Let's Get Unrefined!

There is a lot of buzz about the new Katie Couric produced documentary "Fed Up". I'm looking forward to seeing it myself.

It's about the rise of obesity and Type-II diabetes in America especially in the younger generation. A generation that is now expected to lead a shorter lifespan than their parents.

Sugar is cited as the culprit, but it's also the food industry and the government that is to blame since they are knowingly harming the public to further their own agendas.

I don't think most people understand the severity of this problem. Sugar is DANGEROUS!

Eating a candy bar loaded with sugar (and all of its blood sugar spiking friends) should be looked at as being just as detrimental to your health as smoking a cigarette.

Sure, one once in a while may mot kill you, but over time sugar can cause insulin resistance, which contributes to many diseases including Type-II diabetes. It burdens your liver, messes with hormones and slows down brain activity. Not to mention, there is NO nutritional value in sugar and it's highly addictive.

The great news is, by making healthier food decisions, we can stay away from any of these unwanted side effects or illnesses. Here are some ways to empower yourself:

Lesson #1 - Read Labels.

Just because something is marketed as low-fat, gluten-free, dairy-free, etc. doesn't mean it's healthy. Usually these products have MORE sugar in them!

Look for blood sugar spiking friends. It's not only refined sugar from the sugar cane you have to watch out for.

Some of these are of course better than others, for example good quality maple syrup and honey in moderate amounts are much better forms of carbohydrates.

---

-barley malt
-beet sugar
-brown sugar
-buttered syrup
-cane-juice crystals
-cane sugar
-caramel
-carob syrup
-corn syrup

-corn syrup solids
-date sugar
-dextran
-dextrose
-diatase
-diastatic malt
-ethyl maltol
-fructose
-fruit juice
-fruit juice concentrate

-glucose
-glucose solids
-golden sugar
-golden syrup
-grape sugar
-high-fructose corn syrup
-honey
-invert sugar
-lactose
-malt syrup

Lesson #2

Cook and bake more at home. Tomorrow I will share some great uncomplicated  recipes that will satisfy that sweet tooth and won't require any baking at all.

For now, I'm off to the movies (without my milk-duds). Have you seen it yet?