kick the sugar habit!

Aish

Sat, Nov 26 2005, 10:30 pm

How Refined Foods Exhaust the Pancreas and Adrenals – and What the Healthiest Alternatives Are
By Nancy Malcolm
With the holiday season approaching there is no better time to remind ourselves about the unhealthy effects of eating too many refined carbohydrates.

Here’s why: When raw sugar is refined, a lot of the minerals are lost, including 93% of the chromium, 98% of the zinc and magnesium. Even more minerals are lost when wheat is refined to make white flour, including 88% of the manganese, 87% of the chromium, 77% of the potassium and 60% of the calcium. Refined sugar and flour are also lacking in vitamins. A number of these lost vitamins and minerals are actually needed by the body to turn these foods into energy.

Refined sugars and starches (e.g. white flour, pasta and white rice) are easily broken down into glucose during digestion and this glucose enters the blood stream quickly — often too quickly for the body to immediately use it as it enters the bloodstream. The resulting over-abundance of glucose is converted into fatty acids. Three of these fatty acids combined with a glycerol molecule make up a fat molecule, which is then transported in our blood to become fat in the body.

These fatty acids also interfere with the functions of the good fatty acids — the EFAs. This interference can increase our risk of developing fatty degeneration which can lead to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and multiple sclerosis.

Refined sugars and starches can also potentially lead to high levels of triglycerides in the blood which has been associated with cardiovascular disease.

Another problem associated with over-consumption of refined carbs is hypoglycemia. When glucose enters the bloodstream too quickly the pancreas releases a large amount of insulin to help transport glucose into the cells. If too much insulin is released, glucose levels may fall too quickly and or drop too low. This can result in hypoglycemia, the symptoms of which include dizziness, depression, anxiety, irritability, poor concentration, and insomnia. Low glucose levels cause adrenal glands to kick in to restore equilibrium by causing the release of glycogen stored in muscles and liver. Our adrenal glands also stimulate our body to make glucose from proteins and other substances.

This roller-coaster of constant raising and lowering of glucose levels can exhaust our pancreas and adrenal glands. If our pancreas becomes exhausted it will release less and less insulin and blood glucose will remain high. In the long term, this can result in diabetes. If our adrenal glands become exhausted they are unable to respond when our blood sugar levels become too low, which can result in hypoglycemia, and thus cause cravings for sweets. When we eat sweets to satisfy these cravings it starts another vicious hyperglycemia-hypoglycemia roller-coaster cycle. Adrenal exhaustion can also mean our bodies may be unable to properly respond biochemically to stress.

Refined carbohydrates also inhibit the function of our immune system, which can decrease our resistance to opportunistic viruses such as colds and flu. Simple sugars increase our body’s production of adrenaline, putting our body into a state of “fight-or-flight.” This stress reaction can increase the production of cortisone, and cortisone again inhibits immune function.

Since refined carbohydrates do not contain the vitamins and minerals needed to convert these foods into energy, our bodies must use their own stores in order to metabolize these carbohydrates. As our vitamin and mineral stores are depleted our bodies cannot perform certain other necessary functions as well as it should (such as the metabolism of fat, the conversion of cholesterol to bile acids to be removed from our bodies in our stools, or the burn-off of excess fat as heat or increased activity). As a result, our cholesterol levels rise, our metabolic rate slows down, fats are burned more slowly, and we have less energy, which makes us feel lethargic.
Another issue associated with excess refined carbohydrates is candida. Candida is a form of yeast that is present in everyone’s digestive system, but in a healthy person it is kept under control by the friendly bacteria in the gut. Candida feeds on sugars, so it can grow out of control if a person eats a diet too high in refined carbohydrates. This can lead to frequent yeast infections, athlete’s foot, oral thrush and fingernail or toenail fungus, among many other symptoms.

Because sugars compete for the same transport system as vitamin C, a diet high in sugars can also interfere with the transportation of vitamin C in our bodies. This means that vitamin C’s functions (immune boosting, collagen building, elastin building and tissue forming) can be inhibited by sugars.

In contrast, complex carbohydrates such as whole grains do not present the same problems as refined carbohydrates. Because they contain fibre, complex carbohydrates are not absorbed into the blood stream as quickly. Fibre slows the digestion of complex carbohydrates so that a steady stream of glucose is released into the bloodstream, instead of a sudden, excess amount as happens with refined carbohydrates. This slower and more steady stream of glucose means our body can use all of the glucose that enters the blood stream for energy and does not as readily convert it to fat. Complex carbohydrates also contain vitamins and minerals necessary for the proper function of many of our bodily systems including the Krebs cycle, which is the process that happens in our mitochondria to convert glucose into energy.

