One of the big themes in my blog/life this year has been my health, specifically losing weight and exercising. I'm happy to report that as of today I am currently jogging about 7-8 miles a week and I've almost completely cut sugary foods out of my diet. Except for the past few days (I've been sick with a sinus infection... again....) I've had a lot more energy and I've been in a much better mood. Usually the stress from the end of the school year gets me feeling really negative and depressed but I've been feeling great lately, despite the huge amounts of stress from my job. I've also lost about 10 pounds and gone down a dress size, while toning up some of my problem areas. I'm excited to take things up to the next level this summer. With 10 weeks to do whatever I please, I plan on increasing my exercise program and possibly switching to a vegetarian diet.
As I have been researching the best ways to tone up, slim down, and generally improve my health I have come across a lot of research talking about how bad sugar is for you. This article in particular really sums up most of what I've been reading in regards to sugar and its negative health effects. I recommend you read it if you or anyone in your immediate family suffer from any sort of metabolic problems. The author is some bigwig at the University of Florida in charge of Nephrology, Hypertension, and Renal Transplantation. He is the author of the book The Sugar Fix: The High-Fructose Fallout That is Making You Fat and Sick. I haven't read the book, but I've read several of his articles on the dangers of sugar and to be honest, he's kind of scared me straight. And if you have some spare time and want to see an even MORE in depth study on the matter, check out Dr. Lustig's lecture about fructose on You Tube. It's kind of long and really science-y because he's in charge of Pediatric Endochrinology at UCSF and he was presenting his research at a medical conference. It's very eye opening.
Anyway, if you are interested in health, nutrition, medicine, or anything like that, you should at least give this stuff a quick once-over. I'm sure arguments can be made against all of the claims in both of these studies, but something about them really hit home with me.
What are your thoughts/feelings on this issue?
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