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| Be Well - Vol 1, # 6: Nutritional Building Blocks for Good Health |
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June’s theme is that good nutrition provides the building blocks for good health. In my weekly Chronicle column, I’ve noted the kinds of food that are best for building health, as well as those that are not so good for health. Unfortunately, many of our most popular foods today are not great for health, so it’s important to look at this issue from both positive and negative angles. As most people know, the best nutritional building blocks include vegetables, fruit, nuts, and whole grains. Modest levels of good protein and plant-based oils are also helpful. The problem is that most Americans do not eat enough high quality foods while at the same time, they consume too many foods of lower nutritional value. Sugar is especially detrimental to good health. Even though most physicians are concerned about excess sugar consumption, most do not judge it as severely as I do, so you may wonder if my views about sugar are too extreme. Yet the fact is that abundant research on various sugars by excellent scientists shows that intake of excess sugars causes serious problems in laboratory animals. Research is increasingly confirming that humans suffer from the same kinds of problems. Formation of accelerated glycation end-products (AGEs) is something that happens with excess sugar in the body. People with high blood sugar develop high concentrations of AGEs, which are linked in turn to damage to vision, nerves, cartilage, kidneys, and other tissues. These are the same kinds of complications seen in poorly controlled diabetes. Research on fructose shows that it produces AGEs up to ten times more efficiently than glucose, perhaps contributing to premature aging. Since fructose is now a major source of commercial sweetening in our country, this is disturbing news. Richard Johnson, MD, a top medical professor and researcher, reports all this in his book, The Sugar Fix. I recommend it highly to anyone wishing to learn more about all this. Many people realize that sugar and other problem foods may be potential health threats, but don’t take them seriously because damage is so insidious that symptoms don’t usually show up for many years or decades. By then, it’s so late in the process that expensive treatment is required. Sometimes the first symptoms are life-threatening. There is no doubt then that early prevention is far better than late treatment. Having previously confessed to my own sweet tooth, I understand how delectable and irresistible sweet confections can be. In fact, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with sugar in small doses. The problem is that, on average, we Americans consume up to ten times the amount of sugar that our bodies are designed to handle. It is this huge excess sugar consumption, much of it hidden, that is our downfall. The challenge for each of us is to significantly reduce our personal sugar intake as we adopt healthier lifestyles. For anyone deciding to do this, a good way is to identify one or two foods that you find potentially problematic, and then gradually reduce or eliminate them from your diet. A quote from author Spencer Sherman (on an entirely different subject) is apropos here. “Make a reasonable plan, one with a sustainable hurdle that stirs your intention and is within your capabilities. And stick to it... Small intentions lead to small successes, which create success overall. Large intentions too often lead to struggle and disappointment, which create failure overall.” My wish for you is success and good health. Be Well, Ed Dodge, MD
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