All sugar is the same, white sugar, brown sugar, molasses, it all comes from either sugar cane or sugar beets.  We manufacture corn for sugar and make artificial sweeteners (Phenylalanine and Aspartame)  for products to add taste and freshness.

Common products with added sugar:

• Chinese Fortune cookies one cookie 3.5 grams
• Baked beans one-cup serving 15 grams
• Ketchup single pack  4 grams
• Flavored Yogurt single serving size 24 grams
• BBQ sauce one-cup serving  9 grams
•  “Reduced” salad dressings one-cup reduced-calorie French dressing 58 grams
• Lemonade single serving of the drink has almost 17 grams
• Caramel Flavored popcorn 18 grams per ounce serving.
• Granola bars 11 grams

Natural Sugar

There’s a natural sugar in fruit and plants called “fructose” which has gotten a bad name over the years.  The body metabolizes sugar into glucose so the brain can use it for energy and if a body already has ample energy readily available then anything extra will be turned to triglycerides and fats by the liver.  Fructose is easily converted to fat if not needed, which causes a problem for people who do not move alot or burn enough calories.  Overweight to morbidly obese persons have free-flowing sugar in their bodies waiting to be used and the build up of high blood sugar will contribute to bone, joint and heart diseases.   When I worked at the hospital my favorite patients to train were Type II Diabetics because 15mins of exercise helped control blood sugar and alleviate joint pain while burning calories to reduce fat stores and get them off medications.  I had a blast!!

Man-made Sugar

We manufacture sugar from plants and also use chemicals to make aspartame and phenylalanine (Equal, Nutrasweet and Splenda) which can increase desire for sweets, kill taste buds and decrease insulin absorption by the body and contribute to adult-onset diabetes.

Aspartame causes additional problems because of its chemical breakdown. A molecule of aspartame consists of two amino acids (phenylalanine and aspartic acid) linked by a molecule of methanol, the alcohol found in antifreeze. At 30C (86F), lower than body temperature, the three components come apart and each has distinctive effects. The methanol is metabolized in your body to formaldehyde and then to formic acid. Both of these are very potent metabolic poisons.

Phenylalanine and aspartic acid both mimic brain neurotransmitters. They can disrupt the balance of these chemicals, causing depression, seizures, memory problems and problems with concentration and learning. They may also be a factor in the development of neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS (Lou Gherig’s disease), as well as multiple sclerosis. (http://www.alive.com/)

I personally drink diet sodas with phenylalanine and I can’t pass them up when they are on sale, call it an addiction or craving, it doesn’t matter.   I would rather choose natural fructose over any manufactured sugars because factories mean profit and profits for big companies are not always health conscious.

The choice is yours.

Pick your poison.

About the author:  David has made physical fitness and healthy living a lifelong quest.  He is the owner of a local fitness studio in Bowling Green.  He holds a M.S. in Excercise Science from WKU and is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine.