| The truth is that, over time, consuming too many sweets and refined carbohydrates could cause even more profound clogging of your heart vessels than high cholesterol levels ever could. Too much sugar can give you heart disease. What's more, it can get you there much faster than cholesterol.
To be sure, cholesterol does play a role in developing heart disease, but in my opinion, it's only a minor player. And unfortunately, its role has been overexaggerated by the scientific community, as well as the media. |
Gabriel Cousens
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 There is a food environment characterized by heavy marketing of excitotoxin-rich processed junk foods, refined carbohydrates such as white sugar and white flour with alloxan, heavy use of animal fats and trans fats, agrochemical-laden foods, and heavy-metal toxicity. These characteristics combine to result in a negative synergy that has precipitated diabetes at pandemic levels, when it was relatively rare before 1940. This is not an accident—the Culture of Death is an active and thoughtless Crime Against Wisdom. |
Connie Bennett, C.H.H.C. with Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D.
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 UltraMetabolism and former co-medical director of Canyon Ranch health resort in Lenox, Massachusetts, puts it succinctly: "All the diseases that kill us in our society are related to refined carbohydrates and sugars—cancer, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, stroke, and Alzheimer's. |
Marshall Editions
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 A diet that is high in refined carbohydrates will lead to an excessive insulin response, which can in turn stimulate androgen (male hormone) production that contributes to hirsutism. The best! carbohydrates to consume are whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruit, and vegetables.
Supplements: Chromium encourages your liver to produce a substance called glucose tolerance factor (CTF), which increases the effectiveness of insulin. Take 200-400 mg of chromium picolinate a day. |
Jack Challem
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 About one-third of the patients had difficulty dealing with sugar and other refined carbohydrates, which aggravated existing mood and behavior problems.
In his research, Walsh has consistently found nutrient-handling problems in violent criminals. In an analysis of mineral patterns in thirty serial killers and mass murderers, he frequently found elevated levels of lead or cadmium, which are highly toxic and interfere with normal brain chemistry. |
James Dowd and Diane Stafford
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 Grains aren't good sources of magnesium, calcium, or potassium, and they're loaded with refined carbohydrates, which send the wrong signal to his metabolism. Protein from cheese and chicken contains only saturated fat. Forty percent of the fat in your brain is DHA, the omega-3 fat that speeds transmission of signals and probably shapes the transmission of signals. DHA binds to a vitamin A receptor along with vitamin D and goes into the nucleus of cells, where it decides which genes in the brain to turn on and which ones to turn off. |
Jack Challem
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| Avoid Fast-Food and Chain Restaurants
Here s why: With few exceptions, these restaurants serve up everything that's bad for you: foods rich in refined carbohydrates, sugars, and the unhealthiest fats. These foods could be labeled "obesity in a bag" or "diabetes in a bag" because they contribute so much to the risk of obesity and diabetes. As an example, numerous studies have found that McDonald's meals negatively alter blood vessel function and blood flow. That's bad for your heart and your head—after all, your brain depends on a steady supply of blood. |
Ann M. Coulston and Carol J. Boushey
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 Research has shown that dietary patterns such as those high in plant foods [339], low in refined carbohydrates, and low or moderate in fat, such the DASH diet or the Mediterranean diet pattern, are related to reduced occurrence of many chronic diseases of aging [340-343]. Therefore, such nutrient-rich diet patterns are also likely to provide benefit in slowing the development of age-related cataract, AMD, and DR.
References
1. West, K. P., and Jr., McLaren, D. (2003). The epidemiology of vitamin A deficiency disorders (VADD). In "The Epidemiology of Eye Disease" (G. J. Johnson, D. C. |
Tom Bohager
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 Recommendations include reducing inflammation, eliminating alcohol and high-purine-content foods (meat, fish, lentils, peas, mushrooms, cauliflower) from the diet, reduced consumption of refined carbohydrates and saturated fats, and moderation in protein intake. Other suggestions include increasing intake of cherries and blueberries, which lower uric acid levels; ascertaining the underlying cause of the disorder; and increasing hydration and stress management. |
Jack Challem
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| Foods that are high in sugars and refined carbohydrates, such as most fast-food meals, convenience foods, and sweets, lead to a rapid and extreme rise in glucose, followed by a surge in insulin levels. During the time that the glucose is elevated (before the insulin has a chance to act), people can lose their ability to concentrate.
