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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Irfan Iftekhar grew up in Calcutta and

lives in Karachi, Pakistan, served DDB
Needham Worldwide in Pakistan as
Creative and Copy Head for a decade,
after which he taught at various
educational institutions. He has written
newspaper columns, authored almost
two hundred research papers on health,
and other topics. His other publications
include Clinical pharmacology, Nursing
care, Biological sciences, Herbal and
Ayurvedic Medicines. In addition to
writing, he occasionally serves as a
consultant and for academic writing
projects on other topics.

Brief Contents
PAGE 11

An Overview of Nutrition

PAGE 12

Nutrition is about Life

PAGE 13

How Nutrition Sustains Your Body

PAGE 14

An Overview of Milk

PAGE 15

Different Types of Milk

PAGE 19

Milk and Confusion

PAGE 22

Establishing Recommendations

PAGE 23

Most of the Dairy Cows Never See a Blade of Grass

PAGE 24

Cows Are Not Suited To a Diet of Artificial Fodder

PAGE 25

Monsantos Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone

PAGE 27

Asia is No Different

PAGE 28

Monsanto, corporation brought Agent Orange

PAGE 29

An Overview of Sugar

PAGE 31

Early Refining in Europe

PAGE 32

The Caribbean

PAGE 35

World Sugar Production

5

PAGE 37

Types of Sugar

PAGE 40

The ugly side of sugar

PAGE 42

Sugar Used Big Tobacco-style Tactics

PAGE 44

Diseases of Metabolic Syndrome

PAGE 46

Diseases Caused by White Sugar

PAGE 51

Sugar and Arthritis

PAGE 52

Sugar and Your Heart

PAGE 56

Refined Sugar or Slow Death

PAGE 62

Sugar-cane and Sugar- the Good and the Ugly

PAGE 63

Added Sugar- a new phenomenon

PAGE 64

Sugar Industry - the all powerful

PAGE 65

Other Names They Gave to Sugar

PAGE 66

Chocolates

PAGE 67

Ancient Mayans and Chocolates

PAGE 69

Consumption Trends

PAGE 70

Chocolate Timeline

PAGE 71

Chocolates Myth Buster

PAGE 73

Found Guilty

PAGE 75

$135 billion in Restitution

PAGE 76

Do Not Fall in Love

PAGE 78

American Chemical Society

PAGE 79

Death by Chocolate

PAGE 81

Sugar Content of Common Food Products

PAGE 83

Luring Customers

PAGE 84

News Media often Misleads

PAGE 85

News is Irrelevant

PAGE 85

News Has No Explanatory Power

PAGE 86

News is Toxic to Your Body

PAGE 86

News Disrupts Your Concentration

PAGE 87

News Makes Us Passive

PAGE 87

News Junkies Cannot Create

PAGE 87

Never Told Truths

PAGE 90

Eat Less Sugar- Live Longer

PAGE 93

Elf Story

PAGE 95

Last Words

PAGE 96

Bibliography

PREFACE
Nutrition is a science. When the science is explained step by
step and the facts are connected one by one, the details
become clear and understandable. Because nutrition is an
active science, staying current is paramount. The number of
foods has increased dramatically. The connections between
good food and bad food have become more apparent-and our
interest in making smart health choices has followed. The
science of nutrition has grown rapidly, with new "facts"
emerging daily and thus busting myths. History is replete with
unfounded health beliefs, and to everyones detriment, the
milk myth is among the most tenacious.
Most of us do not know that cows milk protein may play a role
in triggering type 1 diabetes through a process called
molecular mimicry, across countries, populations that
consume more dairy have higher rates of multiple sclerosis. A
large observational cohort study in Sweden found that women
consuming more than 3 glasses of milk a day had almost twice
the mortality over 20 years compared to those women
consuming less than one glass a day. Similarly very few of us
know that Chocolate is not a food but a Toxin, with very high
oxalate content, especially in cocoa which can cause kidney
stones and can trigger headaches in migraine sufferers. The
most lethal being the refined sugar, which is worse than
nothing because it drains and leaches the body of precious
vitamins and minerals through the demand its digestion. You
will find this book a myth buster.
I hope that this book serves you well.

MILK, SUGAR AND

CHOCOLATES

IRFAN IFTEKHAR
9

FRUITS
Fresh fruits are the
best. Frozen, canned or
dried fruits also qualify.
Eat variety of fruits as
fruits vary in their
nutrient content.

VEGETABLES

NUTRITION
"Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te diary
ce que tu es."
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT
In 1828, Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote, in
Physiologie du Gout, ou Meditations de
Gastronomie Transcendante: "Dis-moi ce
que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es."
Translated in English it reads, 'Tell me what
you eat and I will tell you what you are', a
phrase which bears repetition, because the
body is built from the nutrients it gets.
Based on a 2,000-calorie diet, the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans, 2010 (1)
recommends 2 cups of fruit per day, 2 1/2
cups of vegetables, 6 ounces of grains, 5 1/2
ounces of protein foods and 3 cups of dairy
foods.

10

From dark green to

bright green to spring
green, from yellow to
light and deep orange
and also red.
Vegetables vary in color
and nutrient values.
Vegetables provide us
with nutrients, A, C and
B vitamins and also iron
and calcium. Dietary
Guidelines provide
weekly
recommendations for
the different colors and
types.

DAIRY
Milk of all types, yogurt, cheese, soy beverage and cream are all dairy
products.

GRAINS
Whole grains should make up half of the grains you eat daily, as advised by
The Dietary Guidelines. With its outer coverings remaining intact, they are
better for health and nourishment against refined grains which have their
hulls removed and appear whiter and look better. Wheat, brown rice, oats,
corn, bulger, buckwheat, whole spelt are all whole grains.

NUTRITON IS ALL ABOUT LIFE

Scientifically, nutrients are a mixture of carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins
and minerals while nutrition is about how our body uses food. These
nutrients are essential for our growth, development and good health. All
living things need water and food to live, but a balance in our food is
necessary because our bodies derive all the energy and structural materials
from the foods we eat. Health conscious people always think twice about
what they eat, how they eat and when they eat.

Macro and Micro nutrient

Macro means large, and

Macronutrient include carbohydrate, proteins and fat which provide the

human body with energy and are required in large amounts for growth,
metabolism.

11

Micronutrients
Micronutrients are also called trace elements which include cobalt,
chromium, copper, iodine, zinc, manganese, selenium and molybdenum.
These all micronutrients are needed in small quantities by the human body
are essential elements needed by life in small quantities. They include
micro minerals and Vitamins.

How nutrition sustains your body

Your body is a carefully planned
arrangement of cells, molecules,
atoms, organs, bones and
tissues. And none of these every
take a nap throughout your life
even when you are asleep. All
are in a continuous movement,
some changing, some
rejuvenating and some dying
only to make place for newly
born cells.
In seven years your skin is replaced by new cells, you may be 30 years of
old, but your red blood cell is just 120 days old, whether you are a
vegetarian or a non-vegetarian, your digestive tract's entire lining is
renewed in three to five days. But for such a peerless machinery to perform
its task, you must replenish continually by means of food. The three main
energy sources are carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. They are used
preferentially under different conditions. In general, the body burns
carbohydrates, then fats, and then proteins.

12

MILK
What is milk? To find the answer let us see what Einstein once said about
milk: Einstein was asked by his hostess at a social gathering to explain his
theory of relativity. Said the great mathematician,
"Madam, I was once walking in
the country on a hot day with a
blind friend, and said that I would
like a drink of milk."
"Milk?" said my friend, "Drink I
know; but what is milk?"
"A white liquid," I replied.
"Liquid I know; but what is
white?"
"The color of a swan's feathers"
"Feathers I know; what is a
swan?"
"A bird with a crooked neck"
"Neck I know; but what is this crooked?"
"Thereupon I lost patience. I seized his arm and
straightened it. "That's straight," I said; and
then I bent it at the elbow. "That's crooked."
"Ah!" said the blind man, "Now I know what
you mean by milk!"
Archaeological evidence reveal that the milking of dairy cows became a
part of Ancient Sumerian civilization approximately during 3000 B.C.E. The

13

Sumerians drank milk and also made butters and cheeses. In 1750 BCE
when Vedic civilization ruled India, domesticated cow was used for dairy
products. The Bible contains some fifty references to milk and milk
products. In 1525 First cattle arrive in Vera Cruz, Mexico and are later
known as Texas Cattle, the settlers transport the cattle to South America
and are then rapidly multiplied. We get milk from cows, after the cows are
milked the milk is stored at 38F, from where it goes to the processing
plants where it is pasteurized or in plain words heated up to 162F for 16
seconds so that germs and bacteria are killed and then kept again at 38F.
After pasteurization it is homogenized so that fat globules is broken and
blended with milk.

Different Types of Milk

The percent of milk fat distinguishes one type of milk over another.

14

Whole milk
Having 3.5% milk fat
gives this milk its
creamy texture. Whole
milk has abundance of
fatty acids and hence
good for nervous
system. Whole milk
never comes fortified
with any vitamins.

It tastes like whole milk but is fortified with A

and D vitamins while the milk fat only
Low Fat/ Milk
constitutes only 2 percent. The authors of
another study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
concluded that the data "do not support the hypothesis that an increase in
calcium intake or dairy consumption is associated with lower long-term
weight gain in men.

15

The largest study of its kind,

published in the Archives of
Pediatrics & Adolescent
Medicine, looked at more than
twelve thousand children aged
nine to fourteen from every state
in the nation. It found that the
more milk they drank, the
heavier they were.83 Contrary to
expectations, the children who
gained the most weight did so by
consuming low-fat milk.
Researchers at the Harvard
School of Public Health found an
increased risk of ovarian cancer
in women who drink skim or lowfat milk, compared to those who do not. Similarly children who drank low
fat milk were also at higher risk for weight gain, which suggests that the
hormones in milk may be playing a bigger role than the fat itself.

Chocolate Milk

It can be with reduced-fat, low-fat, or skim milk

plus cocoa and sweeteners but offers more
calories.

Butter Milk

It is commercially made by adding lactic acid to

low fat or skim milk and is also known as sour
milk.

16

Acidophilus Milk

It has bacterial culture and is either low fat or

skim milk, is more digestive.

Soy Milk

It is an alternative to cow's milk and is made

from soybean proteins, good for people who

cannot digest lactose.

New England Journal of
Medicine, published a
case study which was a
double-blind, crossover
study and performed
with sixty-five children
aged eleven to seventytwo months suffering
from constipation. The
children had failed to
defecate for anywhere
from three to fifteen
days; forty-nine of them
had anal fissures. All had
been treated by gastroenterologists and given laxatives, but none had
benefited from the treatment. The children were given either cow's milk or
soy milk for two weeks, then no milk at all for one week. Then the feedings
were reversed, so that those who had received soy milk were now fed
cow's milk. While fed soy milk, 68 percent of the group (44 children)
responded positively to the therapy, producing eight or more bowel
movements during the second phase of the study. Further, in those who

17

responded positively, anal fissures and pain with defecation were

alleviated.

Milk and Confusion

The child on raw milk is very fit. Chilblains are practically eliminated. The
teeth are less likely to decay. The resistance to tuberculosis and other
infections is raised.(The Lancet, May 8, 1937, page 1142).

