Sugars: The difference between prevention and promotion

As most Americans go to the grocery store and fill their carts with aisles and aisles of whatever type of food they want, little effort goes into actually knowing what ingredients that "food" is made of (I know I used to be that person). Over the past several decades (since the 1950's actually) there has been a shift from your grandmother's home cooking to processed and pre-packaged meals. My grandmother used sugar (you know the white granular stuff that looks like salt), honey, and mollases. Now-a-days there are so many different types of sugar made from many different sources (natural and man made) that when reading a food label it may be difficult to recognize what is sugar and what isn't. 

I took the liberty to list many of the different ingredients that show up in our food now that are sugar in one form or another (I'm sure I missed a few):

Sugar – Cane & Beet
- Fine Granulated
- Bakers Special
- Powdered
- Sanding Sugar
- Con AA
- Brown Sugar
- Evaporated Cane Juice
- Organic Evaporated Cane Juice

Liquid Sugar
- Sucrose
- Water White Sucrose
- “Liqueur” Grade Sucrose
- Sur Sweet Invert Syrups
- Sweetener Blends
- Liquid Evaporated Cane Juice
- Inverted Evaporated Cane Juice
- Brown Rice Syrups

Polyols
- Crystalline Sorbitol
- Sorbitol Solution
- Maltitol & Maltitol Syrup
- Mannitol
- Erythritol
- Xylitol
- Polyglycitol

High Intensity Sweeteners
- Aspartame
- Acesulfame potassium (ACE-K)

Honey
- Amber
- Light Amber
- Extra Light Amber
- Clover
- Organic
- Dry Honey

Corn Sweeteners
- Corn Syrup
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Corn Syrup Solids
- Dextrose
- Maltodextrin
- Crystalline Fructose
- Polydextrose

Molasses
- Blackstrap
- Refiner’s Syrup
- Liquid Brown Sugar
- Cane Juice Molasses
- Coating Syrups
- Painting Syrups

Original Source: Sweetener Supply Corp

What is Sugar and how does it effect Humans?

Chemically there are different types of sugar: glucose, sucrose, and fructose.Table sugar (sucrose) is refined from its plant source of usually sugar cane or sugar beets (reference). Glucose is a simple sugar found in carbohydrates (refined) that is the primary source of energy for our cells. Fructose, on the other hand, can be found in refined sugars as well as in fruit. Refined fructose is almost always chemically bound to glucose, which induces insulin secretion. Insulin resistance is the stepping stone to chronic "Western" diseases like Heart Disease, Obesity, Diabetes, Alzheimer's, and Cancer. Fructose alone does not raise the blood sugar level which is why it is considered a low glycemic index sweetener. The food industry has made it common practice to refine the fructose from its natural state and combine it with glucose, turning it into the red-headed step child of sugar- introduce HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP (Reference) . Our bodies were not intended to digest high fructose corn syrup (PUBLIC ENEMY #1), and as a result of its almost unanimous replacement of sugar in processed foods, the United States is as obese and unhealthy as it has ever been.

(This is what food propaganda looks like. Today we laugh at an ad like this, but 40 years ago when this ad, and others like it, was in circulation I'm sure people fell for it. I wish it was healthy to eat ice cream before lunch! Original Source: Diet Blog)

Dr. Mercola, a New York Times best-selling author and head of his Natural Health Center in Hoffman Estates, IL, has strong beliefs that the foods we eat effect the health of our bodies. This is what Dr. Mercola has to say about Fructose:

Fructose is a cheap form of sugar used in thousands of food products and soft drinks, which can damage your, or your child's, metabolism. More than any other form of sugar, heavy fructose consumption can cause dangerous growths of fat cells around vital organs and can trigger the early stages of diabetes, heart and liver disease.

While fruit does contain fructose, eating fruit in moderation is not the problem. The biggest culprit, by far, is the consumption of high-fructose corn syrup, especially in the form of soda, fruit juice and other beverages, as that is now the number one source of calories in the U.S.