Recent research has found that brain chemicals called orexins are responsible for mental alertness. Orexin activity is suppressed by high levels of glucose, leading to poor concentration and sleepiness. |
Gary Null and Amy McDonald
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 It's critical that the brain has a steady supply of glucose so when we are eating excessive convenience foods or refined carbohydrates we have a seesaw of blood sugar. That has a direct impact on the brain but then it further imbalances the stress hormone that I was mentioning. With regard to adrenaline, the blood sugar drops, the adrenaline goes up, and it's interesting that adrenaline when oversecreted over a period of time reduces the brain's production of dopamine. Dopamine is one of the neurotransmitters that has been found to be low in children with ADHD. |
| One of the causes of high Cortisol and low DHEA is eating refined carbohydrates on a regular basis. And indeed people with Alzheimer's disease have been found to have high Cortisol and low DHEA levels."
Mixing protein with carbohydrates may be helpful, Dr. Debe says. "People addicted to eating carbohydrates who don't want to make any drastic change right off can start by not eating the carbohydrate by itself. If you eat several cookies, that is pretty much pure carbohydrates and will cause a big swing in blood sugar. |
| The brain thrives on glucose, so we have to have a good diet, not refined carbohydrates or sugars that do more harm than good. We have free radicals, these little products of metabolism that cause scarring of the brain. We have energy in the brain in the form of the power plant
Mi
Brain Aging and the mitochondria. We have the synapse, a very important juncture where the electrical chemical energy is transferred from one cell to another to create the memory, to help us produce other memories, to draw up old memories, restore new memories and the emotions and all that. |
Hyla Cass
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 If you are fortunate enough, like Gloria, to recognize insulin resistance before it turns into diabetes, you may be able to get your cells to start heeding insulins knock again by losing weight, exercising, and eating a well-rounded whole-foods diet—low in sugars, unhealthy fats, and refined carbohydrates, and rich in fruits and vegetables.
KEYS TO NATURAL BLOOD SUGAR CONTROL
In Chapter 2, you learned about the basics of a truly healthful diet. Those basics apply to people with diabetes or prediabetes as well. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 With engineering, the biochemistry responsible for this quest for calories could be altered, creating a person who isn't hungry all the time and who doesn't seek out refined carbohydrates or overeat even when there's plenty of food available.
Interestingly, our hardware and software has also developed to reward us through brain chemistry when we consume refined carbohydrates and fat. Why are these rewarded? They are rewarded because carbohydrates and fat represent the taste of energy. Fat is a high-density source of energy, and carbohydrates are a fast-acting, rapid energy source. |
Ann M. Coulston and Carol J. Boushey
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| Hyperphagia (compensatory overeating) can be a helpful response in many patients with short bowel, but overcon-sumption of refined carbohydrates, fluids, and large volumes of foods may result in net loss of endogenous fluid and electrolyte [130-134].
E. Principles of Nutrition Care and Feeding in Short Bowel Syndrome
One of the primary principles of managing patients with short bowel syndrome is to start using the gut as soon as possible. Foods and the gastrointestinal secretions are trophic to the small bowel and malnutrition compromises the adaptive process [131, 137]. |
| Yet in two other populations [57], no associations with the intake of refined carbohydrates were observed. It may be that the impact of dietary or blood carbohydrates on cataractogenesis is modified by other aspects of diet that have not been adequately accounted for in population studies, such as the antioxidant content of the diet. In experimental animals and in experiments in cultured lenses, vitamins C and E protect against the development of sugar cataracts (previously reviewed [58]).
C. Antioxidants
It is well known that oxidative stress increases lens damage. |
Gabriel Cousens
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| We have, through high intake of cooked animal fat, saturated fat, high omega-6 versus low omega-3 fats, glucose from junk food, and refined carbohydrates, created a genetic downgrade that deregulates our phenotypic expression to one that sets off the diabetic process. The Tree of Life diet—which starts out initially as a 100 percent live-food, high-complex-carbohydrate, low-glycemic and insulin-index, 15-20-percent-plant-source fat (depending on our individual constitution), and low-calorie diet—is specifically designed to upgrade the phenotypic gene expression. |
Ann M. Coulston and Carol J. Boushey
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| This suggests the possibility that other components
Nutritional Exposure
Strength of Evidence
Comment
Carbohydrate Possible increased risk associated with high levels of specific or overall refined carbohydrates:
Animal studies suggest several mechanisms. Population studies are limited in number and conflicting.
Antioxidants Benefit of food antioxidants is likely:
Animal studies prove that oxidative stress leads to lens opacities and that antioxidants lower indicators of oxidative stress or damage. |
Gabriel Cousens
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| In summary, cross-cultural studies show the introduction of refined carbohydrates into cultures that previously had low incidences of diabetes, whether on a low-protein-and-fat and high-complex-carbohydrate diet or a high-fat and protein diet. The main environmental cause of the worldwide pandemic of Type-2 diabetes is the introduction of white sugar, white flour, and white rice into these cultures, resulting in an "outbreak" of Type-2 diabetes twenty years later. It is obvious that a successful program for healing diabetes must eliminate all refined carbohydrate from the diet.