Raw milk
should not
be
consumed
by anyone,
at any
time, for
any

reason.(John F. Sheehan, Director of Dairy Food Safety, Food and Drug

Administration, Testimony before the Maryland House of Delegates, March
15, 2007).
This is confusion, the Government officials warn against raw milk,
particularly to infants and children; while some parents have described that
when they switched to raw milk it helped alleviate serious health conditions
in their children. Here are two anecdotes from the files of the Weston A.
18

Price Foundation. A two-year-old boy with very serious asthma: After the
mother put the boy on raw cows milk, the child went through the entire
winter without a visit to the doctor for any reason and no asthma attacks
except for one, a serious attack that occurred after the boy consumed
pasteurized milk while on a family trip.
Another report describes an autistic eight-year-old boy who had not
spoken a word since the sudden onset of autism at the age of two. After
two months on raw cows milk, all autistic behavior disappeared and the
child began to babble as a prelude to speech. The only dietary or treatment
change was a switch from pasteurized to raw milk.
How this raw milk made the parents happy is anyones imagination. Yet the
official instance remains the same that these children have no right to
consume raw milk and the parents who give raw milk commit child abuse.
These true anecdotes are termed as case histories but for the happy
parents who observed each hour of their child recovery, these are a true
observational science.
According to John Sheehan of the FDA, Claims that raw milk has
miraculous disease-curing properties are not supported by the scientific
literature. Make a note that he says that these properties of raw milk are
not supported in the scientific literature, but does not deny its existence.
The question is why this lack of credible literature in scientific literature
about the true health benefits of raw milk. The answer is very simple, who
is going to waste his or her time on such an unrewarding research.
How this raw milk made the parents happy is anyones imagination. Yet the
official instance remains the same that these children have no right to
consume raw milk and the parents who give raw milk commit child abuse.

19

These true anecdotes are termed as case histories but for the happy
parents who observed each hour of their child recovery, these are a true
observational science.
According to John Sheehan of the FDA,
Claims that raw milk has miraculous
disease-curing properties are not
supported by the scientific literature.
Make a note that he says that these
properties of raw milk are not
supported in the scientific literature,
but does not deny its existence. The
question is why this lack of credible
literature in scientific literature about the true health benefits of raw milk.
The answer is very simple, who is going to waste his or her time on such an
unrewarding research. A study by the Archives of Pediatrics was published
in 1926, when both raw and pasteurized milk were available. The study was
of two hundred and twenty-four children who got either raw milk or
pasteurized milk plus cod liver oil from the Boston Dispensary. The children
on raw milk had better weight gain and greater protection against rachitis
compared to those on pasteurized milk even with the addition of cod liver
oil. A 1931 study on the growth of Scottish school children was published in
Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews. Those drinking raw milk had a significantly
greater increase in height and weight compared to those drinking
pasteurized milk.
"We have no scientific evidence that consuming raw milk provides any
advantages over pasteurized milk and milk products," said a statement
from Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, lead author of the policy statement, a
20

professor of pediatrics at the Stanford School of Medicine and an infectious

disease expert.

Establishing Recommendations
In such confusing scenario, the
consumer seems lost with such
questions like whom to believe
and how to believe? Are the
old studies null and void now?
Were our parents and
grandparents wrong to
recommend raw milk or there
is something fishy about raw
milk? The answer seems to be
no and yes. No because the
studies conducted during 1930s and 1940s
were conducted by nutrition experts of the
time; our parents and grandparents were
not wrong when they appreciated the
quality and benefits of raw milk and
recommended it too. Yes because there is
something fishy about raw milk. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
in Atlanta reported two incidents in which
humans were exposed to rabies through
unpasteurized milk from infected cows.

21

Most of the Dairy Cows Never See a Blade of Grass

The average dairy cow today must consume approximately eighty pounds
of natural food a day to keep producing so much milk. But in fact it is not
so.

22

Some of us do not
know that most of
the dairy cows have
never seen a blade
of grass.
Industrialization has
changed everything
including the dairy
industry. In the
corporate worlds
dairy industry the
cows live in
crowded in dirt
feedlots and are fed
and bred with just
one focus,
maximum milk at
minimum cost.
What is going in within the confines of the cattle farms of the corporate
dairy industry is kept as high secret. Professor Emeritus of Animal Nutrition
at Oregon State University, Peter R. Cheeke who has served on the editorial
boards of The Journal of Animal Science and Animal Feed Science and
Technology said, "One of the best things modern animal agriculture has
going for it," he says, "is that most people ... havent a clue how animals are
raised and processed ... For modern animal agriculture, the less the
consumer knows about whats happening, the better."
Cows Are Not Suited To a Diet of Artificial Fodder

23

The truth is that grass-fed cows are healthier and their meat safer. Cows
are not suited to a diet of corn and other artificial fodder. High in starch, a
poor source of calcium and magnesium, corn and other fodder upsets the
cow's stomach, making it unnaturally acidic, it allows a whole range of
parasites and diseases to gain a foothold, including the pathogenic E-coli
0157:H7 bacterium. The meat from grass fed cow is lower both in fat and in
artery-clogging saturated fat and provides omega-3 fats. Hannia Campos of
the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and her colleagues found, in
a study of 4,000 people, that people with the highest concentrations of
CLAs the top fifth among all participants had a 36 percent lower risk of
heart attack compared to those with the lowest concentrations (7).
"Because pasture grazing leads to higher CLA in milk, and it is the natural
feed for cattle, it seems like more emphasis should be given to this type of
feeding," she had once told Reuters Health by email.

Monsantos Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH)

Monsanto developed the recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH)
which is injected every two weeks in cows to force produce more milk (12).
Its introduction sparked a huge controversy. Monsanto's own data shows
that there is a 79% increase in mastitis (udder infections) and a resulting
19% increase in somatic cell counts (pus & bacteria in the milk). Monsanto
warning label says "use of POSILAC may result in an increase in digestive
disorders such as indigestion, bloat, and diarrhea....'. The cows are thus
affected with clinical mastitis which increased the amount of cows pus and
which is treated with antibiotics, the residues of antibiotics are thus
present in the milk. A study by the Wall Street Journal (Dec. 1989) about
the antibiotic residues in milk found that 20% of the milk had illegal

24

antibiotics present and this was later confirmed in a May 1992 Consumers
Reports study. IGF-1 is a naturally-occurring hormone found in the milk of
both cows and humans. It affects cell growth and is responsible for the
quick growth of infants in both species and is present in mother's milk,
since it is meant to be consumed by infants. But when this milk is
consumed by grownups, it acts as a cancer accelerator as IGF-1 is not
destroyed in the pasteurization process. It may be noted that Monsanto, Eli
Lilly, Upjohn, and American Cyanamid are the four corporations that stood
to profit from the $500 Million to be made from worldwide marketing of
rBGH. Monsanto, corporation brought Agent Orange and PCBs, a chemical
so toxic that congress banned it in 1976. In a case reported in Pediatric
Annals (8), a seven-year-old boy with asthma and severe cow's milk allergy
was admitted to hospital. He was served a chicken broth, on the

25

assumption that it would be perfectly fine for him to consume. The server
was focused on the broth containing no lactose; unfortunately, it had been
fortified with casein, the predominant protein in cow's milk. After just two
spoonfuls, the boy pulled off his oxygen tube and began clawing and
scratching at his chest. He had obvious difficulty breathing, his facial skin
turned blue, his heart rate became bradycardic (dropped to less than fifty
beats per minute), and his upper arm stiffened. A cardiac team was rushed
to his bed, administered CPR, and was able to improve his respiration and
heart rate. While the boy survived, he has suffered from some neurological
difficulties since the episode.

Asia is No Different

26

In

Grass-fed cows are healthier and their meat safer.

Cows are not suited to a diet of corn and other
artificial fodder. High in starch, a poor source of
calcium and magnesium, corn and other fodder upsets
the cow's stomach, making it unnaturally acidic, it
allows a whole range of parasites and diseases to gain
a foothold, including the pathogenic E-coli 0157:H7
bacterium.

Asia

Oxytocin is called love hormone' and is injected in cows to enhance milk

production. There have been consistent raids on cattle farms across India as
this drug is now being used in alarming levels and it can cause irregular
hormonal growth in children. Scientists have found out how to significantly
increase the size of animals with chemicals. Unfortunately, humans are the
main consumers of such a daring experiment. There is no way to remove
the types of hormones in Cows before it is consumed. Heat, digestion and
other processes do not totally eliminate the chemicals. It simply moves up
the chain of foods. A series of studies have also showed that Zeranol, a
synthetic estrogen and is specifically designed to be a growth promoter in
cows and pigs. It increases the risk of cancer in cows and humans alike.
(Reference: http://www.breastcancerfund.org/clear-science/chemicalsglossary/zeranol.html).

27

Monsanto, corporation brought Agent Orange and PCBs

A chemical so toxic that congress banned it in 1976. In a case reported in
Pediatric Annals (8), a seven-year-old boy with asthma and severe cow's
milk allergy was admitted to hospital. He was served a chicken broth, on
the assumption that it would be perfectly fine for him to consume. The
server was focused on the broth containing no lactose; unfortunately, it
had been fortified with casein, the predominant protein in cow's milk. After
just two spoonfuls, the boy pulled off his oxygen tube and began clawing
and scratching at his chest. He had obvious difficulty breathing, his facial
skin turned blue, his heart rate became bradycardic (dropped to less than
fifty beats per minute), and his upper arm stiffened. A cardiac team was
rushed to his bed, administered CPR, and was able to improve his
respiration and heart rate. While the boy survived, he has suffered from
some neurological difficulties since the episode.

28

It becomes clear that if the farm is clean and the cows are fed nicely but not
with hay or grain produced with genetically modified seed, pesticides or
herbicides, then the dairy products are going to be of great quality
including the milk, as it was in the old times.

Sugar was first made from sugar cane during 500 BC. When India was

SUGAR
invaded by Emperor Darius of Persia in 510 BC, he found this amazing reed
which gave honey without bees and he took this secret of making sugar
from sugar cane with him to Persia from where it spread to the
Mediterranean.
Alexander
the
Great
conquers
India and thus
discovered sugar in
327 BC, a century
after
famous
Chinese Emperor
Tai Tsung sent a
mission just to
study
sugar
manufacturing
process in India.
In A.D 641 the
Arabs knew to
cultivate sugar and produce sugar to export it to East Africa and southern
and eastern Mediterranean, while in Cyprus, Egypt, Morocco, Sicily and
Spain, which were ruled by Arabs started to use sugar made from sugar
cane.

29

It is recorded, for instance, that sugar was available in London at "two

shillings a pound" in 1319 AD (13). This equates to about US$100 per kilo at
today's prices so it was very much a luxury.
It was Columbus who brought sugar cane during his second voyage to the
New World. In the year 1751 sugar cane was introduced by the Jesuit
missionaries in the United States. Sugar. It is recorded that sugar was
available in London at "two shillings a pound" in 1319 AD. This equates to
about US$100 per kilo at today's prices so it was very much a luxury in
those days. In 1998 Florida Crystals became the only producer of certified
organic sugar in the U.S., marketed through the Florida Crystals brand. In
2008 Florida Crystals Natural and Organic sugar were certified
Carbonfree.
Sugars from foods and from the breakdown of starches in the mouth can
contribute to tooth decay. Bacteria in the mouth ferment the sugars and, in
the process, produce an acid that erodes tooth enamel causing dental
caries, or tooth decay
can eat sugar without
this
happening,
though,
for
much
depends on how long
foods stay in the mouth.
Sticky foods stay on
the teeth longer and
continue to yield acid
longer than foods that
are readily cleared
from the mouth. For that
reason, sugar in a
juice consumed quickly,
for example, is less
likely to cause dental
caries than sugar in a
pastry. By the same
token, the sugar in sticky foods such as dried fruits can be more detrimental
than its quantity alone would suggest.

