Hi. My name is Paul. And I'm a sugar addict. How about you? Take my 1-minute survey HERE.
That's right. The Assistant Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology who formulated some of the highest quality eye supplements on the market and who turned to a 100% plant-based diet three years ago for better health and lower cholesterol is hooked on sweets. I'm sure it's in part due to my Eastern European mother who fostered me with candy when I was a "good boy." And the plethora of taste buds that tell the brain SWEET are to blame as well. Sugar is the basic building block that supplies the brain and body with energy. So why is it so unhealthy? And why aren't artificial sweeteners the answer?
From thousands of years of evolution, our bodies have been wired to extract sugar SLOWLY from foods. Eating a tomato, for example, permits a trickle of glucose into the bloodstream that provides instantaneous energy while not asking the pancreas for too much insulin. But a glut of sweets from pancakes and syrup sends a tidal rush of glucose into the bloodstream. In non-diabetics, there is then a flood of insulin that tries to push the sugar into cells, but ultimately gets metabolized into fat and an unfriendly scale the next day. And if you're diabetic, your own insulin can't keep up and your blood sugar skyrockets. As my NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center colleague makes clear in her terrific article, super-sweet artificial sweeteners simply makes you crave sweets all the more. I think I'm going to have to try go cold turkey and kick the habit.
