Skip the Sugar, Add This to Your Drink for a Flavor Boost

 

Michael Roizen, MD, and Mehmet Oz, MD

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Mary Poppins claimed a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, but clearly she was unaware added sugar makes you sick, so you need even more medicine -- and medical intervention.

Related: How bad is sugar for you...really?

A study of postmenopausal women found those who drink a lot of sweetened beverages have a 78% greater risk of estrogen-dependent type I endometrial cancer (the most common form) compared to women who don’t consume such liquid sugar bombs. And we’ve known for a long time that anyone who drinks a lot of sweetened beverages is at increased risk of obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Drinking one can of sugary soda a day can increase your diabetes risk 18% and added sugars fuel the growth and spread of prostate and breast cancers.
So what’s our trick for giving beverages a flavor boost and a touch of sweetness, so they’re part of your healthy choices for a younger RealAge?

Cinnamon. It tastes and smells great and one study found taking a 500mg capsule of cinnamon twice a day for 90 days significantly lowers A1C levels (a measure of your blood sugar levels for the past 3 months). Cinnamon also lowers lousy LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, increases good HDL cholesterol and decreases BMI and weight.

Try it in coffee or tea, on cereal and whole-grain toast and add it to casseroles, stir fries and roasted veggies. For a healthy winter dessert, check out Dr. Oz's Cinnamon Apple Sauté a la Mode. It's a sweet taste with no downside. Bon appetite!

10 Easy Ways to Slash Sugar from Your Diet

 

Sugar is added to practically everything on grocery store shelves. Slash your intake with these smart tips.

Credit: Getty Images

 

Cut the sweetness  by Jessica Migala

You may not be eating Oreos by the roll or guzzling cans of Coke, but that doesn't mean sugar's absent from your diet. You're likely eating sugar throughout the day without even realizing it, says Amari Thomsen, RD, owner of Chicago-based nutrition consulting practice Eat Chic Chicago. Sugar is added to foods that don't even taste all that sweet, like breads, condiments, and sauces. And it adds up: although the American Heart Association recommends women consume no more than six teaspoons of added sugar per day (or about 100 calories), most of us take in double that. (One note: we're talking about added sugar, not the naturally occurring sugars found in dairy and fruit.) A high-sugar diet boosts your odds of tooth decay, heart disease, and diabetes, not to mention weight gain. Slash your sugar intake now with these 10 expert tips.

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Link  : http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20809521,00.html?xid=healthyliving07092014

Adding sugar to high-fat Western diet could be worse than high-fat diet alone

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A high-fructose, high-fat diet can cause harmful effects to the livers of adult rats, according to new research published in Experimental Physiology, providing new insight into the effects of adding fructose to a Western diet high in fat.

The study showed that short-term consumption of a Western diet, rich in saturated fats and fructose, is more damaging for healthy liver development than following a high fat diet alone.

Dr Susanna Iossa, who led the study at the University of Naples, Italy, said:

"This result points to the harmful effect of adding fructose to the usual western, high-fat diet and, together with other related findings, should stimulate the discussion on the use of fructose and fructose-containing sweeteners in beverages and packaged foods.

We performed the research by using an animal model of adult sedentary humans, consisting of adult rats, that were fed for two weeks with either a low-fat diet, a high-fat diet or a diet rich in fat and fructose. This latter diet is very similar in composition to the diet consumed by the large majority of the Western population. After the diet period, we evaluated liver function and we found that the presence of fructose in the high-fat diet exacerbated the impairment of this important metabolic organ, by increasing the build-up of fat in the liver, and decreasing liver insulin sensitivity.

"Much more research should be undertaken in the future, especially regarding the impact of the high-fat high-fructose diet on other metabolically important organs, in order to establish the real impact of this unhealthy dietary habit on health and well-being."