30

It is thought that cane sugar was first used by man in Polynesia from where
it spread to India. In 510 BC the Emperor Darius the Great of Persia invaded
India where he found "the reed which gives honey without bees". The
secret of cane sugar, as with many other of man's discoveries, was kept a
closely guarded secret whilst the finished product was exported for a rich
profit. Brazil was the largest producer of sugar cane in the world. The next
five major producers, in decreasing amounts of production, were India,
China, Thailand, Pakistan and Mexico.
Sugarcane is harvested by hand and
mechanically. Half of the worlds total
sugarcane production comes from hand
harvesting.
Early Refining in Europe
Sugar was only discovered by western
Europeans as a result of the Crusades in
the 11th Century AD. Crusaders returning
home talked of this "new spice" and how
pleasant it was. The first sugar was
recorded in England in 1099. The first sugar was recorded in England in
1100. Its price in London in 1300 was equal to US $100 per kilo at today's
price. The America Continents discovery established the sugar industry,
because the climate in the Caribbean was very suitable for growing sugar
cane. In 1537, the first sugar refinery was set in Germany.

31

The subsequent centuries saw a major expansion of western European

trade with the East, including the importation of sugar. It is recorded, for
instance, that sugar was available in London at "two shillings a pound" in
1319 AD (13). This equates to about US$100 per kilo at today's prices so it
was very much a luxury.
The Caribbean
The Caribbean is a region that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands, and
the surrounding coasts. The region is southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and
the North American mainland, east of Central America, and north of South
America. In the 15th century AD, European sugar was refined in Venice,

32

confirmation that even then when quantities were small.

In the same century, Columbus sailed to the Americas, the "New World". It
is recorded that in 1493 he took sugar cane plants to grow in the
Caribbean. The climate there was so advantageous for the growth of the
cane that an industry was quickly established.
By 1750 there were 120 sugar refineries operating in Britain. Their
combined output was only 30,000 tons per annum. At this stage sugar was
still a luxury and vast profits were made to the extent that sugar was called
"white gold". Governments recognized the vast profits to be made from
sugar and taxed it highly. In Britain for instance, sugar tax in 1781 totaled
326,000, a figure that had grown by 1815 to 3,000,000. This situation
was to stay until 1874 when the British government, under Prime Minister
Gladstone, abolished the tax and brought sugar prices within the means of
the ordinary citizen.
Sugar beet was first identified as a source of sugar in 1747. No doubt the
vested interests in the cane sugar plantations made sure that it stayed as
no more than a curiosity, a situation that prevailed until the Napoleonic

33

wars at the start of the 19th century when Britain blockaded sugar imports
to continental Europe. By 1880 sugar beet had replaced sugar cane as the
main source of sugar on continental Europe. Those same vested interests
probably delayed the introduction of beet sugar to England until the First
World War when Britain's sugar imports were threatened.

Sugar beet was first identified as a source of sugar in 1747. No doubt the
vested interests in the cane sugar plantations made sure that it stayed as
no more than a curiosity, a situation that prevailed until the Napoleonic
wars at the start of the 19th century when Britain blockaded sugar imports
to continental Europe. By 1880 sugar beet had replaced sugar cane as the
main source of sugar on continental Europe. Those same vested interests
probably delayed the introduction of beet sugar to England until the First
World War when Britain's sugar imports were threatened.

34

Today the European Union, Brazil and India are the top three producers and
together account for some 40% of the annual production. However most
sugar is consumed within the country of production and only approximately
25% is traded internationally. One of the most important examples of
governmental actions is within the European Union where sugar prices are
so heavily subsidized that over 5 million tons of white beet sugar have to be
exported annually and yet a million tons of raw cane sugar are imported
from former colonies. This latter activity is a form of overseas aid which is
also practiced by the USA.

The EU's over-production and subsequent dumping has now been

subjected to GATT requirements which should see a substantial cut-back in
production over the next few years.
1976 - Sucralose is invented by scientists from Tate & Lyle.
35

1981 Aspartame again receives FDA approval.

1993 Florida Crystals launches natural cane sugar product line.
1998 Florida Crystals becomes the only producer of certified organic
sugar in the U.S., marketed through the Florida Crystals brand.
1998 - The FDA approves Sucralose (Splenda), for use in the U.S.
2006 - The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) threatens a
lawsuit against Cadbury Schweppes for labeling 7 Up as "All Natural" or
"100% Natural" despite containing HFCS. CSPI claimed that HFCS was not a
natural ingredient due to the high level of processing and the use of at
least one genetically modified (GMO) enzyme required to produce it.
2008 Florida Crystals Natural and Organic sugar become the first
American sugar to be certified Carbonfree
Sugar, also called sucrose or white table sugar, is a carbohydrate.
Carbohydrates are an ideal energy source for the body because they can be
readily converted to glucose and used as fuel by the cells of tissues and
organs. Green plants use the sun's energy to make sugar through a process
called photosynthesis. Humans gain access to the energy locked within
sugar molecules by eating plants or animals that have eaten plants. Body
cells, particularly those of the brain and nervous system, prefer
carbohydrates over proteins and fats as a source of fuel. Most of the sugar
available for widespread human consumption has been processed into
granules. Sugar types vary by their degree of processing and the size of
their sugar crystals. India is already 12% behind their typical summer
monsoon rainfall and rapidly approaching the season's end. Here's a
breakdown of the major sugar producing regions.

36

TYPES OF SUGAR
There are many different types of granulated sugar. Some
of these are used only by the food industry and
professional bakers and are not available in the supermarket. The types of
granulated sugars differ in crystal size. Each crystal size provides unique
functional characteristics that make the sugar appropriate for a specific
foods special need.
White Sugar

The crystal size of Bakers Special is even finer

than that of fruit sugar. As its name suggests, it
was developed specially for the baking industry. Bakers Special is used for
sugaring doughnuts and crumb texture.
Bakers Special Sugar

Castor Sugar

This is a very finely granulated sugar which allows it to

dissolve almost instantly.

Also called icing sugar this sugar is granulated sugar

ground to a smooth powder and then sifted. It
contains about 3% cornstarch to prevent caking. Powdered sugar is ground
into three different degrees of fineness. The confectioners sugar, the other
two types of powdered sugar are used by industrial bakers.
Powdered Sugar

Also known as pearl or decorating sugar: As its name

implies, the crystal size of coarse sugar is larger than that
of regular sugar. Coarse sugar is recovered when molasses-rich, sugar
syrups high in sucrose are allowed to crystallize. These characteristics are
important in making fondants, confections and liquors.
Coarse Sugar

37

Date sugar is more a food than a sweetener. It is ground up

from dehydrated dates, is high in fiber. It is also costly than
other sugar types and does not dissolve when added to liquids.
Date Sugar

Fruit sugar is slightly finer than regular sugar and is used

in dry mixes such as gelatin and pudding desserts, and
powdered drinks.
Fruit Sugar

Also called table sugar, this sugar found in every

homes sugar bowl, and most commonly used in
home food preparation. It is the most common form of sugar and the type
most frequently called for in recipes. Its main distinguishing characteristics
are a paper-white color and fine crystals.
Granulated Sugar

Sugar Cubes

Made from moist granulated sugar that is pressed into

molds and then dried.

Granulated maple sugar is prepared by heating maple

syrup until the temperature is 45 to 50F above the
boiling point of water. It is then allowed to cool to about 200F until
granulation is achieved.
Maple Sugar

It is essentially the product at the point before the

molasses is removed. Popular types of raw sugar include
demerara sugar from Guyana and Barbados sugar. Turbinado sugar is raw
sugar that has been steam cleaned to remove contaminates.
Raw Sugar

Also known as coarse sugar: A large crystal sugar that

is used mainly in the baking and confectionery
industries as a sprinkle on top of baked goods.
Sanding Sugar

38

This sugars crystal size is the finest of all the

types of granulated white sugar. It is ideal for
delicately textured cakes and meringues, as well as for sweetening fruits
and iced-drinks since it dissolves easily.
Ultra-fine, or Bar Sugar

Brown sugar retains some of the surface molasses syrup,

which imparts a characteristic pleasurable flavor. Dark
brown sugar has a deeper color and stronger molasses flavor than light
brown sugar. Lighter types are generally used in baking and making
butterscotch, condiments and glazes.
Brown Sugar

It is a light brown sugar with large golden crystals,

which are slightly sticky from the adhering molasses. It
is often used in tea, coffee, or on top of hot cereals.
Demerara Sugar

It is a very dark brown and has a particularly strong

molasses flavor. The crystals are slightly coarser and
stickier in texture than regular brown sugar.
Barbados Sugar

These sugars are specialty products

produced by a co-crystallization process.
Since it is less moist, it does not clump and is free-flowing like white sugar.
Free-flowing Brown Sugars

This sugar is raw sugar which has been partially

processed, where only the surface molasses has
been washed off. It has a blond color and mild brown sugar flavor, and is
often used in tea and other beverages.
Turbinado Sugar

There are several types of liquid sugar. Liquid sugar or

sucrose, is white granulated sugar that has been
dissolved in water before it is used.
Liquid Sugar

39

The Ugly Side of Sugar

How the industry tried to alter public opinion about sugar can be
understood by the following account which appeared in Mother Jones
which is about sugar and the sugar industry.
'The story of sugar was one of a harmless product under attack by
"opportunists dedicated to exploiting the consuming public." Over the
subsequent decades, it would be transformed from what the New York
Times in 1977 had deemed "a villain in disguise" into a nutrient so
seemingly innocuous that even the American Heart Association and the
American Diabetes Association approved it as part of a healthy diet.
Research on the suspected links between sugar and chronic disease largely
ground to a halt by the late 1980s, and scientists came to view such
pursuits as a career dead end. So effective were the Sugar Association's
efforts that, to this day, no consensus exists about sugar's potential
dangers. The industry's PR campaign corresponded roughly with a

40

significant rise in Americans' consumption of "caloric sweeteners,"

including table sugar (sucrose) and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This
increase was accompanied, in turn, by a surge in the chronic diseases
increasingly linked to sugar. Since 1970, obesity rates in the United States
have more than doubled, while the incidence of diabetes has more than
tripled. Precisely how did the sugar industry engineer its turnaround? The
answer is found in more than 1,500 pages of internal memos, letters, and
company board reports we discovered buried in the archives of nowdefunct sugar companies as well as in the recently released papers of
deceased researchers and consultants who played key roles in the
industry's strategy.

Consumption of sugary could contribute to increased weight gain. A half

litre of cola contributes about 11% of an adults daily calorie intake.

41

One problem with sugary drinks is that they very rapidly increase blood
sugar levels and this can lead to tiredness and increased hunger even in
people without diabetes. Another problem with sugary soft drinks is that
they dont contribute any nutritional value aside from a temporary boost of
energy. Long term research studies show that those that as intake of sugary
drinks increase, so does weight gain in both men and women.
Sugar used Big Tobacco-style tactics to ensure that government agencies
would dismiss troubling health claims against their products. Compared to
the tobacco companies, which knew for a fact that their wares were deadly
and spent billions of dollars trying to cover up that reality, the sugar
industry had a relatively easy task. With the jury still out on sugar's health
effects, producers simply needed to make sure that the uncertainty
lingered. But the goal was the same: to safeguard sales by creating a body
of evidence companies could deploy to counter any unfavorable research.'
Research suggests that sugar
and its nearly chemically
identical cousin, HFCS, may
very well cause diseases that
kill hundreds of thousands of
Americans every year.
Robert Lustig, a leading
authority on pediatric
obesity at the University of

42

California-San Francisco (whose arguments Gary explored in a 2011 New

York Times Magazine cover story), made this case last February in the
prestigious journal Nature.
In an article titled "The Toxic Truth About Sugar," Lustig and two colleagues
observed that sucrose and HFCS are addictive in much the same way as
cigarettes and alcohol, and that over-consumption of them is driving
worldwide epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes (the type associated
with obesity). Sugar-related diseases are costing America around $150
billion a year, the authors estimated, so federal health officials need to step
up and consider regulating the stuff. The USDA's dietary guidelines only
speak of sugar in vague generalities. ("Reduce the intake of calories from
solid fats and added sugars.") It's why the FDA insists that sugar is
"generally recognized as safe" despite considerable evidence suggesting
otherwise. It's why some scientists' urgent calls for regulation of sugary
products have been dead on arrival, and it's why absent any federal
leadership New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg felt compelled to
propose a ban on oversized sugary drinks. One diabetes expert testified
that anything more than 70 pounds per person per year, about half of what
is sold in America today might spark epidemics.
Of the 600,000 food items normally found in todays grocery stores, 80%
contain added sugar. Sugar is addictive, similar to the effects of cocaine
and nicotine on the human brain. Theres significant evidence linking
our overconsumption of sugar to many of the major health crises we
face today.

