If you’re on a diet, and focusing on your nutrition, then you will already know that sugar is the biggest enemy to your wellness and wellbeing that you can possibly imagine.
Unfortunately, most of us are raised to think that sugar is a treat, as it is often used as a reward for young children when they exhibit good behaviour. Nothing could be further from the truth than this, however, as research is increasingly showing that sugar is absolutely toxic and leads to many of the worst diseases, such as heart disease.
Leading doctors now agree that sugar is one of the worst enemies to your health, and should be avoided as much as possible. Chinese medicine has recognised this problem for many years, too, especially in relation to a problem that they call ‘depletion and thirst syndrome’, also known as diabetes.
The pancreas is designed to deal with excess sugar in the body, by producing and releasing insulin. This is the hormone that carries sugar from the bloodstream into the cells of the body and the body tissues, too. When you take in simple sugars and foods containing refined carbohydrates, your body then requires a quick release of the insulin hormone, which then leaves your pancreas depleted. This quick release later leads to low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia). Your body starts to crave more sugar to replace the depleted supply, and thus a vicious cycle is formed, which will eventually cause your pancreas to stop being able to function properly, leading to diabetes. If you have diabetes, your sugar stores up and starts to cause problems inside your body.
Whilst sugar consumption on the whole has decreased in recent years, fructose and corn syrup intake has increased, and it is just as harmful. Products such as tomato ketchup, bread, cereal, granola bars, fast foods and salad dressing are absolutely loaded with this harmful sugar.