“It's no fat, no sugar, no dairy... It's no good, throw it out”
Friends quote (American television situation comedy.)

An amazing thing happens when one embarks on the road to wellness: since we become more focused about the results we want to achieve, whether it be lose weight, gain energy or resolve some health issue, we also become more aware of the many ways in which we were set up and what we can do to reclaim control over ourselves.

A couple of weeks ago, as I was cramming for an urgent translation job, I decided to make a quick sandwich, which I seldom do. Being French, I could not conceive of a sandwich without mustard and the brand the closest to what I grew up with is Grey Poupon (manufactured in Connecticut). While waiting for the bread to toast, I absent-mindedly looked at the list of its ingredients and was flabbergasted to realize that it contained… sugar. Yes, sugar!!! I have been using that brand for over twenty years and, in my recollection, I purposely chose it because it was the only one which did not contain any sweetener at the time: I just dislike the incongruous taste of sweetness in most salty foods. I was not happy and felt betrayed for two reasons: the sugar is in a quantity so minute that I never tasted it, as though it were “pushed” onto me in a very underhanded way. Further, and unless I am mistaken, the addition of sugar to Grey Poupon is relatively recent and I now feel obligated to read every single label of anything passing my door lest I would be a willing participant in that systematic poisoning. I had to wonder what purpose was served by all that sugar.

I did quite a bit of research and found out a few very interesting facts:

Sugar was first added to food centuries ago, in order to preserve it as it rots and decays after a certain amount of time. Sugar, vinegar and salt, prevent the proliferation of bacteria responsible for said decay. Man has long been aware of it, hence the countless hours spent by our ancestors in making preserves and in curing meat: it assured them that edible food would still be available during the winter months, when nothing grows.

As society moved toward increased industrialization, more men and women left their homes and their farms for a more lucrative job and fewer could spare the time required to grow fruits and vegetables and can them, bake bread, milk the cows and make butter and cheese. Manufacturers saw a need and filled it by offering pre-made and prepackaged necessary food products at an affordable price. Preservation prior to the discovery of refrigeration was a concern: bacteria are known to cause illnesses sometimes fatal, such as botulism and salmonella poisoning, to name just a few. To prevent bacteria from growing, manufacturers added chemical products to the industrial food, such as salt, nitrates, sugar and vinegar.

However, with the advent of refrigeration and freezing methods, one would think that the addition of sugar and/or salt in meat such as ham, sausage or hamburger, or in dairy products, would no longer be necessary. Yet, the practice has not only never disappeared but, in fact, it has increased to such an extent that almost every industrially produced food is now loaded with at least one, if not all of them. Eventually, high fructose corn syrup, much cheaper to produce, replaced sugar in the late 70s, which incidentally coincided with a dramatic surge in morbid obesity among Americans.

In the case of the Grey Poupon mustard, what troubled me the most is that it already contains salt and vinegar, both of which are natural preserving agents, and it clearly recommends refrigeration after opening. Why then the presence of sugar? What purpose is it intended to serve?

In the recent years, I have also noticed that the quantity of sugar in sweet foods, such as cakes, cookies, ice creams and sodas, has considerably increased. In fact, I realized it several years ago, when immediately after eating a cookie or anything sweet, I would feel as though frogs had jumped inside my throat. I could not breathe well and my voice croaked, which forced me clear it repeatedly afterwards. Unpleasant situation which happened only after eating overly sweet foods.

Food manufacturers allege that they follow the consumer’s requests and adjust tastes based on demand: consumers want more sweets and, well, noblesse oblige. Although I would like to believe in values such as honor, compassion and social responsibility, I cannot stop but doubt that altruism is the driving force behind it. Call me cynical if you will…

What I believe is much simpler and yet the prospect is frightening: we are being willful pawns in the hands of manufacturers for want of knowledge and interest in our own health. As food is being increasingly grown by industrial means, in greater quantity and at a faster pace than nature intended (Miracle Grow…) it is also depleted of more of its nutrients and taste. There is absolutely no doubt that fruits and vegetable grown organically taste much better than those purchased in supermarkets. Anyone who owns a garden will tell you that nothing tastes better than lettuce and tomatoes ripened in the sun. The natural taste of produce having been lost, it is necessary to replace it by another one as many people would rather not eat at all than chew on something as insipid and as exciting as a piece of cardboard. By increasing the content of sugar and salt, food manufacturers hope simply to “drown the fish”, i.e., successfully sweep the issue of lost taste under the rug. I would venture to say that, so far, they have succeeded.

