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We blame sugar for a lot in our society. We’ve gotten to the point where we can blame it for almost everything.
But there are a lot of toxic myths around sugar that make us a little more afraid of it than we need to be. Here are some myths that we don't need to believe anymore.
- Is sugar as addictive as heroin? Of course not. It does stimulate the same sections of the brain that addiction does, but these are also the same brain centers that are stimulated by other fun things, including physical activity and sex. And we don’t want to stop doing those.
- No sugar is the only way to go, right? Not necessarily. Sugar in small amounts (very small amounts) is fine for you. It’s the sugary sodas, which have over twice the recommended amount of sugar per day, where the danger lies.
- It’s not heroin, but is it a gateway drug? You can answer this one. It’s not proven to be addictive, so it’s not really plausible that it’s a gateway drug.
- But fruit sugars are better than processed ones, aren’t they? Not really. The problem with junk foods isn’t the type of sugar, but the amount. Candies and processed foods have way more sugar per serving than fruits, but the sugar itself is the same.
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- Isn't sugar going to make my kid hyperactive? Scientists have tried and failed to prove the connection here. The more research is done, the less that appears to be true.
- Won't sugar give me diabetes? If you visit the American Diabetes Association’s website, you’ll see that even they don’t believe that sugar is the only cause of diabetes. It’s a factor, but it’s mixed in with liver health, metabolism, and obesity, and we’re not sure exactly what the link is.
So while there’s no doubt that eating too much sugar isn’t great for you, especially where weight gain and heart disease are concerned, you don’t have to be afraid of every single claim.
Did you learn anything about sugar from this?
Photo Copyright © 2008 stu_spivack/Flickr
