I'm getting on my soap box today. There's a topic of discussion that has been on my mind for awhile. I'm not a doctor or a scientist but there are a few contradictions among the discussion of healthy foods that make me contemplate the bad rap sugar is receiving.
Sugar is in practically everything. Though minuscule, even lettuce and soybeans contain sugar. (Side note: Kale does not. That truly is one of the super foods.) Too much of anything is not wise but I've been wondering, especially since I deal a lot with sugar, how special does the occasion need to be to freely enjoy a slice of flavorful sugar?
TV, magazines, news reporters on HBO that will remain nameless, and doctors are always promoting a low or no-sugar eating plan. They demonize sugar and tuck it under the same umbrella that covers both heroin and tobacco noting its addictive characteristics. I will agree that sugar can be addictive from personal experiences with cookie binges and reading up on the chemical reaction our brains have when we digest sugar. But I don't think it deserves to be lumped together with addictive drugs.
There are so many shades of grey when claiming the addictive traits of sugar and in what form they come. Remember when cutting out carbs was all the rage? I think we are still on that bandwagon, but it has taken a backseat to straight up sugar. We now know that some carbs are good for you and some carbs are disguised as sugars just waiting to ruin your health! I know nutritionists don't get much credit for their knowledge, but nutrition is a complex science and they should be regarded like doctors. So, are the sugars that come from "healthy" carbs ok for your body? Sugar provides energy. Like I said, I'm no scientist, but I know that many foods are broken down into sugars to give you energy such as carbs.
What about blueberries? Considered one the best anti-oxidant foods and given the champion title for cleaning out your arteries and eliminating toxins in your cells blueberries contain a significant amount of sugar. The most common form of table sugar comes from sugar cane and sugar beets. This is also the sugar that you mix into your cake and cookie batter. Both are plants that use the same process of photosynthesis to create sugar just like blueberries. All three contain sucrose. If you digested the same amount of sugar from all three of these contestants would there be a winner for health deterioration? I'm sure a nutritionist could break it down and proclaim 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners but for me it is not worth giving up that Saturday afternoon birthday cupcake.
There is much much more to say on this topic and I'm sure it will come up again. We didn't even get into the sugar compounds in honey or maple syrup! Like anything sugar intake is something to be considered mindfully. I will also say sugar is something to be enjoyed. As an element that occurs through the most natural process connecting the sun to the soil in so many natural foods we need I can hardly believe it shouldn't be enjoyed.
Ok, slipping my soap box back under the desk.
Connie
p.s. How can kale be super if it doesn't contain any sugar?
