No sugar for a week (try it and see)

"Say No to Sugar for One Week and Feel Great"

by Chet Day

According to the Center for Science in the Public
Interest, per capita consumption of added sugars has
risen by 28% since 1983. The average American consumes
at least 64 pounds of sugar per year, and the average
teenage boy at least 109 pounds.

Consuming the typical amount of white sugar makes most
people moody or hyper or cranky or nasty or just plain
sick.

Scientific studies funded by the sugar industry
"prove" that white sugar won't hurt us one lick and
is supposedly good for us.

Baloney.

Be your own scientific study. Remove all white sugar
from your diet for seven days and amaze yourself
at how much better you'll feel at the end of that
period. Be sure to check with your doctor before
trying this if you are diabetic or have any kind
of health problems related to sugar intake.

More disturbing sugar facts from the CSPI:

The typical American gets 16% of his or her calories
from added sugars.

Children aged 6 to 11 get 18% of their calories from
added sugars.

Teenagers (12 to 19) get 20% of their calories
from added sugars.

USDA projects that if consumption trends continue,
added-sugars intake will increase almost 20% between
1996 and 2005.

People who consume diets high in added sugars consume
lower levels of fiber; vitamins A, C, E, and folate;
magnesium; calcium; and other nutrients. By displacing
protective nutrients and foods in the diet, added sugars
may increase the risk of osteoporosis, cancer, high blood
pressure, heart disease and other health problems.

Calorie-dense foods, which are typically high in sugar
and/or fat, contribute to obesity. Between 1976-80 and
1988-94, overweight rates in teenage boys rose from 5%
to 12%, in teenage girls from 7% to 11%, and in adults
from 25% to 35%. If you think the obesity trend hasn't
continued, stop and look at the people around you
when you're outside today.

I repeat the point of today's health tip: remove all
refined sugar (read the labels on everything you
eat and purchase) out of your diet for one week
and see how much better you feel and act without
the stuff in your body.

Some docs were onto the dangers of refined sugar
almost a hundred years ago. For an interesting flash
from the past, check out:

http://chetday.com/sugar.html