We all have a pretty good sense that sugar is “bad” for us, but other than the added calories, why is it “bad?” And what is defined as “bad” sugar? According to Tiffany Cruikshank in her book Optimal Health for a Vibrant Life, “sugar is just as habit forming as any narcotic; and its use and abuse is one of our nation’s top disasters.” She goes on to explain that the chemical formula of Sugar and Cocaine vary by only ONE letter!
So, what is sugar, really? Is there good sugar?
Sugar is sugar, whether it comes from fruit glucose or fruit cake or honey or corn, once it’s in your body, it is processed the same. The difference is, sugar found in fruit is accompanied by fiberous matter (the skin and body of the fruit,) and phytonutrients present in the whole food. 
The fiberous matter work synergestically together to allow the sugar glucose to slowly process through the body, (which reduces the chance of an insulin spike and feelings of highs and lows.) On the other hand, simple sugar, such as the white refined sugar in your fruit cake, cheese cake, muffin, or mocha latte, is not accompanied by fiberous whole food phytonutrients so the body must borrow calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium from various parts of the body to process the sugar. Accompanied by this, the pancreas kicks on to release quite a bit of insulin to help take care of the sugar. Insulin makes us feel anxious, happy, and fast, once the sugar is taken care of, the pancreas turns the insulin levels down and we feel sluggish, tired and slow…and so we grab for more caffeine and/or sugar, and on and on it goes! The body is an amazing machine, but by eating too much sugar, we trip its ability to function optimally.
The truth is, too much glucose sugar can overload the body just as simple sugar does, so listening to your body is important. If you’re feeling a sugar high from eating fruit, you may have eaten something that is too sweet for you, or you may have eaten too much of it! Recent research has found that curbing the sugar craze is more critical than just trying to shed a few pounds, eating less sugar might just change and extend your life.
25 Reases Why Sugar May Ruin Your Day
(there are more, but here are 25 to start…)
1) suppresses your immune system
2) interferes with the essential nutrient balance in your body, specifically calcium and magnesium
3) Increases levels of bad cholesterol and triglycerides
4) Shown to be connected to the development of various types of cancer – breast, ovaries, prostate, rectum, pancreas, lung, gallbladder, and stomach.
5) Can cause hypoglycemia
6) leads to alcoholism
7) Contributes to weight gain (as insulin levels rise, body stores fat.)
8) Causes autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, asthma, and multiple sclerosis
9) Greatly increases the growth of Candida Albicans (yeast)
10) Causes vericose veins
11) Causes drowsiness and decreased activity
12) makes your skin age by changing the structure of collagen
13) Increases the size of the kidney, which can ultimately cause kidney stones
14) Increases the size of the liver, increasing the amount of liver fat
15) Makes your tendons brittle
16) Causes depression
17) Causes food allergies
18) Interferes with the absorption of protein
19) Increase your risk for Alzheimer’s disease
20) Causes hormonal imbalances – increases estrogen in men, increasing PMS symptoms, decreases growth hormones
21) Promotes excessive food intake
22) Damage your pancreas
23) Cause gum disease
24) Addictive substance
25) Causes headaches, including migrains
sarahobalance
timariemiko
realgreendaily 
4 comments
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June 10, 2012 at 8:02 am
jeanette
hmmmmm. worse than I thought. Thanks Timarie for the info!! See you Monday night.
June 10, 2012 at 11:41 am
Timarie Mikolasek
I know! It’s a wonder why it is put in a lot of our food that we wouldn’t normally consider as “sweet” like regular white or wheat bread.
July 2, 2012 at 11:28 am
Aprille
What about agave and brown rice syrup and maple syrup? There are many alternatives to white sugar including sucanat which is yes, still sugar, but far less processed and still contains the molasses flavor and higher nutrient values!
July 3, 2012 at 2:26 pm
timariemiko
Hi Aprille and thank you for the question! This post was intented to explain how sugar behaves within the body, and to point out that whether we’re getting our sugar from whole fruit, fruit juice, cane syrup, corn sugar, honey, agave or any other sweet item that contains fructose and/or glucose, the end reaction in the body is the same. From an insulin production standpoint, whole fruits are your best bet because the fiber in the whole fruit reduces the insulin spike. Agave Nectar, is of course, liquid that has been pulled from the Agave plant and is without fiber. It is also extremely high in fructose. The high fructose levels and lack of fiber will increase your insulin and consequently, your triglycerides. There’s a lot of debate over Agave Nectar as compared to Raw or White Sugar – some say one is not better than the other. The most important thing to do is to listen to your body after you’ve eaten these items as we are all not exactly the same!
For me, I prefer to use liquid Stevia for my sweetener. I’ve tried Xylitol, and that tends to increase my blood sugar as well.