Step 2: Don't Eat Sugar or White Flour
(this includes maple syrup and honey)
by Bernie Noe, ND
Webster defines a poison as "a substance that through its chemical
action usually kills, injures, or impairs an organism; something destructive
or harmful." By this definition, sugar and white flour both qualify
as poisons, albeit mild ones.
Sugar and white flour increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart
attack, stroke, obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol. In addition,
they may increase the risk of some cancers and most inflammatory diseases
such as arthritis. They also suppress immune function, and in my experience,
are one of the most common causes of fatigue, depression, anxiety,
hypoglycemia, sugar or starch cravings, and intestinal yeast overgrowth
(a possible cause of irritable bowel).
Most of these effects are due to the fact that sugar and white flour
have a high glycemic index, which means that they spike your blood
sugar. When your blood sugar spikes, your body secretes lots of insulin
to bring your blood sugar back down. Unfortunately if this happens
repeatedly the cells in your body can become resistant to insulin.
It then takes a higher dose of insulin to have the same effect, so
the body secretes more insulin. This eventually leads to greater insulin
resistance, and so on. When someone has insulin resistance, they are
at much higher risk of developing high blood pressure, high triglycerides
(found on a cholesterol test), low HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol),
weight gain, and diabetes, among other things.
Even before insulin resistance occurs, many people who eat too much
sugar or white flour will develop fatigue, weight gain, depression,
anxiety, sugar cravings, and/or hypoglycemia (low blood sugar after
eating).
Many people use honey or maple syrup as healthy alternatives to sugar.
Unfortunately, honey and maple syrup also spike the blood sugar. While
they may contain some vitamins, minerals, or enzymes that table sugar
does not, these substances in no way counteract the negative effects
of maple syrup and honey on blood sugar. Hence these foods carry most
of the same risks and sugar.
Fruit, on the other hand, is a different story. Fruit contains a
type of sugar that is absorbed and metabolized more slowly than the
sugars found in other foods. Fruits are also high in fiber, which
further slows the absorption of sugars. Most fruits therefore have
a minimal impact on blood sugar, in addition to containing a wide
array of antioxidants, bioflavonoids, and other substances that are
very beneficial to your health. The sugar found in fruits is known
as fructose, which should not be confused with high-fructose corn
syrup (which is actually only 50% fructose and has dramatics impacts
on blood sugar).
While there are lists available that show the glycemic index of individual
foods, I don't recommend using them as they can be very confusing.
Different labs get different results for slightly different foods,
there are different scales (white bread vs. glucose), and different
measurements (glycemic index vs. glycemic load). These lists also
don't take into account other compounds found in foods that have beneficial
impacts on health (such as the aforementioned bioflavonoids and antioxidants).
What is one to do, then? The simplest answer is to focus on eating
lots of fruits, vegetables, healthy proteins, and whole grains. Examples
of healthy proteins would include beans, nuts, soy, fish, dairy, eggs,
poultry, and meat. It is a good idea to make sure that these protein
foods don't have added sugar (such as flavored yogurt, baked beans,
or sweetened soy milk). It is also a good idea to avoid excessive
intake of saturated fats in dairy and meats and to try and get grass-fed
dairy, poultry and meat (this reduces the saturated fat and increases
the omega 3 fats in these foods).
A final caveat is that for people who are relatively healthy and
aren't experiencing the symptoms or diseases listed at the beginning
of this article, whole grains can be a healthy and enjoyable part
of a balanced diet. For people with these complaints, however, further
reducing even whole grains to 1-2 servings daily can often provide
swift and dramatic relief from many of these conditions.
For more information on how sugar, white flour, and other foods affect
blood sugar and the conditions listed above, go to our page on insulin
resistance, metabolic syndrome, and hypoglycemia.
Naturopathic doctors are physician
experts in treating the underlying cause of disease and using natural
medicines to help people get and stay well. To see a naturopathic
doctor for help in determining whether you suffer from the effects
of sugar and white flour, and to get comprehensive help and guidelines
in how to change your diet, please make a selection below.
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