According to the CDC, the US currently spends about $3.8 trillion every year on healthcare. 

That’s up a shocking 30 percent from the $2.6 trillion we spent back in 2009 (adjusted for inflation). 

So why is it that our rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune conditions and bone/joint disorders are either staying the same or going UP?  With all that money being thrown at healthcare, shouldn’t we be seeing disease rates decreasing? 

And get this—the life expectancy in the US has hit a 25-year LOW!  

So, what has all that money bought us? 

Not much. 

And it proves one thing—unless that money is spent on addressing the causes of disease and is focused on prevention, you can count on those numbers getting worse and worse each year. 

What the heck? 

The begging question here is: What in the name of God’s green earth is going on?! 

Well, there are many factors that contribute to our abysmal states of health—over-reliance on pharmaceuticals, sedentary lifestyles, lack of regular exercise, stress, toxins in our environment and food supply, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. 

But one of the most significant factors behind our skyrocketing rates of disease and early death is SUGAR. 

When it comes to the impact it has on your health, sugar is not sweet at all. 

It likes to hide and go by different names 

It is currently estimated that the average American takes in nearly 170 pounds of sugar every year—that’s nearly half a pound a DAY! 

Note that I’m not just talking about the sugar in your kitchen sugar bowl here. 

Most of the sugar people take in is hidden sugar, usually in processed foods and beverages.   

What makes this even more dangerous is the go-to sweetener commonly used by food companies—high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)—is especially deadly.   

Regular HFCS consumption will put you on a fast track to liver damage, insulin resistance, obesity, gout, inflammation, and elevated cholesterol and triglycerides, among other things.     

In addition to HFCS, sugar takes many other forms.  Here are 55 of its aliases: 

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Agave nectar	Barley malt	Beet sugar	Blackstrap Molasses	Brown sugar
Buttered syrup	Cane juice crystals	Cane sugar	Caramel	Carob syrup
Castor sugar	Confectioner’s sugar	Corn sugar	Corn syrup	Corn syrup solids
Crystalline fructose	Date sugar	Demerara sugar	Dextran	Dextrose
Diastatic malt	Diatase	Ethyl maltol	Evaporated cane juice	Florida crystals
Fructose	Fruit juice	Fruit juice concentrate	Galactose	Glucose
Glucose solids	Golden sugar	Golden syrup	Grape sugar	High fructose corn syrup
Honey	Icing sugar	Invert sugar	Lactose	Maltodextrin
Maltose	Malt syrup	Maple syrup	Molasses	Muscovado sugar
Panocha	Raw sugar	Refiner’s syrup	Rice syrup	Sorbitol
Sorghum syrup	Sucrose	Treacle	Turbinado sugar	Yellow sugar

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But wait!  There’s more!

I wish I were done telling you all the ways you may be getting sugar in your diet, but I am not. 

Because grain products—including bread, crackers, snack chips, pasta, and cereal—while not actually “sugar” per se, TURN to sugar upon digestion.  So, from your body’s perspective, there’s no difference. 

And it’s estimated that the average American gets another whopping 200 pounds of sugar per year from grains-based products, bringing the total to 370 pounds per person, each and every year…over a pound a day.  

The deadly price we pay 

Although the most obvious health concern from sugar is excess weight and obesity, here are several other serious health issues on its resume: 

• Diabetes and insulin resistance—Repeated surges of glucose into your bloodstream stresses the pancreas to pump out insulin to tell your cells to absorb the excess glucose. Eventually your pancreas can get stressed and not be able to keep up with the demand, and/or your cells get saturated and start ignoring the insulin.   
   
• Cancer—In addition to feeding cancer cells, research published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation has shown that sugar actually CAUSES cancer!  The researchers noted that the presence of increased quantities of glucose and the increased glucose receptors on cell membrane surfaces can drive cancer initiation. 

• Heart disease—Sugar raises your cholesterol and stirs up inflammation in your arteries, driving up your blood pressure. 

• Dementia and impaired mental functioning-- Sugar can damage nerve cells in the brain.  It reacts with proteins in your brain (a process called glycation) and as a result, your cell membranes get thicker and gummed up, slowing down your brain’s communication. 

• Immune dysfunction—Sugar disrupts the balance in your gut microbiome and feeds harmful yeasts and bacteria.  Since 80 percent of your immune system is in your gut, this can impair your immune function, lead to chronic infections, and make you far more susceptible to sickness and disease.    

• Chronic inflammation—Sugar is a very inflammatory substance and can stir up inflammation in the body.  Inflammation is a leading factor behind countless conditions, including arthritis, degenerative joint disease, cancer, heart disease, autoimmune disease, and accelerated aging.  

Minimize sugar’s effect on your body 

Hopefully, you’ve gotten the idea that unless you desire a lifetime of sickness and disease and want to die an early death, it would be wise to limit your consumption of sugar and minimize its dangerous effects on your body.   

Here are 3 ways you can help achieve this important, life-saving goal: 

Avoid processed foods

Stick to wholesome real foods—fresh vegetables and fruits, meat, fish and poultry, eggs, dairy and real butter. These are the foods that will nourish you and are inherently lower in sugar. 

Once you get used to eating real foods and avoiding processed foods, you'll begin to appreciate the awesome taste and natural sweetness of real foods and will lose your taste for heavily processed, refined foods. 

Also, since real foods nourish you better and keep you fuller longer, you’ll likely lose weight too! What a terrific way to get started on your weight loss resolutions. J 

Support your microbiome

The friendly bacteria in your system take a hit from sugar because sugar feeds the harmful microbes in your gut, and eventually they can overcome your beneficial bacteria.  

Not only can this cause gas, bloating, yeast infections and reduced nutrient absorption, but it can also greatly hamper your immune system functioning and even trigger or worsen depression!   

You can help turn around your microbiome balance by repopulating your supply of helpful bacteria with Super Shield PLUS multi-strain probiotic formula. 

Super Shield PLUS contains well-studied, effective strains of 15 friendly bacteria that can help fend off harmful microbes, support smooth digestion, beef up your immune system and curb gas and bloating!   

Make smart choices

Note that artificial sweeteners are NOT a viable alternative to sugar!   

Aspartame (Equal), sucralose (Splenda) and saccharin (Sweet and Low) have all been linked to health dangers of their own.  In fact, the FDA has received more reports of adverse reactions from aspartame than any other substance in existence! 

Instead use raw honey, real maple syrup or blackstrap molasses for sweeteners in moderation. If you want a calorie-free alternative, try stevia. 

Drink filtered water instead of soda, sports drinks, sweetened waters, or energy drinks.  

Stay away from lattes or fancy coffee drinks.  Brew your own coffee at home and add real cream (never powdered creamer) if desired. (Hint: Get an old-fashioned stove-top percolator—they make the best coffee on the planet!)   

Avoid processed foods and read labels to detect hidden sugar. Print out the sugar alias chart I provided above (or take a picture of it with your phone) and keep it with you when you shop for groceries. 

Now you are armed with the information you need to minimize sugar’s dangerous wrath on your health! 

To your health, 

Sherry Brescia