While sugar might have a bad reputation, it pays to understand it better. We have often heard that sugar can be toxic and addictive. Many health experts believe that one must quit sugar in order to be healthy. There is some truth to this. I experienced it first hand.
Flashback 20 years ago. My mother, Conchita Rastrollo Quirino, was diagnosed with stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma of the throat. She had been a heavy smoker since her early 20s. At age 74, the oncologist gave her four months to live. Refusing any kind of medical intervention, she sought guidance from integrative medicine doctors. She was on alkaline water, zero sugar, low carb and high fiber, vegetable diet. Happily, the years passed and she seemed well for four years. I noticed then that she was getting breathless and sleeping more.
Perplexed, I began to investigate. I found out my mother had been raiding the refrigerator late at night. She made the staff keep her midnight raids a secret from me. Apparently, Mom was eating every possible dessert. She had been bingeing on sugar. For a cancer patient, sugar is poison. The whole point of her clean diet was to starve cancer cells by depriving them of their food — sugar.
And so, to this day, I ask, “Could Mom have lived longer on a zero-sugar diet?”
In fact, the body needs sugar. But not the kind found in iced tea. Glucose is fuel that the brain, muscles and red blood cells need to work. The good news is you don’t have to eat table sugar to get glucose. Our bodies are smart. They turn bread, rice, pasta, sweet potatoes, potatoes, oats, fruit and yes, even milk into glucose. And this is where our energy comes from.
The challenging question is, if the body can make its glucose from the food we eat, then do we need to add more? The answer is no. There is no daily requirement for added sugar. Therefore, the white sugar in your coffee, the syrup on your pancakes, the frosting on your cake are all extras. They taste good, but your body does not need them to live or to survive.
The World Health Organization has set the limits: keep your added sugar to less than 10 percent of your daily calories. The ideal target is 5 percent. This translates to about 6 to 10 teaspoons of sugar daily. So, the next time you order a carbonated drink, check the label. Products with five to seven grams of sugar per serving are considered safe. Imagine a slice of cake plus a can of soda. This covers your daily limit. But there is a caveat: If you exercise right after, you can actually “burn” the calories. You see, sugar must be burned. For this, you need movement.
Sugar can be kind to you if it is natural. Sources include: low glycemic fruits like apple, avocado, cherries, strawberries, pears, berries, grapefruit, guava, guyabano, kiwi and dragon fruit. So what’s the practical take?
Get your energy from multi-grain rice and bread, beans, bananas and milk. If you are craving sweets, choose fruit first. If you drink coffee or tea, cut back on the sugar by half. Start swapping sodas with water.
And as for natural sweeteners with zero calorie options, consider stevia and monk fruit.
Ultimately, sugar isn’t evil. But it is also not essential to good health. But there is good news for dessert lovers. If you are planning on eating that delicious slice of apple pie a la mode, then I suggest you withhold eating carbohydrates at mealtime. Also, to cut down on the calories, share the dessert with a friend. This is called smart eating.
In the end, a sugar-free life may not be possible. The ultimate goal is to learn to control the sugar instead of letting sugar control you.
Affirmation: “I invoke sweetness in my life.”
Love and light.