Inflammation – The “Scoop” on Sugar
by Eileen Johnson, RN
Inflammation Matters (part 3)
Sugar intake in the United States has soared to an average of 150 lbs of sugar each year. Now I know this can be difficult news to take, but sugar intake has a very strong connection to inflammation. There are some important reasons for this:
- *Eating sugary desserts and snacks are often substituted for healthier, anti-inflammatory foods such as whole fruits and vegetables. In order to metabolize sugars, the body uses up some of it’s immune protecting vitamins and minerals.
- *Consumption of refined sugars (high glycemic index foods and drinks) can raise blood sugar very quickly, calling on the pancreas to secrete a large amount of insulin to absorb all this carbohydrate. Insulin itself in large amounts can be inflammatory. Remember too, though, that insulin has the ability to store food as fat. Fat cells in turn produce highly inflammatory chemicals.
- *Chronic elevations of blood sugar can promote free radical formation and increase the risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, both inflammatory related problems.
What can you do to change this picture?
-
*Slowly replace sugary snacks and desserts with whole fruits and vegetables.
-
*Replace the worst culprit for raising blood sugar, pop and sugary laden drinks, with water and teas.
-
*Check out the website glycemicindex.com for information on choosing lower glycemic index foods that won’t raise the blood sugar quickly.
-
*Consider alternative natural sweeteners that have a lower glycemic index such as Stevia, brown rice syrup and agave syrup.
-
*Eat small, more frequent meals that include a protein source or eat small, healthy snacks between meals to keep blood sugar level all day.
Eileen Johnson, RN on staff at Valley Natural Foods can be reached directly at ejohnson@valleynaturalfoods.com. She offers free 20-minute consultations. Ask her about the FirstLine Therapy program. Check her availability or schedule a visit by calling customer service at 952-891-1212, #221.
