Blood Sugar Blues

Blood Sugar Blues, Clearing the Carb Confusion, Help for Sugar Addicts, Nutrition News & Tidbits, Sugar Shockers, Tantalizing Tidbits

Agave: Is It a Safe Sweetener Alternative? I Recommend Skipping It

Agave nectar has become quite controversial of late. Lately, many people — especially folks who are concerned about their health — have been eagerly consuming it, but I believe they’re doing so without knowing the full facts.
After repeated questions from people about whether or not they can safely consume agave, I posted on this Sugar Shock Blog, most recently here and before that, here.
My conclusion? Briefly, I’m really wary of this sweetener, which is really high in fructose. I have too many questions about agave.
To put it bluntly, I won’t ever consume agave since I know about the dangers of fructose, which I learned more about last weekend from Dr. Richard Johnson at a Food Addiction Summit in Washington state.
Richard (I got to know him while hiking there) is the author of the fascinating book, The Sugar Fix: The High Fructose Fallout That Is Making You Fat and Sick.

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High Fructose Corn Syrup: Some Scary Facts to Consider Before You Gulp Down Soda

Did you know that consumption of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in the United States has increased by a a whopping 10,673 percent between 1970 and 2005? So reports the USDA Dietary Assessment of Major Trends in U.S. Food Consumption report.
Are you one of millions, who, according to the USDA report, consume one-quarter of your calories from added sugars, most of which comes from high fructose corn syrup?
And have you heard about the a recent study, which reveals that a diet high in high fructose corn syrup may be partly to blame for insulin resistance?

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Jack LaLanne: Sugar is Ruining Millions of People’s Lives

Did you know that fitness icon Jack LaLanne used to be a sugar addict 80 years ago?
Tonight, at a food addiction and obesity conference on Bainbridge Island, I had the pleasure of interviewing him.
Check out this video from years ago, where you can see how Jack was so ahead of his time.
Now watch this interview I conducted with Jack last Saturday, at this amazing conference.

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Kick the Sugar: Improve Your Health & Life Just Like Jack LaLanne

Sugar? Does it rule your life? Are you trying to get out from under its control?
I guarantee you that if you cut out what I call culprit carbs, your life will completely change. Indeed, I truly became reborn when I took the plunge to banish sweets and refined carbs.
In fact, last week, on April 15, marked 11 years off sugar for me. This year, I celebrated quietly by exercising, working, getting ready for a trip and holding a special 10-minute announcement radio show.
But last year, for my 10-year anniversary I held a wonderful, two-part Gab Fest With the Gurus, who shared information about the value of removing sugar from your life.
Right now, I’m listening to the inspiring interview I had the pleasure of doing with Jack LaLanne in 2007 right around this time. I’m actually preparing for an exciting, first-of-a-kind Obesity and Food Addiction Summit this weekend at which I’m presenting a Lifetime Achievement Award to the Grandfather of Fitness and interviewing him. I’m also appearing on a panel.

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Agave: People Are Getting Duped Into Consuming this High-Fructose Sweetener

110px-Agave_attenuata_Pot_2250px This is getting downright tiring!
People, especially health-conscious folks, are often getting duped by agave. They’re being led to believe that it’s a safe sweetener.
Please, people, do NOT consume this sweetener until you read the following warning that I posted back in December 2008.

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Hurrah to NPR for Looking at Sugar & Warning People Not to Eat So Much Of the Stuff

Hurrah to NPR’s Allison Aubrey for pointing out on NPR’s “All Things Considered” that everyone should watch their intake of sweeteners this time of year.
Aubrey points out some very valid points, even quoting researcher Barry Popkin, who I interviewed for my book SUGAR SHOCK! and Dr. Richard Johnson, who appeared as a guest on my Gab With the Gurus Radio Show. (Begin listening at 21:47.)
Listen now to this compelling NPR story.

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Kids & Money — How Staggering Sums Influence What They Eat, Drink & Do

Check out the staggering amounts of money that are spent to convince our nation’s innocent kids to spend money on foods, drinks and other products that could be quite harmful to them.
The Commercialization of Childhood Index*
$500,000,000,000: The amount of money in purchases that children under twelve influence every year.
$17,000,000,000: The amount of money spent to market to children, a staggering increase from $100 million in 1983.
$3,400,000,000: Revenue generated by the Disney Princess brand in 2006. There are 40,000 Disney Princess items on the market today.
1,200,000,000: Toys sold with kids’ meals at fast food restaurants in 2006.
20,000,000: Baby Einstein videos sold by Disney through 2006. The American Academy of Pediatrics reccomends no screen time for children under two.

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High Fructose Corn Syrup Can Harm You, Like Sugar

I continue to be alarmed by the onslaught of so-called “information,” which suggests that high-fructose corn syrup is not responsible for obesity and that it’s not as bad as sugar.
In fact, I’m worried by the idea that “the tide of research, if not public opinion, has shifted,” as Elizabeth Weise suggests in a USA Today article, “New data: High-fructose corn syrup no worse than sugar.”
Get the truth, please, about the potential harms of high-fructose corn syrup, which you can learn from my two recent Gab With the Gurus Radio Shows — including this radio show, which featured several experts, and this radio show (listen to the last 15 minutes), which presented another well known expert, Dr. Richard Johnson, author of The Sugar Fix: The High Fructose Fallout That Is Making You Fat and Sick.
If you dig even a little bit into this subject, you’ll find that the average American does NOT consume moderate amounts of high-fructose corn syrup. If you’re eating or drinking prepared, processed or fast foods — which is what most Americans do — you’re taking in high amounts of the stuff. And all that HFCS can lead to numerous health problems, including heart disease, cancer, obesity and much more. (For that matter, too much sugar (or sucrose) is dangerous, too, as I reveal in my book SUGAR SHOCK!)