How Sweet it ISN'T...

We all know that sugar is not good for us, right? If you don't know this, you really should read this article entitled, "Refined Sugar - The Sweetest Poison of All..." It is a lengthy article, so if you don't want to read the whole thing, at least read the first section entitled, "Why Sugar is Toxic to the Body." It's only a page of reading, but it is filled with a lot of information that will show you exactly what sugar is doing to your body. Please read it!

Now, for those of you who already know how bad sugar is for you and are thinking how good you are for only consuming artificial sweeteners, let me burst your bubble for a minute. They are just as bad!! For more detailed information on the subject, read this article entitled, "Sugar substitutes and the potential danger of Splenda." We've all heard about the carcinogenic effects of sweeteners such as Saccharin, Aspartame and Acesulfame K. That's why everyone was delighted when the FDA approved Splenda (sucralose) to be placed on the market. At the time the FDA approved Splenda for human consumption, there had only been 2 human trials completed and published. In those 2 trials, there were 36 human subjects where only 23 of them were actually given sucralose. The longest trial lasted 4 days and did not test sucralose for human tolerance but rather for tooth decay!

So, what is sucralose, you ask? In a nutshell, it is sugar that has been chemically altered. Three chlorine atoms have replaced 3 hydroxyl groups in the sugar molecule which, incidentally, gives it characteristics of a chlorocarbon. Most pesticides, like DDT (banned in 1972 in the US), are chlorocarbons! In fact, Splenda (sucralose) was discovered by 2 British scientists in 1976 who were trying to find a new pesticide formulation. Wikipedia recounts how one scientist told the other one to "test" the powder, and the other one thought he said to "taste" it, so he did! Moron! There is naturally-occurring chlorine in some foods that you eat - like tomatoes, mushrooms, peas...etc. This chlorine will not accumulate in your body fat and is not toxic, and your body actually needs that to help cleanse your liver. The chlorine added to make sucralose is a synthetic form which OSHA warns can burn your internal organs.

One of the reasons for the FDA's approval of sucralose is that because it has the chlorine atoms added to it, the body will not be able to metabolize it and will eventually just flush it out. This is also how Splenda's makers are able to claim that it has ZERO calories. Here's the problem: Since Splenda's approval, more testing has been done, and it has been found that in fact the average person will absorb and ultimately store 15% of the sucralose into the body. That means that some people in the study actually absorbed more than 15%. In one study, 1 person did not excrete the sucralose even after 3 days which means he was absorbing and metabolizing the chemical! I can only assume that Splenda's claim to be ZERO calories is only true if your body's chemical makeup does not allow the chemical to be absorbed.

Do you really trust the FDA? Do you think they are really looking out for your best interest? Take a look back at the Vioxx disaster. Keep in mind that Splenda is a food additive not a drug. In order for a drug to get passed by the FDA, it must undergo extensive research and testing...much more than a food additive would. Even with all the testing done on Vioxx, the FDA was not able to deem it unfit to be on the market, and that mistake cost 55,000 people their lives!

My questions for you are these: Do you want you and your family to be the "test subjects" for this inadequately tested product? Do you want to end up as just another "statistic" down the road? Why would you want to put something into your body that God did not intend for your consumption?

There are more natural alternatives to sugar and artificial sweeteners. For those of you who like the taste of artificial sweeteners, you will like the herb called Stevia, which can now be found in most regular grocery stores and definitely in health food stores. For those of you who like LOVE sugar like me, you will find that agave nectar is an excellent substitute. This is a natural sweetener found in (believe it or not) a cactus plant and has a glycemic index of 19 which makes it suitable for diabetics. Agave nectar is 25% sweeter than sugar, so you won't need to use as much, thus saving you some calories. Agave can be used in cooking/baking and as a sweetener for drinks like coffee and tea. The appearance of Agave is somewhat like honey but much less viscous. There is no weird taste to it at all! It is just sweet! The light-colored agave has no flavor...it's just sweet, but the darker, amber-colored agave tastes more like caramel. They both are really good!

For the last couple of months I have completely cut out sugar and sugar substitutes and have only used agave nectar, honey or 100% maple syrup to sweeten our food. Now, I know that some of you are going to look at the caloric content of these and tell me I'm crazy for intaking all those calories. Here's the thing: These are natural sweeteners! Your body knows how to digest them, so they will not be stored as fat. Refined sugars and artificial sweeteners are not digestible, so your body says, "I don't know what to do with this, so I'll just store it." That's why you gain weight in all the "inactive" places of your body.

So, you want our stats? In the last 2 months since we have changed our eating habits, Jason and I have both lost over 15 pounds each! Keep in mind that we were doing South Beach last year and had already lost a significant amount of weight but eventually just plateaued when we reached our initial goals. We weren't necessarily looking for weight loss when we made these recent changes, so we weren't "dieting" but rather just living. We really just wanted to be healthier and ended up with the bonus of losing weight.

I'm going to start sharing some of our favorite recipes, but I felt it was necessary to explain all of the above information before I did that. We use agave nectar for almost all of our cooking (that requires sweetening), and the kids even like it in their oatmeal. We made some ice cream with the agave, and it was delicious! Of course we made it with coconut milk since we're dairy free. I'll explain that one later. I don't want to overload you. =)

A couple of months ago, I found a recipe for homemade ketchup that is to die for, and I've been making it ever since! Don't buy the store ketchup that is full of high fructose corn syrup! That stuff is awful! Fresh is better anyway. =)

With Larissa's birthday coming up this month, we've been experimenting with birthday cake ideas that would be sugar-free and dairy-free. We made a carrot cake with coconut cream frosting, and it was fabulous! We also made a yellow cake with chocolate frosting that is heavenly!

I hope this hasn't come across as a lecture from a soapbox or something, but I feel very strongly about this right now and feel that I need to share this information with others. I was completely ignorant to so many things, and due to my recent health issues, I've basically been "forced" into a better way of eating. The thing is, though, I'm so happy with our changes, and we really do feel so much better than we did before. If I can help one person to avoid going through what I've been through or any other health problems for that matter, then this has all been worthwhile.

No one imagines themselves ending up with health problems such as diabetes, heart issues or even cancer, but let me remind you, we are not invincible. If you don't take care of the body that God has given you, then you might just have your life taken from you with one of these dreadful maladies. A few days ago I was having a talk with Alyx, and I told her that we need to learn not only from our mistakes but also from other peoples' mistakes. Of course, this was not in reference to health issues, but it can still be applied. No amount of physical satiation with food is worth a life riddled with health problem after health problem. My choice is to eat right, so that I can enjoy the life that God has given me. I'm just glad that my "rude awakening" hit while I'm young and still able to make some serious changes.

My hope is that you will keep an open mind as you read the information I'll be sharing and realize that the changes are not as drastic as you would imagine. The idea is that you want to eat foods that are "whole," meaning that they are as close to nature as possible with minimal processing. The more processed and refined a certain food is, the harder it is for your body to digest. We need to realize that the point of eating is to "feed" our body not to bring physical or emotional pleasure to ourselves. Certain foods are addictive, and once you get over those addictions, you will be amazed at how great you feel!