Blame Obesity on the Food Industry?

Borrowed from Mary MacVean. In the last 30 years since the first U.S. dietary guidelines were issued, Americans have become heavier & more have diabetes,as well as other diet-related diseases. "Fed Up" lays a large share of the blame on the food industry. It looks at the idea that we don't seem to get healthier despite a proliferation of products, surgeries, exercise programs & diets. "We've got to change the way we produce & consume food," says former President Bill Clinton. And the message of "Fed Up" is to start by cooking real food & avoiding processed items. "It's a very myopic view of how obesity develops, and it offers no real solutions," according to James Hill, a pediatrics & medicine professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver. Hill said that he objected to the lack of attention to physical activity in the film, and that the assessment of caloric sweeteners as the major problem in Americans' diets was mistaken. "I'm not arguing that the food environment is unimportant. I'm not arguing sugar is not important," Hill said. "I think the food industry has some responsibility." He believes the food industry & scientists should join forces to find solutions. From 1977 to 2000, Americans doubled their average daily intake of sweeteners, including high fructose corn syrup, in part because it was used as a replacement when foods were reformulated to remove fat. And at a certain level, sugar is toxic according to Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of California at San Francisco. The first change the makers of the movie suggest is to give up added sweeteners for 10 days. Laurie David, who has a cookbook called "The Family Cooks," said she'd like to see school lunch improvements, nutrition education, package labeling reforms to make the information clear & the disappearance of snack foods near store cash registers.

How Much Sugar is Too Much? Borrowed from naturopathic, Dr. Joel with Revivelife Clinic.

According to the American Medical Association, 6 teaspoons/day for women, 9 teaspoons/day for men, & 3 teaspoons/day for children. Examples include: Fruit Loops (91% carbs)= 3 teaspoons Apple sauce= 3.5 teaspoons Coke= 10 teaspoons Kraft dinner= 2 teaspoons Hersey's candy bar= 7 teaspoons Cup cake= 5.5 teaspoons Chicken tenders= 3 teaspoons Vitamin Water/Energy drings= 8 teaspoons Eating or drinking 8 tablespoons, or 100 grams, of sugar(for example, 2 1/2 12oz. cans of soda) can suppress the ability of white blood cells to kill germs by 40% from 30 minutes to 5 hours after eating. Avoid sugar, sucrose, glucose, cane sugar, corn syrup, corn sweeteners, dextrose and caramel. Sugar is sugar and should be eliminated in all of its forms including white, brown or raw sugar, molasses, kayo, sorghum and any foods that contain sugar in any of the above stated forms. Be aware that many prepared foods contain sugar. Always read the labels of food items you purchase. The "Bad Guys" Sucrose, a table sugar made from highly processed sugar cane or sugar beets, devoid of nutrients, such as glucose & fructose. Fructose, a fruit sugar that is a simple sugar found in honey, tree fruits, berries & melons. Beware of crystalline fructose from corn or sucrose. High Fructose Corn Syrup is made from starches like corn, wheat, & rice(glucose & fructose). It is 1.2 to 1.8 times sweeter than sucrose & cheaper. Low glycemic index, but is processed in the liver. If excess liver turns excess fructose into triglyceride fats, this increases the risk of insulin resistance & diabetes. Devoid of any nutrition. Sugar Alcohols or Polyols, such as Maltitol, maltitol syrup, sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, lactitol, erythritol, & isomalt, is found naturally in plants, but usually made from sugars & starches. Less calories than sugars, but they can ferment in the intestines, causing gas, bloating, & diarrhea. Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup!   It reduces the mechanism that turns off our appetite after we eat enough food. Food manufacturers love to put this in their food, because it makes people eat much more. Avoid Artifical Sweeteners! Artificial sweeteners are regulated by the USDA. There is no clear evidence that the artificial sweeteners available commercially in the United States are associated with cancer risk in humans. Studies have been conducted on the safety of several artificial sweeteners, including saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, neotame, & cyclamate. Substitute using honey, pure maple syrup, agave syrup, date sugar, barley malt (contains some gluten) and rice syrup/malt and stevia. Although honey & pure maple syrup are available at grocery stores, the remaining substitute sweeteners are most easily located at health food stores. The "Good Guys" Glucose, a simple sugar from digestion of carbohydrates. The body's chief source of energy. Fructose, a fruit sugar that is a simple sugar found in honey, tree fruits, berries, & melons. Beware of crystalline fructose from corn or sucrose. Maltose, a malt sugar that is half as sweet as sucrose. It is produced from starch: barley, wheat, rice or other grains. Lactose, a sugar found naturally in milk. Xylitol, naturally occurring in many fruits & vegetables. Date Sugar, 100% dehydrated dates ground into small pieces. It is a whole food, high in fiber, vitamins, & minerals. Examples include: Fruit, Stevia, Yacon syrup, Agave syrup, Rice syrup, Coconut sugar, Barley syrup, Honey, Pure Maple syryp, & Black Strap Molasses. Replace with: Instead of fruit juice cocktail try 100% fruit juice. Instead of sweetened applesauce try unsweetened applesauce. Instead of regular peanut butter try 100% natural peanut butter (master’s choice etc.). Instead of jam try 100% fruit jam (Smucker’s Simply Fruit). Instead of canned soup try homemade soup or sugar-free soup from the health food store. Instead of cereal with sugar try PC ‘7 reasons’ cereal or sugar-free cereal from health food store. Instead of canned spaghetti sauce try homemade or sauce from the health food store. Instead of table syrup try pure maple syrup or pure fruit syrup. Instead of regular condiments try ketchup and mayonnaise from the health food store. Instead of prepared salad dressing t try olive oil and vinegar or sugar-free dressing from health food store. Instead of teriyaki sauce try Bragg’s amino acids mixed with honey. Gycemic Index of Natural Sweeteners Stevia= 0 Yacon syrup= 1 Xylitol= 8 Agave Nectar= 15 Fructose= 17 Rice syrup= 25 Date sugar= 32 Coconut sugar= 35 Apple juice= 40 Barley malt syrup= 42 Honey= 50, or 30 raw Maple syrup= 54 Blackstrap Molasses= 55 Turbinado sugar= 65 Refined white sugar= 99