Today’s Superhuman Food Pyramid article and some of the succeeding ones will talk about types of food that should be avoided. Most of them will discuss sweeteners and this first one focuses on the most common of all – processed sugar.
The term, as used here, refers to regular table sugar. But it also includes its other widely available forms such as confectionery, brown sugar, and liquid sugars. The first is the powdered form that is typically used in baking. The second has a little of the molasses content coating the granulated crystals to give it that color. The third is the same processed sugar just dissolved in water and turned into syrup. It is mostly used in the manufacture of sweet snacks and drinks.
Powdered, granulated, liquid, brown or white – they are all just different forms of the same sweet substance that underwent a refining process in order to become pure sucrose. That is the main problem. Processed sugar has really nothing else to offer other than sweetness.
Read on about the negative effects of processed sugar on your health. You’ll understand why consuming it will only hinder your goal to Become Superhuman.
Processed Sugar Health Risks:
Overweight – When you regularly take in too much carbohydrates such as sucrose but don’t use it up, the excess gets stored as fats. It starts in the liver, where it is stored as glycogen. Since the liver’s capacity is limited, any other surplus in the form of fatty acids is transferred to the less active parts of the body like the stomach and buttocks. When those areas also reach their storage limits, the fats start getting stored in the active organs like the heart or kidneys which can then become vulnerable in time.
Cardiovascular diseases – There was one study that showed how a high-carbohydrate diet could actually interfere with the heart’s metabolic processes and thus weaken the organ’s performance. In fact between saturated fats and refined sugar, it is actually the latter that poses a greater cardiovascular health risk.
Diabetes – Type 2 diabetes is the particular kind that’s always associated with processed sugar as this is the disease that caused by both genetic and lifestyle factors. When excessive amounts of sugar go into your bloodstream, you can eventually stress out your pancreas. This is the organ that, among other functions, produces the insulin that controls your blood sugar.
Oral cavities – The microbes that live in your mouth feed on sugar. The way these microorganisms consume processed sugar is similar to the process of fermentation. That means certain acids are produced and it is actually these acids that wear down teeth enamel.
Reduced immunity – White blood cells are some of the main players in your immune system that counter bad bacteria. Unfortunately processed sugar can inhibit this critical role they perform. It only takes as little as 75 – 100 grams of sugar to weaken your white blood cells and the effect can last a few hours after consumption.
Sugar is inherent in a lot of fruits and vegetables. But consuming sugar through such food means you also get vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients, which gives a more balanced intake of what your body really needs. Why settle for the empty calories and health risks of processed sugar when you can get more from other sweeteners like stevia or even raw pollinated honey.
In the next post, I’ll tell you about the negative effects of candy and why you should avoid it to succeed in your quest to Become Superhuman.
In the meantime, if you care to jump ahead, here is a complete listing of the herbs, spices and sweeteners on Superhuman Food Pyramid:
Eat
• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Stevia
• Xylitol
• Maltitol
• Turmeric
• Curry
• Cumin
• Fennel
• Garlic
• Ginger
Moderate
• Sucanat
• Truvia
Avoid
• Candy
• MSG
If you have questions, comments or feedback about the negative effects of processed sugar, the Superhuman Food Pyramid, this website, or other aspects of Becoming Superhuman, then leave your thoughts below, as well as any tips you have on the negative effects of processed sugar.
Author Bio: Ben Greenfield
His credentials include:
Bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Idaho in sports science and exercise physiology
Personal training and strength and conditioning certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)
Sports nutrition certification from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN)
Advanced bicycle fitting certification from Serotta, the “Harvard” of bicycle fitting schools
Over 10 years experience in coaching professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes from all sports
Ben hosts the highly popular fitness, nutrition and wellness website at http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com, which features blogs, podcasts, and product reviews from Ben. He is a frequent contributor to Triathlete magazine and LAVA magazine, Endurance Planet (http://www.enduranceplanet.com), the outdoor sports magazine OutThere Monthly and has been featured in WebMD, the Spokesman-Review, Inlander magazine, In-Health magazine, Fit-Pro magazine, PTontheNet, Prevention magazine, Women’s Running magazine, and Inside Triathlon magazine.
As a public speaker on fitness, nutrition, and training, Ben hosts one of the top ranked fitness podcasts in iTunes, the Get-Fit Guy (http://www.GetFitGuy.com), and has been a keynote lecturer at the Hawaii Ironman World Championships Medical Conference, the Coeur D’ Alene Ironman Medical Conference, USAT Art & Science of Coaching Symposium, Can-Fit-Pro Conference, Pilgrim’s Wellness Center Education Series, Fleet Feet Sports Endurance Sports Clinic and REI Nutrition Clinic. He sits on the board of directors for Tri-Fusion triathlon team, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and is the official coach for the YoungTri. As a triathlon coach and competitor, Ben competes at Ironman and Half-Ironman World Championships, holds a ranking as of USAT’s top ranked age grouper triathletes, and competes in 15-20 triathlons each year, both nationally and internationally.
