Decades ago, the sugar industry paid off Harvard scientists to lie about what roles sugar and fat play in your diet. Even though there was plenty of evidence to prove them wrong, these scientists chose to publish only the studies that supported their scheme. This is not a bold claim, see this New York Times story about the farce. And there are more.
Their goal was to reduce or eliminate the role that sugar plays in heart disease. They had to have a bad guy, so they suggested that fat played a bigger role than it actually does. Their review appeared in the highly trusted New England Journal of Medicine in 1967, prompting the misconception that fat is bad for health, when sugar is the true villain.
Today, 10% of people in the U.S. are addicted to sugar. The word addiction is no accident; studies now suggest that sugar induces a reward stimulus in the brain similar to that of illegal drugs. This makes the brain dependent upon sugar, and induces cravings, which in turn, feed the brain’s dependency on sugar. It truly is a vicious cycle.
Having trouble remembering your grocery list, your boss’s wife’s name, or where you left your keys? Research has shown that a diet high in sugar can hinder memory and learning ability. Over time, consuming excess sugar can actually cause damage to the cells in your brain and affect the way they communicate with the body.
Not only will your brain work better without sugar, but your entire body will benefit, as well. Excess sugar doesn’t just affect your pancreas, insulin, and blood sugar levels. It triggers elevations in blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart rate, and can make you more susceptible to certain forms of cancer.
By reducing your sugar consumption, you will not only improve your blood sugar, but you may also benefit from a decrease in cholesterol and blood pressure. This will reduce risk of heart disease, heart attack, stroke, cancers, and a host of other diabetes-related complications.
Did you know that when there is less fat in a product, there is usually more sugar? Fat tastes good! When processors remove the fat from a product, they replace it with sugar.
For example, full-fat yogurt contains approximately 11 grams of carbohydrates/sugar per serving. Low-fat yogurt contains upwards of 17 grams of carbohydrates/sugar. That’s a 50% increase in sugar content!
In full-fat dairy, there will always be naturally-occurring sugar in the form of lactose. However, when processors remove the fat, they replace it with sugar to help it taste better-that is where those additional 6 grams of sugar are coming from.
Fat fills you up, sugar does not. So, after you enjoy your container of low-fat yogurt, one hour later you’re hungry again and reach for another snack. The additional fat and protein in full-fat yogurt will keep your tummy feeling fuller longer.
Like protein, fat is an essential nutrient. The body needs fat in order to function properly. For example, fat is necessary for the absorption of several vitamins like A, K, and E. Fat is critical for energy production, as well as, keeping hair and nails healthy. Even the brain needs fat in order to function!
Research has shown that eating a diet rich in good fats lowers risk for heart disease, obesity and type II diabetes complications.
You may have heard that heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, killing over 600,000 people every year. What you probably don’t know is that individuals are three times more likely to die from insufficient intake of healthy fats than they are from excess intake of saturated fats!
In fact, according to the American Heart Association, new research has shown that replacing unhealthy fats in one’s diet with healthy fats can reduce cholesterol levels and heart disease risk as much as statins do. Research is proving that healthy fats can heal the body!
Eliminating sugar from your diet, and increasing your healthy fat consumption can make an amazingly positive impact on your health!
Sources:
https://medlineplus.gov/news/fullstory_168087.html
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