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Sugar
And Other Sweeteners
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Sugar is the word used by chemists to describe over 100 substances. Most of us think of sugar as the granular white substance made from sugar cane or sugar beets. It is used in our society to sweeten desserts, salad dressings, beverages, canned and frozen fruits and vegetables, cereals and even table salt. These unnatural, processed forms of sugar are among the most dangerous of substances in the American diet and one of the most important ingredients for a health-conscious person to avoid. When reading labels, it is important to know that any word that ends in "ose" or "rose" is probably a sugar. For instance, sucrose, lactose, maltose and dextrose. One reason that several forms of sugar are listed in the ingredients of some processed foods is to help disguise the fact that some products, including breakfast cereals, are more than 50-percent sugar. Processed sugar has become the scourge of our children's health, causing dental decay, obesity, hyperactivity, weakened bones and diminished immune systems. Not only does white sugar have zero nutritional value, it actually robs nutrients from the body, particularly the teeth and bones. Processed sugar is also harmful to the stomach lining and can interfere with digestion of nutrients from other food. Sugar becomes even more harmful when consumed with starch (a common mix), because this combination leads to a fermentation in the digestive process that breaks down to alcohol (a drug) and other toxins. Sugar is addictive like a drug, can cause mood swings like a drug (from hyperactivity to depression), and has withdrawal symptoms like a drug. Considering all its adverse effects on human health, and the fact that it has zero nutrition, it is difficult to defend the perception of processed sugar as a food rather than a dangerous poison and addictive drug. And it is even more difficult to defend the common practice of giving this harmful and addictive substance to our children. But with all this said, it must also be understood that sugar - in its natural form as glucose - is an essential nutrient for children and adults. The central nervous system of the body needs glucose to function properly and the best source can be found in the raw fruits and vegetables supplied by nature as God provided. When natural sugars are refined and processed, our bodies have a difficult time handling the altered, unnatural product. The sugar found in almost every manufactured product on the market shelf is very different in quality and quantity from the sugar we were intended to consume in the form of raw fruits and vegetables. For example, one candy bar contains the amount of sugar that would be found in 3 pounds of apples It looks innocent and pure, but processed sugar is one of the most deadly substances we put into these bodies that God has given us. According to Frances Moore Lappe' in Diet for a Small Planet, the average American consumes a third of a pound of sugar per day. The main reason American sugar consumption has increased over the decades is that more processed foods are being consumed and practically all processed foods have sugar added. About 25 percent of America's total sugar consumption comes in the form of colas, which can contain up to 1 teaspoons of sugar. Nancy Appleton, M.D, and author of Lick the Sugar Habit, reveals that "sugar can: suppress the immune system (3 pops will wipe out the immune system for the day); upset the minerals in the body; cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating; produce a significant rise in triglycerides; cause reduction in defense against bacterial infection; cause kidney damage; reduce high density lipopoteins; lead to chromium deficiency; lead to cancer of the breast, ovaries, intestines, prostate, and rectum; increase fasting levels of glucose and insulin; cause copper deficiency; interfere with absorption of calcium and magnesium; weaken eyesight raise the level of neurotransmitters called serotonin; cause hypoglycemia; produce an acidic stomach; cause aging, arthritis, asthma, candida, gallstones, appendicitis, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, and periodontal disease; increase cholesterol, migraine headaches, interferes with the absorption of protein; cause toxemia during pregnancy, impair the structure of DNA; cause cataracts, emphysema, atherosclerosis; can cause free radicals in the blood stream; and it can cause hunger pains and overeating." It is equally important to avoid "sugar substitutes" such as NutraSweet and Equal. Reports of serious physical problems have been made by large numbers of people