnormal carbohydrate metabolism and elevated levels of glucose in the blood and urine. Although the disease is sometimes inherited, it can be self-induced.
Eating too much sugar can cause blood glucose levels to spike, which can be very toxic to the body because it can cause complications in the disease. People with diabetes are at risk for long-term health problems that affect the eyes, kidneys, heart, brain, feet, and nerves.
The best way to prevent or delay these problems is to control your blood sugar by limiting or eliminating sugar (if possible) and taking good care of yourself. Sugar contains empty calories and, as we all know, excess calories from any type of food can lead to weight gain.
Research has shown that when the liver is full, excess sugar is converted to fatty acids and then returned to the bloodstream, where it is distributed throughout the body and stored as fat. In addition to weight gain, excess calories from any type of food can also affect cognitive function.
As mentioned, when we eat too much sugar, our bodies become resistant to insulin. Insulin is the hormone that not only controls blood sugar levels, but also regulates and strengthens the synaptic connections between brain cells, helping them communicate with each other, thus forming stronger memories. Therefore, when insulin levels in the brain are lowered as a result of excessive sugar consumption, cognition can be impaired.
Other examples of what our sugar addiction can cause include liver and heart problems.
Sugar is made up of glucose and fructose. Our bodies need and produce these compounds, but unfortunately they have negative side effects if consumed in excess.
For example, fructose (the second most important component from which sugar is made) has been linked to several different diseases. Because it is metabolized by our liver, our bodies will not discriminate or object to large amounts of sugar. This is problematic because as it continues to convert fructose into fat, it can cause us to have fatty livers which can eventually lead to liver disease.
Another negative result that can cause excessive consumption of sugar is the diseases related to the heart. The misconception that unhealthy fat causes heart disease is false and far from the truth. The truth is that high amounts of fructose in the body carry a high risk of heart disease. These are just a few examples of what our body goes through due to this addictive and harmful substance known as sugar.
It seems that there is not much we can do to avoid sugar in our society because it is everywhere and in everything we consume. Sugar is the most powerful industry in the world, even bigger than the pharmaceutical and tobacco industries. Therefore, it is unlikely that we will find healthier alternatives to sugar in its current form.
That said, I think the solution is in our hands. We have the power to decide what to consume and the awareness to move away from what we should not consume. We have the intelligence, as well as the information, to discover different forms of sweeteners, additives or sugars that satisfy our sweet tooth and taste buds that will drench our palate with pleasure.
I read once that researchers found that sugar has the same effects on the brain as cocaine. This was a shocking moment for me, challenging my beliefs about rational thinking and common sense. Is sugar like cocaine in the brain? This was the catalyst for my thought process of thinking that we are all addicts, only that our drug of choice is sugar, not cocaine.
So I ask you this, the next time you line up at your favorite coffee shop for a latte, specialty drink, or Frappuccino, ask yourself, “Do I really need it or do I want it?” And if you decide you want it, does that make you an involuntary sugar addict? Drink everything.