Between the two extremes, Folk wisdom acknowledges a connection between salt and a delightful spiritedness; witness the expressions“ old salt” and“ salt of the earth.” There is no substitute for the salty flavor. Sugar
• Expansive
• Acid-forming
• Holds cold
• Promotes both buildup and breakdown to excess In terms of opposites, sugar is expansive and loosening; because it is a carbohydrate, it is acid-forming( the carbohydrate metabolizes into water and carbonic acid, which then turns into Co 2, carbon dioxide). Sugar and salt, then, though both crystals, have opposite effects. The word sugar has two meanings, an unfortunate situation that has caused a great deal of confusion in the lay public. One meaning is the popular one: Sugar is the sweet white or brown stuff spooned into coffee, sprinkled over grapefruit, used by the cupful to make cookies and cakes. The other meaning is chemical: Sugars are sweet-tasting, crystalline carbohydrates that are part of foodstuffs. They are often named according to the foodstuff with which they are associated. These are lactose( milk), maltose( malt, grain), fructose( fruit), as well as glucose( the form of sugar found in the blood), sucrose( refined sugar), and others. The carbohydrates( both sugars and starches) are found in natural foods such as grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits. Sugars are called simple carbohydrates, and starches complex carbohydrates. In natural foods they come with a team of co-worker nutrients that help the body metabolize them; they are then called natural carbohydrates. White sugar, white rice, and white flour— separated from the minerals, vitamins, protein, and fiber that originally assisted them— are known as refined carbohydrates. Crystalline table sugar, a simple refined carbohydrate, is obtained by first extracting the juice from sugar cane, leaving the bulk and fiber behind. The juice is then purified, filtered, concentrated, and boiled down until sugar crystallizes out of the syrup. c
In this industrial refining process, substances such as sulfur dioxide, milk of lime, carbon dioxide, charcoal( from charred beef bones), and calcium carbonate are used as purifying agents at various stages. Also a purified substance, sugar is a“ naked carbohydrate”: It has been separated from all its natural teammates( water, minerals, proteins, vitamins, fiber). What happens in our body when we ingest it? Our bodily system is designed to interact with other systems; in the case of food, these systems are natural, whole foods, as provided by the earth. When we ingest a single part of a system, mechanisms of adjustment and compensation must be activated to keep homeostatic balance. The more complex an organic system, the more varied will be its range of responses. Our body is highly resourceful: To metabolize refined sugar, it draws the missing companion nutrients( needed as catalysts in the digestive process) from other sources. These sources can be either other foods present in the same meal or the body’ s own tissues. For that reason, when we consume straight white sugar( as well as white flour), we lose B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and other nutrients directly from our own reserves. This is the other reason for dental caries: Not only do bacteria touch our teeth, but our teeth— storing places for calcium— become weakened as calcium is withdrawn from them internally and thereby become more susceptible to bacterial attack. This“ siphoning” effect of sugar is also what lies behind the gnawing hunger it can produce in some people; since the hunger is for the missing elements— fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein, water— it can provoke great binges as the sugar eater searches to satisfy it. The best nutritional balance would be a fair amount of extra animal protein, but only if the sugar binge is not a result of high protein consumption to begin with. What do I mean by that? We saw earlier( chapter three) that there is a certain balance between meat consumption and white-sugar intake. The naked carbohydrate of white sugar dovetails perfectly with the carbohydrate-free protein of meat. In other words, if you eat meat, you need sugar, and vice versa. This relationship may explain the apparently healthy condition of some people who eat both foodstuffs in moderation— they remain in a balance of sorts. Serious trouble ensues when the sugar intake exceeds the amount necessary to balance the meat. This can happen— and does happen— easily, because sugar is physically addictive, much like a drug.“ The difference between sugar addiction and narcotic addiction,” wrote William Dufty in Sugar Blues,“ is largely one of degree.” 54 Two responses in the sugar“ user” qualify it as an addictive substance:( a) Eating even a small amount— one piece of candy, one bite of cake— creates a desire for more sugar; some people can’ t stop once they start;( b) quitting sugar cold-turkey brings on withdrawal symptoms that can last from three days to three weeks: strong cravings, fatigue, depression, lassitude, mood swings, maybe headaches. Excessive sugar consumption is believed to be involved in a host of very common problems: hypoglycemia or hyperinsulinism, diabetes, heart disease, dental caries, high cholesterol, obesity, indigestion,