Addiction To Sugar

Would you like coffee (tea) with sugar ? Today, an ordinary polite question sounds almost like a provocation. Not every day the popular scientific press provides us with new evidence that our beloved refined sugar is dangerous for health - not to mention what a disaster it is for the figure. The formal declaration of war 5 years ago was the publication of the Huffington Post, where it was said that sugar is addictivefaster than cocaine or nicotine. As an example, the American resource described the results of an experiment in which laboratory rats were given a choice: by pressing a couple of buttons, 8 times a day to receive an injection of a drug or 0.2% sugar syrup. The researchers were amazed: on the 2nd day of the research, the animals began to prefer the sweet drink. At the same time, in the control groups, where the animals did not have such a choice, cocaine addiction was recorded on the 9th day, and from sugar - already on the 7th.

White powder

In fact, scientists are not only talking about syrup: in dietetics, we are talking about a whole family of sugars . In it, for example, there is glucose, which is given by foods rich in carbohydrates (not only sweet), fructose, which is mainly found in fruits, sucrose - the same extract from sugar beet or cane, lactose from milk, etc. All these varieties are so-called simple, or fast, sugars , which by definition are instantly absorbed by the body. However, only glucose is actually necessary for the body to function normally. But the usual sugar - sand or refined cubes does not give us anything except a tempting taste - as a result of industrial processing, sucrose completely gets rid of all the vitamins and microelements contained in the original product.

At the same time, our body is not ready for such concentrated sweetness: our ancestors never ate pure sugar . In order to absorb it, we need all those useful substances that are not in the refined product - which means that the body has to use up its own reserves. As a result, the sweet tooth does not recharge at all, as it is commonly believed, but on the contrary, it quickly loses it - for example, experiencing a deficiency of chromium and magnesium, which are responsible for feeding cells with energy, or vitamin B1, which maintains the balance of nervous processes and protects us from fatigue Shock doses of white sugar also overload the pancreas, forcing it to produce a huge amount of insulin, which lowers the level of glucose in the blood - very soon after dessert you will want something sweet again.

What is surprising - all these and many other bitter consequences of the sweet life have been known to nutritionists for quite some time. However, this does not diminish our passion for desserts. On the contrary: over the past 30 years, the share of sugar and products containing it in our diet has only increased, while the amount of fat has decreased. At the same time, doctors note the epidemic of obesity and cardiovascular diseases, which have covered the whole world.

Big deception

An explanation for these sad events was unexpectedly offered by doctor Dwight Landell, a heart surgeon with 25 years of experience and the author of the bestseller The Great Cholesterol Deception. For decades, doctors (including himself) have authoritatively convinced us that the main cause of heart disease is the increased content of cholesterol in the blood, which we get together with animal fats . As a result, everyone remembered that butter is bad, vegetable oil is good, and a diet that strictly limits the amount of fat- the only way to slimness and health. Here it is: a specialist who has performed more than 5,000 open-heart surgeries and, according to him, has seen thousands and thousands of arteries from the inside, analyzed all this experience and found the courage to admit: "I was wrong and I will try to correct the mistake. These recommendations are no longer scientifically and morally justified."

The doctor explains: in fact, cholesterol, which enters the body with saturated animal fats , moves freely in it - this is how nature intended it. And if it is deposited, then only on the walls of already damaged vessels. Moreover, their injuries and inflammation are precisely the result of a diet with a low fat content , which official medicine prescribed to us for so long and persistently.

"What are the main causes of chronic inflammation? Simply put, this is an excess of consumption of products with a high content of simple carbohydrates - sugar , refined flour and their products, - explains Landell. - As well as excessive consumption of vegetable oils that contain omega-6 acids, such as sunflower, soybean and corn. For years, people have been following a widely promoted diet low in animal fat and high in polyunsaturated fatty acids and carbohydrates -- unaware that they are damaging their blood vessels in doing so. It is these repeated injuries that cause chronic inflammation, which in turn leads to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity.

Completely giving up fats makes no sense and is even harmful, says Landell. The main thing is to maintain a balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids: their ratio is approximately 1:3 (while 1:20 is currently observed in the diet of a modern person). "Animal fats contain less than 20% omega-6, and they are unlikely to be more harmful than supposedly healthy oils labeled "polyunsaturated", - says the doctor. - Forget the "science" you've been hammered into your head: the theory that saturated fat alone causes heart disease is not science at all."

In his opinion, there is no need to be afraid of animal fats , and the main way to health and slimness is to switch to consuming products in their natural form. "To increase muscle mass, eat more protein," advises the doctor. - Give preference to complex carbohydrates - those contained in vegetables, legumes or whole grains. Cut down on omega-6 fats , which carry the risk of inflammation, and eliminate processed foods containing them altogether. It is best to choose whole products that our grandmothers used, and not what our mothers bought in stores filled with factory food."

A year without sugar

To test the new theory, the journalist of the French ELLE Danielle Gerkens conducted an experiment: for a whole year, she forbade herself to consume any products containing refined sugar , while adding more fats to her menu . She talked about how she did it and what she got as a result in her book "0% sugar " (Zero sucre), which immediately became a bestseller.

To begin with, Daniel crossed out sweet yogurts, pastries, juices, jams, ketchup and other industrial sauces and semi-finished products from the shopping list. At the same time, she also left fresh fruits and products containing so-called complex carbohydrates in her diet: rice, potatoes, legumes, whole grain flour. "Needless to say, at first it was very difficult for me," she admits. - Especially since I like to eat well and have never been on any diet before. Imagine how I felt when one of my colleagues brought fresh croissants or cakes to the editorial office. The first month was a real shock in terms of taste and physiological sensations. But in the following weeks I started to feel better. And after 2 months, an impressive effect came: I no longer wanted sweets! Of course, looking at the chocolate dessert, I could think: "I wonder how it tastes?" - but the hand was no longer reaching for it."

Another test was the reaction of others: "I felt almost bored in the company of friends - this was a big surprise for me. Even my mother, who, by the way, suffers from diabetes, categorically did not want to understand why I would refuse her homemade buns." After talking with psychologists, Danielle came to the conclusion: such negativity or even aggression is similar to the reaction of people who are addicted to products such as alcohol or tobacco. "I think there is a mirror effect," she suggests. - My experiment unwittingly made other people think about what they themselves could not cope with.