43

Refined sugars have been stripped of the vitamins, minerals, and fiber that
were originally present before processing. White sugar is 99.9 percent
sucrose, and brown and Turbinado are 96 percent sucrose. Brown sugar is
white sugar with molasses and/or caramel coloring added. Turbinado sugar,
also called raw sugar, is slightly less refined and contains a trace amount of
a few minerals. Consequently, consuming large amounts of refined sugars
places an extra burden on the body to supply the nutrients, specifically the
B vitamins, chromium, magnesium, and zinc, needed to convert glucose
(blood sugar) into energy. According to USDA biochemist Richard Anderson,
refined sugar may also impair the absorption of trace minerals like copper
and chromium present in some of the other foods we have eaten.
Research suggests that sugar and its nearly chemically identical cousin,
HFCS, may very well cause diseases that kill hundreds of thousands of
Americans every year. Robert Lustig, a leading authority on pediatric
obesity at the University of California-San Francisco (whose arguments Gary

44

explored in a 2011 New York Times Magazine cover story), made this case
last February in the prestigious journal Nature.
Refined sugars have been stripped of the vitamins, minerals, and fiber that
were originally present before processing. White sugar is 99.9 percent
sucrose, and brown and Turbinado are 96 percent sucrose. Brown sugar is
white sugar with molasses and/or caramel coloring added. Turbinado sugar,
also called raw sugar, is slightly less refined and contains a trace amount of
a few minerals. Consequently, consuming large amounts of refined sugars
places an extra burden on the body to supply the nutrients, specifically the
B vitamins, chromium, magnesium, and zinc, needed to convert glucose
(blood sugar) into energy. According to USDA biochemist Richard Anderson,
refined sugar may also impair the absorption of trace minerals like copper
and chromium present in some of the other foods we have eaten.

45

In 1822, the average American ate the amount of sugar found in one of
today's 12-ounce sodas every 5 days. Now, we eat that much every 7 hours.
This is the conclusion of the research by Stephan Guyenet and Jeremy
Landen who wrote up his findings at Whole Health Source. Refined sugar is
a killer lurking behind those inviting cakes, energy drinks, sodas, diet coke,
candy and other sweet dishes.
SunGard can be as addictive as tobacco or alcohol. When you are addicted
to this white killer, it is very hard to stop. Here is what one sugar obsessed
fellow has to say about his ordeal: "Sugar has been my downfall for my
entire life. I am obsessed with the stuff. I feel 100% better when I am not
eating it. I can usually go sugar free for about a month, and then the
depressing cycle starts all over again. I say Okay, Ive been good for 30 days
now, I will go ahead and have some cake. At first it doesnt taste as good as
I remember, so I keep eating more because I think, how can this be, I love
the taste of cake with icing, how come it doesnt taste as good as I
remember..so by that time after 2 or 3 servings.I am backed to being
hooked on anything sugar I can get my hands on. This binge usually lasts for
a week. So all of my hard efforts from being sugar free for the month have
gone down the drain. And Im back to feeling awful, exhausted, and
depressed. This cycle has been going on for as long as I can remember.
Please Help!"
There are numerous anecdotes like this. The New York Times carried a
report by Gary Taubes on April, 13, 2011 in which he reported about Robert
Lustig's lecture called Sugar: The Bitter Truth.

46

White sugar causes more harm to our health than we can think:
Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness
in children
The more sugar you eat, the more elasticity and function you lose.
Sugar leads to cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, and rectum.
Sugar can weaken eyesight.
Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.
Sugar can cause premature aging.
Sugar can cause tooth decay.
Sugar contributes to obesity.
High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease
Sugar can cause arthritis.
Sugar can cause asthma
Sugar can cause heart disease.
Sugar can cause appendicitis.
Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis
Sugar can cause varicose veins.
Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
Sugar can increase cholesterol.
Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure.
Sugar can contribute to diabetes
Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
Sugar can impair the structure of DNA.
Sugar can change the structure of protein.
Sugar can make our skin age by47changing the structure of collagen.
Sugar can cause cataracts.

SUGAR MAY INDUCE CELL DEATH

Sugar can lead to prostate cancer.
Sugar may cause laryngeal cancer.
Sugar may contribute to mild memory loss.
Sugar causes constipation
Sugar can increase the risk of stomach cancer
On May 26, 2009, Robert Lustig gave a lecture called Sugar: The
Bitter Truth, which was posted on YouTube the following July.
Since then, it has been viewed well over 800,000 times, gaining
new viewers at a rate of about 50,000 per month, fairly remarkable
numbers for a 90-minute discussion of the nuances of fructose
biochemistry and human physiology. Lustig is a specialist on
pediatric hormone disorders and the leading expert in childhood
obesity at the University of California, San Francisco, School of
Medicine, which is one of the best medical schools in the country.
He published his first paper on childhood obesity a dozen years
ago, and he has been treating patients and doing research on the
disorder ever since... If Lustig is right, then our excessive
consumption of sugar is the primary reason that the numbers of
obese and diabetic Americans have skyrocketed in the past 30
years.

48

The number of viewers Lustig has attracted suggests that people are paying
attention to his argument... The phrase Lustig uses when he describes this
concept is isocaloric but not isometabolic. This means we can eat 100
calories of glucose (from a potato or bread or other starch) or 100 calories
of sugar (half glucose and half fructose), and they will be metabolized
differently and have a different effect on the body. The calories are the
same, but the metabolic consequences are quite different... This
correlation between sugar consumption and diabetes is what defense
attorneys call circumstantial evidence. Its more compelling than it
otherwise might be, though, because the last time sugar consumption
jumped markedly in this country, it was also associated with a diabetes
epidemic... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM).
Here are some hard facts. When considering rates of obesity among
different racial/ethnic groups, notable differences exist (S. E. Anderson &
Whitaker, 2009; Flegal, Carroll, Ogden, & Curtin, 2010; D. S. Freedman et
al., 2005a; Harris, Perreira, & Lee, 2009; Ogden, Flegal, Carroll, & Johnson,
2002; Ogden, Lamb, Carroll, & Flegal, 2010).
For instance, prevalence data from 2007-2008 reveal that among Hispanic
children, 14.2% of those aged 2-5 and 25.1% of those aged 6-11 are obese
compared to 9.1% and 19% of white children in the same age groups
(Ogden, Carroll, Curtin, Lamb, & Flegal, 2010). The National Center for
Health Statistics estimates show that between 1988-1994 and 2007-2008,
the obesity prevalence among Hispanic boys dramatically increased from
14.1% to 26.8% (Ogden & Carroll, 2010). Among boys of other racial/ethnic

49

groups, the obesity prevalence has also increased but not as dramatically.
For instance, non- Hispanic white boys have experienced an increase from
11.6% to 16.7% and non-Hispanic
black boys have experienced an
increase by 10.7% to 19.8% (Ogden
& Carroll, 2010).
Among boys of other racial/ethnic
groups, the obesity prevalence has
also increased but not as
dramatically. For instance, nonHispanic white boys have
experienced an increase from 11.6%
to 16.7% and non-Hispanic black
boys have experienced an increase
from 10.7% to 19.8% (Ogden &
Carroll, 2010). Among girls from
different racial/ethnic groups, Hispanic girls are the second heaviest with
non-Hispanic black girls being the heaviest (Ogden & Carroll, 2010). Datum
show that between 1988-1994 and 2007-2008, the obesity prevalence for
Hispanic girls increased from 13.4 to 17.4% compared to non-Hispanic black
girls who experienced a 16.3% to 29.2% increase during the same period.
Capitalism, agriculture and food production is hard to match. Profit makes
capital indifferent to the qualitative aspect of life unless it can make short
profit. Rational capitalist will produce unhealthy food as long as it is more
profitable than healthy food. Chronic diseases being overweight and
obesity highly correlates with lack of physical activity and improper
nutrition.
50

Sugar and Arthritis

According to Arthritis foundation, Arthritis literally means joint

inflammation. But the term is often used to refer to any of the more than
100 diseases that affect the joints where two or more bones meet to
allow movement. Currently, there more than 50 million people diagnosed
with
arthritis in
the United
States.
Arthritis
and
diabetes
are not
directly
related,
but the diseases often overlap. In fact, recent reports from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that more than half (52
percent) of people with diabetes also have arthritis. Often people who
experience the pain of arthritis are unaware of the connection between
pain and sugar, something rarely mentioned by medical practitioners. But it
is a simple question of bio chemistry. David Gillespie in his book sweet
poison refers to sugar as a poison to our system and is the number one
block to weight loss. It is important to understand which sugars are a

51

problem. Basically all carbohydrates break down to sugar when

metabolized. It doesnt matter whether it is candy or potato in the end its
all the same. But it is the rate that this breakdown occurs that is of interest
to the arthritis sufferer.
Sugar and Your Heart
In a an article
published in
Bloomberg it was
mentioned that
'People whose sugar
intake is about a
quarter or more of
their total daily
calories had twice
the risk of dying
from heart disease
than those who whose intake was 7 percent, according to the research in
JAMA Internal Medicine. For those whose intake of added sugar was about
19 percent, their risk of dying from heart disease was about 38 percent
higher. Todays study is the first to link on a national level the amount of
sugar American adults eat to their risk of dying from heart disease after
taking into account weight, age, health, exercise and diet, said lead study
author Quanhe Yang, an epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Research has already linked sugar consumption to
diabetes, weight gain and obesity.

52

Too much sugar can make you fat; it can also make you sick, sick from
diseases like cardiovascular disease, which is the No. 1 killer in America,
according to Laura Schmidt, a school of medicine professor at the
University of California at San Francisco, Small amounts of sugar are fine.
Its consuming massive amounts of sugar thats a growing problem in
America. Heart disease, which can cause heart attack, chest pain and heart
failure, is the leading cause of death worldwide for both men and women
and kills more than 600,000 Americans each year, according to the Atlantabased CDC. According to the Atlanta-based CDC there is no specific national
guideline for sugar consumption. The Institute of Medicine recommends
sugar be less than 25 percent of total calories, the World Health
Organization recommends less than 10 percent, while the American Heart
Association suggests limiting sugar to less than 150 calories a day for men
and less than 100 calories a day for women. Researchers in the study
looked at data from several National Health and Nutrition Examination
Surveys, which provides nationally representative information on U.S.
adults. They found that U.S. adults consumed about 14.9 percent of daily
calories from added sugar in 2005-2010, down from 16.8 percent in 19992004. For most U.S. adults, added sugar made up 10 percent or more of
their daily calories during 2005-2010 and for 10 percent of people, sugar
made up 25 percent or more of their daily calories.

It is shameful that our current generation of children is the

first that will not live as long as their parents! And that their
parents are the ones who are actively doing this to them, by
loading them up with sugar.