Fructose, usually derived from corn, is fueling the obesity crisis in a big way due to its heavy use by the food and beverage industry in the form of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and crystalline fructose. If you or your child are consuming excess fructose daily, it can result in damage to your liver.

Food and beverage manufacturers began switching their sweeteners from sucrose (table sugar) to corn syrup in the 1970s when they discovered that HFCS was not only cheaper to make, it was also about 20% sweeter.

But HFCS is also in the vast majority of processed foods—even those you wouldn't think of as sweet, such as ketchup, soup, salad dressing, bread and crackers. Even "natural" foods often contain fructose as a sweetener. So even if you don't drink soda, if you eat processed or packaged foods at all, you're likely consuming fructose—and a lot of it. Fructose accounts for 10 percent of the calories in the average American diet.  Metabolically, it's the worst of the worst. Original Source: Dr. Mercola: They Say it's Safe - But it's Unknowingly Destroying Your Liver

How does sugar consumption relate to preventing cancer? 

It all depends on what type of sugar you are ingesting how fast the sugar is absorbed into the body. David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD is the author of Anti Cancer: A New Way of Life (one of the first books I read that I highly suggest you read). He writes that, "Today our bodies still expect a diet similar to the one we had when we ate the products of hunting and gathering. That diet consisted of a lot of fruits and vegetables and occasionally the meat and eggs of wild animals. It provided a balance between essential fatty acids (omega-6 and omega-3) and very little sugar and didn't include flour. (The only source of refined sugar for our ancestors was honey. They did not eat cereals.)"

His explanation of how refined sugar consumption effects cancer is quite simple. Dr. Servan-Schreiber writes that, "When we eat sugar or white flour- foods with a high "glycemic index"- blood levels of glucose rise rapidly. The body immediately releases a dose of insulin to enable the glucose to enter cells. The secretion of insulin is accompanied by the release of another molecule, called IGF (Insulinlike Growth Factor), whose role is to stimulate cell growth. In short, sugar nourishes tissues and makes them grow faster. Furthermore, insulin and IGF have another effect in common: They promote the factors of inflammation, which also stimulate cell growth and act, in turn, as fertilizer for tumors." (Anticancer: A New Way of Life pgs. 65-72)

So...what does that mean for me? (and you) 

It's simple. Fruits and veggies should take prominence on our plates over refined grains and sugary food products. How do I do that you might ask? Well, it took me a while (over a year) to change my eating habits to include more fruits and vegetables into my diet (and it still isn't perfect- but who is?). It's about making smarter choices when confronted with what to buy at the grocery store or what to order when out to eat at a restaurant. Order vegetables with your fish instead of potatoes or pasta. Buy whole grain bread instead of multi-grain, and never buy white bread, pasta, or rice!!

You may crave steak, potato chips, french fries, ice cream, or Oreos now (all of my favorite foods by the way), but I promise you once you start making those small changes and realize how much better you feel every day your body will start to crave natural whole foods. If you do not have cancer, you have the time to make these changes to give yourself the best shot at prevention. If you do have cancer, or have had it, unfortunately you do not have the luxury of time. What you do have however, is today, and tomorrow, and it is never too late to make positive changes in your life. 


By changing the foods you eat, you will improve your body and life. I encourage everyone (even those of you who think you will not get cancer, diabetes, or heart disease) to make the choice of being an informed consumer. Don't listen to the government or food advertisements (see picture above). Read what doctors, PhD's, nutritionists, scientists are saying.  Because I promise you that once you "open the door" to the nutritional information that is out there, you will be shocked at what you were feeding yourself before. 

No Cure, Big Problems

What is Cancer?

Everyone knows someone who has cancer or has had it. And whether you know it or not...cancer can invade every single part of your body. Its complexity is the reason why there is no "cure". The best thing so far is to prevent it. In order to understand how to prevent it, it is important to know the fundamentals of what cancer is.

