Sugar Nation: How Diabetes Affects So Much | What's Next?

Are we a nation hooked on sugar? It?s not a new idea. In fact, it?s the subject of an upcoming documentary, Sweet Nothing: America?s Addiction to Sugar. It?s also the topic of a recent book that is aptly titled, Sugar Nation by Jeff O?Connell.

In this book O?Connell?s personal story reflects a national and very public health crisis: diabetes.

It begins because O?Connell, a health writer for numerous fitness magazines, learns that his estranged father is dying of complications from diabetes. Thinking he himself is immune ? because he is ?skinny? and ?healthy? ? O?Connell discovers that he is dangerously pre-diabetic. The book follows his attempt to reconcile with his father and fight the nearly inevitable onset of this terrible disease at the same time.

Reading the book will ?scare the starch? out of you!

O?Connell races through the book to learn as much as he can about the disease that is killing his father and threatening to take him down the same path.

The main takeaway is that sugar exists in our food supply much more than the simple white stuff you put in your coffee. It is our systemic reliance on simple carbohydrates that throw the body out of whack for so long that it creates the perfect setting for diabetes to emerge in the body and begin its damage.

If you think of diabetes as a manageable disease thanks to medicine and diet, you might be surprised to learn how many body systems are negatively affected by glucose and how present diet recommendations could be making the situation even worse. Anyone who has diabetes or is dangerously close to diabetes needs to read this book. It turns out that blood sugar problems contribute to a wide range of major health issues, particularly heart disease and stroke. Irregular blood sugar also negatively affects circulation and can cause everything from limb amputation to blindness.

The addictive quality of sugar has been studied for several years. However, you can ask anyone with a serious sweet tooth how difficult it can be to stop eating once you start! While the word ?addiction? is frowned upon by those in ?real? addiction recovery programs ? AA, Narcotics Anonymous ? there seems to be growing evidence that, although in differing proportions, sugar and even wheat may contribute to hazardous compulsive eating habits.

The first popular book on the topic was Sugar Blues, published in 1975. It is still relevant today in our even greater ?over sweetened? world. The new documentary looks at recent

What can you do to limit the amount of sugar in your diet and gain the health advantages? A recent pin on the Sweet Nothing?s Pinterest page breaks it down as thus:

?Eat less CRAP:
C ? carbonated drinks
R ? refined sugar
A ? artificial sweeteners and colors
P ? processed foods

Eat more FOOD:
F ? fruit and veggies
O ? organic lean proteins
O ? omega 3 fatty acids
D ? drink water?

O?Connell would probably add that daily, rigorous exercise is also very important to regulate internal blood sugar and reduce dietary cravings for the sweet stuff, too.

Is it too late if you?ve already been diagnosed with diabetes? A resounding NO! You should always consult a doctor before going off of medication or taking over-the-counter supplements. However, changing your diet to drastically reduce carbs and simple sugars is one approach suitable for most. Another is increasing your amount of daily exercise. Both are two strategies to live longer and feel better!

Source: http://www.retiringbydesign.com/blog/?p=1460

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