following the use of these sugar substitutes. Dr. Mary Ruth Swope listed seven symptoms that she said have been "experienced in epidemic proportion in those who use NutraSweet and Equal." These include loss of memory, loss of eyesight, epileptic seizures in those whose families do not have a genetic history of seizures, heart palpitations that lead to fibralations and can lead to death, deep depression, small multiple tumors on the brain and migraine headaches In Food for Life, Neal Barnard, M.D., writes, "It is hard to find anything good to say about synthetic sweeteners. Their main benefit is to their stockholders, not to the consumer. ... Chemical sweeteners also pose potential health risks. Cyclamates and saccharin have both been under suspicion for their cancer- causing potential. Some have suggested that NutraSweet may cause headaches and seizures. There are also case reports of children whose behavior has become extraordinarily disturbed after drinking aspartame-flavored beverages. Others have concluded that, for most people, aspartame is safe." Although honey and maple syrup are natural sugars, they should be consumed very sparingly. It takes 40 gallons of maple tree sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. Raw honey contains natural enzymes and is about 40 percent fruit sugar (fructose), 35 percent glucose, 2 percent or more sucrose, 3 to 23 percent water; maltose and other sugars. Diabetics seem to handle honey better because it is about 40 percent fruit sugar. Honey should not be given to infants because their systems are not developed enough to handle it and it may cause a toxic side effect. Fruits and vegetables contain natural sugar and their sweetness is often enough to satisfy the sweet tooth. Dried fruits are high in concentrated sugar, and can be used as natural sweeteners. Dried fruits can be eaten alone, as snacks, or in food preparation. "The greatest harm done by the presence of salt in the body is to the cardiovascular system. A severe enough potassium deficiency caused by excessive salt intake will shrink, calcify, scar and destroy the muscles, valves and arteries along the entire coronary route. This finally culminates in congestive heart failure. It is no wonder succumbing to heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States today." - Andrew & Cheryl Zuppo, from "The Hazards of Salt," in the May/June 1984 issue of Healthful Living. Sodium is a required ingredient in our body chemistry. It is natural for a 154-pound (70 kilogram) person to contain 83 to 97 grams of sodium. A normal saline solution is 0.9 to 1 teaspoon per quart of liquid. It is important to remember that sodium and salt are not synonymous, as there are many kinds of sodium. For instance, table salt (sodium chloride) contains 60 percent chloride and 40 percent sodium. Just as most commercial products include sugar, they also contain salt, and Americans are consuming far too much of it. Diets high in sodium chloride result in kidney, liver and heart problems and tumors. Salt can also cause elevated blood pressure (hypertension), distorted vision, arthritis, ulcers and edema. Sodium is one of the nutritional needs of the human body, and we can obtain all the sodium we need on a diet of raw fruits and vegetables. For example, celery is an excellent source of sodium in a form the body can utilize. When table salt is eliminated from the diet, the body's sodium level will usually normalize and excess fluid will be released. Americans consume far more salt than they realize because salt is added to most processed foods. The body struggles constantly to remove this toxic substance. The body deposits salt in the tissue fluids in an attempt to dilute this toxicity. When a person goes on a juice fast, the body immediately starts releasing the excess fluid it has retained to neutralize the salt. Salt is used as a preservative because it kills bacteria. Salt also kills the life force in foods, which is bad news for the consumer of the food, but good news for the manufacturer and retailer, because killing this life force is the only way to keep foods on a grocery shelf for months or years at a time without decay. In the body, salt destroys the living cells and wreaks havoc with our immune system. Salt is an addictive substance that most people have become "hooked on," and it should be removed from the diet as quickly as possible. Chlorine is a heavy greenish-yellow gas with a pungent odor used to disinfect water. This same poisonous chlorine gas was used as a weapon during World War I. Later, it was decided it should be used in our drinking water to kill bacteria. Chlorine has been shown to suppress the immune system. Paul Bragg states that if the