Sugar and Sweetenes

Is Sugar Killing Us?

March 16, 2015 By Debbie Baumgarten Leave a Comment

It has been estimated by the United States Department of Agriculture that the average American consumes between 130 and 170 pounds of sugar per year. At the turn of the 20th century the average consumption was recorded at 40 pounds per year. Now this begs the question whether the increase in diabetes, obesity and several other health problems over the last couple of decades is merely a coincidence? I don’t think so. The inconvenient truth is that something as innocent as a grain of sugar has been scientifically proven to be just as addictive as cocaine and food manufacturers are exploiting this legal drug.

The biggest culprits are soft drinks, which make up about 33% of overall sugar intake for the average American. People who argue that switching to energy drinks are healthier would be wrong, because energy drinks pretty much consist of water, sugar and artificial flavors. In fact, manufacturers are hiding sugar in products we never even thought contained sugar in the first place, such as almond milk, ketchup, barbecue sauce, salad dressings, packaged meats and too many more to list here.

In order to save money, food industries started to replace sugar with fructose corn syrup. Corn syrup, which looks like honey, is 24% water and 76% sugar. To make matters worse, 83% of teenagers go to a school where soft drinks, energy drinks and candy are actively promoted. The constant advertising on television, radio and the internet is astonishing. It shouldn’t be difficult to understand why so many people are struggling to lose weight. It’s in their faces constantly, they are tricked into thinking some things are healthy and they are consuming sugar without even knowing it.

There is no pretty way to say that a high intake can lead to death. According to a 15 year long Harvard study, the current levels of sugar intake doesn’t just add 10% of calories per day, but it also doubles your chances of dying from heart disease. As well, more than 10 million Americans suffer from some form of diabetes and about 4 million more are unaware they even have it. If it wasn’t for Mexico, America would be on top of the list for the country with the highest obesity rates, and everyone knows the consequences of being obese. Sugar ultimately creates an imbalance in the body that can lead to organ failure and several other pathological conditions.

And don’t get me started on artificial sweeteners as they are even worse!! I’ll cover more of that in another post.

But there are solutions. Ways you can have your cake and eat it without the health risks. Check out the section of this website called Sugars and Sweeteners for some great solutions.

How much sugar is in fruit juice?

March 1, 2015 By Debbie Baumgarten Leave a Comment

There is one major point about fruit juice that I would like to make. Many people think that drinking fruit juices is a healthy option to sodas and things. Drinking fruit juices is not the same as eating fruit. These juices have been strained of their fiber and just the fruit juice alone is very high in sugar content. With no fiber, this fruit juice sugar goes directly into your bloodstream.

Here’s a short excerpt from the website: https://www.hookedonjuice.com/

12 ounces of >>>>>>>	Coca-Cola	Orange Juice	Apple Juice	Cherry Juice	Grape Juice
Total carbohydrates	40 g	39 g	42 g	49.5 g	60 g
Carbs from sugar	40 g	33 g	39 g	37.5 g	58.5 g
Sugar (teaspoons)	10 tsp	8 tsp	10 tsp	9 tsp	15 tsp
Calories	145	165	165	210	240

“WHAT DOES THE CHART TELL US? It tells us that no matter which fruit juice you choose, they all have more calories than the same amount of Coke. It tells us that juice — 100 percent juice, no sugar added — contains about the same amount of sugar (or even more — 50 percent more for grape juice) as the same volume of Coke. For this comparison we used: Classic Coke, Tropicana HomeStyle Orange Juice, Walnut Acres Organic 100 Percent Apple Juice, Eden Organic Montmorency Cherry Juice (no sweetener added) and R.W. Knudsen Unsweetened Concord Grape Juice. The numbers in the chart were calculated from the nutrition labels on the containers.”

Eating fruit is not the same as just drinking the juice. When you eat the fruit, you get much less juice and you get all of the fiber. So while you are getting some sugar, it is a much lower dose and it is absorbed much more slowly. I do recommend eating more of the low glycemic impact fruits such as berries and melons.

The worst culprits in declining health

February 19, 2015 By Debbie Baumgarten Leave a Comment

What are some of the worst culprits that are wreaking the most havoc and causing the most damage and declining health? Here they are in my estimation:

#1 – Sugar and other sweeteners commonly used as sugar substitutes. And included in this is a big category of sodas.

#2 – Flour/wheat and simple carbs.

#3 – Heavily processed foods.

#4 – Bad fats.

#5 – Additives to our food, water and air – includes hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, MSG, preservatives, chemicals used in cans and water bottles, fluoride or other chemicals in water, as well as genetic modification of produce and other unnatural “natural flavors”, numerous pollutants in our air.

#6 – Inadequate or wrong exercise.