53

One of the main sources of the energy is the added sugar, which doesnt
contain any micronutrient but calories. Sugar is generally the cheapest and
most accessible calorie which can make excessive appetite and quasi
addictive. That is why the more sugar we consume the more sugar we
want, so more processed food are getting sweeter and sweeter. This
opportunity is exploited by the soft drink manufacturers. . Regular soft
drink is a really good example for empty calories, sometimes called liquid
candy; it contains almost only added sugar and no other micronutrients.
In Canada, childhood obesity has nearly tripled in the past 30 years. In
Japan, childhood obesity has doubled in just a decade while the incidence
of adult obesity has remained steady. This is because, while adults continue
to eat their traditional Japanese diet, children in Japan are now being raised
on our heavily marketed sugar-heavy western diet. We can blame the
food manufacturers and marketers. But even more, we can blame
ourselves. A bubbling young boxer writes, "Help me! I thought I was finally
getting a handle on my weight issue but the sugar is killing me. I had an
awful day. I won't even tell you what I ate today because it is just so
unbelievable. All I will say is that 90% of my food today consisted of sugar! I
really, really need some help getting past these cravings. I am no doubt a
sugar addict. If I could get past this there is no doubt that I will reach my
goal."
Here is another story from someone who was successful to emerge a
winner: Ill admit it, I was addicted to sugar throughout my childhood, my
teens, my twenties. It was used as a reward food in our home. Saturday
was known as candy day. If we had been good that week, we got a
chocolate bar and a can of pop (sadly, that is now daily fare for so many
North American kids). Even after I left home, sugar remained a reward food
54

and a comfort food for me a treat for completing a big university

assignment, or to cheer me up if I was feeling down. Through my thirties, I
decided to cut down on the sugar. I honestly cannot say what really
motivated me to do that. I guess I started noticing that I would feel
lethargic after a big chocolate chip cookie pig-out. And the logical side of
my brain started to realize that sugar had not been available in such
quantities for the bulk of humankinds existence that our bodies were not
evolved to eat it and I wondered what it might be doing to me. And now, I
rarely eat sugar. Yes, it took years of willpower to get to this stage but I
have broken the addiction. It is no longer a matter of willpower. I no longer
desire it. Truly!
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a research paper in it
2007 issue. It was about 'Potential role of sugar (fructose) in the epidemic
of hypertension, obesity and the metabolic syndrome, diabetes, kidney
disease, and cardiovascular disease1,2,3'. The research was conducted by
Richard J Johnson, Mark S Segal, Yuri Sautin, Takahiko Nakagawa, Daniel I
Feig, Duk-Hee Kang, Michael S Gersch, Steven Benner, and Laura G
Snchez-Lozada. 'This study concluded that sugar intake, and particularly
that of fructose, may have an important participatory role in the current
cardio renal disease epidemic and may also explain why certain subgroups,
such as African Americans, are particularly prone to disease. This pathway
may well be mediated, in part, by the unique ability of fructose to raise uric
acid. Fructose has a role in the epidemic of cardiovascular disease, then a
number of predictions should arise from future studies. First, fructose
intake will be a risk factor for hypertension, insulin resistance,
hypertriacylglycerolemia, obesity, type 2 diabetes, preeclampsia, chronic
kidney disease, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and mortality'.

55

Here again are some facts and figures: Excess weight, especially obesity,
has been associated with increased risk for type 2 diabetes, high blood
pressure, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke (D.
Thompson, Edelsberg, Colditz, Bird, & Oster, 1999). Obesity has also been
associated with an increased susceptibility to different cancers (e.g.,
breast, colon) (Calle & Thun, 2004), liver and gallbladder disease (Must et
al., 1999), sleep apnea and breathing complications (Wolk, Abu, &
Shamsuzzaman, 2003), and reproductive health problems (Pasquali,
Pelusi, Genghini, Cacciari, & Gambineri, 2003). Excess weight has also
been associated with several psychological problems and mental health
conditions, such as low self-esteem (W. Dietz, 1998), depression (Luppino
et al., 2010), and eating disorders (NCCDPHP, 2011; Neumark-Sztainer et
al., 2006). Similarly in children, obesity has been associated with increased
risk of asthma and sleep apnea (Sutherla nd, 2008), type 2 diabetes
(Whitlock, Williams, Gold, Smith, & Shipman, 2005), cardiovascular
disease (D. S. Freedman, Mei, Srinivascan, Berenson, & Dietz, 2007), and
social stigmatization (Sikorski et al., 2011).

Refined Sugar or slow death

Why Sugar Is Toxic To The Body?

In 1957, Dr. William Coda Martin tried to

answer the question: When is a food a food and when is it a poison? His
working definition of "poison" was: "Medically: Any substance applied to
the body, ingested or developed within the body, which causes or may
cause disease. Physically: Any substance which inhibits the activity of a

56

catalyst which is a minor substance, chemical or enzyme that activates a

reaction."1 The dictionary gives an even broader definition for "poison": "to
exert a harmful influence on, or to pervert".
Refined Sugar: Unless these
life forces are present, the
body cannot utilize this
refined starch and
carbohydrates. Nature is the
best creator; it supplies these elements in every plant in sufficient
quantities so that metabolism occurs easily in that particular plant, leaving
no excess for any other carbohydrates. Incomplete carbohydrate
metabolism results in the formation of 'toxic metabolite' such as pyruvic
acid and abnormal sugars containing five carbon atoms. Pyruvic acid
accumulates in the brain and nervous system and the abnormal sugars in
the red blood cells. These toxic metabolites interfere with the respiration of
the cells. They cannot get sufficient oxygen to survive and function
normally. In time, some of the cells die. This interferes with the function of
a part of the body and is the beginning of degenerative disease.
Sugar was classified as a poison by Dr. Martin
because sugar has been depleted of its true life
forces, the vitamins and minerals. And ' What is
left consists of pure, refined carbohydrates.'

For humans refined sugar is lethal because it provides 'naked or empty'

calories, no such natural minerals are present in refined sugar as found in
sugar-cane. It drains and leaches the body of precious vitamins and
minerals through the demand of its digestion, detoxification and
elimination makes upon one's entire system and drains the human body of
vitamins and minerals. Sugar taken every day produces a continuously over
acid condition, and more and more minerals are required from deep in the
body in the attempt to rectify the imbalance.

57

Finally, in order to
protect the blood, so
much calcium is taken
from the bones and
teeth that decay and
general weakening
begin. If used in excess,
refined sugar affects
every organ in the
body, it is stored in form of glucose in the liver, the capacity of which is
limited and excess amount of refined sugar makes the liver expand like a
balloon. Once the liver is filled with maximum capacity, the excess glucose
is returned to the blood stream in the shape of fatty acids and taken to
every part of the body and stored mostly in the belly, the buttocks, the
breasts and thighs. The fatty acids are then distributed among active
organs, such as the heart and kidneys. These begin to slow down; finally
their tissues degenerate and turn to fat. The whole body is affected by their
reduced ability, and abnormal blood pressure is created. The nervous
system is partially affected; and organs governed by it, such as the small
brain, become inactive. The circulatory and lymphatic systems are invaded,
and the quality of the red corpuscles starts to change. An overabundance of
white cells occurs, and the creation of tissue becomes slower. Our body's
tolerance and immunizing power becomes more limited, so we cannot
respond properly to extreme attacks, whether they are cold, heat,
mosquitoes or microbes.
It has been proved that excess use of refined sugar strongly effects on the
functions of brain.

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Brain
responses to
glucose and
fructose
ingestion show
a distinctly
different
pattern.
Glucose reduced blood flow and activity in brain regions that control
appetite and reward (shown in blue at left). In contrast, appetite and
reward regions remained active after fructose ingestion but activity in
memory and sensory perception (shown in blue at right) was suppressed.
These images represent composite data from 20 healthy adult volunteers.
(Yale University Photo).
To understand how, it is
important to know that glutamic
acid is the key to orderly brain
functions; this is found in many
vegetables. A major role is
played by B-vitamins which
divide glutamic acid into
antagonistic-complementary
compounds which produce a
"proceed" or "control" response
in the brain. Vitamins are also
manufactured by symbiotic
bacteria which live in our intestines. If refined sugar intake is excessive,

59

these bacteria start to die away or wither, thus depleting the stock of Bvitamins and our ability to remember and or calculate is lost.
There is a historic fact of an incident that occurred in 1793. The story of the
shipwrecked sailors when their vessel carrying a cargo of sugar was
shipwrecked, the five surviving sailors were finally rescued after being
marooned for nine days. They were in a wasted condition due to starvation,
having consumed nothing but sugar and rum. The eminent French
physiologist F. Magendie was inspired by that incident to conduct a series
of experiments with animals, the results of which he published in 1816. In
the experiments, he
fed dogs a diet of
sugar or olive oil and
water. All the dogs
wasted and died. The
shipwrecked sailors
and the French
physiologist's
experimental dogs
proved the same
point. As a steady
diet, sugar is worse
than nothing. Plain
water can keep you
alive for quite some
time. Sugar and
water can kill you.
From that day to this, the sugar industry has invested millions of dollars in
behind-the-scenes, subsidized science. The best scientific names that
money could buy have been hired, in the hope that they could one day
come up with something at least pseudo-scientific in the way of glad tidings
about sugar. It has been proved, however, that (1) sugar is a major factor in
dental decay; (2) sugar in a person's diet does cause overweight; (3)
removal of sugar from diets has cured symptoms of crippling, worldwide
diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart illnesses.

60

THE SUGAR PUSHERS HAVE BEEN HARPING ON THE

ENERGY-BUILDING POWER OF SUCROSE FOR YEARS
BECAUSE IT CONTAINS NOTHING ELSE. CALORIC
ENERGY AND HABIT-FORMING TASTE: THAT'S
WHAT SUCROSE HAS, AND NOTHING ELSE. ALL
OTHER FOODS CONTAIN ENERGY PLUS.

All foods contain some nutrients in the way of proteins, carbohydrates,

vitamins or minerals, or all of these. Sucrose contains caloric energy,
period. The "quick" energy claim the sugar pushers talk about, which drives
reluctant doughboys over the top and drives children up the wall, is based
on the fact that refined sucrose is not digested in the mouth or the stomach
but passes directly to the lower intestines and thence to the bloodstream.
The extra speed with which sucrose enters the bloodstream does more
harm than good. "Made from natural ingredients", the television sugarpushers tell us about product after product. The word "from" is snot
accented on television. It should be. Even refined sugar is made from
natural ingredients. There is nothing new about that. The natural
ingredients are cane and beets. But that four-letter word "from" hardly
suggests that 90 per cent of the cane and beet have been removed. Heroin,
too, could be advertised as being made from natural ingredients. The
opium poppy is as natural as the sugar beet. It's what man does with it that
tells the story. If you want to avoid sugar in the supermarket, there is only
one sure way. Don't buy anything unless it says on the label prominently, in
plain English: "No sugar added". Use of the word "carbohydrate" as a

61

"scientific" word for sugar has become a standard defense strategy with
sugar pushers and many of
their medical apologists.
It's their security blanket."

