While Americans have substantially reduced their fat intake, there has been a simultaneous rise in the intake of refined sugar, accompanied by a rise in the incidence of obesity. Fat – the good and the bad – has been demonized while refined sugars and other refined carbohydrates have been given little attention. That's ridiculous.
Sugar has no nutritional value. Its empty calories contribute to obesity as much as, or more than, fat does. Refined sugars also may suppress your body’s immune response. Minimizing refined sugar in your diet is a splendid step toward better health and ideal weight.
One easy way to minimize sugar is to avoid sodas of any kind. Drinking just 2 ounces of soda per day will increase your weight by about 3 pounds per year. (See Fake Food for more information on diet sodas.)
Avoiding most packaged foods is another way to reduce the sugar in your diet. Many packaged foods contain three or four different types of sugar, so the total amount of sugar is sprinkled throughout the ingredient list, rather than appearing as a lump at the top, where it belongs. Sucrose, fructose, glucose, dextrose, maltose, maltodextrin, cane sugar, brown sugar and corn syrup are all sugars. Read ingredient labels!
