Is Sugar the Enemy?

Is Sugar Our Enemy?

You may have seen the recent documentary by Jamie Oliver on Channel 4, entitled ‘Jamie’s Sugar Rush’, and if you haven’t, I really would recommend going online and watching it on demand. It’s not often you see such shocking images of diet related disease, and as it transpires, we are all potentially under threat if we remain ignorant as to what sugar actually does to our bodies.

In the program, the TV chef explains how there are fundamentally two types of sugars we consume, ‘naturally occurring sugars’ as found in fruit and dairy, and so-called ‘free sugars’, sugars added to foods, as well as those that occur in honey, syrups, fruit concentrates and fruit juices. These sugars are the potentially dangerous ones, and we all know this. So, why is it, that despite the fact many of us do consider what we eat, that sugar is still causing such widespread health problems? Why is it Children as young as two or three are having to undergo major operations under general anesthetic to remove tooth decay, that was easily avoidable in the first place? Why are seven thousand people per year in the UK having major amputations to remove gangrenous ulcers, caused by type two diabetes? The answer lies in the hidden sugar, and If you watch the documentary, there is some very valuable revelatory information about how free sugars are present in large quantities, in foods that we would perhaps ignorantly consider to be good for us, such as cereal, fresh fruit juice, and ready meals to name a few.

Overall, the documentary highlights sugar as being potentially lethal, and it is no exaggeration. However, sugar is an essential part of our diet, and the sugar found in fresh fruit and dairy products is essential for cell function - we could not survive without this sugar. But the threat of sugar related diseases is increasing, and educating the public as to the harm we are doing to ourselves is of the utmost importance. I encourage you, if you haver not already, to watch the documentary, or have a look around Jamie Oliver’s website, where there is plenty of information on how to cut down on free sugars and potentially save yourself from developing an easily avoided terminal disease - prevention is always better than cure.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/sugar-rush

Paige