#7 – Stress, resulting in over-production of cortisol that tells the body to store fat rather than burn it and can also exhaust your adrenals.

#8 – Smoking – although this habit is becoming more unaccepted and less prevalent, there are some die-hards out there that still close their eyes on the fact that they are doing something that weakens their immune system and can cause serious physical conditions, diseases and cancer.

Now maybe this list isn’t a huge revelation to you. It probably isn’t. But all manner of health issues have arisen in the last few decades. Declining health is a problem for many Americans. With so many temptations of fast and unhealthy foods and sugar in so many things, these health dangers are more and more prevalent.

The revelation is in the very practical and realistic ways to get rid of the worst of these factors that are contributing the most to your declining health – without suffering, without sacrificing and without having to spend a lot of time or money,

You can make small, subtle changes in your lifestyle that will have BIG benefits on a long-term basis. That’s what HealthKick is all about.

The Horrible Trap

February 13, 2015 By Debbie Baumgarten Leave a Comment

There is a trap that I fell into numerous times and that I see many others afflicted with illnesses (such as Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Lupus, Lyme Disease and other similar illnesses) fall prey to because it is so easy to do.

What I am talking about here when I say horrible trap is the vicious cycle where you feel bad, you are in pain, you are tired, you have to go to work or you have children that need to be cared for or you are just trying to get yourself going and so you do something to get yourself enough pick-me-up to be able to get through the day – coffee, a coke, a souped-up Starbucks latte, some sweets, a Red Bull, some carbs, maybe even a cigarette or some combination of the above. This might buck you up for a bit and help you to get through some short term period, but in the longer run you have made matters worse. With all of the extra insulin your body just pumped in response to what you put in it, you will worsen the fatigue and pain and get poor sleep to boot.

Now you are even more desperate for some form of pick-me up because now you feel even worse.

Of course you don’t feel like exercising, as you just don’t have the energy and/or you are in a lot of pain already.

Continuing on in this vein will cause more and more despair and depression as you feel terrible, you are desperate to get some energy and the quick energy sources are making matters worse and worse. Or you are so depressed about the situation or the continuous pain that you comfort yourself with things that you think will make you feel good – comfort food or alcohol or cigarettes or some form of drugs (OTC or otherwise).

This is a vicious cycle, what I call the horrible trap, that you can get into when you have chronic pain or chronic illness. It’s bad, and quick and available fixes just make it worse. If you are in such a situation, there IS a way out. It isn’t instant. It takes some time. It isn’t horrifically slow either. But it will take some dedication and discipline. First is understanding of what is happening and what you need to do to escape the hell and get yourself improving and getting better.

I have a new book that is available on Amazon called, “Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndromes: The hard road to recovery made easier“. It contains all of the answers that I have found over the last 15 years of research and trials of numerous treatments and protocols. This is available on Kindle and paperback.

And please utilize all of the information in this website which is all here to help you recover from illness and body problems through easy healthy living habits.

Overcoming Addictions

January 31, 2015 By Debbie Baumgarten Leave a Comment

Nicotine, alcohol, various OTC pain and sleep meds (that are not for long term use and can have serious side effects if used long term), caffeine and sugar addictions are all ones that I have battled with. At one time there was a more serious pain meds addiction after some extreme damage to my spine.

They say that nicotine is more addictive than heroine (even though the withdrawals aren’t as dramatic) and I believe it. I quit smoking for 8 years and it was very tough, but I was completely free of it. Then during a period of extreme stress I made the huge mistake of having “a few cigarettes” and ended up a smoker once again. I’ve tried numerous times to quit and have for varying lengths of time, only to slip and get right back into it again.

I finally realized that each time I slipped, it was because I was drinking alcohol. Alcohol was a very definite trigger for smoking. It also triggered the sweets cravings. I’m not an alcoholic but I am a cheap date. 2 glasses of anything and I am losing all control – smoking, desserts, etc.

The smoking, alcohol, caffeine and sweets created effects in my body that then seemed to require the use of OTC meds for pain and sleep.

So now I am doing it all – no smoking, no drinking, no meds, no sugar or simple carbs. I am going through some tense, hair-pulling, nail-biting moments, but it’s not like coming off heroin! I’m getting out and doing some short hikes, and some yoga stretches/poses, I’m drinking some green drinks and eating good. I’m keeping my attention on other things – writing, reading, posting, a little housework, cooking and some good movies. And I’m drinking a lot of water and taking some vitamins and minerals.

I’m feeling better! And I am really happy that I am slaying my own monsters – rising above my addictions and conquering them.

I knew so strongly that smoking and being overweight were very very unhealthy. I hated it!!! Every time I smoked I felt bad. I knew this was bad. Every time I had a dessert or went sugar crazy I felt horrible and guilty afterwards. But when I was smoking or eating my piece of cheesecake, I sold myself on why it was okay for now, why it was justified. I had plenty of good reasons that I was placating myself with – I won’t belabor you by listing them, but I am sure you know what I mean.