chlorine in the water is "sufficient to produce an offensive smell, enough chlorine may enter the intestinal tract to destroy helpful and friendly bacteria and thereby deprive us of the important vitamins which they make for us." Dr. Herbert Schwartz of Cumberland County College in Vineland, New Jersey, states: "Chlorine has so many dangers it should be banned. Putting chlorine in the water supply is like starting a time bomb. Cancer, heart trouble, premature senility - both mental and physical - are conditions attributable to chlorine- treated water supplies. It is making us grow old before our time by producing symptoms of aging such as hardening of the arteries." Fluorine, according to Webster is, "a nonmetallic univalent halogen element that is normally a pale yellowish flammable irritating toxic gas." Fluoride is formulated from fluorine. Fluoride, the same toxic chemical used in our water supplies, is also used in a stronger concentration to make roach and rat kilter. It has also been found to suppress the immune system. Paul Bragg states that fluoride was first added to the drinking water in about 1939, approximately the same time when large industries needed a "dumping ground" for the toxic flurried waste they were producing in the manufacture of aluminum products. We are told fluoridation is an additive that is put into the drinking water "to prevent tooth decay" in small children. If these people sincerely wanted to prevent tooth decay, they would be campaigning against sugar instead of for fluoride. Studies have shown that fluoride causes many disorders, some of which are allergies, heart and kidney problems, cancer, deficiency in growth and development and birth defects, while not reducing cavities by one iota. Recently the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that hip fracture rates are higher in both women and men who reside in communities with fluoridated water supplies. The study notes all cancer incidents increased by 5 percent and that bone cancer in young men is dramatically increased. It went on to say that there is virtually no difference in decay rates between those children who drink fluoridated water and those who do not. It is interesting to note that Europe banned fluoride in the water years ago, and the rate of tooth decay has remained similar to that in the US In October 1944 the American Dental Association issued the following statement; "We do know that the use of drinking water containing as little as 1.2 to 3.0 parts per million of fluorine will cause such developmental disturbances in bones as osteoporosis, as well as goiter, and we cannot afford to run the risk of producing such systemic disturbances in applying what is at present a doubtful procedure intended to prevent development of dental disfigurements among children." Colas and Other Carbonated Beverages Caffeine is an addictive drug found in coffee, tea, chocolate, most soft drinks and even in some over- the-counter and prescription drugs. This dangerous, but socially accepted, stimulant causes many problems for the body. Americans drink 137 billion cups of coffee annually. That is over 50 tons of caffeine per day! Even more caffeine is consumed in the form of soda pops. These products with caffeine artificially stimulate the body and increase the heart rate. While this artificial stimulation temporarily arouses the intellect and fatigue seems to disappear, it is short-lived. The excess stimulation depletes the body of vital energy as it struggles to deal with this poison which has entered its system. There are many effects from the consumption of caffeine, including increased incidence of bladder and stomach cancer, raised blood pressure, increased heart rate, and it aggravates diabetes and damages the lining of the stomach. Caffeine contributes to or causes birth defects in children, at least six kinds of cancer and provides the body with zero nutrition. Vending machines allowing children to purchase colas can be found in most schools, shopping malls, grocery stores, and even in some churches. Soft drinks are being sold and marketed to even the youngest children and their unsuspecting parents. In 1980, the U. S. Department of Agriculture attempted to limit the sale of soft drinks and other junk foods in Family Size schools. The department adopted a regulation that prohibited schools from selling soft drinks, gum and hard candy before the last lunch period ended. In 1984, the National Soft drink Association filed suit challenging the regulation. A federal appeals court sided with the Association. It ruled that the USDA did not have the legal authority to ban competitive foods from the cafeteria during lunch. This ruling opened the door for vending