Jun 18
Sugar is Killing Us
Paleo in Kansas City
Why Sugar is Killing Us
This past week I got the opportunity to visit Pilates 1901 and sit in on their 21-day Sugar Detox program. While I believe and teach this very same thought path, it is always good to hear it from someone else. Sugar is one of the leading causes of obesity in the world. And it is true we are eating more and more of it each year. For example:
In the 1700’s the average person consumed about 4lb of sugar per year, that is just over one teaspoon of sugar per day.
In the 1800’s the average person consumed over 18lb of sugar per year. That works out to be 4.73 teaspoons of sugar per day.
In the 1900’s the average person consumed over 90lb (41,760g) of sugar per year, that is 23.67 teaspoons of sugar per day.
In 2009 (are you ready?) the average person consumed over 180lb (83,520g) of sugar per year, that is 47.3 teaspoons per DAY. That is over half a pound of sugar per day!!!
Ok, in an effort to turn this useless knowledge into something relevant, follow me on this math and science journey.
Consider this:
[1] For each gram (g) of sugar you are consuming 3.87 sugar calories.
[2] 3.87 x 83,520= 323,222 calories per year consumed due to sugar.
[3] 1lb is made up of 3,500 calories. So to lose one pound of weight you need a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories.
[4] If you cut out sugar (Completely) from your diet you would lose 92lb in one year assuming you didn’t change anything else about your diet.
At first, I had to recheck my math on this. This is huge! Can you imagine? One year.
But sugars are carbs and don’t we need carbs?
There is no such thing as an essential carb. there are essential fats, and essential proteins that our body needs, there is no such thing as an essential carb. So, NO!
I only eat honey and agave and those are natural so it is good for me.
Sugar is sugar, no matter how you ingest it. Fruit, Mountain Dew, honey, maple, Snickers. It is all the same in our body.
But…But…But…What? Explain Please…
All natural sugars are all made up of the same things, glucose and fructose. Our body can only use glucose for function.
Our body takes fructose and all other “oses” and send them to the liver for conversion into glucose. Our liver can only process a limited amount of glucose, the rest it stores in the closest place possible, our abs. So if you have ab fat, chances are you are consuming too much sugar.
Why Does This Matter?
So, how does this align with Paleo? This aligns perfectly with Paleo, our ancestors didn’t have access to sugar. They never had to worry about it. We have the added bonus that we have to deal with this every day in ALL our processed foods. This is why eating at home is a great option for dining; you know everything that goes into your food.
What Can I Do About It?
Evolve is also a really good option, we take the guess work out of things too! If you check out our menu, and subsequent menus, you will find an asterisk next to entrees that have no sweeteners in them. If you are looking to cut out sugars completely, we are making this even easier.
