Health Risks of Processed Salt, Sugar and Flour in Foods

Processed salt, sugar and flour are considered "innocent" ingredients that gradually deprive the body of vital nutrients. These are white refined flour; white refined sugar and white refined salt, popular ingredients are considered poisons of the body. They are normally present in canned, processed and prepared foods, or your household flour or your table salt. Processed foods and other food by-products are some of the advancement that comes from the works of industrialization.

We see flour, salt and sugar as white as the by-product after the industrial processing. It was bleached and broken down from its natural color. Pure whole flour and raw non-refined salt are normally gray or brown in color, while raw sugar is golden brown. Thus, when these ingredients are processed for long term storage and mass consumption, they undergo arduous, chemical transformation. Medical practitioners emphasized to be watchful of the amount of calories we consume; however, attention is shifting to the type of calories our body consumed. More specifically, the kind of salts, sugars and flours in the foods we eat.

You can start to be aware of the processed sugar, salt and flour as silent poisons of our body.

Try to read the labels of the items before you buy. Sugar is normally listed as Fructose, Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sucralose or Saccharine. Try to avoid processed white sugar instead use natural brown sugar. Also try natural sea salt and rock salt because it is a good source of mineral-rich sodium and is now in a finer grain as well. When a bread product lists just flour, or enriched flour, try to choose bread with whole-wheat flour or another whole grain instead. This will allow a drastic cut down health risk from an otherwise healthy style of eating. A diet with lots of sugars, salts and flour-based carbohydrates is not within the healthy diet. Try using natural and unprocessed sugar, salt and flour to avoid irreversible risk on your health.

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Processed Sugar, Salt and Flour - Are They Safe?

There are some foods, especially baked goods that contain high quantity of refined sugar, salt and flour. It is difficult to say which of these three ingredients considered the most damaging to our bodies or the most prevalent one. Several years ago, flour was stone-ground and lacked some of the original nutrients from the grain. A grain of wheat has a number of layers to it that contains necessary nutrients that are normally lost when being refined. This is the reason why several manufactures were mandated to add vitamins and nutrients after it was processed.

Nowadays, you will see on labels of flour-based products appears as "enriched" flour and list the nutrients that are being added. Currently, wheat is still stone-ground, however, grained-based food are being refined down to empty calories because of industrial age of mass produced goods.

Empty calories are the main concern in refined sugar, salt and flour against their natural counterparts. When grains, raw sugar cane and salt rock are processed down into a refined state, the calories are then void of any nutritional value.

When we eat empty calories, our body in reality has a difficulty digesting and breaking them down. They also burn much quicker than calories that are digested with ingredients complete with nutrients. This is the reason why sugary foods frequently give us high energy but lost quickly to cravings. For hundreds of years, we have lived on processed ingredients and the harm has been silent and the poison unfelt. Their effect is said to contribute to an increasing obesity problem and subsequent diseases.

We cannot afford to take risk on the harm caused by consuming refined sugar, salt and flour. However, we cannot escape from these ingredients because sugar, salt and flour are found in almost every food. Sugars and salts are naturally found in various foods like sugar in fruit or dairy and salt in meats and vegetables. The difference is that, naturally occurring salts and sugars have little quantity of healthy nutrients. Nature has actually provided most all we need to live well and much of the food we eat is the product of industrial convenience more than enriched nutrition.

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Slow Death by Refined Sugar

Did you know that an average person in North America consumes one hundred and fifty lbs of refined sugar annually! This is substantial when one compares it to the 5bs per annum in the early 1900's.

Sugar, particularly in its refined condition, seems to have numerous damaging consequences within the human body. To start with, it happens to be exceedingly acid-forming. Which means that the ingestion will toss off your current pH stability causing your blood et cetera to become increasingly acidic. The greater acidity in your body the more significant the opportunity for disease to blossom.

Arthritis, asthma, headaches, psoriasis, cancer, stomach gas, intestinal gas, osteoporosis, heart disease, weight gain, PMS, candidiasis, tooth decay, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer sores, cataracts, gallstones, kidney stones, and cystic fibrosis are all diseases and conditions that are negatively affected by the intake of sugar.