machines to invade school lunch rooms and challenged the local school systems to control the sale of competitive foods. For an idea of how much caffeine is found in coffee, colas and some over-the-counter prescriptions: Maxwell House coffee (electric perk) has 97 mg. of caffeine per 6 oz. serving, one ounce of chocolate has 35 mg., "decaffeinated" coffee has 2 to 5 mg., and colas range between 34 and 49 mg. per 12 ounces. Comparing the colas, Mountain Dew topped out at 49 mg. per 12 ounces, while the lowest was Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Light at 34 mg. Coca-Cola has 42 mg. while regular Pepsi-Cola has 35 mg. As for over-the- counter drugs, there is 100 mg. of caffeine per tablet of Nodoz, 200 mg. in Vivarin, 64.8 mg. in Excedrin, 30 mg. in Sinarest, 200 mg. in Dexatrim and 100 mg. in Pre-Mens Forte. But caffeine is not the only dangerous ingredient in cola. Soda pops contain caffeine, sugar or artificial sweeteners, carbonated water, and artificial coloring, including Amaranth (red), Bordeaux (brown) Orange I (yellow) and Ponceau (scarlet) dyes, all of which are unfit for human consumption. In his book, Water Can Undermine Your Health, Dr. N. W. Walker writes, "Supposing you knew that Soft Drinks could cause your brain to disintegrate, would you drink them? More than a million children today are afflicted with cerebral lesions (injury to the brain that causes sudden discharge of excessive nervous energy) and other afflictions caused by Soft Drinks!" In a speech at Loma Linda, Hans Diehl, M.D., made the following statement: "All kinds of soft drinks are very acidic, especially colas. In order to neutralize a glass of cola, it takes 32 glasses of high pH alkaline water. It is well known by the medical profession that disease loves acid. In fact, a physician from Loma Linda University said in a speech that if we could get our cells to maintain a normal pH (slightly alkaline), cancer could not grow in our bodies." Francisco Contreras, MD of the Oasis of Hope Contreras Cancer Care Center in Tijuana, Mexico, said at an AIM Convention in 1990 that cancer "can't live in an oxygen-rich environment. Cola drinks make our bodies poor in oxygen." Beatrice Hunter in her book, Consumer Beware (1971) states: "Nutritionally, soft drinks are low in value. Their food energy comes solely from refined sugar. Every element of nutritional importance, except calories is zero. Soft drinks have much in common with hard liquor, claimed the co-discoverer of insulin, Dr. Charles Best. Cirrhosis of the liver has been found among teenagers who drink large quantities of soft drinks, as well as among chronic alcoholics." In a report found in the FDA Consumer October 1980, we read, "Most soft drinks, including the cola and pepper-type drinks contain caffeine and are the number one beverage in the United States today, with coffee second. Caffeine is a drug which stimulates the central nervous system. In the amounts presently being consumed, it can cause insomnia, nervousness, irritability, anxiety and disturbances in the heart rate and rhythm. Cola and pepper-like drinks account for 80 to 90 percent of the caffeine added to foods today. Its long-term effects on people are not clearly known." In making a public announcement regarding caffeine's possible dangers to unborn children, past FDA Commissioner Dr. Jere E. Goyan urged pregnant women to avoid the use of caffeine products. He stated, "So while further evidence is being gathered on the possible relationship between caffeine and birth defects, a prudent and protective mother-to-be will want to put caffeine on her list of unnecessary substances which she should avoid." Goyan goes on to say, "that as a general rule, pregnant women should avoid all substances that have drug-like effects." Dr. Mary Ruth Swope in her article titled, Why ! Don 't Drink Soft Drinks and I Wish You Didn't, makes the following statement: "Cola drinks contain caramel coloring, which, according to some researchers, has genetic effects and is a cancer-causing suspect. Polyethylene glycol is used as an ingredient sometimes. Glycol is used in antifreeze in automobiles and as an oil solvent. Perhaps you have noticed that pouring cola drinks on your windshield in a snow or ice storm will keep the windshield from freezing over with ice." She also comments that, "Soft drinks use predominately three types of sweeteners - saccharin or aspartame in the diet type and sugar, cane syrup or corn syrup in the regular drinks. These substances enhance taste appeal and come touted as 'refreshing' and 'high energy.' The truth is that saccharin has been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals and Nutra-sweet and Equal are linked to