Sugar and spice and everything nice…

It’s the Winter Holiday season and sugar is on everyone’s mind if not on the menu in one form or another.

Here are a few guidelines for you to know about sugar.

The Good:

• There are several types of sugar, not all are bad for you. Glucose, Fructose (found in fruit and vegetables), and Galactose (found in milk), are sugars your body can use. Your body converts sugar into glucose to use immediately for energy and to store for later use. Glucose is also stored for later use, so your body always has what it needs on hand to function properly.
• Your brain, nervous system, and red blood cells all need a bit of sugar to function properly. The brain requires about 130g of glucose (a particular form of sugar) per day to function properly. During starvation the brain is competing with the body for glucose to survive. Sugar is the brain’s main fuel. It cannot function without it.
• The right amount of sugar can give you an energy and mood boost.
• Sugar from fruit, vegetables, herbs, and dairy products contain high quantities of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other compounds that can help properly digest sugar, reducing the negative impacts on your system.
• In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) the sweet flavor associated with sugar, and other non-sugar sweeteners and herbs, is identified with providing nourishment and moisture.

The Bad:

• Too much sugar is known to cause heart disease, weight gain, diabetes, depression, and a host of other ailments associated with excess sugar consumption.
• Sugar is addictive. The more you consume, the more you crave
• Processed sugar and sucrose (white table sugar) have no nutritive value.
• In TCM too much sugar is said to cause digestive disorders and Dampness, a Pathogenic Factor that can, among other issues, impact blood pressure, cause urinary tract infections, acne, weight gain, headaches, and stomach disorders.

The American Heart Association recommends 9 teaspoons per day for men and less than 6 teaspoons per day for women and children.

Monk Fruit and Stevia are two plant-based, non-sugar substitutes that are sweeter than sugar and are packed with powerful healing compounds yet are free of calories and carbohydrates.

Sugar is everywhere, often hiding in plain sight (Your favorite flavored coffee drink, soft drinks, salad dressings, processed foods, and on and on)

It’s the holidays, and sugar will be all around you. It’s time to discover healthy sugar substitutes and ways to make the best use of sugar so you can enjoy sweet things while supporting your health.

Find out more about Sugar (Tang) and how to use it correctly.