Eliminating sugars from your diet can easily improve these types of and several additional ailments substantially. Oftentimes, a fabulous sugarless diet plan will extinguish the actual suffering entirely whenever coupled with a highly sensible healthy diet.

Nonetheless you likely have found that removing sugars from your diet isn't always easy, and only with a great deal of support are you able to be certain of getting good results.

Refined sugar has become one of the worst poisons it is possible to pollute your system with. The intake of sugars suppresses the immune system practically right away, decreasing the body's biological defenses and rendering it much less competent to stop dangerous pathogens.

Sugar - What happens?

Whenever you ingest sugars, blood insulin will be circulated from your pancreas, triggering the cells to take up glucose from your bloodstream as well then store it within the liver and muscle. Sugar goes in conjunction with mood swings. Whenever blood sugars are abnormally increased, the sugar behaves just like a drug, so you come to be more elated.

As soon as blood insulin packages your sugar away in your cells, heightened feelings will certainly turn bitter and your brain alerts that more sugar is required in order to restore the high. This is often the moment you feel yourself reaching for those sweets. You will discover your moods are consistent 24 hours a day with the introduction of a sugar free diet and that your body will actually utilize fat as the supply of energy and not sugars. Did you know that as soon as you ingest something sugary, your body stops using the fat is has stored for energy? There could be loads of toxins are stashed away within your body fat and you really want to get rid of them for sure.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of all the negative things about sugar.

KayLynne is student at the University of Guelph. Following completion of a Bachelor of Science she plans to further her schooling and become a Naturopath. She is a firm believer in natural health and fully supports the Total Wellness Cleanse Program created by Yuri Elkaim, RHN.
Total Wellness Cleanse
The Toxic Side of Food

How Refined Sugar Destroys Our Health

The term 'sugar' is commonly used to refer to any of the three substances, namely sucrose, lactose and fructose in crystalline form. The common denominator is 'sweet flavor' and therefore, the basic function of any sugar is to impart sweetness.

Types of sugar commonly known are:

- Food sugar - mainly sucrose, derived primarily from sugarcane and beet root; used for domestic consumption
- Fruit sugar - fructose; high fructose corn syrup is another form
- Glucose

What is refined sugar?

Simply speaking, it's plain or raw or naked calories, without the minerals and vitamins that are normally present in sugar obtained from natural sources. That is, it's pure chemically. During the process of refining, raw sugar is made to pass through a series of steps that involve mechanical and chemical processing. Though foods as honey offer a definite advantage in pure form as compared to adulterated ones, we hardly get it in this case. Except for improved physical features, it offers no nutritive value.

But how is it harmful?

As mentioned, refined sugar is devoid of any elements (read minerals and vitamins) that accompany raw sugar. Since these elements are essential for sugar metabolism, our body is not able to process these sugars via the normal pathway. This leads to the formation of 'toxic metabolites' as pyruvic acid and abnormal five carbon (5C) sugars. These chemical substances interfere with respiration at the cellular level (pyruvic acid in the nervous system including the brain and 5C sugars in the red blood cells). As a consequence, cells fail to function normally and eventually start dying. This is the onset of 'degenerative disease'.

Secondly, the mechanisms of digestion, detoxification and elimination require vitamins and minerals, causing their depletion further.

True, these elements may be supplied from other foods. However, natural foods only contain these in amounts just sufficient to metabolize the carbohydrates present in that food itself.

Thirdly, generation of high amounts of acids in blood forces mobilization of minerals as sodium, potassium, magnesium from other body parts resulting in imbalances. Calcium mobilization results in weakening of bones and teeth.

Fourth, intake of refined sugar in amounts higher than required amounts of natural sugar may lead to ballooning of liver, followed by deposition of fatty acids in other areas, and finally affect the vital parts as brain, heart, kidneys, circulatory system etc. causing severe symptoms.

In addition, it kills bacteria that produce glutamic acid (essential for brain function) in our intestine. In view of the above harmful effects, refined sugar has many-a-times been referred to as "Sweet Poison".

