Diabetes, Obesity and Sugar

There has been a lot information in the news, online and books about the hazards of eating sugar.
The newspapers are saying that there is an epidemic of diabetes that will be out of control very soon.

Mark Hyman newest article: http://drhyman.com/blog/2012/05/03/sugar-babies-how-to-stop-the-genocide-of-our-children/?utm_source=WhatCounts+Publicaster+Edition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=drhyman+newsletter+issue+%2372&utm_content=Get+the+story

Gary Taubes (author of the 2011 best-seller Why We Get Fat) has just published an article in Mother Jones http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2012/10/sugar-industry-lies-campaign. 
He along with Cristin Kearns Couzens (a dental health administrator) wrote about the sugar industry's duplicity.
In fact, a growing body of research suggests that sugar and its nearly chemically identical cousin, HFCS, may very well cause diseases that kill hundreds of thousands of people every year, and that these chronic conditions would be far less prevalent if we significantly dialed back our consumption of added sugars. Robert Lustig, a leading authority on pediatric obesity at the University of California-San Francisco made this case last February in the prestigious journal Nature. In an article titled "The Toxic Truth About Sugar," Lustig and two colleagues observed that sucrose and HFCS are addictive in much the same way as cigarettes and alcohol, and that over consumption of them is driving worldwide epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes (the type associated with obesity). Sugar-related diseases are costing Americans around $150 billion a year, the authors estimated, so federal health officials need to step up and consider regulating the stuff. He also has a Youtube video "Sugar: Bitter Truth"

So you ask what can you eat and feed your loved ones. There are many good books to help you. Some that were an eye opener for me was Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions, Elaine Gottshall's Breaking the Viscous Cycle, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride Gut and Psychology Syndrome also known as the GAPS diet. These are good guide books to help heal and teach us a better way of eating.

We have to stop and think what we are feeding our children and grandchildren. We are not being kind or generous when we give them pop and candy. They should have fresh fruit, vegetables, good fats and treats that are healthier for you from a very young age. Stop buying and eating the prepackaged food.

I advocate no sugar, no wheat and no dairy after weaning. We are the only mammals that drink the milk from another mammal.http://www.notmilk.com/ There are so many good choices and a lot of good cook books to guide us.
Healthy life.
Suzanne




 

Easy Pumpkin Pudding with Molasses Cookies

Pumpkin is one of those vegetables that is almost emblematic of fall – it makes us think of harvest, of holidays, of frost, of lengthening nights and the oncoming winter. And yet, the only way it usually gets to the table is in a store-bought pie, or perhaps a can of pie filling that goes in a pie we made ourselves. But pumpkin can be so much more -- and since pumpkin keeps for 6 months whole or for years in a can, it can be a year-round addition to our diets.

Pumpkin is chock full ‘o goodness. You can tell by its bright color that it’s going to be going to be good for you. Not only is pumpkin loaded with vitamin A and antioxidant carotenoids, particularly alpha and beta-carotenes, it’s a good source of vitamins C, K, and E, and lots of minerals, including magnesium, potassium, and iron. http://www.bewellbuzz.com/nutrition/pumpkin-health-benefits/

Easy Pumpkin Pudding

Easy Pumpkin Pudding:
1 can 28 oz. pumpkin
1 can coconut milk (not lite)
Whisk these two together in a large bowl.
Add 1/2 cup coconut sugar, 1/2 cup maple syrup, 2 tsp. ginger, 2 tsp. cinnamon and 1 tsp. nutmeg.
Whisk until well combined. Put a plastic wrap over and let it get cold in the fridge for awhile.

Meanwhile make the lovely crispy ginger cookies below.

Molasses Spice Cookies
 3 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup grapeseed oil or melted butter or coconut oil
1/2 cup yacon syrup http://www.superfoods-for-superhealth.com/yacon-root-syrup.html
You could also use organic molasses.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl.
Mix wet ingredients into dry.
Scoop and roll dough into a ball and press onto a  parchment lined baking sheet 1 tbsp. at a time.
Bake 350 for 12 minutes
Cool and serve.
You can also crumble them on to the pumpkin pudding.

This makes 24 cookies.
Healthy life.
Suzanne

Stevia - Beat Sugar Addiction NOW!

Why Is Sugar Addictive?

For thousands of years, humans ate sugar found naturally in their food. Sugar was not a problem; it was a treat. But now more than one-third of the calories we consume come from sugar and white flour added by food processing. Our bodies simply were not designed to handle this massive load.
Many of you have already noticed that although sugar gives you an initial high, you crash several hours later, and this leaves you wanting more sugar. In fact, sugar acts as an energy loan shark, taking away more energy than it gives. Eventually, your "credit line" runs out and you find yourself exhausted, anxious, and moody.
The Long-Term Consequences of Sugar Addiction
In addition to the immediate fatigue and emotional problems, sugar also causes many long-term health problems. For example, our consumption of high-fructose corn syrup has risen 250 percent in the past fifteen years--and our rate of diabetes has increased approximately 45 percent during the same time period. Although the sugar industry sometimes tries to confuse the public by claiming that corn syrup is not sugar, it is a form of sugar as far as your body is concerned--and more toxic than cane sugar. 

Some chronic medical problems associated with excess sugar in our diet include:

Fatigue and pain

Weight gain

Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia

Chronic sinusitis

Irritable bowel syndrome and spastic colon

Cancer

Metabolic syndrome with high cholesterol and hypertension

Heart disease

Hormonal problems

Candida and yeast infections

ADHD

Anxiety and depression 

 

Enter Stevia, it is a South American herb used as a natural sweetener for centuries. The leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant have a refreshing taste, zero glycemic index, zero calories and zero carbs. It is 25-30 times sweeter than sugar, and far more healthy!

The http://www.sweetleaf.com/ is the only one I have found that I can tolerate.
 
I made this protein bar to take for work and school.



Chocolate Chip Coconut Banana Protein Bars
 Makes 16 small bars or 8 large bars
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/3 cup almond meal/flour
2 scoops chocolate protein powder (I used Garden of Life)
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 packets stevia (I used Sweet Leaf)
2 ripe banana, mashed
1 t. vanilla extract
4 eggs
1/2 cup coconut milk (from a can, not light)
2-3 T. mini chocolate chips
Optional: shredded coconut and extra chocolate chips for topping
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×8 pan with cooking spray or coconut oil. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl, then add wet ingredients. Once everything is incorporated into a batter, stir in the chocolate chips. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.
***After the bars are finished baking, you can top with shredded coconut and more chocolate chips and toast in the toaster oven for a minute. Or, you can add the coconut towards the end of baking.

I do believe in moderation when it comes to stevia. We know it has been used for a long time in Japan.

http://healing.about.com/cs/uc_directory/a/uc_stevia_jones.htm

Healthy Life
Suzanne

Celiac Brain: What Doctors Don't Know About Drugs: Part 2, Evide...

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Here is the second part of Dr. Powell's blog.
Healthy life.
Suzanne