Sugar-cane and Sugar- the good and the ugly

An interesting observation about sugar was made 100 years ago during the
building of the Panama Canal. Many workers from the sugar-growing
Dominican Republic applied to work on it, and they were all tested for
diabetes which was known to be very common there. Surprisingly, none
was found to have it. Further investigation revealed that only the rich

Dominicans had diabetes. They ate white sugar, lots of it, while the poor
people chewed sugar cane. Sugar cane juice is full of the minerals needed

62

for carbohydrate metabolism. Eating the carbohydrate without them is

asking for trouble.
Added Sugar- a new phenomenon
Action on Sugar states that: Added sugar is a very recent phenomenon and
only occurred when sugar, obtained from sugar cane, beet and corn
became very cheap to produce. No other mammal eats added sugar and
there is no requirement for added sugar in the human diet. This sugar is a
totally unnecessary source of calories, gives no feeling of fullness and is
acknowledged to be a major factor in causing obesity and diabetes both in
the UK and worldwide. Humans have no dietary requirement for added
sugar. Dr. Aseem Malhotra, the science director of Action on Sugar,
emphasizes that the body does not require carbohydrates from sugar
added to foods (15). Dr. Malhotra states that sugar is in fact essential to
food industry profits and lining the pockets of its co-opted partners. The
sugar/food industry has tremendous power, sponsoring high-profile
sporting events, gaining celebrity endorsements, and employing
psychological techniques in their ubiquitous advertising. Maliciously, they
target children, who are vulnerable to advertising and to giving in to a
sweet tooth.
SUGARS naturally occurring in fruits, vegetables and dairy are OKAY but
SUGARS removed from their original source and ADDED to foods, we need
to be wary of. There are many things wrong with the modern diet but the
massive amounts of added sugar may just be the worst.

63

Numerous studies show that sugar, more than any other ingredient in the
diet, may be driving some of the worlds leading killers including heart
disease, diabetes and even cancer.
Sugar Industry - the all powerful
Evidence for the Big Tobacco-style marketing tactics used by the sugar
industry has recently been uncovered by an American dentist named
Christin Couzens. A couple of years ago, Cristin Kearns Couzens is a Senior
Consultant at the University of Colorado Center for Health Administration
and an Acting Instructor at the University of Washington School of
Dentistry, (16) noticed a funny thing while at a dental conference on
diabetes and gum disease sugar was not once mentioned as a cause of
either health problem by any of the conference speakers. This incident
began her on a journey of research into sugar industry archives. One of the
most staggering things Couzens found was documentation of three sugar
executives receiving an award called The Silver Anvil for excellence in
the forging of public opinion. In the 1970s, these men had launched a
highly successful campaign to save the public image of sugar when scientific
evidence of its ill health effects had begun to emerge with the eventual
end results of the American Heart Association and American Diabetes
Associations approving sugar as part of a healthy diet. According to
Washington Post Decades-old documents have surfaced showing that the
powerful U.S. sugar industry skewed the government's medical research on
dental careand ultimately what officials recommended for American
diets.

64

65

CHOCOLATES
There is hardly an internet site that isn't made out of whole
cloth on this subject. Usually they inform you that Columbus
took the chocolate bean back to Spain, that's why we all drink
chocolate and so forth. Columbus didnt. He saw chocolate
beans but he didn't have the farthest idea what they were.
Here is a guy who thought that it was off the coast of China
after all. He never saw a chocolate being used and it goes on
and on and on.
Chocolates were once called the food of the gods. The Mayan
Indians held cocoa beans in high regard. Images of cocoa pods
were carved into the walls of their elaborate stone temples,
and Mayan writings refer to cacao as food of the gods. It was
the Mayans who first created a beverage from crushed cocoa
beans which was enjoyed by royalty and shared at sacred
ceremonies. Every single Maya cylindrical vase that we know
of like that contained chocolate because it says so on the
hieroglyphic inscription along the rim. According to National
Geographic Analysis of residue from a ceramic "teapot"
suggests that the Maya, and their ancestors, may have been
gobbling chocolate as far back as 2,600 years ago, pushing
back the earliest evidence of cacao use more than 1,000 years.
beans were also used as a form of currency.

66

According to records of the time, a rabbit could be purchased for four

cocoa beans. It's a tree called Theobroma Cacao: Theobroma, meaning food
of the gods in Greek, and Cacao, C-A-C-A-O, being the real name of
chocolate. Cacao tree is an understory tree. It grows in the tropical forests
but underneath a canopy of higher trees and looks like a sprawling and
squiggly looking thing. Cacao tree produces flowers all over its trunk and on
the larger branches these tiny little flowers, which are no bigger than a tack
and theyre little, white, purplish-white flowers and thousands of them on
the trunk. A few of these get themselves pollinated properly by midges that
are what pollinates the tree. Throughout the year, the tree trunk and major
branches sprout, clusters of tiny, waxy pink or white five-petaled blossoms.
Of the thousands of flowers that grow on a single tree, only 3-to-10 percent
are pollinated by tiny flies and other insects. The pollinated flowers develop
into mature fruit about six months later the pods that contain cocoa beans.
According to records of
the time, a rabbit could
be purchased for four
cocoa beans. It's a tree
called Theobroma
Cacao: Theobroma,
meaning food of the
gods in Greek, and
Cacao, C-A-C-A-O,
being the real name of
chocolate. Cacao tree is an understory tree. It grows in the tropical forests
but underneath a canopy of higher trees and looks like a sprawling and

67

squiggly looking thing. Cacao tree produces

flowers all over its trunk and on the larger
branches these tiny little flowers, which are no
bigger than a tack and theyre little, white,
purplish-white flowers and thousands of them
on the trunk. A few of these get themselves pollinated properly by midges
that are what pollinates the tree. Throughout the year, the tree trunk and
major branches sprout, clusters of tiny, waxy pink or white five-petaled
blossoms. Of the thousands of flowers that grow on a single tree, only 3-to10 percent are pollinated by tiny flies and other insects. The pollinated
flowers develop into mature fruit about six months later the pods that
contain cocoa beans.
The cocoa pods are a rather unusual site, growing directly from the trees
trunk and major branches. The pods are oval, from 7-to-14 inches long. At
first, the pods are green or maroon in color. The green pods generally ripen
to a bright yellow-gold and the maroon pods become orange or yelloworange. If you cut these pods, the right pods open, which are sort of like the
size of a small tiny football, you will find inside the seeds covered with a
delicious white pulp. It really is good. So, there is this gooey pulp. When
opened, It doesn't look chocolate at all; the seeds are inside that pulp, the
pulp is delicious and that's what the animals are after and probably what
early humans were after, when they first got interested in this tree. Each
tree produces about 20 pods and each pod contains between 20 and 60 seeds.
In order to produce one kilograms of cocoa paste about 10 pods are required.
Healthy mature pods will eventually rot on the tree unless picked by an animal
or farmer. When the pods ripen they turn from green or yellow to orange or
red.

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Consumption trends

According to research firm Markets and Markets: Chocolate is an $83 billion

a year business, That makes the industry's value larger than the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) of more than 130 nations on earth, World Bank
figures show. Europeans account for nearly half of all the chocolate the
world eats, according to the International Cocoa Organization. The average
Brit, Swiss or German will each eat around 11 kilograms (24 pounds) of
chocolate a year. A UK study by research group Mintel revealed 91% of all
women admit to eating chocolate with the men not far behind at more
than 87%.

69

CHOCOLATE TIMELINE

1868 - Richard Cadbury makes the first Valentines Day box of chocolates
1890 - Hershey milk chocolate bar was made.
1890 - The first Hershey milk chocolate bar is invented by Milton S.
Hershey.
1907 - Hershey Company makes Hershey Kisses
1908 - Toblerone chocolate is invented by a man named Theodore Tobler
1923 - Milky Ways were invented and designed to taste like Malted Milk,
made by the Mars family.
1925 - Mr. Goodbar were created and are known for the combination of
creamy milk chocolate and crunchy peanuts
1930 - Snickers were designed and were named after the familys horse.
1933 - Kraft Caramels were made

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1992 - Dove dark chocolate bars are made.

These are myths and not facts about CHOCOLATES
Chocolate Is Not a Significant Cause of Migraine Headaches
While some foods may be associated with the onset of migraine
headaches, one recent study suggests that chocolate is not a
significant cause of migraines. The study, conducted at the Pittsburgh
State University, placed 63 women prone to get migraines on diets
that included chocolate or the chocolate substitute, carob. Chocolate
proved to be no more likely than carob to trigger a headache
(Cephalgia, 1997; 17:855-862). The cause of migraines appears to be
linked to hormone levels, and scientists continue to study its causes.
Chocolate Does Not Cause Obesity
Neither chocolate nor any other food causes obesity. When calorie
intake exceeds calories burned through activity, a person gains
weight. Studies conducted on the calorie contribution of foods found
that chocolate contributes only 0.7-to1.4 percent of calories to the
average American diet (Am. Journal of Clinical
Nutrition,1994;60:S1060-S1067
Chocolate Contains Nutrients Everyone Needs Chocolate not only
tastes great, it also contains some important nutrients. A 1.4 ounce
milk chocolate bar contains protein, 15 percent of the daily
requirement for the B vitamin riboflavin, and 9 percent of the daily
requirement for calcium and 7 percent of the Daily Value for iron. It
also is an excellent source of copper.
Chocolate with almonds or peanuts boosts its nutritional value,
especially for protein.

71

 Chocolate milk is an excellent source of many nutrients. Low-fat

chocolate milk (2 percent fat) contains less fat than whole milk while
providing more zinc, potassium, niacin and riboflavin than whole milk
or plain 2 percent milk. For other nutrients, plain milk and chocolate
milk are about the same.

'Chocolate has an effect on the brain similar to opium,

according to a study that found amazing comparisons
between obese people and drug addicts.' The findings of
the University of Michigan researcher and her team have
been published in the US journal Current Biology. In their
paper, the scientists concluded: Opioid circuitry... could
in this way participate in normal motivations and perhaps
even in generating intense pathological levels of
motivation to over consume reward in binge eating
disorders, drug addiction and related compulsive
pursuits. In United States and other countries, advertising
and promotional activities by profit-greedy companies
promote obesity by providing more frequent
opportunities for excessive consumption of food and
encouraging sedentary lifestyles.

72

Portion sizes have increased, and king size, pre-packaged, ready-to-eat

snacks are widely available. Readers have probably seen chocolate bars
taped to bottles of soft drinks and foot-long sandwiches. And smaller
portion sizes are often not on offer. Coca Cola which was earlier sold in
approximately 200 ml bottles is now sold in 600 ml to 1000 ml bottles for
individual consumption. Larger-sized chocolate bars and packets of crisps
encourage excessive consumption while giving the impression that were
getting better value for money.
An independent study in the UK predicted that occurrences of obesity may
rise to more than 50% by the year 2020. Statistics, lawmakers & the
medical world have proposed that confectioners should not be sold
anymore in the pharmacies as being practiced in many corners of the
world. Aside from being linked to obesity, chocolates are also suspected to
be one causative factor triggering diabetes. This proposition is still under
consideration due to the vast studies that are still in progress to prove the
same.
Found Guilty
In an article by Seth Heyman which was published in Marketing &
Advertising Law, Marketing Guidelines, Marketing Litigation, U.S.A. the
author described an interesting case: 'In a recent decision by the National
Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau candy manufacturer
Hersheys was instructed to improve its advertising to make clear that its
Brookside Dark Chocolate line is not made with pieces of fruit, but rather
fruit flavors. Hersheys competitor Mars, Inc. challenged its Brookside ads,
arguing that the layout and font sizes on the candys packaging misled
consumers into believing they were eating real fruit, rather than fruit
flavored juice wrapped in chocolate.
73

For example, the package described the product as Brookside Dark

Chocolate Goji with Raspberry Flavors but the word Goji appeared much
larger than the Raspberry Flavors. Mars argued that this was calculated to
mislead consumers into believing that the product actually contained real
Goji fruit, with added raspberry flavoring. Mars also pointed out that the
package featured pictures of fresh fruit, and that a television commercial
took place at a farm locale, which further promoted the misleading
message. Hershey responded by arguing that consumers were not misled
because the product name itself included the description fruit flavors and
text on the bottom of the package stated, Soft fruity flavored centers
covered in smooth dark chocolate. The commercial similarly used the term
flavored and the country setting for the ad was selected to reinforce the
Brookside name and logo, which includes a tree and stream. To make its
decision, the NAD examined the product and its advertising from a
consumers perspective and found that while the product name did not
inherently convey a message that it contained real fruit, the layout and font
sizes conveyed a contrary message. The NAD recommended that Hersheys
modify Brookside packaging to present the product name in a manner that
makes it clear that all of the identified fruits are in fact flavors and not
actual pieces of fruit in the product.'

