Sugar Me Not

I love desserts.  I'm drawn to any outlets that display pastries, puddings, cakes, doughnuts, macaroons or anything at all that looks sweet.  My favorite is gulap jammu...OMG, I'm drooling just thinking of it. I also love my waffles with honey, my Nescafe and condensed milk, my teh tarik, my kueh keria, my pisang goreng dipped in honey, my sweetened condensed milk with crackers...and my list can really go long.  Basically, sweet food makes me happy, and all warm and fuzzy inside.

The different types of sugar

Sugar, however rewarding it is to the soul has (sadly) an adverse effect on health.  I'm quite sure everybody already know this, but I must emphasize as a gentle reminder that sugar is literally one of the underlying reason why we are so easily sick all the time.  Once upon a time, when sugar was not part and parcel of everything that we put into our body, cardiovascular disease and cancer was barely in our vocabulary.  And that is only two sugar consequences on the living.




This is a more complete list of what sugar consumption can actually do:

• sugar can suppress the immune system
• sugar can upset the body's mineral balance
• sugar can contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties and crankiness in children
• sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides
• sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children
• sugar can reduce helpful high density cholesterol (HDLs)
• sugar can promote an elevation of harmful cholesterol (LDLs)
• sugar can cause hypoglycemia
• sugar contribute to a weakened defense against bacterial infection
• sugar can cause kidney damage
• sugar can increase the risk of coronary heart disease
• sugar may lead to copper deficiency
• sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium
• sugar can increase fasting levels of blood glucose
• sugar can promote tooth decay
• sugar can promote an acidic stomach
• sugar can raise adrenaline levels in children
• sugar can lead to periodontal disease
• sugar can speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and grey hair
• sugar can increase total cholesterol
• sugar can contribute to weight gain and obesity
• high intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
• sugar can contribute to diabetes
• sugar can contribute to osteoporisis
• sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity
• sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance
• sugar can cause cardiovascular disease
• sugar can increase systolic blood pressure
• sugar causes food allergies
• sugar can case free radical formation in the bloodstream
• sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy
• sugar can contribute to eczema in children
• sugar can overstress the pancreas, causing damage
• sugar can cause atherosclerosis
• sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries
• sugar can cause liver cells to divide, increasing the size of the liver
• sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney
• sugar can cause depression
• sugar can increase the body's fluid retention
• sugar can cause hormonal imbalance
• sugar can cause hypertension
• sugar can cause headaches, including migraines
• sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter the mind's ability to think clearly
• sugar can increase blood platelet adhesiveness which increases risk of blood clots and strokes
• sugar can increase insulin responses in those consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets
• sugar increases bacterial fermentation in colon

*source : www.nancyappleton.com


Feeling depressed, yet? Well, not all hope is lost.  As usual, anything taken in moderation is fine.  What we really need to know is how.

The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) 1986 review, "Evaluation of the Health Aspects of Sugars Contained in Carbohydrate Sweeteners," was a comprehensive assessment that formed the basis for the agency's reaffirming sugar as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) in 1988.

The report concluded:

"Other than the contribution to dental caries, there is no conclusive evidence on sugars that demonstrates a hazard to the general public when sugars are consumed at the levels that are now current and in the manner now practiced."

Specifically, FDA affirmed that as currently consumed, sugar does not cause diabetes, heart disease, obesity, hypoglycemia, childhood hyperactivity or nutrient deficiencies.

Several major nutrition policy statements have accepted and incorporated FDA's conclusions. These include:

• Report on Nutrition and Health by the U.S. Surgeon General
• Diet and Health by the National Research Council (National Academy of Sciences)
• Healthy People 2000: National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 1990 by the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services

*taken from http://www.sbreb.org/brochures/FactSheet/index.htm

There hasn't been a study about sugar, its consequences and diets effect on Malaysians, Singaporeans or Indonesians.  Our diets, though almost similar, are quite different and have different levels of sugar ingredients.  Still, the following are some food items to add to your diet if you would like to decrease sugar intake in your diets:

• Fruits and vegetables
• Whole grains, such as brown rice and oatmeal
• Whole grain flour *note: wheat flour is NOT whole grain
• Beans
• Sweet potatoes
• Lean meats
• Fish and Seafood (not breaded)
• Eggs
• Nut and nut butters
• Flax seed
• Low fat milk and other dairy products

*note: list is not comprehensive


However, my trip to Singapore to meet friends from the industry exposed me to so many new information about health and fitness.  Diet and exercise is not THE ONLY thing you need for health and integrated wellness.  It actually boils down to the brain, but that's a whole different article.  

Until then, try replacing a soda to water that could shave 10 teaspoons of sugar off your diet. If you are a teh tarik person...hmmm, there is yet to be a thorough study on it, but with all that condense milk content at and estimated 83 calories (30 calories from fat)...perhaps, skipping Malaysia most favorite pass time can help too. Check the ingredient list of all the food you put into your body and pick the ones with the less sugar content.  Most, importantly, give that processed and fast food counters a go, especially the ones that never seem to expire!