convulsions, depression, insomnia, irritability, weakness, dizziness, migraine headaches, mood changes and mental retardation. (Which of these, I ask, is something you really want in your life?)" She goes on to say, "A government warning was once issued the manufacturer of a certain world-famous refreshing soft drink for its suspected effect on the bones of children because of the large amount of phosphoric acid in it. Pour coke over an extracted baby tooth or a 10-penny nail and see it totally dissolve in a few days!" Dr. Swope's article also states: "Diet sodas that are low in calories are high in sodium. Six ounces of regular Pepsi-Cola have 5 mg. of sodium; Diet Pepsi has 31 mg. (But who only drinks 6 oz. at a time now?) Classic Coke has 19 mg. of sodium. High blood pressure is a very common ailment in our society; I wonder why!" "And who shouldn't have high sodium in their diets'? My personal answer to that question, is that any condition which causes a person to have high blood pressure should be considered a condition where limiting sodium intake would be helpful. Here are a few of those: certain tumors, kidney disease, adrenal or thyroid or pituitary gland malfunctioning even diabetes and arteriosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. Soft drinks, in my estimation, should be off-limits to persons with these conditions." An article titled Confessions of a Soft Drink makes the following statement about soft drinks "The bubbles and fizz in soft drinks can potentially burn human insides: this is caused by the phosphoric acid and carbon dioxide. The phosphorus in the acid upsets the body's calcium-phosphorus ratio and dissolves calcium out of the bones. This can eventually result in osteoporosis, a weakening of the skeletal structure, which can make one susceptible to broken bones. Also, the phosphorus fights with the hydrochloric acid in human stomachs and renders it ineffective. This promotes indigestion, bloating and gassiness in many individuals. Carbon dioxide is a waste product exhaled by humans, but they ingest it when they drink cola drinks." Dr. George M. Halpern, Division of Allergy at the University of California Davis School of Medicine, reports that diet soft drinks may cause allergies. "The potential problem may be due to toxicity because of the increase in consumption of diet drinks. Acute or chronic hives may be symptoms caused by this low-calorie, artificial sweetener." In her 1971 book, Consumer Beware, Beatrice Hunter writes, "Dr. Clive McCay, working at the Naval Research Institute, placed extracted human teeth in cola drinks. Within two days, the teeth became very soft, and the enamel surface lost much of its calcium. Rats, well fed but given nothing to drink except cola beverages, after six months had their molar teeth dissolved down to the gum line. When Dr. McCay reported years ago the rat experiments before the Delaney hearings on chemicals in foods, a lawmaker reminded him that the soft drink industry represented huge economic investments. He suggested that these alarming findings be soft-pedaled to avoid disrupting the industry and the economy as a whole. Dr. McCay countered by stating that the health of the nation's children might be as important as the welfare of the soft- drink industry." The research is abundant and I believe the case is clear; colas and other soft drinks are detrimental to all of God's children no matter what their age and should be eliminated from the diet immediately. James Beasley, MD, of the Ford Foundation Project stated that "If Americans do not change their eating and drinking habits within twenty years we will have nutritional obliteration." Reviewing the facts of the decreased health in our country, one would think Dr. Beasley is right on track. One of our intentions in writing this book is to collect and present the evidence, as clearly as possible to show the harmful effects these products are having on our people. We are just one voice among many in this world. In your lifetime, you and your family will be exposed to countless advertisements, commercials and "scientific" studies designed to promote meat, dairy products, sugar, white flour and other processed foods, as well as drugs such as coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, etc. We hope you will carefully consider your response to these issues as you plan meals for yourself and your family. Make these decisions as if your life - and the lives of your family members - are at stake, because this is truly the case. People are dying every day because of what they eat, and these premature deaths can be prevented by making the right decisions about diet and lifestyle.
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