Spiritual Portal

The Dangers of Excess Sugar
 
Consuming too much sugar can negatively impact your health, increasing the risk of diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Hidden sugars in processed foods make it easy to exceed daily limits without realizing it.

Reducing sugar intake starts with reading food labels carefully and opting for natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup. Fresh fruits also make a healthier alternative to sugary snacks and desserts.

Gradually cutting back on sugar helps retrain your palate to enjoy less sweetness. Over time, your body and taste buds will thank you for the healthier choice.
 
 
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I also read in the SRF lessons that honey is natures sweetener and maple syrup increases mental capabilities.

There is no doubt that refined sugar is junk food.

However, even with healthy simple carbs like honey and maple syrup we should consider that they spike blood sugar and some people do not tolerate them. That is, they may cause T2D: type 2 diabetes, a most serious metabolic condition.

Bro. Bakhtananda advised to dilute fruit juice with water, but it is far better not to drink fruit juice at all, liquids containing sugar are adsorbed quickly and can give sharp spikes and subsequent hypoglycemia troughs.

Even fruit, consumed in large amounts, can increase substantially blood sugar.

Bottom line, if we are eating non-modest amounts of simple sugars (including the healthy types) we should monitor at least our fasting blood glucose, and our blood glucose after 2 hours from the meal.

IF the values are all right, then we tolerate simple sugar, we are the lucky ones.

IF the values are too high, then it's a dangerous route along which to proceed, even if the carbs are healty.

Do you monitor your blood sugar levels with a needle prick?

Yes, presently I use an automatic prick plus a certified, small and inexpensive device.

I've also used continuos glucose monitors, but that was when practicing a low-carb regime. I found that on a lowcarb diet there were no glucose spikes, but I lost too much weight. Some people like me evidently do need some glucose spikes to boost their insulin levels. I presently eat a plant-based diet with vegetables, fruits and nuts, plus dairy products and a few cereals, with modest amounts of honey and dates.

Today, however, on average, the problem is excess body weight and excess blood glucose.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes when I was sick. One of the medications I was put on eventually caused my weight to almost double to nearly 160 kilograms (about 350 pounds). I started taking the pills for diabetes but over time I needed injections of insulin 3 times a day. Oh dear I was very sick.

My weight has returned to normal, and the last 4 tests I have done with the doctor are long term blood sugar point averages (averaged over 3 months) and he told me my scores are lower than his and he's a marathon runner. I don't take any medication now, including nothing for diabetes.

 I was in hospital 2 years ago after a nasty accident and the nurse kept checking my insulin levels especially after meals. She was concerned that my blood sugars seemed to spike after eating. I don't check them at home now but I don't feel any ill effect after eating so I don't concern myself with it. I've always had a sweet tooth and I eat a smallish dessert after a meal each day. Right now I'm cooking low fat rice pudding which I'll have with some fruit after dinner. I'm also very active and somewhat of a fitness nut these days so I figure the exercise keeps the blood levels in check to a degree?

It sounds a bit like you are a witness to miraculous cures. I’ve seen some in my life also. And some miraculous protection while driving. Guess we are meant to live longer this life.

In truth we are just the witness to all, or so Vedanta says. I do believe it. In Lahiri Mahasaya's commentaries of the Bhagavad Gita, available on Yoga Niketan website, he calls the stillness following kriya practice the par avastha of kriya, or the supreme state following kriya. We literally become Brahman, or we at least move much closer to Brahman depending on the level of stillness.

So to your point I was witness to some seemingly miraculous cures but then with Master and the Gurus, what mortals think of as miracles are really just subtle manipulations of the dream universe which masters are able to do. But I'm sure I'm singing to the choir, you know firsthand how Master intervenes when necessary. I think we are just mightily blessed to be following such a pure path, and it seems we have been given a reprieve to help our personal spiritual quest in this life. I'm trying to make the most of the "borrowed time", although I'm not able to meditate long periods every day, due to demands of life but also my inability to maintain such a rigid approach. One stepping stone after the next...

Weboflife, I would keep checking glucose levels while fasting and 2 hours after meals, occasionally. And one or twice a yer your HA1bc, the 3-months average. Just for safety.

Moderate and daily physical activity is very good to prevent T2D, but there may be other biological reasons for the increase in blood glucose.