I am a qualified medical practitioner and a public health specialist, also trained in public health management. I have worked in the past for a major government run hospital (Delhi), Escorts Heart Institute (New Delhi), a public sector company, as well as the World Health Organization.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gaurav_Gupt

Reduce Refined Sugar, Why? What is the Big Deal Anyhow?

Why is eating refined sugar such a big deal anyhow? We have been told to reduce our sugar for years, but why? "Too much sugar will rot your teeth!" Isn't that what Grandma always used to say? Well she may be right, but if that is the only hold up, dental care has come a long way in the last 50 years. I certainly want my teeth to last my entire life, but if worst came to worst, I can certainly remedy that argument with modern medicine. There are a lot of other reasons sugar should be reduced that are less easily remedied.

Refined sugar consumed over the course of a lifetime has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, stomach problems, hardening of the arteries, depression, ADD, ADHD, obesity, and other serious illnesses. There is a lot of research that explains the link to these diseases and conditions in great detail. But for me as scary as these negative health conditions are I like to keep things simple, if I am filling up on sweets, I am missing the opportunity to eat something that could give my body health.

As parents, we really need to consider what this means for our children. What kind of patterns are we starting for our children when we load their little bodies with refined sugars and empty calories? What type of path are we leading them down? Giving our children sugar not only fills them up with empty calories it actually robs their growing bodies of vital nutrients. Sugar actually leaches minerals and B-vitamins from your child's body.

Reducing refined sugar can dramatically help our bodies and our children's growing bodies. Unless we are aware of an existing medical condition such as diabetes or hypoglycemia, remedying this issue is quite simple. Make the switch from highly refined sugars to natural ones. Provide natural sweets in your home that offer nutrients, living enzymes, and a wide variety of vitamins and minerals.

We don't have to eliminate sweets from our homes; we simply need to make a shift. Simple choices can make dramatic differences in our personal health and the health of a growing child. Here are a few tips:

Keep fresh fruit on hand. When you go to the pool or the park simply say, "If you are hungry I brought some apples." Who is going to pick a filling delicious sweet apple when a cookie is offered first? Not most children. An apple is filled with living enzymes and nutrients that help your child grow and give them energy to perform well in school, sports, music, and other activities. -And chances are if you bring apples for the kids, that will be what you snack on as well.

Prepare fresh desserts and treats at home. Toss a variety of your favorite fruits into a blender and enjoy a nourishing fruit smoothie. Add some raw cacao and you have a chocolate shake. Throw some bananas into the freezer, and then run them through an ice cream press. You will be surprised how much your children will love these sweets. And you can feel great about serving them instead of handing out highly refined sugars.

Use natural sweeteners such as raw agave nectar, raw honey, or stevia. There are many great natural sweeteners on the market today. Simply visit your local health food store and ask them to explain the pros and cons of each.

We all want to live a life of abundance and physical health. Start today by making a simply shift to lowering the refined sugar in your diet. We all want to give our children the best opportunities in life. We go out of our way to create rich opportunities and experiences for our children. We spend time, money, and energy taking them to lessons, tutors, and classes. Why not create the opportunity for our children to have true health and vitality. If you feel like your child is healthy now, imagine what he or she might be like when filling his or her body with nutrient rich foods. You and your child could experience a new level of health...and keep your teeth!

The answer to why we should reduce the refined sugar in our diet and our children's is simple. It gives us more opportunities to fill our bodies with nutrients and life giving foods. We can still enjoy sweets, just keep them natural. Fresh fruits, naturally sweetened foods, and other naturally sweet desserts and treats are delicious and provide nutrients. It isn't necessary to remove sugar from our diets, just make a better choice and select natural sweets!

Carolyn Pennington is the author of this article and Naturally Sweet Recipes; delicious recipes your entire family will enjoy. Please visit http://www.naturallysweetrecipes.com for more info about the book.