74

In one of the largest product-liability rulings in U.S. history, the Hershey

Foods Corporation was ordered by a Pennsylvania jury to pay $135
billion in restitution fees to 900,000 obese Americans who for years
consumed the company's fattening snack foods. "Let this verdict send a
clear message to Big Chocolate," said Pennsylvania Attorney General
Andrew Garsten, addressing reporters following the historic ruling. "If you
knowingly sell products that cause obesity, you will pay." The five-state
class-action suit accused Hershey's of "knowingly and willfully marketing
rich, fatty candy bars containing chocolate and other ingredients of
negligible nutritional value." The company was also charged with publishing
nutritional information only under pressure from the government,
marketing products to children, and artificially "spiking" their products with
such substances as peanuts, crisped rice, and caramel to increase consumer
appeal.
Nutella paid just over $3 million to settle a class action lawsuit. Apparently,
it had been misleading consumers to think it was a healthy food. A San
Diego mom thought Nutella would be a good breakfast staple for her 4year-old daughter after watching a commercial for the yummy spread.
Aside from the fine, Nutellas website no longer makes any health claim; it
rather focuses on the tag line, Breakfast never tasted this good.
In February of 2010, The Center for Science in the Public Interest put
together a lengthy report for the Food and Drug Administration. According
to Ethan A. Huff, the report contains detailed information about food
manufacturers making false or misleading health claims about their
products.

75

In February of 2010, The Center for Science in the

Public Interest put together a lengthy report for the
Food and Drug Administration. According to Ethan A.
Huff, the report contains detailed information about
food manufacturers making false or misleading
health claims about their products.

Do Not Fall in Love

One bar of milk chocolate that has 1.55 ounces or 44 grams contains
235 calories, 13 grams of fat, 8 of which come from saturated fat, and 221
grams of sugar. One ounce of dark chocolate, or 28.35 grams, contains 156
calories, 9 grams of fat, 5 from saturated fat, and 13 grams of sugar.
Saturated fat elevates blood cholesterol, which puts you at risk for heart
disease and stroke. The added sugar in chocolate has no nutritional value,
which can cause weight gain and heart disease, according to the American
Heart Association. If youre going to indulge in chocolate, Alice Lichtenstein,
a professor at Tufts University recommends that you cut out other treats
on that day or that you walk an additional 30 minutes to counteract the
additional calories youre getting.
One milk chocolate bar has 26 grams of carbohydrates and 1 ounce
of dark chocolate has 17 grams, most of which is from sugars or refined
carbohydrates. Refined carbohydrates can cause spikes in your blood sugar,
which can make your body resistant to insulin over time and may lead to

76

Type 2 diabetes. The excess sugar may also send you to the dentist more
often than youd like with tooth decay and cavities.
Gastroesophageal reflux is a condition in which the stomach contents
come back up into your esophagus, resulting in heartburn. Chocolate
causes your lower esophageal sphincter to relax, which enables the
stomach contents to travel back upward, giving you that burning sensation
behind your chest. The National Digestive Diseases Information
Clearinghouse recommends that you avoid chocolate to help control GERD.
Caffeine stimulates your central nervous system, which is a why a
piece of chocolate may perk you up when the workday starts to drag, but
caffeine has no nutritional value. If you eat too many caffeine-containing
foods such as chocolate, you may experience rapid heartbeat, anxiety,
depression, restlessness, sleep problems, tremors, nausea and vomiting,
according to Medline Plus. Dark chocolate contains more caffeine than milk
chocolate, and both contain theobromine, which is a substance closely
related to caffeine.
According to research firm Markets and Markets: Chocolate is an $83
billion a year business, That makes the industry's value larger than the
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of more than 130 nations on earth, World
Bank figures show. Europeans account for nearly half of all the chocolate
the world eats, according to the International Cocoa Organization. The
average Brit, Swiss or German will each eat around 11 kilograms (24
pounds) of chocolate a year. A UK study by research group Mintel revealed
91% of all women admit to eating chocolate with the men not far behind
at more than 87%.

77

Whenever Valentine's Day or Christmas Eve arrives, the chocolate

lobby shows its muscles of power by funding studies which
conclude with a result of their choice and it is nothing new. Heres
a timely release promoting the health benefits of the sugardelivery system called chocolate. These releases always come out
just before Valentines Day, Easter, and Halloween. Just in time for
Valentines Day, the American Chemical Society (ACS), the worlds
largest scientific society, released a new Bytesize Science video
today featuring five chemistry facts that highlight why chocolate,
in moderation, may be good for you. The video, produced by the
ACS Office of Public Affairs, is available at
www.BytesizeScience.com the video explains how a bar of
chocolate contains hundreds of compounds, many with beneficial
properties. Among the videos sweet facts: - You can watch more
of it here:
http://www.stonehearthnewsletters.com/that-chocolate-lobby-must-be-prettypowerful/nutrition-food-chocolate/#sthash.eSmn0xPM.dpuf

78

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE
Death by chocolate - they poisoned the Bishop
In the 17th Century, the first recorded case of Death by Chocolate
occurred in San Cristobal de las Casa, in Chiapas, Mexico (17). The upper
class Spaniards were so addicted to chocolate intake that they refused a
church dictated ban forbidding consumption of drink or food during Mass.
In response, the townspeople refused to uphold this edict and chose to
attend worship services in Convents. The Bishop of Chiapas, who passed
the edict, was found dead due to a mixture of poison that was secretly
added to his daily cup of chocolate.
On the other hand a number of recent studies have shown that eating
chocolate has a positive influence on human health due to its antioxidant
and anti-inflammatory properties. This includes reducing blood pressure
and improving insulin sensitivity (a stage in the development of diabetes).
gh levels of chocolate consumption might be associated with a one third
reduction in the risk of developing heart disease, suggests a study
published online in the British Medical Journal.

79

Sugar Content of Common Food Products

1. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut ........ 10 g

2. Luna Bar berry almond ...............11 g
3. Froot Loops breakfast cereal 3/4 cup .......12 g
4. Ben & Jerrys vanilla ice cream ............16 g
5. Starbucks caff latte grande 16 oz. ........ 17
g
6. Godiva 2 truffles ..................17 g
7. Subway 6 sweet onion teriyaki chicken sandwich 17 g
8. Ms. Fields chocolate chip cookie .......... 19 g
9. Tropicana 100% orange juice 8 oz. ........ 25 g
10. Yoplait original yogurt .............. 27 g
11. Craisins dried cranberries 1/3 cup ...... 29 g
12. Vitamin Water 20 oz. bottle .........33 g
13. Oscar Mayer Lunchables crackers .. ...........36 g
14. Coca-Cola Classic 12 oz. can ............39 g
15. Sprinkles Cupcake red velvet .......... 45 g

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16. California Pizza Kitchen Thai chicken salad .... 45 g

17. Jamba Juice blackberry bliss 16 oz. .......49 g
18. Odwalla SuperFood 450 ml bottle ........50 g
19. Starbucks caffe vanilla frappuccino grande 16 oz. 58 g

81

Americans are swallowing 22 teaspoons of sugar each day, and it's

time to cut way back, the American Heart Association says. Most of that
added sugar comes from soft drinks and candy. The biggest culprits for the
glut of sugar? Soft drinks by far, followed by candy, cakes, chocolates and
pies. With about 8 teaspoons of added sugar, a regular 12-ounce soft drink
is enough to make you obese.
Today most candy and chocolate brands advertise their product with
a focus on children and teens, and here is the fruit of their labor" a national
health survey has shown that kids ages 14 to 18 consume an eye-popping
34 teaspoons of added sugar a day." Wahida Karmally, nutrition director at
Columbia University's Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational
Research, said that with these guidelines, it's important to remember
overall moderation. Some people, for instance, might be doing fine in their
sugar consumption but are overdoing it on fat. "I don't want people to go
back thinking if I just cut back on teaspoons of sugar I'm going to be very
healthy," she said.
LURING CUSTOMERS
In any supermarket the checkout aisle is where you make purchases on
impulse, without thinking. Youre in a hurry, dont have time or energy to
think, and throw a candy bar on the checkout counter. Most people who
make these impulse purchases acknowledge later that they didnt even
want that candy bar, and it wasnt even reflective of their diet or eating
habits. But it is still so easy to splurge! Studies have proven items in
checkout aisles can sell at up to a five times higher rate than items in the
regular aisle they should be placed in throughout the grocery store!
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Obviously, put junk food in these checkout locations and bam! Pounds on
the waistline. Regularly eating junk food causes obesity and disease.
Because this is well known and studied in the United States, there is no
legitimate reasoning behind allowing these products to be there, when we
are our most vulnerable. But the power of the almighty dollar will always
outweigh the public good.

News media often misleads

News misleads: Take
the following event
(borrowed from Nassim
Taleb). A car drives
over a bridge, and the
bridge collapses. What
does the news media
focus on? The car. The
person in the car. Where he came from? Where he planned to go? How he
experienced the crash (if he survived)? But that is all irrelevant. What's
relevant? The structural stability of the bridge. That's the underlying risk
that has been lurking, and could lurk in other bridges. But the car is flashy,
it's dramatic, it's a person (non-abstract), and it's news that's cheap to
produce. News leads us to walk around with the completely wrong risk map
in our heads. So terrorism is over-rated. Chronic stress is under-rated. The
collapse of Lehman Brothers is overrated. Fiscal irresponsibility is underrated. Astronauts are over-rated. Nurses are under-rated. We are not

83

rational enough to be exposed to the press. Watching an airplane crash on

television is going to change your attitude toward that risk, regardless of its
real probability. If you think you can compensate with the strength of your
own inner contemplation, you are wrong. Bankers and economists who
have powerful incentives to compensate for news-borne hazards have
shown that they cannot. The only solution: cut yourself off from news
consumption entirely.

News is irrelevant
Out of the approximately 10,000 news stories you have read in the last 12
months, name one that because you consumed it allowed you to make
a better decision about a serious matter affecting your life, your career or
your business. The point is: the consumption of news is irrelevant to you.
But people find it very difficult to recognize what's relevant. It's much
easier to recognize what's new. The relevant versus the new is the
fundamental battle of the current age. Media organizations want you to
believe that news offers you some sort of a competitive advantage. Many
fall for that. We get anxious when we're cut off from the flow of news. In
reality, news consumption is a competitive disadvantage. The less news you
consume, the bigger the advantage you have.

News has no explanatory power

News items are bubbles popping on the surface of a deeper world. Will
accumulating facts help you understand the world? Sadly, no. The
relationship is inverted. The important stories are non-stories: slow,
powerful movements that develop below journalists' radar but have a

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transforming effect. The more "news factoids" you digest, the less of the big
picture you will understand. If more information leads to higher economic
success, we'd expect journalists to be at the top of the pyramid. That's not
the case.

News is toxic to your body

It constantly triggers the limbic system. Panicky stories spur the release of
cascades of glucocorticoid (cortisol). This deregulates your immune system
and inhibits the release of growth hormones. In other words, your body
finds itself in a state of chronic stress. High glucocorticoid levels cause
impaired digestion, lack of growth (cell, hair, and bone), nervousness and
susceptibility to infections. The other potential side-effects include fear,
aggression, tunnel-vision and desensitization.

