How Sweet It Is
Why do we like sugar so much? From an evolutionary perspective we know that the human species (homo/mankind) had to survive on the food that was available. We are well aware that food is the substance that keeps us alive by supplying the energy for survival. And in those pre-human days, our primitive ancestors found that eating ripe fruits which contain a higher sugar content which can be converted into energy. Sugar is a instinctual pre-homo sapien’s survival drive or craving; it gave our ancestors the necessary foods to survive. This is the basis for understanding our desire to obtain ‘sweet foods’; of course we are talking about the conditions on earth that were totally different just a few thousand years ago. Food was scarce for the human race up until the Age of Animal Consumption, which began just a few hundred years ago and has suddenly exploded in the last 100 years. We now eat more animals than ever before and the results are not good.
From a logical position it would certainly appear that Gatherers-Hunters were around long before the Hunter-Gatherer group arrived. A primitive ape-like species that appears to have been our precursor species would have gathered up a lot more ‘edibles’ long before they could kill, cook and eat any animal, and they would have eaten ‘left-overs’ long before they had any ways of catching, killing, and cooking anything. But ‘left overs’ from what? Probably from the leftovers from the remains of an animal food source by another animal; for example a Lion type of creature might be dining on a small calf or a weaken large animal that they took down; ah, left overs. Or perhaps a fire gave Grogg his first BBQ. Food was extremely scarce so that even dead animals became a food source, even tho our anatomical and physiological design is that of a Herbivore, a plant eater. We needed food to survive and every animal knows which foods they can eat; except us. We now know that animal consumption is incredibly physically and mentally harmful.
The use of sugar in modern day life has gotten out of control; it has been stated that 80% of packaged/canned items in our local grocery stores contain sugar in many different forms with chemical names that few of us can identify …. or even pronounce! Our food industry has manipulated the chemical structures so much that almost all sugars found in modern day food supplies are hidden, disguised, and altered to be unrecognizable. Sugar, in it’s raw state is not needed for survival; it also does not serve any nutritional value. Raw does not mean it is any less processed; it has to be processed to its lowest common substance to be called Raw.
We have three primary food groups; Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. On closer examination we see that Complex Carbs, commonly called starches, are actually long chains of simple sugars which, when broken down by the digestive process, are converted into ‘simple carbs’ or sugars that now can be utilized for energy. Actually mostt of the world’s people depend on carbohydrate-rich food for daily sustenance; well at least until the major Food Industries came along and developed the Standard American Diet (SAD). And what we know about the SAD is sad; it is the major cause of illness, sickness, disease, disability, and death in the United States today. And worse, the SAD is rapidly spreading it’s death and destruction across the world.
The destruction of land for animal production is destroying our breathing forests, our top soil with its life producing nutrients is rapidly being destroyed, and our water and air supplies are so polluted that fish are dying, Our children are full of asthma and other illnesses. Animal production is causing over 50% of Climate Change! Certainly one does not need to answer the question, “What’s wrong with this picture?” Earth will not survive, we will not survive, our animals will not survive. It’s death on the installment plan and every time we bit into a steak, butter, an egg, a chicken nugget, or a cheese loaded pizza we are secretly planning our funerals.
What about sugar? Actually a high sugar diet can cause elevated Blood Pressures and can be worse than salt according to an article in the journal ‘Open Heart’. There is a clear link between sugar consumption and weight gain. Sugar increases triglycerides (fats) according to research in the Journal of the AMA. And the Women’s Health Initiative study of over 70,000 women revealed that those who ate more sugar and processed grains triggered inflammation which was linked to depression. Sugar, in it’s raw state, really has not have any nutritional benefit other than making food taste sweet. And it does not cause Diabetes.
We now know that excess fat will accumulate within the cells (the term is called Intramyocellular Lipids) and resisting the ability for the pancreas hormone Insulin to unlock the cell wall which allows the blood sugar (glucose) to enter the cell to be used by the mitochondria for energy production thus the term, Insulin Resistance. So, do we really need sugar? Yes we need glucose for our energy production which we can obtain from our complex carbs which are long chains of sugars. No, we do not need raw sugar. And here is an interesting point, studies have not shown that eating excessive amounts of sugar causes hyperactivity in children.
Yes, actually we can obtain all of our sugar needs by whole foods which contain a ton of nutritional value, keep our sugar levels at normal levels, and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Sweet! Stay Healthy, Vegan Doc