By making our own goodies we can avoid some of these problems by replacing white flour with whole wheat, spelt or another whole grain flour. There are also bean flours and brown rice flour available that can be used alone or in combination with other flours. These flours contain more of the vitamins and minerals needed by the body to convert glucose into energy. They also contain more fibre which helps to slow down absorption of glucose into the blood stream. Replace white flour with whole wheat, spelt or kamut flour cup for cup. Try a number of combinations of other flours such as buckwheat, brown rice, or bean flour for every cup of white flour.

We can also make our treats more healthy by replacing white sugar with alternatives such as maple syrup, honey, brown rice syrup or molasses. These are still sugars and thus can cause the rapid rise in blood glucose, so consume these items in moderation. They do contain more of the vitamins and minerals lacking from white sugar including calcium, magnesium, potassium and some B vitamins, which means our bodies do not have to rely on internal stores to metabolize them. To replace sugar with maple syrup or honey use 2/3 to 1 cup maple syrup or honey for every cup of sugar, and add 1/4 tsp baking soda per cup of maple syrup or honey. For brown rice syrup try replacing 1 cup of white sugar with 1 + 1/3 cups of brown rice syrup, and add 1/4 tsp baking soda per cup of syrup. For molasses use 1/3 cup molasses for every cup of sugar, and reduce liquids by 1/4 cup per cup of molasses. It may take some trial and error but many baked goods can be altered to include healthy ingredients.

To help deal with the upcoming abundance of foods, decrease or eliminate carbonated beverages because they contains a large amount of simple sugars. And eat a balanced meal with complex carbohydrates, protein, and good fats before attending parties so the temptation to over-indulge is not as great.

make your own treats more healthy by altering the recipes. Either way it is important to make sure our day to day diets are balanced and contain mainly complex carbohydrates, proteins, good fats and plenty of fiber and water.

Nancy Malcolm is a Certified Nutritional Practitioner, a graduate of the Institute of Holistic Nutrition. Please contact at 647-887-0352. See advertisement on page 9 of Vitality.

References:
• Erasmus, Udo, Fats that Heal Fats that Kill, Burnaby BC, Alive Books. 1993
• Haas, Elson M, Staying Healthy with Nutrition, Berkeley CA, Celestial Arts. 1992
• Krop, Jozef J., Healing the Planet One Patient at a Time: A Primer in Environmental Medicine Alton, ON: KOS Publishing Inc. 2002

tzivi

Sat, Nov 26 2005, 10:36 pm

thankyou for posting aish!!
my uncle has pancreatic yena machla and will be interested in this article.

Aish

Sat, Nov 26 2005, 10:38 pm

glad to help out with the information!

indoors

Sat, Nov 26 2005, 10:39 pm

Good post. Important info

RivkaS

Sat, Nov 26 2005, 11:55 pm

Aish wrote:

With the holiday season approaching there is no better time to remind ourselves about the unhealthy effects of eating too many refined carbohydrates.

It's a great article - not that we don't know it, but it's always good to repeat - but on my calendar it says that Chanukka is four weeks from now. So about what upcoming holiday season do you talk?
btw - a good sugar substitute that does not increas the bloodsugar level is fructose! and quaker lowers the blood sugar level. If anybody is interested in a quaker-cookies recepie please pm me.

willow

Sun, Nov 27 2005, 2:05 am

Thanx for the info. It's stuff we all need to hear about again and again. Rivkas can you post the recipe for everyone please?

RivkaS

Sun, Nov 27 2005, 3:03 am

I will put it into the recepie section so that everybody can find it.

Aish

Sun, Nov 27 2005, 5:47 am

[quote="RivkaS

Quote:

btw - a good sugar substitute that does not increas the bloodsugar level is fructose!

fructose is no different than sugar in the unhealthy department. I suggest you do more research on this topic. because its just as bad as white refined sugar is for you health.
a GREAT sugar substitute is STEVIA. its in your health food store or sometimes at your local supermarket.
if anyone on the forum has any off handinfo on it, please share while I try to get more info.

Frumom

Sun, Nov 27 2005, 6:55 am

What about using sugar substitutes? Is splenda just as bad?

deedee

Sun, Nov 27 2005, 7:05 am

Quote:

a GREAT sugar substitute is STEVIA.