News disrupts your concentration

Concentration requires uninterrupted time. News pieces are specifically
engineered to interrupt you. They are like viruses that steal attention for
their own purposes. News makes us shallow thinkers. But it's worse than
that. News severely affects memory. There are two types of memory. Longrange memory's capacity is nearly infinite, but working memory is limited
to a certain amount of slippery data. The path from short-term to long-term
memory is a choke-point in the brain, but anything you want to understand
must pass through it. If this passageway is disrupted, nothing gets through.
Because news disrupts concentration, it weakens comprehension. Online

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news has an even worse impact. In a 2001 study two scholars in Canada
showed that comprehension declines as the number of hyperlinks in a
document increases. Why? Because whenever a link appears, your brain
has to at least make the choice not to click, which in itself is distracting.
News is an intentional interruption system.

News makes us passive

News stories are overwhelmingly about things you cannot influence. The
daily repetition of news about things we can't act upon makes us passive. It
grinds us down until we adopt a worldview that is pessimistic, desensitized,
sarcastic and fatalistic. The scientific term is "learned helplessness". It's a
bit of a stretch, but I would not be surprised if news consumption, at least
partially contributes to the widespread disease of depression.

News junkies cannot create

News kills creativity. Finally, things we already know limit our creativity.
This is one reason that mathematicians, novelists, composers and
entrepreneurs often produce their most creative works at a young age.
Their brains enjoy a wide, uninhabited space that emboldens them to come
up with and pursue novel ideas. I don't know a single truly creative mind
who is a news junkie not a writer, not a composer, mathematician,
physician, scientist, musician, designer, architect or painter.

Never told truths

The news media has never told us or warned us about the fact that the U.S.
has allowed foods that are banned in many other developed countries into
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our food supply, says nutritionist Mira Calton who, together with her
husband Jayson Calton, Ph.D., wrote the new book Rich Food, Poor Food.
During a six-year expedition that took them to 100 countries on seven
continents, the Caltons studied more than 150 ingredients and put together
a comprehensive list of the top 13 problematic products that are forbidden
by governments, outside the U.S., due to their detrimental effects on
human health. If you see any of the following ingredients listed on the
nutrition label, dont buy the product, Calton warns. Leaving these
banned bad boys on the shelves will speak volumes to grocery stores and
food manufactures about what informed consumers simply wont
tolerate.
Ingredients: Coloring agents (blue 1, blue 2, yellow 5, and yellow 6) found
in: Cake, candy, macaroni and cheese, medicines, sport drinks, soda, pet
food, and cheese. Recent studies have shown that when food
manufacturers left foods in their natural, often beige-like color instead of
coloring them with these chemical agents, individuals thought they tasted
bland and ate less, even when the recipe wasn't altered, Calton says. This
may explain why the use of artificial dyesthe most popular being red 40,
yellow 5, and yellow 6have increased five-fold since 1955.
Why the U.S. allows it: Procter & Gamble Co. took a quarter century and
spent a half a billion dollars to create light chips that are supposedly
better for you, Calton says (19). They may need another half a billion bucks
to figure out how to deal with the embarrassing bathroom side effects
(including oily anal leakage) that comes with consuming these products.

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Health hazards: This fat substitute

appears to cause a dramatic depletion of
fat-soluble vitamins and carotenoids,
robbing us of the vital micro-nutrients,"
Calton says, adding that many countries,
including the U.K. and Canada, have
banned it.
Ingredient: Azodicarbonamide
Found in: Breads, frozen dinners, boxed
pasta mixes, and packaged baked goods.
Why the U.S. allows it: While most
countries wait a week for flour to
naturally whiten, the American food
processors prefer to use this
chemical to bleach the flour ASAP.
Health hazards: It's not enough to
just ban this product in Singapore.
You can get up to 15 years in prison
and be penalized nearly half a million dollars in fines for using this chemical
that's been linked to asthma and is primarily used in foamed plastics, like
yoga mats and sneaker soles.

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Eat less sugar- live longer

Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have
discovered that restricting consumption of glucose, the most common
dietary sugar, can extend the life of healthy human-lung cells and speed the
death of precancerous human-lung cells, reducing cancers spread and
growth rate. The research has wide-ranging potential in age-related
science, including ways in which calorie-intake restriction can benefit
longevity and help prevent diseases like cancer that have been linked to
aging, said principal investigator Trygve Tollefsbol, Ph.D., D.O., a professor
in the Department of Biology.
"These results further verify the potential health benefits of controlling
calorie intake." Tollefsbol said. "Our research indicates that calorie
reduction extends the lifespan of healthy human cells and aids the bodys
natural ability to kill off cancer-forming cells." The groups study titled
"Glucose Restriction Can Extend Normal Cell Lifespan and Impair
Precancerous Cell Growth Through Epigenetic Control of hTERT and p16
Expression" has been published in the online edition of The Journal of the
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, or FASEB
Journal.
Besides today most of us know that taking excess amount of sugar can lead
to diabetes. Researchers at Middleborough General Hospital in northern
England who studied more than 4,800 diabetics said the decrease in life
expectancy was most pronounced in people with Type 1 diabetes, the more
serious form. But even people diagnosed with the more common Type 2, or
adult-onset diabetes, before the age of 40 could expect to die eight years
earlier than healthy contemporaries. Diabetes is a chronic disease that

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occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin to regulate sugar in
the bloodstream, or when it cannot use insulin efficiently.
It is important to watch your weight, Weight loss alone has been shown to
reduce the impact on diabetes, and insulin need. It also lowers blood
pressure and blood sugar levels. Avoid or severely limit your use of artificial
sweeteners like NutraSweet. This chemical cause obesity and sugar
cravings. It also deteriorates rapidly in heat and becomes formaldehyde
and methyl alcohol, which are very dangerous substances to your brain and
overall health.
Avoiding sodas is also good. Levels of sugar that many of us consume
without a second thought could be harming our life expectancy, scientists
have warned. Three sodas a day is hardly an unthinkable amount to drink
but a new study suggests that even this amount could have an adverse
effect on your health, potentially even slashing your lifespan and reducing
your fertility. Added sugar is best avoided if youre trying to lose weight,
but in general were told that small amounts of sugary foods and drinks are
unlikely to do too much harm. Now, however, a study suggests that even
levels of added sugar that we might consider to be safe could be having a
major impact on our health.
Japan has one of the highest numbers of centenarians in the world. As
America fights an obesity epidemic and an increase in chronic diseases at
younger ages, we may wonder how Japan has achieved such a long average
lifespan. The answer is probably strongly linked to Japanese diet. Even
Japanese desserts are lighter than Americans are used to. Using less sugar
and fat, they may be made of sweetened pounded rice or bean paste and
include fresh fruits and light toppings.

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There's no question that something's terribly wrong with the way we eat.
Nearly one in three Americans is overweight or obese, and rates of diabetes
continue to rise. These conditions, along with steady rates of heart disease,
cancer, and inflammatory problems, have led some to predict that the
young generation now growing up wills the first ever in our history to have
shorter lifespans than their parents.
Our genome has remained relatively unchanged for the past 120,000 years
- a lengthy expanse of span of time during which our Paleolithic huntergatherer ancestors primarily ate meat, with some vegetables, fruits, nuts,
and seeds. Evolution ensured that humans were well adapted to eat those
types of foods, and their bodies were happy to receive them. It's only been
in the last 10,000 years, however, that humans have started to engage in
agriculture, a technological and sociological development that has resulted
in increased reliance on grains, legumes, and dairy what are now
Neolithic staples. Trouble is, our bodies haven't the foggiest idea what to
do with these foods and in some cases, and theyre actually toxic.
Shockingly, it's been over these past 10,000 years that humans have
become significantly shorter, fatter, less muscular, and more prone to
disease. It's this realization that has led some thinkers like Jared Diamond
to proclaim that agriculture was the worst mistake our species has ever
made.

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The Elf Story

Here is a story about overeating by an Anonymous writer and it sure has
some moral for all of those who are voracious eaters. "Once there was an
elf named Frez that would get so nervous during Christmas time that he
would eat two lunches at the elf cafeteria. He tried to be just too perfect in
toy making and never thought they were good enough for the children. The
dolls eyes never sparkled enough, thought Frez, and the wagons were not
as shinny as last year. Nothing seemed to be going right and the time for
delivery of the presents was getting closer.

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It was beyond anybodys understanding why Frez was getting so particular

and asking for an elf suit larger than his size. Then, one day Santa found out
what the problem was and decided to solve it. It seemed that Frez was not
a young elf, but elves never looked their age by the virtue of being ever
cheerful and happy. Frez needed to feel he was special, so Santa assigned
him his own project called special toys. These were the toys that were
broken and needed to be repaired with love. Frez was so glad to be in
charge of such a project that he had only one lunch that day because he
had to hurry back to his tasks.
There is a lesson to be learnt from what Santa did for the elf. Sometimes
we have off days when we just dont feel positive. Someones smile or
invitation to join some friends can make our whole day worthwhile. Frez is
now content with assembling the broken toys and transform them into
something new, and he has stopped being a voracious eater that he once
used to be because he is happy. He even wears his old suit now, and his
new suit is taken in for his smaller waist."
Good nutrition, coupled with an active lifestyle, plays a crucial role in the
prevention of chronic conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular disease
(heart disease and stroke), diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers. The
most fundamental challenge for nutritionists is how to convert complex
scientific knowledge into easily understood and simple messages about
healthy eating and communicate these to a given population. Teenagers
have high nutrient needs during puberty and these accounts for the high
food costs. During times of economic recession, many people experience
financial difficulties that impact directly on their ability to afford healthy
food. However, it is crucial for population health that healthy eating is
affordable by everyone.
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With this story I end the story of Milk, Sugar and

Chocolates. We presently face an increasing problem with
overweight and obese children and adults. The intention of
these resources is not to specifically target overweight and
obesity, but to establish healthy lifestyle habits in particular
healthy habits for eating. In turn, this will contribute to the
prevention of various health problems while addressing
other health issues such as dental health, and allowing
children to thrive through social, physical and intellectual
development.
Old habits die hard. Changing your habits is a process
involving several stages. Sometimes it takes a while before
changes turn into new habits. You may face challenges
along the way. But adopting new, healthier habits may
protect you from serious health problems, such as diabetes.
New habits may also help you look better and feel more
energetic. After a while, if you stick with these changes, they
may become a part of your daily routine.

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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 6 Edition, 2005.Washington, DC, U.S. Government Printing
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (2001) PAGE:56-7 published 2001; Accessed on 4th

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Raw Milk and Children, New Trends Publishing, Parker St. Warsaw, Indiana Accessed on

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Archives of Pediatrics, 1926; Page 2 Some Facts about Raw Milk. Accessed on 4th June,

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Yvonne Maldonado, (2013) 'Pregnant women, young kids urged to avoid raw dairy

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Siobhan O'Sullivan (2011), School of Social and Political Sciences at University of

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Hannia Campos (2010). Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. Accessed on 4th

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Josephkeon (2010), Whitewash, the Disturbing Truth about Cow's Milk and Your Health,

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9.

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Confections, History and product category: Accessed on 4th June, 2016:

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Mike Ewall, Bovine Growth Hormone Milk does nobody good...Accessed on 4th April,

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http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2012/02/by-2606-us-diet-will-be-100-percent.htm
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Aseem Malhotra (2016) Cardiologist and Science Director of Action on Sugar, Wolfson

Institute of Preventive Medicine. London. Accessed on 4th April, 2016:

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James Runcie (2010) The Discovery of Chocolate, The history. Accessed on 4th April,

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