Dr. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 This will give you saturated fat from the cows' milk and the high sugar content of the breakfast cereals, thereby adding fat to your body through two different biological mechanisms: fat and refined carbohydrates.
Step four: load up on junk foods
Junk foods are, of course, another outstanding choice for achieving your goals. A bag of potato chips provides an impressive quantity of dietary fats as well as refined carbohydrates - and various nacho chips and other snack foods operate in much the same way.
You can also accelerate your weight gain goals by turning to fried foods. |
Connie Bennett, C.H.H.C. with Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D.
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| Indeed, all processed, refined carbohydrates end up being metaboli-cally similar to sweets (which is why Dr. Sinatra and I call them "much-like-sugar carbs"). In short, both sweets and quickie carbs cause a surge in your blood sugar level.
The Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load: Boon or Bane for Carb Watcher? |
Kelly Harford, M.C., C.N.C.
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 Many people, in addition to sugars and refined carbohydrates, are also under the spell of caffeine, chocolate, salt, alcohol, or all of the above, compounding the burden on their body-mind system even more. Each stimulant can bring about different physiological reactions that can alter the body-mind system in a variety of ways, but there is one thing they all have in common... phhheeeeeeooooow - boom!
All stimulants or extreme foods send your body's chemistry soaring out of balance, then crashing in the opposite direction in an effort to restore balance. Phhheeeeeeooooow — boom! |
| Karen told me that she had finally taken me up on the challenge to stop eating refined carbohydrates. It had now been a little over a month and she was nothing short of amazed at what had transpired.
"I can't believe how much energy I have. I hardly ever get cranky or tired, my concentration and focus have improved incredibly, and I didn't even know my period was coming this month. Usually I get really bad PMS with severe headaches, bloating, and extreme irritability, but this month it just all of sudden came and I had no symptoms whatsoever! |
Mary-Ann Shearer
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 It seems that by doing away with refined carbohydrates, we could do away with the generation gap! Other symptoms included sleep disturbance, chronic debilitating fatigue (sounds like Yuppie Flu?) and depression, recurring fevers of unknown origin, abdominal and/or chest pains, and headaches. Barbara Reed Stitt in her book Food and Behavior says:
This lack of blood sugar starves every cell in the body, leading to a general feeling of weakness. But the cells of the brain are specially starved. |
Connie Bennett, C.H.H.C. with Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D.
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| HDL ("good" cholesterol) levels. So reported researchers from the CDC's
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
As described in London's New Scientist, scientists in Ayr, Scotland, under metabolic diseases expert Dr. Zammit found that metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance syndrome or Syndrome X) may be linked to consumption of high-energy, sugary snacks and drinks, and that the continually elevated insulin and insulin resistance can, in turn, raise triglyceride levels, increasing the risk of heart disease. |
James F. Balch, M.D. and Mark Stengler, N.D.
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 A high amount of refined carbohydrates contributes to blood sugar problems, yeast overgrowth, increased demand on the adrenal glands, and chronic inflammation, and immune suppression can set in. In addition, a diet of processed foods is deficient of nutrients required for energy production and a healthy immune system.
Also of prime importance are the effects of chronic stress on the body. People who do not deal with mental, emotional, and spiritual stresses effectively are more likely to suffer fatigue. As well, unresolved problems with anxiety and depression contribute to fatigue. |
| In addition, eating less sugar products and refined carbohydrates can make all the difference in the world for some people's cholesterol levels. Finally, many people with diabetes and insulin resistance find that cutting down on simple carbohydrates and increasing the consumption of protein foods can dramatically reduce cholesterol levels.
Recommended Food
Soluble fiber can dramatically decrease cholesterol levels (along with your risk of developing many other diseases). Oats, brown rice, beans, and fruits are all good sources; have some at every meal. |
| Make sure to keep blood-sugar levels balanced by avoiding simple sugars and refined carbohydrates and providing adequate protein with meals (nuts, legumes, lean poultry, and fish). Also, as much as p ossible include vegetables with meals, as they slow down blood sugar release. Eating smaller, more frequent meals and snacks (every two to three hours) works well. Make sure that breakfast is not skipped, as it sets the biochemical balance for the rest of ti e day.
Regularly serve brain-healthy foods that are rich in essential fatty acids. |
Mary-Ann Shearer
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| Isn't this enough evidence to ban refined carbohydrates from your household? When Mark and I changed to this way of eating, I remember telling my children that I would no longer buy them candy, cookies, or ice cream as I loved them too much to poison them. What about their sense of deprivation, you may ask. Well, the only thing you'll be depriving your children of is any one of the above symptoms. |
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