A study published in 2012 called “Use of caloric and non-caloric sweeteners in US consumer packaged foods” found that 74 percent of processed foods in America had added sugar.
These sugars were often hidden in plain sight under names like #dextrose, barley malt, and rice syrup to name a few. The amount of sugar added to your food is detrimental to your health whether you have diabetes, pre-diabetes, or are perfectly #healthy.
Everyone young and old needs to control their sugar intake. Controlling the sugar in your diet is important for optimal blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia) is important because sugar damages your body at the cellular level. Too much sugar creates damage faster than your body’s repair mechanisms and potentially causes premature #aging among other problems. Unfortunately, sugar is your primary source of energy making it unavoidable.
Health-promoting decisions need to be consciously made every day to prevent your blood sugar levels from becoming difficult to manage. The non-insulin-dependent diabetes disease process starts years before a doctor’s diagnosis. Please do not wait until your blood test comes back showing you are #diabetic.
Based on the before mentioned study, one simple suggestion that you can follow is to eat a whole foods diet. This means #vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, #legumes, and lean healthy meats.
Processed foods have added sugar which is great for increasing sales but not for improving your health. Also, processed foods are often nutrient-depleted as opposed to a whole food diet which has #phytonutrients, micro minerals, vitamins, and most importantly no added sugar. For more information about how to find hidden sugar in your diet go to sugarscience.org. If you’re interested in learning more about how to prevent diabetes talk with your doctor.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Nicholas Morgan is a naturopathic physician and founder of The Center for Integrative Wellness.