The Food and Drug Administration’s dietary guidelines warn Americans that their sugar intake should be no more than 10 percent of daily calories.

That’s still a lot of sugar.

It’s still more than 14 teaspoons (over a quarter cup!) of sugar per day out of a 2,200 calorie diet.

And it’s not just the usual white sugar that should worry us. Sugar is, in effect, any substance that increases blood sugar. Any food or substance that has a high enough value on the glycemic index can disturb insulin balance in the body.

All the chronic diseases we consider as being a part of “aging” actually thread their roots back to sugar consumption. Of all the species, the human race has a very high proclivity to sugar addiction and sugar dependence. Doctors will issue a bag full of prescription drugs, but only rarely will they say “stay off of all sugar.”

The more sugar or carbohydrate consumption, the more insulin balance is disturbed. Any sugar or any food or any substance out of which the body can make sugar directly affects insulin balance.

This is important because insulin imbalance could be the major cause of many of our chronic diseases today: heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer and possibly Alzheimer’s.

What sugar? I don’t see any sugar…

There are many, many ways to disguise sugar or divert one’s attention from sugar. Most supermarket manufactured foods are loaded with sugar, but it’s usually relegated to the small print. The big diverter, “low fat” or “no fat,” is nearly always in bold or set out in a box or different color on the label.

The manufacturers know that the public has been thoroughly programmed against fat consumption. So if they print “no fat,” the customer is drawn to the product — and it’s most often loaded with sugar. The products need to be loaded with sugar in order for them to taste good to us humans, who are programmed to crave fat for nutrient transport and sugar for energy.

Sugar is now used not only as a sweetener but as a filler to build volume in “food product.”

Further, a food can legally claim to be “Sugar Free” and “Calorie Free,” but in fact contain up to 5 calories per serving. A product may legally contain an entire sugar-bowl of insulin-stimulating, fat-storing ingredients, and still be called “Sugar Free.” FDA labeling laws allow very fattening, insulin-stimulating products to be presented as “healthy.”

Be advised that sugar in a food product can appear as carbohydrates, maltodextrins, glucose polymers, and under many other deceptive names. It’s the glycemic index that gets us regardless of the name.

In actuality, most sugars like maltodextrins or glucose polymers used to disguise sugar content have a higher glycemic index than pure sugar.

Would you believe that the only sweetener banned by the FDA as a food additive is one that’s a zero on the glycemic index? It’s stevia! Stevia does not disturb insulin; but due to FDA regulations, it cannot be marketed as a sweetener, only as a dietary supplement.

Resistance is not futile

About 25 percent to 30 percent of Americans are resistant to their own insulin. This means that greater amounts of insulin are required to process the sugar we eat. Unfortunately, excess insulin is the first in a series of events to trigger damage to the lining of the coronary arteries that eventually precipitates a heart attack.

Heart attacks are two to three times more likely to happen after a high-carbohydrate meal and are specifically not likely after a high-fat meal. Why? Because the immediate effect of raising blood sugar from sugar or a high carbohydrate meal is a rise in insulin. This causes arterial spasm and constriction of the arteries, triggering heart attacks.

Why is the FDA not telling us to eliminate sugar altogether? Because it would mean far better and widespread health and happiness and, therefore, far less trillions of dollars flowing to the medical monopoly.

Sugar is America’s No. 1 addiction, beginning with little babies. May God liberate us from this curse that plagues the world, but most especially Americans.

Substitute stevia for sugar as much as you can. Folks in the southern states use syrup made from sweet sorghum stalks as a substitute for sugar. It’s used to make gluten-free beer, too.

Sorghum syrup is full of nutrients and minerals, it doesn’t get moldy, and like honey, if it crystallizes, just heat it a bit.

Yours for the truth,

Bob Livingston
Editor, The Bob Livingston Letter^®

Editor’s Note: Insulin is a master control hormone that greatly impacts your health, even if you’re not diabetic. If you want answers to all your questions about insulin, I recommend you follow this link. My friend Margaret Cantwell at Easy Health Options^® has some great information to share.