That’s the problem. We consume so much sugar these days, that it’s killing us. Seriously.

You see, sugar is everywhere. It’s in all the usual suspects but you might not realize

that it’s in a lot of other foods. Did you know that our daily intake averages 95 grams?

That might not sound like a lot, but it adds up to 77 pounds of added sugar every year.

Now look at The American Heart Association’s daily recommendations, it’s no wonder 1

in 3 adults and 1 in 5 kids are obese. It’s not just because sugar tastes good; it’s

also addictive. Consuming it — even thinking about it — causes a euphoric effect that

triggers the production of dopamine in your brain, a neurotransmitter that controls pleasure

and is responsible for reward motivated behavior. Studies show sugar is as addictive as alcohol

or cocaine. And it’s hard to avoid. There are about 600,000 different packaged food

items in grocery stores today — and 80% of them contain added sugars. But what we

drink could be our biggest problem. Guzzle just one of these beverages and you've more

than filled your daily recommended sugar allowance. It's tricky. Did you know that food manufacturers

use more than 30 different names for the most common sugars? So what’s the problem? Well,

sugars are carbohydrates that are roughly half glucose and half fructose. Consuming

glucose makes your pancreas secrete a hormone called insulin, which, among other things,

causes your body to store fat. Your liver deals with the fructose, but it can’t do

it in the quantities many of us consume today. It releases some of it as fat, but most of

that backs up in your liver cells. Now you’ve got a condition called insulin resistance.

You’re secreting more and more insulin in response to all the carbs in your diet and

even the proteins. The result you get fatter, and you get fatty build-up in your now inflamed

arteries. You're what some doctors call metabolically disturbed. Your body can no longer regulate

itself. Eventually it will kill you! Along the way, your pancreas might give out and

you’ll become diabetic. And there’s reason to believe that metabolic disturbances cause

high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, and of course, obesity. Well, the good news

is that there are 5 simple things you can do to avoid and reverse the damage: Number

1, avoid sugary drinks. All that glucose and fructose literally is an assault on your system.

Give tea or carbonated water a try. Something besides processed sugar water. Why drink all

your calories? Number 2, read labels carefully. Yes, processed foods are convenient — but

often they’re loaded with sugar and provide little nutrition. Number 3, exercise a little.

It may not seem like much but a daily ½ hour walk helps reduce stress and control your

blood sugar (and cravings). Number 4, don’t trust processed “low-fat” foods. Guess

what? The missing fat is usually replaced by salt and sugar. And your body just converts

the added sugar into fat after you eat. And number 5, eat more fiber. Try to eat at least

25-30 grams of fiber every day. Fiber rich foods typically are high in vitamins and antioxidants

and keep you feeling full longer. Hey, it just comes down to making smarter choices.

The foods you eat can either be the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the

slowest form of poison.