Sugar Blues

In my regular classes, we tend to include one activity for the whole week which we practice for our own personal growth. (At physical, emotional, mental, intellectual or spiritual levels). The reason is I just don’t want all of us to do the workout and leave. I want each one of us to grow and go towards an ideal lifestyle. Moreover, when we practice as a group it is motivating and yields better results.

This week, let’s cut down our sugar intake……. How?
First recognize that you have white refined sugar in various foods and identify the sources. All processed food has that – which includes sauces, instant foods etc. you also have that in all beverages – aerated drinks, energy drinks, lemonades and tea, coffee. We also tend to add to sugar to various home made preparations. Other than these we have sugar regularly in desserts, ice creams, shakes etc. come to think of it, hardly a day goes by when we don’t have sugar multiple times.

So this week let us resolve to have sugar just once during the day, means in any one kind of food for just once. The reason for not cutting sugar off completely is not to induce a feeling of deprivation which may result in binging later on. Also sugar is addictive and its total stoppage might result in withdrawal symptoms which we might not identify.

Now the reasons why we should restrict our sugar consumption are as follows:
It has zero nutritional value as refining destroys all its vitamins and minerals.

Can cause nerve damage, chronic infections, dental decay, diabetes, obesity, tissue degeneration etc.

It is acidic – resulting in ulcers, psychological disorders and hyperactivity.

Apart from being cheap and heavy, it masks the flavour. Thus when sufficient quantities are added, inferior foods can be made to taste good.

It is bleached with phosphate of lime to give it sparkling white colour.

I have read a lot about sugar and taken this little piece of info from various sources – books and internet. You too can refer to various sources for more.

Craving for something sweet – use dried fruits (dates, figs, grapes, bananas, apricots, raisins, prunes, peaches etc.), unrefined jaggery. You can use these in various food & dessert preparations also.