The way that we obtain sugar nowadays and the large quantities that we consume is what makes sugar so bad for us. Excessive sugar intake has been link to inflammation of our blood vessels, death of nerve cells, diabetes and so many more unwanted conditions. However, the human body still craves the taste of sugar. So how did our ancestors deal with this?
In the past, our sources of sugar were in various fruits, sugar cane, honey, and many other limited and not so accessible plant sources. With the exception of honey, nature makes us sugar that is always paired with lots of fiber that lessens the glycemic effects. In other words, the fiber content slows down the dumping of the sugar into our blood stream giving our body the chance to produce the needed insulin and making us full much faster so that we do not consume too much of it. Diabetes has become so much more prevalent nowadays because of the new refined sources and overabundance of sugar in our diet.
Many companies mask the sugar content in their products by using uncommon names, up to 61 different names are in circulation today. Therefore, just knowing how to read ingredient labels may not be enough. To see a comprehensive list of alternate sugar names, Click here.
So, I will keep it simple. Obtain your sweets from whole fruit and whole plant sources (with the fiber attached) and you will notice a significant improvement in your sugar levels and enjoy you life in a healthier body.
Common whole plant sources of sugar/sweetness are:
-Fruits such as apples, mangoes, oranges, grapes, berries, bananas.
-Roots such as sweet potatoes, carrots, beets.
-Legumes such as peas.
-Other vegetables as sweet corn.
For that sweet tooth craving, simple add in or blend in these whole vegetables into any recipe and enjoy a guilt free sweet treat.