Sugar is also extremely cheap to produce (although sugar cane requires four times the quantity of water rice needs in order to grow). So cheap, in fact, that anticipated world production for the year 2006-2007 will exceed by over 5.8 million tons the projected consumption. Only a small portion of it is refined and sold in supermarket as white powder. Most of it is used by the chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries (tell me again, are they really different?) Lastly, the introduction of high fructose corn syrup in the 1980s, which, as I mentioned earlier, coincided with a drastic surge in obesity in proportions never seen before, allowed food manufacturers to boost their profit by replacing actual food products with it. Since the actual weight of the product does not increase with the addition of sugar, the conclusion is that the higher the sugar or corn syrup content, the lower the protein, fiber and nutrient content and the cheaper the manufacturing cost.

The addition of sugar and salt is undeniably responsible for many illnesses in today’s society. Diabetes, which is becoming rampant, and heart diseases can be traced to them. As our taste buds are getting used to increased quantities of both, we automatically incorporate them in the food we, in turn, cook for our own children, thereby perpetuating the endless cycle of increased sugar and salt consumption leading to and increasing demand for both. I will never forget the day I was served Boston baked beans for the first time: it tasted like a solid spoonful of sugar, it made me choke and I thought it was the most horrible thing I had ever eaten. A few months later, I was given the recipe and could not believe that, in addition to ketchup and mustard, both of them with already a high sugar content, the recipe asked for 2 table spoons of brown sugar.

Fortunately, thousand of consumers, writers and scientists have rung the alarm bell all over Europe, the United States and Canada. As a result, information is available with little research when one wants to find it. Unfortunately, most people do not seek it until their health has been jeopardized.

Statistics show that, on average, yearly sugar consumption in the United States has increased from 12 lbs per person in the early 1800’s (half a tablespoon per day) to 175 lbs per person in 2005 (over 15 tablespoons each and every day).  Sugar consumption has risen more than 1,500 percent in the last two hundred years! 

According to Tricia Burbank, CCHT, CLNPE, “excessive sugar consumption is believed to cause or at least contribute to more than 60 symptoms, deficiencies, and ailments.  Chief among these being Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer, Adult-Onset Diabetes, Morbid Obesity, High Blood Pressure, Hypoglycemia, and Impaired Immunity.

The Low-Fat food craze that started in the 1980’s has increased the problem greatly; fats were taken out, sugars were increased to make the food taste better and American’s adopted the attitude that fat-free meant “eat all you want”. Americans are fatter than ever before in history and degenerative disease statistics have increased proportionately.”

Now, here is a question for you: I have always studied labels and avoided as much as possible sodas, cookies, candies, etc., since they give me no pleasure. Many people I know do likewise. I limit my food consumption as much as possible to natural products, such as Mestemacher bread and organic fruits, vegetables, meat and cheese, although with an occasional binge of nutella or skittles (certain things do taste really good to me and I refuse to become a health fanatic). I am fortunate not to like sodas and ice cream, the combination sweet and salty does not appeal to me and I would say that the primary sources of sugar for me are still fruits and occasional wine. I am therefore reasonably satisfied that my intake of sugar does not add to anywhere near the average 175 pounds per year. So, who is eating all the sweets my friends and I don’t? You?

Based on the existing research, every 12 ounce soda you drink contains 13 spoons of sugar… How many cans do you drink per day? And how did you get there? Do you see how you were set up? Well, it can be reversed! Your body can naturally dislearn its craving for sugar. How? Through a deep cleansing with DrNatura products. Maybe you think it is too simple to be true. If it’s the case, though, why would thousand of people report a radical change in their alimentation afterwards, without having to deprive themselves and go through painful withdrawal? Worth looking into, wouldn’t you say?

Actually, looking into it may simply save your life.

Christine
Cbrightlife@aol.com