Why Refined Sugar is the Most Dangerous "Food" You Can Eat

If you only make one improvement to your diet this year, I hope it is to replace refined sugar with raw food sweeteners. If you do, I can guarantee you that smoother digestion, more relaxed muscles, more peaceful emotions and increased mental clarity are soon to follow.

Before looking at the negative health consequences of eating refined sugar, let's have a quick look at how it's made. This will give you some insight into why it affects the body the way it does. The majority of sugar comes from sugar cane (Saccharum spp.) which is a dense tall grass that grows in tropical regions. The juice from sugar cane is traditionally used as a sweetener from India to the Caribbean. And, interestingly, raw sugar cane juice is pretty good for you, being alkalizing and relatively low on the glycemic index.

But in the 1500s manufacturers began refining sugar cane so that it could be more easily transported overseas, especially back to Europe. Over the years, the process has become increasingly complex and dependent on chemicals. Here is what happens between cutting sugar cane in the fields and delivering refined sugar to your local store.

After harvest, machines at a sugar mill wash, cut, shred and press the juice out of the cane stalks. This liquid is then heated to boiling and treated with chemical solvents to remove impurities. Then it is moved to huge tanks and heated again to evaporate the water content. This leaves a thick syrup that is placed in a centrifuge machine to form the syrup into crystals.

These crystals are then transported to a sugar refinery where they are heated to boiling again, treated with bleach and other chemicals and then filtered through bone char, which is a powder made from cow or pig bones. After filtering, the syrup is then centrifuged again to produce refined white sugar. Brown sugar is created by adding molasses before putting it in the centrifuge.

Given the fact that it's heated to boiling at least three times, treated with chemicals, filtered through bone powder and forced to crystallize, it's no wonder that refined sugar has literally had the life force beaten out of it.

Refined sugar, white or brown, literally has zero nutritional value - no minerals, no vitamins, no fiber, no enzymes, no fats - nothing of value for the body. Instead it's toxic to the body. You can live longer on pure water alone, than on water mixed with sugar.

Here is what refined sugar does in the body:

It produces an acidic condition in the digestive system. This drains the body of vitamins and minerals and the consequences can be life threatening. For example the metabolism of sugar requires leaches calcium from the bones and teeth which can lead to tooth decay or osteoporosis. Sugar also depletes the body of potassium and magnesium, which are required for proper cardiac function, and is therefore a major factor in heart disease.

It compromises the body's immune system and stresses the pancreas by forcing it to produce a rush of digestive enzymes. This can lead to the formation gallstones and diabetes.

It depletes stores of vitamin B, which is our brain food, and can interfere with memory, concentration and other mental functions.

It makes the blood very thick and sticky, inhibiting much of the blood flow into the minute capillaries that supply our skin gums and teeth with vital nutrients. Refined sugar has been shown to increase wrinkles and dry aged skin.

When excess sugar is eaten, it is first stored in the liver. With continued consumption the liver expands like a balloon and begins to function poorly. An improperly functioning liver can quickly lead to high blood pressure, skin disorders and acne to name a few.

In addition, most people consume far more sugar than their bodies can possibly use for energy. When this happens, the liver converts the extra sugar into molecules called triglycerides and stores it as fat, or else produces cholesterol from the by-products of sugar and deposits it in veins and arteries. Sugar is thus a major factor in obesity and arteriosclerosis.

It also negatively effects behavior. Refined sugar consumption has been linked to violent behavior, hypertension, and learning impediments. In one study violence in prisons was remarkably reduced simply by eliminating refined sugar and starch from prison diets. And Singapore in 1991 banned sugary soft drink sales from all schools and youth centers, citing the danger that sugar poses to the mental and physical health of children

Finally refined sugar is an addictive substance. Abruptly giving up sugar often brings on the sort of withdrawal symptoms associated with narcotic drugs- fatigue, lassitude, depression, moodiness, headaches, aching limbs. This happens as the body eliminates the left over toxins from the sugar and begins to bring itself back into balance.

As you can see, putting processed sugar into your body makes no sense at all. It is something like pouring sugar into the gas tank of a million dollar racing car. Only do it if you want to screw up your car/body for some reason.

