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The Sugar Epidemic: Save Our Children from Needless Suffering
by Nancy Hearn, CNC, EFT-ADV
I am sure you’ve probably seen the headlines and news reports regarding the shocking increase in childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes in America during the past few years. Recent headlines I have seen include: “Rising Obesity Rates Annihilate Previous Life Span Forecasts” and “Epidemic of Children Getting Adult Diabetes.”
The future health of our country is clearly linked to the health of our children. If we want to save them from needless grief and suffering, then something needs to change quickly. In this article, I am only going to address what I believe is the single most critical factor in the childhood obesity and diabetes epidemic—and that is excess sugar consumption.
Average sugar consumption in America
Sugar consumption has risen 1500 percent in the last 200 years!! Today, the average American consumes 150 pounds of sugar a year. That equates to about 50 teaspoons of sugar a day.
Can you imagine your kids sitting at the kitchen table and eating or drinking 30-50 teaspoons of white sugar every day? Sounds hard to believe, but that’s what most children are doing without parents even realizing it.
Soft drinks (including health store brands) are the single largest source of refined sugar in the American diet. According to surveys, each soft drink provides, on average, seven or more teaspoons of sugar. Some parents tell me, “Well, my children only drink fruit juice.” Unfortunately, most fruit juice is not much better in terms of concentrated sugar content. But soft drinks are especially bad because most also contain caffeine, an addictive drug. And diet sodas are even worse because of the harmful effects of artificial sweeteners such as Aspartame.
Hidden sugars
As bad as soft drinks are, three-fourths of the sugar we consume in America today comes from hidden sugars in processed foods. Manufacturers are very good at disguising it under many different names, such as:
Barley malt
Fruit juice concentrateMaltose
Fruit juice concentrateMaltoseBeet sugarGlucose Mannitol
Glucose MannitolBrown sugar Golden sugarMolasses
Golden sugarMolassesButtered syrup Grape sugar Raw sugar
Grape sugar Raw sugarCane-juice crystals Dextran Refiner’s syrup
Dextran Refiner’s syrupCane sugarDextrose Sorbitol
Dextrose SorbitolCaramel Diastase Sorghum syrup
Diastase Sorghum syrupCarob syrup High fructose corn syrup Sucrose
High fructose corn syrup SucroseCorn syrup Honey Sugar
Honey SugarDate sugar Invert sugar Turbinado sugar
Invert sugar Turbinado sugarDiastatic malt Lactose Xylitol
Lactose XylitolEthyl maltol Malt syrup Yellow sugar
Malt syrup Yellow sugarFructose Maltodextrin
MaltodextrinObesity and diabetes are just two of the many side effects of excess sugar consumption. The following is a list of some other metabolic consequences of sugar found in a variety of medical journals and other scientific publications. I encourage you to slowly read this entire list out loud to yourself to impress these probable affects upon your subconscious mind—and then share the list with others.
50 ways sugar can ruin your health:
1. Causes hyperactivity, anxiety, concentration difficulties, and crankiness.
2. Aversely affects children’s school grades.
3. Raises adrenaline levels in children.
4. Causes drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
5. Contributes to eczema in children.
6. Suppresses the immune system.
7. Causes food allergies.
8. Can upset the body’s mineral balance.
9. Produces a significant rise in triglycerides.
10. Causes kidney damage.
11. Reduces helpful high-density cholesterol (HDLs).
12. Promotes an elevation of harmful cholesterol (LDLs).
13. Can lead to chromium deficiency.
14. Interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
15. May lead to cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, and rectum.
16. Can cause colon cancer, with an increased risk in women.
17. Risk factor in gall bladder cancer.
18. Increases fasting levels of blood glucose.
19. Weakens eyesight.
20. Can cause hypoglycemia.
21. Increases the risk of coronary heart disease.
22. Can lead to alcoholism.
23. Promotes tooth decay.
24. Can cause arthritis.
25. Can cause asthma.
26. Can cause candidiasis (yeast infection).
27. Leads to the formation of gallstones.
28. Leads to the formation of kidney stones.
29. Can cause appendicitis.
30. Leads to periodontal disease.
31. Can contribute to osteoporosis.
32. Causes a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
33. Leads to decreased glucose tolerance.
34. Decreases growth hormone.
35. Can increase total cholesterol.
36. Can cause cardiovascular disease.
37. Can impair the structure of DNA.
38. Can cause emphysema.
39. Can cause atherosclerosis.
40. Causes free radical formation in the bloodstream.
41. Increases the amount of fat in the liver.
42. Increases kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.
43. Can overstress the pancreas, causing damage.
44. Increases the body’s fluid retention.
45. Can cause constipation.
46. Causes headaches, including migraines.
47. Causes an increase in alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter the
mind’s ability to think clearly.48. Can cause depression.
49. Increases bacterial fermentation in the colon.
50. Can cause hormonal imbalance.
Without a doubt, sugar is a killer. I see it all the time in my nutrition practice and many people struggle with sugar addiction their entire lives.
Most important advice for parents
What’s the most important advice for parents? Stop buying soft drinks and processed food with hidden sugars. Dr. Joseph Mercola, Director of the Optimal Wellness Center in Chicago and bestselling author of Dr. Mercola’s Total Health Program, puts it bluntly: “Folks, this is a simple one. There is absolutely no reason your kids should be drinking soda. None, nada, zero. No excuses. The elimination of soda pop is one of the most crucial factors in the health problems people suffer.”
The taste for sugar is acquired through eating super sweet foods, like sodas, juice, cookies, processed cereals, and candy. It can be minimized by gradually reducing the level of sweetness in foods and drinks. This means replacing sweetened drinks with real fruit juice diluted half and half with water. Or offering children herbal and fruit teas sweetened with stevia, a safe alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners. Better yet is pure water. Few children drink enough water. In fact, I recommend the only liquid parents serve at the table at mealtimes is water.
Children will imitate their parents. What parents eat for themselves and what they feed their children to a large extent determines their health and dietary habits for life. Sure, as our kids get older and have pocket money, they will most likely buy sodas or sweets or will get them from friends. But if sweets and soft drinks are not part of their day-to-day diet at home, especially during the formative years, they are far less likely to constantly crave sweets, battle weight issues, and suffer needlessly with poor health for the rest of their lives.
Sources: The Optimum Nutrition Bible by Patrick Holford, Dr. Mercola’s Total Health Program by Dr. Joseph Mercola, and Global College of Natural Medicine Nutrition Consultation program Also see www.webmd.com, www.nutrition-abc.com, www.mercola.com.
Nancy Hearn is a Certified Nutrition Consultant and Founder of Total Wellness Health and Nutrition Center in Livingston, Montana. For specific recommendations on products and services mentioned in this article, contact Nancy at 406-222-7304.
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