Sugar - the sweet killer

Happy new year 2011. May you all be well, prosperous and most importantly healthy.

Malaysian government is currently actively advising us to reduce consumption of sugar for a healthy life via its campaign on air, posters at hospitals, etc.

Do you know that Malaysians consume 26 teaspoons of sugar daily, making us the 8th highest sugar user in the world? Sugar is not necessary in our diet, not even an ounce of it. In fact, sugar is toxic and addictive.

Chinese New Year is coming soon (falls on 3^rd February 2011), we as Chinese will definitely consume a lot of soft drinks which contain up to 15% of sugar, junk foods (18% to 69% of sugar), beverages (45% to 67% of sugar), cordials (35% to 64% of sugar), cereals, biscuits and cakes (16% to 71%), etc, during Chinese New Year. Imagine how much sugar we have consumed and are going to consume during the festivals and in our daily diet!

Malaysian government advises us to eat more fruits as “pencuci mulut” (dessert) instead of eating junk foods or sweetened biscuits (37% of sugar) or chocolate bars (47% of sugar), etc, to reduce consumption of sugar for a healthy life.

Whenever we order hot drinks at restaurants or food stalls, we should ask for less sugar or less sweetened creamer. This is another way to cut down consumption of sugar.

Instead of eating sweetened biscuits and cakes, we should take more wholegrain breads that are more healthy and nutritious, in our daily lives.

Besides, we should drink fresh fruit juices more frequently instead of artificial beverages and cordials that not only contain higher sugar level but also contain a lot of harmful chemicals. We should cook fresh vegetables for our meals instead of canned food (12% to 59% of sugar) too.

There are over 60 ailments linked to the consumption of sugar and the following are some examples:

·          Heart disease

·          Diabetes

·          Ovarian cancer

·          Chromium deficiency

·          Hyperactivity

·          Bowel disease

·          Alcoholism

·          Premature ageing

·          Obesity

·          Crohn's disease

·          Ulcerative colitis

·          Gastric ulcers

·          Arthritis

·          Asthma

·          Gallstones

·          Appendicitis

·          Multiple sclerosis

·          Varicose veins

·          Haemorrhoids

·          High cholesterol

·          High blood pressure

·          Eczema

·          Cataracts

·          Emphysema

·          Atherosclerosis

·          Parkinson's disease

·          Myopia

·          Depression

·          Gout

·          Kidney stones

·          Pancreatic cancer

·          Gastric cancer

·          Colon cancer

·          Migraine

·          Premenstrual Syndrome

·          ADHD

·          Peripheral vascular disease