I dont have any handy info but my reflexoiogist told me to stay away from all sweetners (including honey and the like) but I could have stevia if I wanted so it must be the healthiest sub.!

willow

Sun, Nov 27 2005, 7:40 am

Has anyone ever heard of demerara suger?

Aish

Sun, Nov 27 2005, 7:43 am

Frumom wrote:

What about using sugar substitutes? Is splenda just as bad?

"despite a controversial marketing campaign proclaiming that sucralose is "made from sugar", its a laboratory-created artificial sweetener. yes manufacturers start with sugar, but they substitute three clorine atoms for three groups of hydrogen and oxygen atoms."

doesn't sound to appetizing to me Confused

Aish

Sun, Nov 27 2005, 12:02 pm

[quote="RivkaS

Quote:

but on my calendar it says that Chanukka is four weeks from now. So about what upcoming holiday season do you talk?

its always good to prepare for the future!

Quote:

btw - a good sugar substitute that does not increas the bloodsugar level is fructose! and quaker lowers the blood sugar level.

Fructose
Fructose is a natural sugar found in plants and fruits, but generally is a highly refined product made from corn starch. It is low or devoid in nutrients. For some people there are disadvantages when consuming large amounts of fructose: increased LDL cholesterol levels, uric-acid levels in the blood, and triglyceride levels. However, it is absorbed more slowly in the gastro-intestinal tract than glucose, producing only a slight insulin response, resulting in smaller fluctuations in blood-sugar levels.

Last edited by Aish on Sun, Nov 27 2005, 4:13 pm; edited 1 time in total

Rivk

Sun, Nov 27 2005, 4:10 pm

A great way to sweeten tomato sauces or sweet and sour sauces is to saute an onion into it instead of adding white or brown sugar. Idea

IndyMom

Sun, Nov 27 2005, 4:27 pm

I am learning glycolysis now so this thread is really interesting. First of all - triglycerides ARE the 3 fatty acids that attach to a glycerol - the article made it sound like there are two different things. That's just a minor point. Also, in glycolysis our glucose is converted to fructose before it is able to make ATP (energy). I don't know how that figures in to the health of it all but it would seem to me that glucose would absorb slower since it adds a step before the end. Also, sucralose (splenda) is sucrose with chlorines replacing two or three OH groups - this means that the enzyme that would noramlly break sucrose down to glucose and fructose (it is a disacharide) does not recognize sucralose and therefore does not break it down. If it doesnt get broken down it doesnt release energy which is measured in units of calories. We don't gain any calories from sucralose becuase it just passes straight through our system. I wonder if it would still be fed upon by candida or if they lack the appropriate enzymes too.

Thanks for helping me study while I nurse the baby everyone!

RivkaS

Tue, Nov 29 2005, 11:10 am

Aish wrote:

[quote="RivkaS

Quote:

btw - a good sugar substitute that does not increas the bloodsugar level is fructose!

Hi Aish,
I found this via google and I would be careful...

Quote:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration since the mid-1980s has labeled stevia an "unsafe food additive" and gone to extensive lengths to keep it off the U.S. market -- ...."

Sincerely
Rivka

Aish

Tue, Nov 29 2005, 11:45 am

Quote:

[quote="RivkaS

Hi Aish,
I found this via google and I would be careful...

Quote:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration since the mid-1980s has labeled stevia an "unsafe food additive" and gone to extensive lengths to keep it off the U.S. market -- ...."

Sincerely
Rivka

thats right.
the same U.S. Food and Drug Administration that alows "equal sweetener", that has been linked to alzheimers, brain tumors and more. and 1 ingredient, phenylalanine, can be, and was, deadly.

and "sweet n'low" has been linked to bladder cancer. and was banned in 1972. and then just PUT BACK ON THE MARKET shock

.
WITH NO CHANGES IN INGREDIENT'S shock

.
and..... IT CARRIES A WARNING LABEL STATING THAT IT CAUSED CANCER IN LAB ANIMALS shock

but no problem putting THAT in your body shock

OY VEY!

I would take what the "hailig" U.S. F&D addm says with a BIG grain of salt Very Happy

Last edited by Aish on Wed, Nov 30 2005, 12:42 pm; edited 1 time in total

RivkaS

Tue, Nov 29 2005, 12:29 pm

Who pays them?

Aish

Tue, Nov 29 2005, 12:45 pm

RivkaS wrote:

Who pays them?

??????????
clarify please.

lucky

Wed, Nov 30 2005, 8:42 am

RivkaS wrote:

Who pays them?

most payoffs come from the big corporations. These companies spend loads on lobbyists in washington to make sure that the scale is tipped in their favor.