Sugar.......and I don't mean it as a term of endearment.......

Argh. I know I know...I don't blog for a week and now I've got about twenty things to blog about. This will be a recurring theme. Get used to it. My nature is erratic. I've learned to come to terms with this.

Anyway...my dentist told me to stop drinking beverages with sugar in them. She clued me in to the fact that ALL (yes, all) beverages on the consumer market, save for the flavored waters or plain water itself, have RIDICULOUS amounts of sugar in them. She urged me for the health of my teeth. However, there are MANY other health benefits of kicking the sugar habit. I don't think people really realize HOW MUCH sugar is in EVERYTHING you buy to drink from the store.

Fact: There are TWELVE (12) grams of sugar in a tablespoon.

If you are like me, and believe me, I haven't ruled out the possibility (in my hypochoncriatic mind) of being pre-diabetic or something.....I don't think I can live ENTIRELY without sugar. I gave up the Lipton Tea, the Sprite, Pepsi, even freakin APPLE JUICE, those 16 oz. bottles have like 40 grams of sugar in them. BUT....when I drink my tea or coffee, I usually use TWO (2) tablespoons of sugar. That's 24 grams of sugar! Just think how much sugar is in KOOL-AID. One cup of sugar......well 8 oz. is one cup. Sixteen (16) tablespoons are in one cup. You are going to have to sit down for this one. If there are 12 grams of sugar in one tablespoon and there are 16 tablespoons in one cup.....yep....do the math....I can't even believe it myself. There are 192 grams in one cup of sugar. It's enough to make you keel over now.

Check out the labels of the beverages you buy at the store. A can of Pepsi has like 50 some grams of sugar. That's FOUR tablespoons of sugar in that little ass can of soda. Even Gatorade has too much sugar in it!

Drink Propel or flavored water. Propel only has 6 grams of sugar in it.

I hate to freak people out, but you should take it as informational, a precaution, something to think about, and this is just some information I pulled from the internet:

Diabetes - "Diabetes is due to the body's inability to maintain a constant level of sugar in the blood, as it should. (If you drink a lot of alcoholic beverages....there's massive amounts of sugar in those too). People with diabetes are more likely to have a heart attack or stroke at a younger age. In addition, they may be at a greater risk for a decline in mental function - brain decay or dementia. Full Article at www.neurology.org/cgi/content/full/63/4/E9

Not only is sugar found in high levels in beverages, but check your food labels too! A research found that people consume (depending on what they eat) upwards of 207 grams a day, that's 52 spoonfuls and four times the recommended daily limit. If you eat packaged and processed foods, check the labels! Sugar may be addictive, withdrawal occurs. Sugar also causes cancer. Women with the highest blood sugar levels increased their chances of pancreas, skin, womb and urinary tract cancer. Also leads to premature aging.....messing up your skin.

Last for now....eating too much sugar can also contribute to arterial damage. High blood sugar causes LDL cholesterol to oxidize. When oxidised it encourages plaque deposits in our arterial linging causing the blood vessels to clog leading to heart disease, the number one killer. (2nd article www.netdoctor.co.uk/dietandnutrition/toomuchsugar.htm)

I'm only 33 I swear. But thinking about my family's health history (pardon my French) freaks me the fuck out.

Ok that's enough for now. I've got more happy things to talk about. Just thought you should pay attention to the sugar you intake. If anything, knowing what you are putting into your body is never a bad thing.