Why do Americans have the highest obesity rate in the world? Sugar addiction!
The food and label industry has more than 50 synonyms to disguise sugar. The average American consumes 19.5 teaspoons of “added” sugar per day. One sugar packet= 4 grams of sugar.
The ripple effects of our sugar addiction are enormous, which is the primary reason we are rubbing up against a broken healthcare system. Being overweight causes extra stress on our bones and organs like our heart, which must pump more blood based on more body weight. The extra body weight and excess sugar intake cause conditions such as juvenile and adult diabetes, running rampant in the United States today!
These health issues are expensive to treat and maintain, as the USA spends the most money per person on health care compared to the world. As per www.healthsystemtracker.org in 2021, the USA spent $12,914 per person, Germany was #2 at $7,383 and Switzerland was third at $7,179.
Pharmaceuticals are making record profits!
My question is: Why don’t we just stop or drastically reduce our sugar intake?
About 12 years ago, a holistic healer sent me an email (which I didn’t read at the time but saved for a special moment like this) with a list of 143 reasons to avoid sugar! Before I give you my Lucky 7 best tips to reduce sugar intake, look at the top baker’s dozen reasons to avoid sugar from her email:
- Sugar Can Suppress Your Immune System
- Sugar In Soda, When Consumed by Children, Results in the Children Drinking Less Milk
- Sugar Can Increase Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Which Can Damage Cells and Tissues
- Sugar Can Cause Hyperactivity, Anxiety, Inability to Concentrate, and Crankiness in Children
- Sugar Can Cause a Significant Rise in Triglycerides
- Sugar Reduces the Body’s Ability to Defend Against Bacterial Infection
- Sugar Can Lead to Ovarian Cancer
- Sugar Can Cause Premature Aging
- Sugar Can Lead to Alcoholism
- Sugar Can Lead to Obesity
- Sugar Can Cause Tooth Decay
- Sugar Can Cause Arthritis
- Sugar Increases the Risk of Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Gallstones, Heart Disease, Varicose Veins, and Appendicitis!
Now that we see the extent of self-damage sugar has been doing to us, look at my:
7 Tips on How to Reduce Sugar Intake
- Be Aware of Foods Labeled Fat Free: Fat-free foods are usually loaded with sugar to compensate for no fat, especially baked goods.
- Choose Fresh Fruit Over Dried Fruit: Dehydrated fruits and sauces contain concentrated sugar and don’t fill you up as much, so you eat more and in many cases, 3-5 times the sugar.
- Buy Plain Over Flavored Yogurt: Add your own fresh fruit or honey for sweetness which will have much less sugar. Also, watch baby yogurts which are known to be loaded with added sugar.
- Don’t Feed Infants Juice or Sweetened Foods in Their First Year: Consider feeding babies more veggies and less fruit to train their taste buds to like fewer sweet foods from the beginning.
- Reduce Your Weekly Dessert Intake: If you have dessert every night, start by cutting back to 5 nights per week. It’s easier on the body and mind to wean off the excess added sugar cravings.
- Leave Sugar OUT of Recipes if Possible: Try to either eliminate, reduce, or substitute honey, agave, or even maple syrup instead of processed sugars.
- Drink Water Instead of Sweetened Beverages: Nearly two-thirds of children in the USA ages 2-17 consume at least 1 sugar-sweetened beverage per day, which includes soda, fruit drinks and energy drinks, coffees, and teas.
If you are interested in reading the complete list of 140+ reasons to avoid sugar, email “please send the avoid sugar list” to Rob@Insurancedoctor.us.