You have permission to publish this article electronically free of charge as long as you follow my requirements. The entire byline at end of article must be included and content should be left unchanged. The actual url must be visible, not a link connected to unrelated words. The bio and url must be placed either directly above my article or directly below my article, not on a completely different page. The bio and url must be typed in a large enough font that it is clearly visible to eye. If you use article, please notify me with a copy of your publication or a url to where it can be found. For print publications, please contact me to discuss and to obtain US mailing address to send a courtesy copy. cynthiap@frognet.net Sweet Poison By Cynthia Perkins, M.Ed.
What is most common addiction in our society today? Well you may be surprised to learn that it is sugar. That’s right, those pretty white crystals sitting on most people’s kitchen table. The average American consumes 32 teaspoons of sugar a day. Not only is it addictive, but this very common everyday product that is falsely believed to be harmless is responsible for many health problems we find in our society.
There’s a very significant difference between white refined sugar and naturally occurring complex sugars that are found in whole foods. In this article we are speaking specifically of refined white sugar, or its cousins, other refined sugars, such as brown sugar, powdered sugar or raw sugar.
White refined sugar is not a food. It is a chemical. It is an addictive drug. Yes, that’s right, an addictive drug and when you remove it from your diet you can experience withdrawal symptoms as excruciating and serious as alcohol withdrawal, including tremors, flu like symptoms, headaches, and mood swings so intense you would damn near kill for a chocolate bar. Some say it is as addictive as heroin.
The biochemical make up of white sugar is almost identical to alcohol, except for one molecule. Refined white sugar is stripped of any nutritional value and is an empty calorie food. In addition to that, in order to be metabolized in body it has to draw from your vitamin and mineral reserves and therefore is responsible for depleting mineral and vitamin levels, which in itself creates numerous health problems.
What is very sad and devastating is that sugar is an acceptable addiction. It’s not uncommon for people to know they have a sugar addiction and to make a joke of it. It’s not seen as a serious matter, when in reality it is very serious indeed.