“Character – the willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life – is the source from which self-respect springs.”
– Joan Didion
courtesy of roadsidepictures
Groucho is dubious here, and you should be too
A buddy of mine brought this video to my attention recently, and it really is a “must see” — or a “must hear”, as I chose to listen to the podcast version (making my work commute pay dividends). Wow, in the same way that watching the Zeitgeist films will stir-up your hatred for “the gub’mint man”, Sugar, The Bitter Truth will make you want to go out and string-up a few “big food” executive types. No kidding, pick a rainy weekend to kick back and watch all of these offerings back-to-back and you’ll want to jump off the grid and join up with a militia.
The tag line for the “Sugar” lecture is as follows:
Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology explores the damage caused by sugary foods.
But really, it’s so much more than that. Dr. Lustig does a fantastic job of explaining why (and how) sugar is so destructive to the body, and why High-Fructose Corn Syrup is just out and out poison. Anyone who is still in the dark about exactly how carbohydrate in general (sugar and HFCS specifically) botches-up the blood chemistry and ramps-up the body’s fat storage mechanisms, needs to pay close attention. And get ready to be schooled — though, in a very entertaining way.
And be prepared as well, to consider the out-and-out lunacy of a nation attempting to formulate some manner of health care reform, while at the same time promoting, through taxation (or lack thereof) and subsidy, the very substance that is at the heart of (pardon the pun) the physical ailment side of the whole equation. Get people healthy to begin with, and the unwieldy health care debate then becomes something much more manageable.
Now a few words about the largest drug addition in the world, refined (white) sugar. Let me start by saying that it (white refined sugar) has no food value and contains no nutritional value. White sugar is considered an empty carbohydrate, no value! Whenever I mentioned sugar throughout this article. I'm speaking of white refined sugar.
In the process of making sugar from both cane and beets, they are heated and calcium hydroxide (lime), which is a toxin to the body, is added. This is done to remove those ingredients that interfere with the complete processing of sugar. Carbon dioxide, which is another toxin, is then used to remove the lime (and according to my studies, not all is removed).
The sugar turns from a sticky black substance to a clear juice which is heated to remove other impurities. And if that's not enough, the sugar is then bleached white with a chemical solution that uses pork by-products (blood albumin and/or animal charcoal). The sugar is processed at least three times before it's in the form that we would normally use and by that time it no longer resembles a food and is now a drug and an artificial substance.
Sugar is used for different purposes. There is the grade that is commonly used fortable sugar. Then there is the grade used in processed food (such as cakes, ice cream, candy and soft drinks). Sugar is also used for non-food purposes such as making plastic, cement mixing, and leather tanning. I have used table sugar along with white flour for years to make glue for hanging posters. So, if you don't mind having your intestines glued shut, then feel free to continue eating this deadly substance.
The chemicals used in sugar processing (phosphoric acid, acid calcium phosphate and others) are potent and health-debilitating. Sugar has a tremendous amount of carbonic acid which disturbs the nutritional balance in the body. Sugar robs the body of almost all nutrients, especially the minerals chromium, zinc and calcium, and vitamins C and B-complex.
Sugar destroys food digestion enzymes in the mouth, stomach, the small intestines and the pancreas. It also reduces the amount of hydrochloric acid (a necessary digestive acid) in the stomach. Without enough hydrochloric acid the food isn't broken down properly. Therefore, we can't properly absorb the nutrient and we will have frequent bouts with constipation.
Sugar interferes with activities of the small intestine which digests the food. The small intestine pushes the waste along and most importantly releases the nutrients in the food to give us energy and nourish cells. But when we eat sugar, digestion is disturbed. Consequently, the amount of food nutrients available to the body are limited. In addition to this, sugar is released into the blood. This toxifies the blood and puts too much carbon in it which further damages the body cells. Since there is no real nutrition in sugar, it represents a toxic waste material in the blood that the body will try to get rid of. The lymphatic system will grab some of this waste in an attempt to purify the blood. When the lymphatic system becomes overloaded, health problems occur, which could have been avoided. Too much sugar, salt, and starch can work together to create an excessive appetite. These food cravings create an imbalance in the body.
The body really desires nutrition. Cravings are symptomatic of this. The body wants food to give it nutrition. When you give empty foods it still craves nutrition which is one reason people gain weight. The other reasons are addictions to certain foods (e.g. sugar, salt, caffeine, etc.) and the lack of exercise. Sugar moves very slowly out of the stomach. This creates over-acidic conditions in the stomach which influence the secretion of enzymes and hydrochloric acids to help digest our food. This over-acidic condition also affects the entire body.
Such diseases as cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and others are the results of eating too many highly acidic foods. Americans consume entirely too much sugar. Americans consume more than 125 pounds of sugar annually! And they may not be aware of it. That's because sugar is hidden in many foods such as cereals, ketchup, canned foods, frozen foods, etc. In fact almost 70 percent of the sugar that we consume is hidden in foods. For instance, a typical 12-ounce soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar. The typical candy bar is almost all sugar. Why even pizza has a considerable amount of sugar in it. The sweetness of the pizza is hidden by putting in a lot of salt and other ingredients which give a semi-sweet taste.
