SUGAR - The Sweet Toxin

By Lester Burnem

Cigarettes, alcohol & SUGAR, the holy trinity of modern ill health. Yes that's right "sugar" has earned its place in such evil, exalted company & as the body of evidence grows with every passing year sugar just may be the most dangerous of them all.

Consuming sugar in excess is a prime cause of obesity, heart disease, cancer & type two diabetes. In western countries the average person ingests 151 grams of pure sugar everyday through the food & beverages they consume, that is over 15% of a kg of sweet toxins every single day which translates to over 50kgs of disease inducing toxins per year. As the anti smoking TV ads say... "It's enough to make you sick, VERY SICK!"

Up to 70% of people in western countries are classified as overweight or worse still obese. There is the subcutaneous fat that resides on your "tummy" plus the visceral fat also known as "organ" fat that gathers around your internal organs. Both types are dangerous & encourage a variety of life threatening ailments but the latter is even more sinister because it has been proven that visceral fat consistently releases high levels of inflammatory molecules in to the body.

Sugar in all its disguises sabotages the healthy operation of the human body by triggering an unhealthy level of insulin production. Heightened blood sugar levels increases LDL particles (low density lipoproteins) in the bloodstream which are colloquially known as "bad cholesterol" particles & are responsible for plaque blockages in the arteries which encourages heart disease.

Sugar also has addictive qualities the equal of any illicit drug, stimulating the "reward" centres of the brain which builds an inherent need for sugar which over time sees the body require more & more of the "sweet drug" to attain the same satisfaction levels. The net result is the quality of your diet & health goes into freefall.
Even more disturbing is the latest research that shows that tumours have insulin receptors & if there are tumours present in the body any insulin "spikes" (caused by excess sugar) will feed their growth & promote the onset of cancer.

Sugar is infecting the world like a plague & is a major component in nearly all processed foods & I'm not just referring to cookies, pastries, chocolates & cakes (up to 71% sugar), soft drinks (up to 94% sugar) & mainstream cereals (up to 56% sugar). It is also ever present in all sauces & dressings (up to 50% sugar), jam, marmalade & other spreads (up to 60% sugar) & lollies / dried fruit (up to 80% sugar). Coupled with this sugar is also a prominent ingredient in white flour which is used to make pasta & bread amongst numerous other daily consumables. Don't even start me on fruit juices; yes they are loaded with sugar too.

Shall we talk about "high fructose corn syrup" (HFCS) the high profile sugar substitute that is now a staple ingredient in so many grocery lines. Let's just say this additive has all the same "dire" qualities of sugar but with one added downside. We know that the human body processes HFCS differently than sugar & what we don't know can certainly hurt us.

"This is the bitter truth for those with a sweet tooth."

Health & Fitness Expert Lester Burnem writes exclusively for http://the4hourbodyblog.com/


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Healthy Nutrition Tips That Have No Age Limit 

by Tonio Choate

 Everyone wants to have a healthy diet. Being able to learn how to improve your nutritional intake, takes time and effort. It is not necessary to completely change your entire diet at the same time, though. This article lists some easy tips on how to improve your nutrition in small and effective ways. Learn about the different types of carbohydrates. It is a myth that all carbs are bad for you and must be avoided.

However, that is not true at all. It is necessary to eat complex carbs. If you can understand this, you will be able to make better food choices the next time you are shopping or dining out. Eating right can be difficult if you don't have the time to plan. Start by cooking your meals at home. One method is to pre-cook the following week's meals over the weekend so that you can easily reheat and eat if your weekday time is too busy. Doing so will provide you with healthy meals every day.

You should take fat-soluble vitamins in small quantities. Fat-soluble vitamins like A, D and E are difficult for the body to eliminate, unlike water-soluble vitamins like B or C. High levels of fat-soluble vitamins can become toxic. Unless a doctor tells you to, don't take a giant dose of fat-soluble vitamins. You could very easily replace soft drinks with tap water. Water will quench your thirst and does not contain unnatural elements. Staying hydrated is essential to survival, and a few more ounces each day will not hurt you. Not having motivation is one of the main reasons people will fail to get in shape.

Another major issue people have is not quite knowing how to start a program. Try to enjoy your exercise time. The following article has several ideas that you may find useful. You could go grocery shopping with your children to help them learn more about nutrition and good choices. As soon as you get to the store, you can teach them how the stores organize their products and explain how to read food labels so that they can make healthy choices. If you have a child with a peanut allergy, you can use alternative spreads for sandwiches, such as soybean, almond or sunflower seed spreads. These spreads are also tasty in treats like cookies and candies.

Carefully research nutritional supplements before taking them. If you take a vitamin supplement, you could destroy the natural balance between your vitamins and minerals. Taking large amounts of individual B vitamins in particular, can cause issues. Unless you are specifically advised to take more by a doctor, it's best to limit yourself to a single multivitamin each day. Learn more about nutrition to design a healthy diet. By using what you have learned from this article, you can now make certain the food your are eating is giving you the best nutrition possible.

 About the Author Tonio Choate is a well-known author, He has been writing different blogs on different topics like health,nutrition,supplements etc.