Escaping the Fructose Nightmare

We have a problem. It’s called sugar (the fructose part specifically).

Cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and the supposed ‘healthy’ sweeteners such as fruit juice concentrate, have significantly contributed to, what many call, a Metabolic Disease Epidemic.

A list of these diseases would include Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, Dementia (sometimes called Type 3 Diabetes), some Cancers and more – the complete list is staggering.

By the way, this is only a partial list of ‘added sugars’ in our foods, the rest are more or less, ‘hidden’ in their chemical or natural-sounding names (malt, dextrose, agave, to name a few).

It’s all rather disheartening but... let’s not lose heart.

We can fix this

For parents, teachers, writers, and nutrition advocates, this overwhelming problem is fast becoming our responsibility.

Why?

Children. Children are falling prey to metabolic diseases at an alarming rate. This is simply not right. Something needs to be done and that something begins with us.

We are both directly and indirectly responsible for their nutritional health. Directly because we provide their sustenance and indirectly because we set the example.

What to do...

Get Educated – This is the single most important thing anyone can do...

• A solid conviction is an absolute necessity in order to sustain “I'm going to be healthy-from-this-day-forward” attitude.

• In other words, you’re going to have to be determined to live the example you want to establish. Children see through hypocrisy ‘faster than a speeding bullet’ to coin an old phrase.

• Knowledge is crucial. Thankfully, there’s plenty of free information available. Online videos, blogs, podcasts, library books, and etc. are so plentiful, it’s almost ridiculous that more people aren’t well-informed at this time.

• Requirement: Effort! Effort is needed to put that proverbial ‘one foot in front of the other’.

Study the Facts – The science/the data have weighed in and it’s powerful. It’s literally, life-changing information...

• Sugar, seed oils, and processed foods are toxic to the human body. This is now a proven, 100% accurate statement. Note: Toxicity warnings are not listed on these products. There’s no help from the food industry. Obviously!

• The sugar content that is currently listed on nutritional labels, do not differentiate between ‘added’ sugar or ‘naturally occurring’ glucose. It’s a ‘consumer beware’ situation at this time – hopefully that will change drastically in the near future. A few companies are getting on-board but there’s still a long way to go.

• Vegetable oils are not from vegetables; seed-oils go through a refining process similar to the way crude oil is refined into gasoline. Don’t believe it? Google it for yourself.

• At this point, which is worse – sugar or seed-oils? Getting rid of both in our diets is a smart move. Eliminating processed foods is a great way to get rid of both of these toxic substances in one swoop.

• Requirement: Understand the science. A great place to start is to study insulin resistance – a real eye-opener.

Be a Part of the Truth – Awareness is growing; it can’t be hidden for much longer...

• We’ve been nutritionally misled for literally decades (fats, cholesterol, salt, eggs, butter, are a few that come to mind).

• Whether it was done deliberately or through ignorance—no matter, TODAY, those lies are being exposed. FINALLY!

• Once in possession of a truth – it’s yours, the fog has lifted.

• Requirement: Share facts with others wherever and whenever. However, don’t push – live your lifestyle change as an example, others will notice – guaranteed.

Stay the Course – Game on!

• You might think that you’ve faced harder things in your life – this might be true, however, eliminating added sugar, seed oils, and processed foods is not for the faint of heart.

• Create new habits – read labels, rehearse nutrition/health related articles – keep your knowledge current, plan meals, make grocery list – stick to it to avoid impulse buying, set more time aside for meal preparation – avoid fast-food places, etc.

• Requirement: Establish a personal ‘reset’ plan for those times that come up to throw you off your game. Slip ups, setbacks, are not failures. Things happen but it doesn’t mean it’s over. A plan will help you to ‘reset’, to get back up, dust off, and get back to those long-term goals. Note: they aren’t called long-term for nothing!

Another step would be exercise. Since this article has run longer than originally planned, exercise - with its major importance to health, should discussed in a future article.

It's the right thing to do...