Fortunately for all of us with a sweet tooth, there are many natural raw sweeteners that are not only harmless to the body, but actually support it. The highest choice is to use 100% unrefined and untreated sweeteners. These are what I use exclusively:

Fruits,
Dried fruits like dates or raisins,
Pure cane juice,
Raw, unprocessed cane sugar,
Agave syrup,
Stevia and Stevia extract,
Yacon syrup,
Raw honey,
Mezquite powder,

Most of these are available at any health food store. Just make sure to ask if they are minimally processed and raw (meaning unheated).

Whatever you choose, you can be sure of this: eliminating refined sugar from your diet is one of the kindest and most loving things you could ever do for your body. Please pass this information on to anyone in your life who you care about.

Some interesting sugar facts:

Sir Frederick Banting, the co discoverer of insulin, noted in 1929 that among sugar plantation owners who ate large amounts of refined sugar, diabetes was common. Among native cane-cutters, who only chewed the raw cane, he saw no diabetes.

In 1915, the average of sugar consumption was around 7-10 Kg per person per year. Today the average person consumes about 70 kg

In 2002, almost 132 million tons of sugar were consumed worldwide.

Sugar is used in leather tanning, printers' inks and dyes and even in textile sizing and finishing

Film stuntmen use bottles and plate glass windows made of sugar

Chemical manufacturers use sugar to grow penicillin

Sugar hardens asphalt. It slows the setting of ready-mixed concrete and glue.

About 30% of refined sugar comes from sugar beets. The rest comes from sugar cane

One 12 oz. Cola contains 11 teaspoons of sugar.

Sugar was one of the first pharmaceutical ingredients used, as it still is today, to mask the bitter taste of medicines

Mark Ament is the author of several books and programs on natural health, including his unique introduction to natural healing course called the "5 Master Keys To Ultimate Healing." To get your free copy and learn more about Mark's work visit http://www.healingvibes.com

Brown Rice Syrup - A Good Substitute For Refined Sugar

Brown rice syrup (BRS) is a wonderful substitute for plain old refined sugar. Like its name implies, it is made from brown rice; therefore, it is considered a complex carbohydrate and generally accepted as a better sweetener than refined sugar which is a simple sugar. It also has a lower glycemic index than regular sugar, making it ideal for diabetics or anyone looking for a healthier alternative to refined sugar.

Brown rice syrup is similar in appearance, texture, and flavor to honey. It even smells a little like honey. Some say BRS has a buttery, caramel-like flavor, but don't think you're going to be eating anything that tastes like caramel candies! Even though it has a similar flavor to honey, I found that it did not alter the taste of my recipes. Feel free to use it in your recipes wherever you would use regular sugar.

Substituting brown rice syrup for sugar can be a challenge since one is granulated and the other is a liquid, and BRS is only half as sweet as refined sugar, but it can be done successfully. Just remember a few important tips when using BRS in place of regular sugar.

BRS is not as sweet as sugar, so you will need to use approximately 1 and 1/3 Cup of BRS to 1 Cup of sugar.

BRS is a liquid, so you will need to reduce the other liquids in your recipe. Reduce other liquids by about 1/4 Cup for every 1Cup of BRS.

For reasons beyond my scientific knowledge, it's a good idea to include 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda per 1 Cup of brown rice syrup.

I made a chocolate mousse using brown rice syrup, and the texture was heavenly. I believe refined sugar would have made the mousse gritty, but the BRS gave the mousse a smooth, rich texture. In some instances, a liquid form of sugar is actually preferred and BRS is the perfect solution.

As you can see, it does take some planning and tweaking to use brown rice syrup in your current recipes, but its health benefits are truly worth the effort.

Refined sugar is terrible for your body, so why don't you try this wonderful alternative.

Sugar is great - if it's not refined. Better sugars do exist and it's easy and painless to incorporate them into your life.

For tips, information, products, and recipes that will help you become a healthier person, visit my website at:

http://www.bettersugar.com/

As an advocate for good health, I enjoy sharing my knowledge of natural sugars so others can lead healthy, happy lives.

Thanks!