pikwik's Journal, 14 February 2012

Loosing weight is a great motivator, I am finding that eating more protein and fat containing foods I do not get as hungry. But I wonder about fats and heart disease.  

Hi, thought you might be interested in this article. Sugar Causes Heart Disease by Kalidasa on November 19, 2010 inShare Coronary Artery Lesion Coronary Artery Lesion There is a lot of misinformation out about what causes heart disease. Fat and cholesterol are still supposed to be the big bad guys while studies prove that is not the case. While certain other dietary factors do contribute, sugar and processed foods are the initiators of coronary heart disease. Here’s what junk food does to your arteries. Blood Sugar Balance The body keeps a very close tabs on millions of different processes that take place all the time. It maintains balance so everything can happen the way it is supposed to. One of the top priorities is to keep blood sugar levels within certain limits. Very powerful hormones are used to keep that balance. Consuming sugar and processed foods is simply something the body did not evolve to handle, and it has a hard time keeping a good blood sugar balance when they are eaten. The modern addition of processed foods has resulted in a population with blood sugar levels that are chronically too high and too low. High Blood Sugar Causes Disease High blood sugar is the beginning of all major illness. The destructive path is different in each case, but the common cause is undeniable. Long known biochemistry as well as recent studies prove this. What Is Junk Food? Any sugar or ground up grain in any form. These processed foods will cause the blood sugar to spike with a corresponding spike in insulin to bring the levels down. And, that excess insulin causes a lot of the same kinds of damage that high sugar does. Sugar Nicks Artery Walls High levels of blood sugar causes the nicks in the artery walls that cholesterol patches. Cholesterol is only doing its job, the clog in the artery is caused by the constantly needed repair. The Obvious Solution Of course we all know that we should avoid junk food. But, we don’t always think of a sandwich as something that might actually be bad for us, but two slices of bread is like eating 4 teaspoons of table sugar! This is based on the glycemic load, how food affects blood sugar. Avoiding processed food all the time is not always necessary. After all, what is life without a little enjoyment? But, limits are necessary to insure a long and healthy life. Eating a balanced diet with plenty of vegetables and having a little treat after is the best way to mitigate the problems that processed foods cause. 

Thanks Bird Fancier for the reminder of why I do not ever want to go back to my sugar addiction! What really makes me mad is how food companies sabotage us all by adding so much of it into processed foods. We will win this war! barb pikwik