When we think of sugar we automatically associate it with fun times.   From an early age we were exposed to sweet snacks like ice cream, candy, and soft drinks.  When our bubble gum lost its sweet taste we threw it away and got a fresh piece.  We have been programmed to reach for something sweet in times of stress and tension.  The average person consumes almost 20% of their calories from refined white sugar.  That averages out to about 150 pounds of sugar consumption a year.  I think we can safely assume much of those 150 pounds are replacing more nutritious foods in our diets.  And don’t be so naive as to think that cutting down, or even eliminating the white stuff will solve the problem. 

That’s just the sugar you can see.  There’s also the sugar that’s a little harder to see. It’s still visible but it looks a little different and answers to a different name but it’s still detrimental to your health.  Aspartame, NutraSweet, and Equal are only a few of the villains we need to become aware of.  Aspartame is quite possibly the cause of Gulf War Syndrome.  Soft drinks sweetened with aspartame were left sitting in the desert heat for weeks before our troops drank them.  By that time the heat had altered Aspartame’s chemical structure and many of our troops became sick as soon as they drank the tainted sodas.

A diet high in sugar raises your risk of infection because your immune system is compromised almost immediately after consumption.  This lowering of your immune function leaves you open to all kinds of diseases and infections.

So what weapons are available to those of us looking for a healthy alternative to the detriments of sugar?  Stevia is a natural sweetener known as the sweet herb.  It has no calories and is 25 times sweeter than refined sugar.  Stevia helps regulate blood sugar and helps lower high blood pressure but does not affect normal blood pressure.  It can be purchased online or at health food or supplement stores. 

Honey is a natural sweetener produced by bees and has antibiotic and antiseptic properties.  It also contains the vitamins, enzymes, and minerals needed for the proper metabolism and digestion of glucose and other sugar properties.  Avoid honey, however, if you suffer from candida or diabetes. If you are diabetic or hypoglycemic, try Xylitol.  It’s a sweetener derived from plums, birch wood chips, corn, and strawberries and are just as sweet as table sugar but with fewer calories. 

So if you have a sweet tooth, and who doesn’t, don’t despair.  Mother Nature is here to help and keep you healthy.