Realizing that these addictions were feeding each other, helped me to see a way out, that it was possible.

I just finally got to the point where I made myself decide – I couldn’t stand it anymore – justifying why I needed to continue my addictions and feeling horrible about what I was doing to myself. So, I finally just confronted it and made a real decision. You know the kind of decision that you make every once in a while that has a very strong, real honest determinism behind it.

That’s it on all the BSing myself. I knew could get myself through the initial withdrawal effects one goes through.

So I made the decision first. Then I set the date of when I would stop – a time that allowed me to go through a week of tough withdrawals without having to deal with stressful work/life stuff.

If you have addictions that are hurting you, come to grips with how you really feel about it. You can be free of them. And I am happy to help you in any way I can.

It feels good to get the upper hand again. To take total control.

Brands of Stevia

July 25, 2014 By Debbie Baumgarten Leave a Comment

When I first discovered Stevia as a natural sweetener it was not very well known. I have strong reactions to sugar (feeling tired soon after eating sugar and weight gain). Stevia did not give me any reaction. I loved it and started using it instead of sugar as much as I could. I was using a liquid form made by Sweetleaf that was pure stevia. Later I switched to one of the more popular brands of stevia called NuStevia, which turns out is mostly maltodextrin (a sugar alcohol) even though it is clearly labeled “Stevia” along with “all natural” on the front.

Later, I started seeing numerous brands of Stevia for sale in regular supermarkets. I was thrilled. I started buying the Truvia brand. Much later I discovered that Truvia was not pure Stevia. In fact it was less than 1 percentage of Stevia while containing 99 percent erythritol (a sugar alcohol) that is mainly used.

This is pretty serious deception, to clearly market something as Stevia that is mostly something other than Stevia.

So, I switched back to the liquid pure Stevia and have been on the hunt for a powdered Stevia that is pure and that tastes good. I ordered an organic form of Stevia that was just ground Stevia leaf. It was a green powder from an on-line site called RawLife.com. It tasted terrible. Finally I found another site that looked promising and ordered a 1 pound bag. I’ve tried it and it tastes very good. It is pure organic Stevia in a white powder form.

SO, as far as brands of stevia that are actually stevia, I recommend trying this. You can find it at: https://www.emperorsherbologist.com/stevia-stevioside.php . You only need to use a little, it is very sweet. So it will last you a while.

You can also use the Sweetleaf, but read the label clearly to make sure it is pure stevia and not mixed with anything else as Sweetleaf also offers versions of Stevia that are mixed with sugar.

Hope you find this helpful. Don’t be fooled by the false marketing going on – get the real stuff and keep your blood sugar levels stable and your waste-line trim!

The best sugar alternative

May 30, 2014 By Debbie Baumgarten Leave a Comment

With over 65% of Americans overweight and the extreme increase in diabetes, including in children, at an all time high, curtailing the sugar intake is probably one of the most important healthkicks of all. So what’s a healthy sugar alternative?

Did you know that the average American ingests over 150 pounds of sugar annually!

Artificial sweeteners were hailed at the great solution to replace sugar, however more and more information is coming to light that these alternatives are unsafe and even worse than sugar.

So what about an all natural sweetener with no side effects except perhaps good ones, complete with potential blood sugar-lowering properties? Well, that’s stevia.

The advantages of using stevia are numerous. In its pure form, it’s non-caloric and doesn’t affect glucose levels, an advantage for diabetics as well as those suffering from candida. Also, it has no carbohydrates or fat, so it’s great for dieters, especially those watching carb intake. Unlike artificial sweeteners, high quality stevia has little aftertaste when measured properly. It has no known side effects like some chemical sweeteners and has been safely consumed around the world for decades.

Mind you, it doesn’t taste exactly like sugar. I guess that would really be too good to be true. But after using it for a while, you get used to the taste. And once you are off sugar for a while, you realize how overly sweet a lot of things are. Sugar is addictive and if you break that addiction and give stevia a little time, you will likely settle in to using it. I love it. I find things sweetened with sugar to be overly sweet. I am just as happy, if not more, drinking my iced tea sweetened with stevia rather than sweet tea. You just have to give it a little time. Trying it one time won’t do it for you and you may pass up the greatest sugar alternative of all time.

Also, PLEASE read my other post and info on this website on the sugar and sweeteners page about different brands of stevia. There are numerous brands that are clearly labeled “stevia”, but they are actually 99% sugar alcohols and less than .5 stevia.

As far as a sugar alternative, I’ve tried a ton. Stevia is my favorite. There are others and often I use a combination of stevia and other natural sweetener options. More posts to come on this.