This may not seem like something important to you, but sugar addiction is as bad as any other addiction. The problem is that it's a hidden addiction. We don't even realize we're addicted to sugar because it comes from a plant, we consume it a lot and it doesn't seem to cause any ill effect in most people. We're all wrong about it, but it takes a bit of explaining to get you to understand my point of view.

Added Sugar vs. Natural Sugar

Americans consume a lot of added sugar, even when we aren't trying to. Read the label on some of the processed foods you buy. There are products containing added sugar when you don't even think sugar is necessary. Of course, Americans aren't the only ones that seem to have a lot of added sugar in our diets. When I was in Saudi Arabia in 1991, and on more than one occasion, I watched a person adding sugar to a can of Pepsi. Isn't Pepsi (or any soft drink) sweet enough already?

Unlike added sugar, processed from either sugar cane or sugar beets, natural sugar is good for you. Packages labeled as "raw sugar", which means it comes from the fluid of the sugar cane but isn't processed into granulated or powdered sugar, is good for you too. Natural sugar (fructose) comes directly from plants and is absorbed by the human body. The processed sugar is called sucrose. Sucrose is linked to obesity, diabetes and gout. Now, if you sit down and eat two bunches of bananas, the fructose isn't going to be very good either (along with too much potassium) but unless your name is Gilligan, you're not going to eat too many bananas.

Artificial Sweeteners

I know a lot of people who drink diet soft drinks instead of the regular versions (containing either sugar or high fructose corn syrup) because they say it doesn't taste as sickly sweet as the regular versions. It's hilarious to watch people eat donuts or other fattening foods while sucking down diet soft drinks (and the people doing it are heavier than they should be). Well, maybe not so hilarious for them.

At least sugar is nutritive. Artificial sweeteners serve no purpose other than sweetening and have been linked to all kinds of conditions and diseases. One particular artificial sweetener, used in sugar-free chewing gum, is used in hospitals as a laxative.

How to Give Up Sugar

This is something I'm trying to do, but it's difficult to say the least. I now drink iced tea without any sugar or sweetener of any kind. I don't drink soft drinks except when being used as mixers for alcoholic beverages (rarely), but I never drink diet soft drinks.

Drinking coffee without sugar is impossible for me right now. I've managed to cut it down from 2 teaspoons per cup to 1 teaspoon per cup, with no added coffee creamer, but I can't drink it black yet. The reason? I'm still drinking instant coffee instead of fresh-brewed. I can drink fresh-brewed coffee black, but I have to make it weak until I get used to it without sugar.

Sugar and Weight Loss

Sugar is touted as only having 16 calories per teaspoon. The problem is not in the calories. The problem is in how your body processes energy sources. Stored fat will not be touched until the amount of sugar in your blood is low. Sugar in your blood is an immediate source of energy. Your body will use what's immediate and fast before it will touch anything else, like carbohydrates. Reduce your sugar intake enough and you should be able to feel the results within a month as the stored fat is turned into carbohydrates.

People swear by low carbohydrate diets when they should be swearing by low sugar diets. Carbohydrates have never been the problem. A low carb diet is like a band-aid solution, fixing the symptoms but not the underlying cause. If you don't believe me, cut out everything that contains sugar for a couple of days and follow a strict low carb diet at the same time. You will run out of energy and start burning muscle tissue to keep your body functioning.

This is not to say that a low carb diet isn't worth following when attempting weight loss. You just have to be as careful with it as any diet you may follow. I think it's easier, in the long run, to simply cut out the sugar.

Similar Articles:

• Five Most Commonly Sold Drinks
• Alternatives to Coffee, Postum and Camel Piss (Monster Energy Drink)
• Are you a Good Candidate for Laser Hair Removal?
• Coffee or Postum? You Decide
• Clouds in my Coffee – Coffee Inspires Art