The cell is the tiny structure that is the basis for every life form on this planet. It is also the epicenter of where cancer develops and takes root in our bodies. We all learned in high school biology about the parts of a cell...the nucleus, mitochondria, cell membrane, and DNA. All of these parts play a role in keeping the cell healthy. About 600 million years ago, cells started working together to form more complicated organisms and cell specialization was born. Specialization lead to complex organ functions which meant that instead of a cell worrying about its own survival, it now had to work with other cells for the survival of that organism. They developed a division of labor (specialization) so that cells could better perform their tasks for survival.

Two rules that cells are supposed to follow are:

1. Reproduction is not permitted unless to replace a dead or damaged cell

2. Staying alive is not permitted if damage is detected in the structure of the cell.

If these rules are not enforced by all of the cells, and some cells manage to mutate they can form a tumor. Cancer happens when a cell stops playing by the rules that were assigned to it, when a cell refuses to cooperate with the other cells to ensure the well being of the entire organism, and/or when a cell is damaged by exposure to a carcinogenic substance (cigarette smoke, UV Rays, viruses). The cell stops taking orders and is encompassed with its own survival and the survival of its offspring. This is the first stage of cancer...Initiation.

Initiation is the first stage of cancer growth where the rogue cell(s) are damaged beyond repair. At this stage, the damaged cells are not sufficient enough to be called cancer; they can only potentially form tumors. Stage II, Promotion happens when the damaged cell starts to create proteins that enable it to divide and grow uncontrollably. Normally when a cell is damaged beyond repair it is required to kill itself to ensure the health of the organism. However,  these rogue cells are not playing by the rules anymore so unlimited growth is possible. Progression, the third stage, is where the group of modified cells starts to invade surrounding tissue and form its own blood supply. This is the point in which the group of abnormal cells can become a large mass that turns into a tumor and is then capable of spreading to other organs.

The consensus of several of the leading doctors and PhD's that have been researching cancer growth and prevention is that the best way to kill cancer is in Stage I and II. A strong immune system with the help of known cancer fighting foods and exercise have the power to suppress these rogue cells and stop them from ever forming into cancerous tumors. It is my goal to learn for myself and teach others how to incorporate these foods into a busy lifestyle.

There is plenty of information (much more detailed than what I have summarized) on this subject and I encourage whom ever is interested to read the books in the Great Resources section in the right column of this blog.

Cancer is a B-I-T-C-H!

Many people fear cancer, and at the same time think that there is nothing they can do about preventing it. Statistics say that 1 in 3 people will have cancer in their lifetime. You have a better shot at getting cancer than most things that people are afraid of dying from: dying in a car accident 1:7000, being struck by lightning 1:350000, death by plane crash 1:3000000, death by shark attack 1:280000000.  

I was one of those people who thought there was little that I could do to prevent cancer, aside maybe from not smoking. For the past ten years I have been partying like there is no tomorrow, filling my stomach with whatever I felt like eating, and running myself into the ground. It took losing both grandmothers to cancer within seven months of another to make me realize that at one point in my life there will be no tomorrow. I am now on a mission to extend my life, and the lives around me, as long as possible. It only took reading three chapters into the first book (Foods to Fight Cancer: Essential foods to help prevent cancer by Richard Beliveau, Ph.D. and Denis Gingras, Ph.D.) to make me realize how simple it can be. Research shows that 1.) it takes 5-40 years for cancer to become noticeable on tests, 2.) there are obvious risks associated with the choices that you make about what to put into your body, 3.) there are certain foods (some ordinary to the western diet and some not) that are natural cancer fighters, 4.) the nutrients in these anti-cancer foods can actually reverse the growth of cancer. Time and research also shows that the cultures that incorporate these foods into their diets- Indian, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean- have a lower incidence of cancers. 

