Therefore, if a substance, such as refined sugar or other refined carbohydrates is void of any nutrients and fiber, it does not nourish the body, promote growth, or sustain life. Thus, it should NOT be classified as a food; but rather a drug.
On 8 June 2012, Sixty Minutes TV show in Australia aired a segment called “Sweet Poison.” In it, Dr. Eric Stice, at the University of Oregon, revealed the addictive kick that sugar gives our brain. Allison Langdon discovered that this sweet poison, known as sugar, is as addictive as the hardest of illicit drugs. http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/
ALLISON LANGDON: As I sip Coca-Cola from a specially wired tube, Dr Stice and his team measure changes in my brain activity. That’s really sweet. Incredibly, my pleasure-receptors respond in much the same way as if I’d taken illicit drugs.
ERIC: What this illustrates nicely is that it activates the same reward circuitry that is activated when people do drugs of abuse, cocaine, or marijuana or something like that.
ALLISON LANGDON: So sugar has the same effect on my brain as cocaine and other illegal drugs? ERIC: Yep.
ALLISON LANGDON: And Dr Stice has found sugar can be just as addictive. Once in the vicious cycle of eating too much of it, our brains become programmed to want more and more.
ERIC: The more you consume sugar, the less rewards you get from sugar, and the more you escalate your sugar intake.
ALLISON LANGDON: Does it sit comfortably with you saying sugar is worse than cocaine?
ERIC: In terms of morbidity and mortality, sugar kills way more people than any psychoactive drug.
ALLISON LANGDON: But for some, kicking the sugar habit can be as hard as conquering a serious drug addiction.
Landmark research by neuropsychologist. The Bitter Truth http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=dBnniua6-oM 1 hr. 29 min. 28 sec.
Juvenile delinquency is a common symptom among young people who consume a sugary junk food diet. Simply check the diet of any delinquent person, those on anti-psychotic medication, and those who went on a shooting rampage. A high sugar junk food diet is the one thing they all had in common. Cut out the sugar and synthetic sweeteners and I believe a high percent of crime and mental illness could be prevented. Surprisingly, many of the so called mental health “experts” have yet to acknowledge or address this fact. Government ministers or representatives rarely if ever, promote or support good nutrition. All they talk about and support is the latest wonder drug as the cure all. It is no wonder that teens suffer from such high rates of suicide and mental illness. When is enough, enough?
Highly recommended reading for every parent, teacher, and government minister/senator/ representative is: “Food, Teens, and Behavior” by Barbara Reed, Ph.D.; Published in 1983 by The Natural Press. later published in 2009, as “Food and Behavior,” by Barbara Reed Stitt. Dr. Reed, a probation officer, had the most successful program of its kind and yet it was ignored by the media and most government health departments. If this very successful program were implemented in every school, crime and mental illness related budgets would be significantly reduced.
Currently, the vast majority of food products in Australia and New Zealand contain added refined or artificial sugar, which is unhealthy and unnecessary. The same is true of most airline food, school lunches, hospital and restaurant meals, and fast food products. This is done to reap larger profits. In addition, poorly trained, unimaginative chefs, and unethical food manufacturer use these cheap ingredients to make their poor quality meals/products taste better. Consequently, it is almost impossible for a busy working person or student to find an affordable, healthy meal that is not loaded with sugar, HFCS, flavor enhancers, and bad/damaged oils. Obviously, there needs to be major changes in what is being taught in culinary schools throughout North America, Australia, and New Zealand.