Sugar Where Does It All Come From

3. Sugar: Where Does It All Come From?

3.1 Hidden Sugars In The Diet

Most people do not know that they regularly eat large amounts of sugar. “I never add sugar to my food or drinks,” they say, “so how can I be getting that much sugar?”

Actually, over three-fourths of the 128 pounds of sugar most people eat each year is in processed foods. You never see it and you have no control over the amounts added. Sugar is used in packaged foods to prevent spoilage, to retain moisture, to maintain texture and appearance, and, of course, as a sweetener. It’s an all-around, cheap filler.

So how much “hidden” sugar is in the American diet? About one-third of a pound every day or about 600 calories. One-fifth or more of the total food intake each day comes from refined sugars.

The foods in the preceding table are only some of the more well-known sugar-containing foods. Many processed and packaged foods, however, contain sugar, such as most canned vegetables, frozen fruits, breads, food mixes and additives, baby food, salad dressings, peanut butter, and almost any food sold on the grocery shelf.

Foods prepared in restaurants and fast food places also may contain high amounts of sugar. French fries, for example, are often soaked in a sugared solution before they are frozen and shipped.

3.2 How To Avoid Refined Sugars

So, how can you eliminate sugar from your life? Simple. Buy no processed or packaged foods, be careful when dining out, and never add it to any foods or drinks you prepare.

Don’t worry about “healthful” substitutes—there aren’t any. You don’t need refined or unrefined sweeteners in any form. You don’t need to gradually taper off or reduce your refined sugar intake. You can stop immediately, today, and suffer no withdrawal effects.

Sugar use is indefensible. Not only should it be avoided, but it never should have been introduced into the diet in the first place.

Although we have been discussing common white table sugar, there are several other refined and unnatural sweeteners and sugars that you should also eliminate for optimum health. Some are the more common “health” substitutes for white sugar, such as brown sugar, raw sugar and maple syrup. Some are the more recently introduced artificial sweeteners such as saccharin and cyclamates. Others are the close sugar-relatives, like dextrose and corn syrup. And one is that favorite food of health enthusiasts—honey. Let’s now look at the other sweeteners in the diet and see how they are harmful to the body.