My maternal grandmother, Grandma, was sick with various cancers on and off my entire life. My father actually told me that when he met my mother (30 + years ago) she had thought her mother was dying. I was just 27 when she passed. It was common for my mother to say that Grandma was back in chemo or going for another surgery. Grandma never really made a big to-do about it, at least not to us. She continued traveling; fighting in court defending her opinions, spending time with her friends from high school, and staying active in church. I just assumed she would keep on fighting like she always did. She fought it as long as she could. She didn’t want to have a live-in aid. She could do everything herself. Towards the end she was so tiny and frail that it was amazing that she was still fighting. She battled cancer for almost three decades.

My paternal grandmother, Nani, was always good at getting information out of you or anyone she came in contact with. She would listen dutifully, and no matter what give her opinion. Sometimes I knew what she would say, and sometimes she completely surprised me. But she always wanted to know and was always there to listen. No subject was left untouched, even the completely uncomfortable, embarrassing, and annoying things that you don’t want to be talking about with your grandmother.  Sex, PMS, making and more importantly saving money, dressing to stay warm, and most importantly taking vitamins.

Right up until she was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer I thought Nani was “healthy”. She looked 10+ years younger than she chronologically was, got around great, took plenty of vitamins, etc, etc. In fact, it all started with strengthening heart palpitations, a condition she had for a long time, which was deemed no more than an annoyance. Following that was blood clots in her legs; something I was told by my nurse friend was common in the elderly especially during the winter. [Last winter was a particularly harsh one, and my Nani was no stranger to lounging around] Well a month, several hospital trips, and numerous tests later, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer that had metastasized to the liver. I was never made aware of a time frame, but from my general knowledge at that time I knew that a diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer was a death sentence, and a rather quick one.

Even as she was nearing the end and did not have the strength to talk, she was still listening. As we sat around her in her room at my father and step mother’s house, all reminiscing and laughing, she laid there raising an eyebrow, pursing her lips, and cracking small smiles at the stories. More than anything she loved her family and wanted to be a part of all of our lives. I know how sad she was to be leaving us prematurely, because we are equally as sad that she will not be physically present for all of the birthdays, holidays, weddings, and stories to come.

After losing both grandmothers within seven months of each other to cancer, I took a long, hard look at how I could become more “healthy”. Healthy seems now to be a relative term. When Nani was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer, we all took on different tasks; my father managing the doctors, tests, medications, and my Nani’s personal affairs. My sister researched alternatives to chemotherapy and other treatments that might help my grandmother. I started researching foods that would keep her strength up for enduring chemo and also be comforting to her. This was where my understanding of food started to change. I researched foods that were high in iron and B-vitamins, potassium and vitamin C. I came up with meals that would be healthy for her and also that were easy enough for my father to prepare if I wasn’t there.

While sitting with Nani as she got her weekly dose of chemo, I came across a book of recipes catered to people going through chemo and radiation therapies. While trying to find the book on the Internet, I found the books that would cement my belief that we can all eat to prevent cancer. These handful of books showed me how there is a delicate balance that lies within your body; that there are foods that promote cancer... and there are foods that fight it at every stage of its growth. Our bodies are supposed to get nutrients from our food. We are not supposed to ingest chemicals, concentrated vitamins, preservatives, processed and refined sugars, or genetically modified foods.

The typical western view on eating has nothing to do with getting nutrients and creating a balance. We eat food that will give us energy to support our crazy busy lifestyles. We eat fast food for the obvious reason, we buy prepared foods full of preservatives and chemicals because we can pop them in the microwave, and they can stay in our freezers for months and on our shelves for years. Instead of eating the foods that naturally have the vitamins in them, we spend billions as a nation on vitamins. 

With plenty of thyme (and time) on our sides, we can make small changes that will have profound effects. It is very important to eat a wide variety of whole foods, as every fruit and vegetable has multiple vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients (cancer fighting nutrients) that are important in creating a balance and making sure our bodies get all of the different nutrients they need. As with anything, sadly there is no guarantee, but at least you can say you gave it one hell of a try. 


More to come…