What's the deal with sugar?

Isildae

I'm very concerned about the amount of refined white sugar we eat as a society. There are some very interesting articles about the links between sugar and cancer as well as obesity. I think for some of us - particularly those like myself with a common endocronological disorder that causes insulin resistance who require a carefully considered diet - we need to pay particular attention. I can eat a low-fat diet and put on weight. It's not fat making me fat, it's sugar and most low-fat products have more sugar than the regular version. I buy full fat for my (skinny) kids and I also take care to reduce the amount of sugar we eat as a family by using alternatives in baking (Stevia for example). I wonder whether the rise in cancer, diabetes etc. can be attributed to our astronomical rise in consumption of sugar. I definitely have an addiction to the stuff although I'm getting better - I recently couldn't even sip a fast food thickshake because it was sickeningly sweet. Won't be buying one of those again.
Do yourself a favour and read some articles on the history of sugar introduction to our diet (only a few decades ago!) and the process of making refined white sugar (which is the most common form we eat). Particularly if you suffer from ongoing unexplained symptoms such as headaches. Unfortunately there are so many different types of sugar (sucrose, glucose, fructose) that the average layperson needs a degree in nutritional science to figure it out. Plainer labelling might make things easier - then again, the government recently decided NOT to overturn the hidden labelling of palm oil which can be found in everything from biscuits to toothpaste, basically as a filler. Rainforests are being destroyed in order to harvest this financially cheap resource at the expense of animal habitats. Money is what makes the world go round and those huge companies churning out sugar laden fizzy drinks and products are also the ones that supply our politicians with donations and funding. I agree with all things in moderation but our national consumption of refined white sugar is not moderate at all, unfortunately it's cheap and cheap is all anybody seems to want.