Do you eat “healthy?” Or, perhaps a better question should be ‘DID you think you ate healthy,’ before this post?
Food labeling is VERY misleading. Don’t be fooled. Get educated! High sugar consumption increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and Alzheimer’s disease!
Is this really a “healthy” diet?
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As the first of a two-part infographic series, below are some of the scary, yet changeable, statistics we are facing in this country regarding health. March is National Nutrition Month so it’s a great time to make a change for yourself. Check it out!
We need to make some changes, and quickly!
Filed under Diet, Public Health
Aspartame is quite controversial. Although many claim it has been well studied and proven safe, the facts just don’t add up. Check out the video below for detailed information about aspartame and your health.
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In a recent study, it was shown that just one soda per day significantly increases to risk of heart disease!
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Image via Wikipedia
Agave nectar syrup has gotten a lot of press lately. I must admit that I dismissed most of it and until today had not really looked into whether or not this natural sweetener was good or bad for us.
This afternoon I had a patient call me and ask me if it was ok. I told her that I wasn’t sure, but to be safe, she should stay away from it. I am glad that I did. Here is what I found out about agave nectar syrup.
Agave is marketed as a health food for several reasons. Extracts from the agave plant have been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. These extracts, however, are NOT in the syrup you can buy in the stores so there’s no value there.
Secondly, agave syrup is low glycemic so it has been marketed as a safe sugar for diabetics to use. This, as it turns out, is only a half truth. We’ll talk about that in a moment.
Thirdly, because it comes from a plant it has been marketed to the vegan crowd as a better alternative to table sugar (because it’s “healthier”) and honey (because vegans don’t eat anything that has been taken from any animal, in this case, bees).
Agave has some slick marketers. The truth about agave, however, is not so great and from now on I will advise my patients not to use it. Here’s why.
Agave is low glycemic because it is made almost entirely of fructose, or fruit sugar. Fructose is, by nature, a low glycemic sugar. Fructose, however, is just about the worst sugar to use as a sweetener.
All sugars are a mix of fructose and glucose. Table sugar is a 50/50 blend. High fructose corn syrup is a 55/45 blend. Agave is usually about 90/10.
But what about fruit? Yes, it is true that fruit is naturally sweet because of fructose. It has very low levels of fructose. An apple for example is only 7% fructose. Plus your apple comes with vitamins, antioxidants and fiber. Agave syrup does not.
Fructose, when consumed in high amounts raises triglycerides (which increases cardiovascular risks) and increases the risk of diabetes. And rats fed a high diet of fructose have been shown to build abdominal fat which is the worst kind.
When agave is processed it takes any health benefit that it might have and throws it away. In the end, agave syrup is no better for us than high fructose corn syrup and may in fact be worse.
Bottom line – stay away from it.
Filed under Diet, Public Health
Image by Mona Loldwoman (Look for the good) via Flickr
You’ve seen the commercials haven’t you? Two fit young adults are sitting on a grassy hill having a picnic. The woman says to her partner, “Would you like a bite,” as she extends a popsicle. The man responds, “I thought you loved me, that has high fructose corn syrup in it.” She says, “So what.” He says, “Well you know what they say about it.” She interrupts and says “What!? That it’s made from corn? That it has the same calorie content as table sugar and that it’s fine to eat in moderation?”
All of this is to suggest that high fructose corn syrup really isn’t bad for you because it’s made from corn and that its calorie content isn’t any higher than regular sugar. While those facts are true it’s only a tiny fraction of the story.
The truth of the matter is that high fructose corn syrup is one of the worst additives you can possibly consume because of the metabolic effects it has once it has been consumed.
Until the 1970’s cane sugar was the sweetener of choice for the food industry. In the 70’s the corn derived sweeteners like maltodextrin and high fructose corn syrup were developed. It was sweeter and cheaper so of course the food industry moved to using it instead of cane sugar.
You can find HFCS in a wide variety of foods like soft drinks, salad dressings, processed cakes and candies, breakfast cereal and brand-name breads. This additive raises the risk of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
HFCS intake increased by more than 1000% from 1970 to 1990 and now accounts for more than 40% of caloric sweeteners added to foods and beverages.
