We Crave Our Own Poison - Sugar, It's Ugly.

One hundred and fifty-six pounds. That's how much added sugar Americans consume each year on a per capita basis, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 
Imagine, 31 five-pound bags for each of us and many of us avoid it like the plague so add that volume to someone else's account.  That's a whole whopping lot of sugar!

That's not to say that the sugar in the American diets comes directly from the sugar bowl. About 29 pounds of it comes as traditional sugar, or sucrose, according to The Sugar Association, a trade group of sugar manufacturers. The rest comes in the form of added sugars to processed food and beverages.  Of course, this includes things like candy, soda, and junk food that are made with sugar or high fructose corn syrup. But plenty of sugar is hiding in places where you might not expect it.

Many foods are loaded with sugar in the form of high-fructose corn syrup, or HFCS. Use of this sweetener has increased 3.5% per year in the last decade, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). That's twice the rate at which the use of refined sugar has grown.

Another high-sugar category? Low-fat products, which may not be as good for your diet as you think. Some contain plenty of sugar to make up for the lack of tasty fat.

Sugar is "toxic" in the amount that it is consumed by Americans.  A little bit might be OK.  That part remains debatable.  Quantity and quality are definite deciding points. 
Raw Honey and fructose derived from fruit are good sugars but it's still important to limit the amount you consume.

We crave our own poison and the dose determines the outcome of the disease.  There is a threshold, and right now Americans consume sugar in amounts way above that threshold.  Major illnesses and disease seem to have taken over and become common place.  I think it's probably safe to say that cancer, diabetes and heart disease have affected the majority of the populace.  If you don't have one of these yourself, praise the Lord!  You probably do have a family member or close friend that has been directly affected.  It's a sad state of affairs and much of it is controllable through changes in diet and nutrition.

New research about the effects of excessive sugar intake is coming out all the time, and none of it is reassuring.  I would like to encourage you to monitor the amount of sugar you consume.  Are you getting the national average of 20+ teaspoons a day?  Consider changing your sugar source to raw honey and fresh fruits and consider downsizing your intake dramatically.  We would love to hear your comments!