According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US currently spends about $3.5 trillion every year on healthcare—that’s about two and one half times more per capita than any other developed nation.

You’d think that would translate into 330 million healthy citizens, but you would be wrong.  Americans are getting sicker and fatter by the day, and rank an alarming 49^th in the world for life expectancy!

There are many factors that contribute to our abysmal states of health—over-reliance on pharmaceuticals, sedentary lifestyles, lack of regular exercise, stress, toxins in our environment and food supply, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.

But arguably the #1 most significant factor behind our skyrocketing rates of disease and early death is SUGAR.

When it comes to the impact it has on your health, sugar is anything BUT sweet.

It likes to hide and go by different names

It is currently estimated that the average American takes in an astounding 160 pounds of sugar every year!  Note that I’m not just talking about the sugar in your kitchen sugar bowl here.

Most of the sugar people take in is hidden sugar, usually in processed foods and beverages. 

What makes this even more dangerous is the go-to sweetener commonly used by food companies—high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)—is especially deadly.  Regular HFCS consumption will put you on a fast track to liver damage, insulin resistance, obesity, inflammation, and elevated cholesterol and triglycerides, among other things.    

In addition to HFCS, sugar takes many other forms.  Here are 55 of its aliases:

Agave nectar	Barley malt	Beet sugar	Blackstrap Molasses	Brown sugar
Buttered syrup	Cane juice crystals	Cane sugar	Caramel	Carob syrup
Castor sugar	Confectioner’s sugar	Corn sugar	Corn syrup	Corn syrup solids
Crystalline fructose	Date sugar	Demerara sugar	Dextran	Dextrose
Diastatic malt	Diatase	Ethyl maltol	Evaporated cane juice	Florida crystals
Fructose	Fruit juice	Fruit juice concentrate	Galactose	Glucose
Glucose solids	Golden sugar	Golden syrup	Grape sugar	High fructose corn syrup
Honey	Icing sugar	Invert sugar	Lactose	Maltodextrin
Maltose	Malt syrup	Maple syrup	Molasses	Muscovado sugar
Panocha	Raw sugar	Refiner’s syrup	Rice syrup	Sorbitol
Sorghum syrup	Sucrose	Treacle	Turbinado sugar	Yellow sugar

Another form of sugar you’re probably not even aware of

I wish I was done telling you all the ways you may be getting tremendous amounts of sugar in your diet, but I’m not.

Because grain products—including bread, crackers, pasta and cereal—while not actually “sugar” per se, TURN to sugar upon digestion.  So from your body’s perspective, there’s no difference.

And it’s estimated that the average American gets another whopping 200 pounds of sugar per year from grains-based products, bringing the total to 360 pounds per person, each and every year.

The deadly price we pay

Although the most obvious health concern from sugar is excess weight and obesity, here are several other serious health issues on its resume:

• Diabetes and insulin resistance—Repeated surges of glucose into your bloodstream stresses the pancreas to pump out insulin to tell your cells to absorb the excess glucose. Eventually your pancreas can get stressed and not be able to keep up with the demand, and/or your cells get saturated and start ignoring the insulin.  Either way you’re looking at elevated blood glucose and eventually type 2 diabetes.

 

• Cancer—In addition to feeding cancer cells, recent research published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation has shown that sugar actually CAUSES cancer! The researchers noted that the  presence of increased quantities of glucose and the increased glucose receptors on cell membrane surfaces can drive cancer initiation.

 

• Heart disease—Sugar raises your cholesterol and stirs up inflammation in your arteries, driving up your blood pressure.

 

• Dementia and impaired mental functioning-- Sugar can damage nerve cells in the brain. It reacts with proteins in your brain (a process called glycation) and as a result, your cell membranes get thicker and gummed up, slowing down your brain’s communication.

 

• Immune dysfunction—Sugar disrupts the balance in your gut microbiome and feeds harmful yeasts and bacteria. Since 70 percent of your immune system is in your gut, this can impair your immune function, lead to chronic infections and make you far more susceptible to sickness and disease.  

 

• Chronic inflammation—Sugar is a very inflammatory substance, and can stir up inflammation in the body. Inflammation is a leading factor behind countless conditions, including arthritis, degenerative joint disease, cancer, heart disease, autoimmune disease and accelerated aging.

 

Minimize sugar’s effect on your body

Hopefully you’ve gotten the idea that unless you desire a lifetime of sickness and disease, it would be wise to limit your consumption of sugar and minimize its dangerous effects on your body. 

Here are four ways you can help achieve this important, life-saving goal:

Avoid sugar-loaded processed foods

My Great Taste No Pain health system teaches you about all the dangers of sugar, plus stresses wholesome real foods which are inherently lower in sugar.

Many of the recipes in Great Taste No Pain feature delicious meats, poultry and fish, eggs, dairy, good fats and healthy sources of complex carbs that properly nourish your body and support a strong gut microbiome balance. 

You’ll see that once you get away from a regular intake of sugar, you'll begin to appreciate the taste and natural sweetness of real foods and will lose your taste for heavily processed, refined foods.

Also, since real foods nourish you better and keep you fuller longer, you’ll likely lose weight too!

Plus, you'll learn about the dietary science of food combining, which promotes better digestion and nutrient absorption by pairing foods together in meals that your stomach can break down easier.  This can help curb gas, bloating, constipation and heartburn. 

Support the health of your microbiome

The friendly bacteria in your system takes a hit from sugar, because sugar feeds the harmful microbes in your gut, and eventually they can overcome your beneficial bacteria.

Not only can this cause gas, bloating, yeast infections and reduced nutrient absorption, but it can also greatly hamper your immune system functioning and even trigger or worsen depression! 

You can help support your microbiome balance by repopulating your supply of helpful bacteria with Super Shield multi-strain probiotic formula.

Super Shield contains well-studied, effective strains of 13 friendly bacteria that are can help fend off harmful microbes, support smooth digestion, beef up your immune system and curb gas and bloating! 

Counteract any harmful yeast overgrowth

If you’ve been a sugar-a-holic for a while, chances are good that you may have some yeast overgrowth going on in your gut. 

How can you tell?  Well, if you regularly suffer from vaginal yeast infections, UTIs, bloating and gas, toenail infections, eczema or psoriasis, or you crave sugars and carbs, chances are good you have a yeast issue.

If you suspect you have a yeast problem, you’ll want to attack it head-on and curb that overgrowth, and Optimal Yeast Support Blend is your ticket!

Optimal Yeast Support Blend contains a well-researched blend of the best, most effective natural herbal antifungals and antimicrobials plus biotin, that work together to fight back at yeast overgrowth and encourage a healthier (more helpful—not harmful!) intestinal yeast population.

Find alternatives and curb your consumption

Note that artificial sweeteners are NOT a viable alternative to sugar!  Aspartame (Equal), sucralose (Splenda) and saccharin (Sweet and Low) have all been linked to health dangers of their own.  As a matter of fact, the FDA has received more reports of adverse reactions from aspartame than any other substance in existence!

Instead try raw honey, real maple syrup, blackstrap molasses or stevia for sweeteners in moderation.

Drink filtered water instead of soda, sports drinks, sweetened waters or energy drinks. 

Stay away from lattes or fancy coffee drinks.  Brew your own coffee at home and add real cream (never powdered creamer) if desired. 

Avoid processed foods and read labels to detect hidden sugar.  Print out the sugar alias chart I provided above (or take a picture of it with your phone) and keep it with you when you shop for groceries.

Now you are armed with the information you need to minimize sugar’s dangerous wrath on your health!

To your health,

Sherry Brescia