Americans have many bad habits. Excessive spending, overeating, oil consumption, smoking; the list goes on. Coincidentally, one of our most harmful bad habits, sugar consumption, is often swept under the radar.
It’s estimated the average American consumes 130 pounds of sugar every year, over 3.5 times the American Heart Association’s recommended yearly intake. Not only is that excessive by anyone’s standards, but most of the sugars we consume are depleted refined sugars, offering our bodies zero nutritional value. Habitual consumption of soft drinks, candy, and other staple food products packed with refined sugars are direct contributors to this phenomena.
According to today’s infographic, added sugar in the average American diet “accounts for nearly 500 calories every day, the caloric equivalent of 10 strips of bacon”. Based on a 2,000 calorie/day diet, that means refined sugars would account for nearly 1/4 of our entire daily calorie intake. An entire quarter. And we wonder why Americans are afflicted by such a myriad of health problems?
In a food science study conducted by Dr. William Coda Martin, he concluded that refined sugars could in fact be categorized as a “poison”; as once they are metabolized, refined sugars drain the body of crucial vitamins and minerals, in order to properly displace excess acid produced during the metabolism of refined sugars. These metabolizing problems have been linked over the years to the causes of life altering diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and even depression. Check out today’s infographic for more on the ill effects of Americans’ sugar consumption habits.