Sugar

         This sweet has often influenced the health of the  world but more dramatically, the modern world. Refined white sugar is white poison. You will understand why it is a poison, when you understand that it destroys many organs. Unrefined brown sugar also causes a damaging effect, but lesser than white sugar. So, wherever possible, use unrefined brown sugar or jaggery. These contain nutrients unlike white sugar.

        Sugar is made up of glucose which is the energy "currency" for the body cells. Without glucose the cells in our body do not have energy and so cannot function properly. All carbohydrates that we eat are digested and broken down  to glucose in the intestine and are absorbed into the bloodstream. From there, they are transported to the liver and other organs.  However, high levels of glucose in the blood will cause serious damage to organs. The normal blood sugar or glucose level should not exceed 100-120 mg/100ml of blood. When this level is in excess it is called diabetes.

Sweet Damage.

     Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas to maintain blood sugar. If the blood sugar is high, insulin will push the excess blood sugar into the liver and muscles. If the blood sugar level rises suddenly, the body has to work very hard and gets tired quickly.  It is less stressful for the body if the blood sugar rises slowly. 

       Let us imagine a situation where the crowd picks up gradually in a restaurant. It is less stressful for the waiters and hotel crew to serve food in this situation. Imagine how much more difficult it would be if a restaurant crowded suddenly and everyone needed attention from the hotel crew at the same time.

    This is how it is when we eat foods with no fiber. Fiber allows glucose to enter the blood slowly and so the organs like liver and pancreas involved in maintaining these levels are less stressed.

        When we eat foods with no fiber we put our internal body under massive amounts of strain.  Suddenly, the glucose rushes to the blood from the intestines like a mad, restless, hungry crowd entering a restaurant. When the crowd is restlessly waiting, the hands of adults and especially kids would do all sorts of damage to the furniture and walls of the restaurant.  Similarly, when the  sugar levels rapidly increase in blood, they cause oxidative damage to the walls of the blood capillaries and to other organs.

        So, healthy food is one which increases blood sugar slowly and causing less stress to the body handling the sugar crowd.

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