Unlike regular table sugar that contains 50% fructose and 50% glucose, HFCS contains 80% fructose and 20% glucose. This is problematic because glucose and fructose are metabolized differently in the body. Glucose is a readily available source of energy and is metabolized more slowly into energy for the body to use. Fructose is processed differently. It is metabolized extremely quickly. In fact, it is metabolized so fast that the body cannot use all of it for energy. This becomes problematic because our bodies are not designed to get rid of extra energy. Our bodies view this as a reserve that could be used later. And how do we store energy? As fat! When you consume HFCS you increase your production of triglycerides and fat storage in the liver. The rise in triglycerides promotes atherogenic lipid deposition and raises the risk of heart attack and stroke. If severe enough it can even lead to liver dysfunction.
HFCS also raises the risk of diabetes. Before a person develops full-blown diabetes they go through a stage called insulin resistance. In this stage your body actually stops responding to the hormone insulin. This causes your body to not be able to effectively process sugar into energy. If this continues diabetes results. The list of complications from diabetes includes heart disease, neuropathy, blindness, kidney disease and circulatory issues.
HFCS also contributes to high blood pressure. When you consume HFCS you inhibit an enzyme called endothelial nitric oxide synthase. This enzyme is located in the walls of your arteries and is responsible for producing nitric oxide. This is a potent dilator of the arteries. It basically allows the vessels to relax. If the vessels cannot relax they do not allow blood to flow unimpeded. When blood meets resistance in the vessels, high blood pressure is what occurs.
Consumption of HFCS has been linked to a condition called hyperuricemia. In this condition, uric acid levels in the blood rise. This leads to the painful condition called gout. In gout, uric acid crystals are deposited in the joints of the body causing a very painful arthritis.
HFCS is ubiquitous in our food supply. I always recommend that my patients avoid it at all costs. If you eat a natural diet and avoid processed foods as much as possible avoiding HFCS is actually very easy to do. HFCS raises the risk of many diseases and recent research even indicates it accelerates the growth of some cancers. While it is a cheap way to sweeten food, it costs the public their health. Do yourself a favor and keep it out of your diet.
Filed under Diet, Public Health
The sugar content of foods is often a mystery to many people. I too am often surprised at the sugar content of many foods. I stumbled upon this today on another blog and thought it would be a great thing to repost. (Click here for the original post.)
There are some observations I want to make about these foods.
First, remember this formula: 5 grams of sugar is equal to 1 tsp of sugar in the blood. That is, for every 5 grams of sugar consumed it is equal to ingesting 1 tsp. of sugar.
Second, people often consider doughnuts to be extremely unhealthy. Don’t get me wrong – they are, but consider that fruit loops have more sugar. There is little more value in eating fruit loops for breakfast than in eating a doughnut. The only added value I see is some fortified vitamins. What if the doughnut was fortified? Would you feed it to your child for breakfast? I hope not. If you wouldn’t, then why give them fruit loops?
Third, Oscar Mayer Lunchables are not really any better than a 12 ounce can of Coca-Cola. If you use our formula from above, the Lunchables meal is roughly equal to consuming 7 tsp. of sugar. The biggest problem I have is that these Lunchable meals are marketed as a healthy option to parents and as a fun way to eat a meal to kids. They may be fun, but they are not healthy.
Fourth,Vitamin Water has always been a pet peeve of mine. People routinely ask me if that’s o.k. to drink. Their marketing has clearly worked. You’ve seen the ads – Naomi Campbell (the super model) is dancing around and drinking it. The name is pure marketing genius as well. It suggests that it’s good for you, but as we see it has only slightly less sugar than a soda!
Fifth, the salads that you get at chain restaurants are not a healthy option. They are generally loaded with carbohydrates. If you want to eat a healthy salad make it at home or go to a restaurant that has a salad bar with fresh options. Don’t use sugary salad dressings either. Season salads to taste with salt and pepper (or other spices that you like) and add extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It’s a delicious, fresh taste!
Lastly, Starbucks is a major contributor to the obesity epidemic in this country. One Starbucks caffe vanilla frappuccino has significantly more sugar in it than a soda does. People routinely drink one or more of these every single day. Just because it’s coffee (sort of) doesn’t mean it’s o.k.
People are generally not aware of the empty calories they are consuming every day. These are often in the form of refined carbohydrates which is a significant contributor to heart disease, diabetes and cancer in this country. The above list is just a small list. Consider what your eating before you eat it. Get educated about these things so you can be healthy and live a long, happy life!
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