Weight Loss Without Sugar - written by Cathy Wilson

Do you know that the average consumption of sugar is two to three pounds each week? As you read labels, the word "sugar" is diguised in many ways. The ingredients of sucrose, dextrose, and high-fructose corn syrup are other forms of sugar. Sugar is added to all sorts of food you wouldn't suspect contain it. Bread, mayonnaise, peanut butter, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, frozen diet foods, and microwave meals. Some restaurants add sugar to their french fry batter. Sugar is used to add and enhance the flavor of food.

In the past 20 years, our sugar consumption has increased to a whopping 26 pounds per person per year! The rate of people with diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer have increased as well.

Sugar is an empty-calorie food. It contains zero nutrition. If you want to lose weight, foods containing large amounts of sugar are detrimental to our weight loss, maintenance, and overall health. We are eating less food so it is important to make certain what we eat counts nutritionally to our bodies,

Have you ever noticed that when you eat an item that contains mostly sugar or simple carbohydrates, you want more? You don't feel satisfied. You want more and more. Sugar and simple carbs are not satisfying or allow you to feel full. Eating sugar is a vicious cycle of eating and wanting more resulting in excess calories and weight gain. With you decrease your intake of sugar, you truly lose the taste for it. Lose the habit of sugar for successful weight loss.

The "glycemic index" measures how specific foods affect blood-glucose levels, with food being assigned a numbered rating. The lower the rating, the absorption is slower in the digestive tract process. This slower absorption provides a more gradual, healthier infusion of sugars into our bloodstream. Alternatively, a high rating means blood-glucose levels are injected into our bodies much faster. This "dump" stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin to drop blood-sugar levels. The drop of blood-sugar levels results in rapid fluctuations which are not healthy because of the stress they place on the body.

Sugar has many negative consequences to impact our health. Some of the dramatic ones are:

* Sugar can suppress the immune system.

* Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.

* Sugar can contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children.

* Sugar can reduce the important high density cholesterol (HDLs).

* Sugar can promote an elevation of harmful cholesterol (LDLs).

* Sugar can cause kidney damage.

* Sugar can increase the risk of coronary heart disease.

* Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.

* Sugar can increase fasting levels of blood glucose.

* Sugar can lead to tooth decay and periodontal disease.

* Sugar can speed the aging process.

* Sugar can increase total cholesterol.

* Sugar can contribute to diabetes and osteoporosis.

* Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.

* Sugar can dramatically increase the amount of fat in the liver.

* Sugar can cause hypertension.

* Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance.

* Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.

* Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter the mind's ability to think clearly. Sugar may be sweet to consume but the results to our body and health are not so sweet. The ultimate sweetness of all is weight loss success and to enjoy our good health.