Can we handle sweeteners as we age?

As you grew to adulthood, sugar and other sweeteners probably became a dietary staple. Americans today are now consuming 14 percent more sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and other sweeteners than they did in 1965, with most of us eating more than 20 teaspoons a day. We’re eating more sugar than ever before in history, but our bodies have not evolved to handle the increase.

It used to take 15 to 20 years for steady consumption of sugar and other sweeteners to trigger conditions such as type 2 diabetes. That’s why we used to call type 2 diabetes “adult onset” diabetes: It only affected adults. Now we’re seeing type 2 diabetes in children as young as age 6.

Mercury and Other Environmental Pollutants

Our rivers and oceans absorb the mercury produced when we drive cars, burn coal to fuel power plants, and incinerate household wastes. They’ve also become toxic waste dumps for many other industrial pollutants, such as PCBs and dioxin. These harmful chemicals are absorbed into algae and plants that are then eaten by fish. The pollutants become more and more concentrated as they travel up the food chain. Once one of the world’s healthiest foods, all wild fish and even some farm-raised varieties are contaminated with disease-promoting chemicals. To reduce your risk of consuming more of these toxins than your body can clear, consume only fish that have been shown to have the lowest levels of mercury.

Is it safe for a person with diabetes to eat sweets?

Diabetes is a chronic condition that causes a person’s blood glucose levels to become too high. Although people with diabetes often need to carefully manage their diet, incorporating the occasional sweet or sugary food into a healthful diet can still be okay.

There is a popular misconception that people with diabetes must avoid all sweets and sugary foods. Carefully monitoring the carbohydrates and sugars a person eats is vital because of the impact it can have on blood glucose, or sugar, levels. However, it is still possible to eat sweets or sugary food, as long as it is part of a healthful diet plan.

The amount of carbohydrate and sugars a person with diabetes can eat depends on factors, including:
– their activity levels
– whether they are trying to lose weight or maintain a heavy weight
– whether they are tying to lower their blood glucose levels

According to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes can still have sweets, chocolate, or other sugary foods as long they are eaten as part of a healthful meal plan or combined with exercise.

Eat Plenty of Produce

Aim for 2½ cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit a day, for a 2,000-calorie diet. If you consume more calories, aim for more; if you eat fewer than 2,000 calories, you can eat less. Include green, orange, red, blue/purple and yellow produce. The nutrients, fiber and other compounds in these foods may help protect against certain types of cancer and other diseases. Legumes, rich in fiber, count as vegetables, though are moderately high in calories. Choose whole fruits over juice for more fiber. Frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are good options.

Should I take a fiber supplement?

In a word, no. Are you surprised? Many of our patients are. They stare at us with eyes the size of dinner plates when we tell them to stop using their supplemental fiber. The fiber supplement industry has done its advertising and marketing so well that nearly everyone in America is convinced they need to drop some powder in a glass of water, stir, and drink every morning. It’s just not true.

In fact, you might be surprised to learn that most fiber supplements contain very little fiber. Most foods contain more. Take a look at the nutrition facts panel on any fiber supplement. You’ll find that most supplements contain somewhere between 3 and 5 grams of fiber and 25 or so calories. You can easily get that much fiber from food. More important, the fiber in food comes in a complete package that aids digestion. A colleague of ours at Johns Hopkins Hospital tells us that nearly all of his patients who take fiber supplements experience lots of gas and bloating and little constipation relief. Real foods work better, he says, because most contain water and/or oil, two essential ingredients that help fiber do its job.

Health Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables

There is a good amount of research documenting the many benefits of fruits and vegetable intake on health. Several studies have found that eating more fruits and vegetables is associated with a decreased risk of heart disease. One study even found that eating more than three servings per day slashed the risk of heart disease by 70%. Because fruits and vegetables are low in calories but high in fiber, they could even help keep your weight under control. One study followed 133,000 people over a 24-year span. It showed that when people increased their intake of fruits and non-starchy vegetables their weight tended to decrease. Finally, fruit and vegetable intake may benefit your blood sugar. The fiber from these foods slows the absorption of sugar, which can keep blood sugar levels steady.

A low-carb diet promotes fat burning

Cells throughout your body are capable of burning a number of different fuels for energy, including carbohydrates (in the form of blood glucose or muscle glycogen), protein, fat, and ketones (by-products of fat burning). By putting yourself on a carbohydrate budget, you’ll consume fewer carbohydrates than your body uses for energy. Once your carbohydrate gas tank reads “empty,” insulin drops and stays low. Think of insulin as a switch. When it’s high, you burn carbohydrates for energy and store excess calories as fat more easily. When it’s low, your body can burn fat rather than storing it, and it will also burn triglycerides–fat in the bloodstream–lowering your risk for heart disease.