Sugar

Nancy Appleton, M.D. and author of Lick the Sugar Habit, reveals that "sugar can: suppress the immune system (3 pops will wipe out the immune system for the day); upset the minerals in the body; cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating; produce a significant rise in triglycerides; cause reduction in defense against bacterial infection; cause kidney damage; reduce high density lipoproteins; lead to chromium deficiency; lead to cancer of the breast, ovaries, intestines, prostate, and rectum; increase fasting levels of glucose and insulin; cause copper deficiency; interfere with absorption of calcium and magnesium; weaken eyesight; raise the level of neurotransmitters called serotonin; cause hypoglycemia; produce an acidic stomach; cause aging, arthritis, asthma, candida, gallstones, appendicitis, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, and periodontal disease; increase cholesterol, migraine headaches, interferes with the absorption of protein; cause toxemia during pregnancy, impair the structure of DNA; cause cataracts, emphysema, atherosclerosis; can cause free radicals in the blood stream; and it can cause hunger pains and overeating."

Sugar is addictive like a drug, can cause mood swings like a drug (from hyperactivity to depression), and has withdrawal symptoms like a drug.  Considering all its adverse effects on human health, and the fact that it has zero nutrition, it is difficult to defend the perception of processed sugar as a food rather than a dangerous poison and addictive drug.  And it is even more difficult to defend the common practice of giving this harmful and addictive substance to our children.

(Use by permission Hallelujah Acres, from Recipes For Life...From God's Garden by Rhonda Malkmus)