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Sugar—Friend VS. Enemy

Sugar. It's everywhere. It's in our drinks, it's in our foods, and it's hidden in places we never would think of. Many would call sugar their friend in time of need, but in fact their so-called “good friend” could turn out to be their worst enemy in disguise.

Sugar for many is something they may have been battling with for a long time. Here's a simple three-step process to help you start to win back the battle for your health.

First Step—Awareness of What Sugar Really Does to Your Body

Most people will say they “know” that they shouldn't have sugar, but they really can't help it. To me that is a lack of true awareness of what sugar does to oneself. I don't think many people will say that they want to hurt their body on purpose, but unless they know it's really happening they will continue down that road. Sugar is slower to impact our health, and it's that slow destructive process that is the most dangerous. Unfortunately, most people don't know the damage until it has already been done.

Let's look at what is really going on with sugar from inside our body's point of view.

1. Sugar increases fat storing. Possibly the most important hormone in the body is insulin（胰岛素）, when it comes to weight loss and health. Insulin is the main hormone that we have full control over daily through our diet and lifestyle. When we eat sugar and it enters into our bloodstream too quickly, we have a spike in blood sugar levels. Now in times of high activity we are able to burn it off, but if we are sitting around this is not a good thing. So in response to that high level of blood sugar, the body will release more insulin into the bloodstream. Insulin will then take the excess glucose（葡萄糖）and try to find a place to store it. If your muscles are all full (or have insulin resistance) then the best place to put the excess glucose is fat cells. When insulin is high, the fat cells are told to shut down any process of releasing stored fat into the blood for burning. With chronic high insulin spikes comes a resistance to it by your cells, leading to more insulin production, leading to more fat storing, and more resistance, eventually going down a road of diabetes and ill health for the whole body.

2. Sugar also disrupts normal brain function. I think most people can relate to mood swings and energy highs/lows that come after a high sugar meal. Sugar can also be the source of many people's increased anxiety and depression. Let us not also forget the kids with ever-increasing attention “disorders” and behavioral issues. Sugar is not helping with that, either. In fact, there have been many studies that show when taking sugar out of a kid's diet and increasing fat intake, their attention ability increases, their behavior changes for the better.

3. Sugar decreases your overall health and makes you age quicker. Too much sugar will lower your overall immune system, increase destructive inflammation, lead to essential mineral deficiencies in the body, feed bad bacteria growth in your gut and other wonderful stuff. Aging is just a fancy word for the body breaking down quicker than it can repair itself, as that is what happens when we get older. Aging also is accelerated by the increasing risks of all degenerative diseases such as diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease and cancers. We are all going to get older, but it doesn't mean that we have to “age” quicker.

Second Step—Realize You Are in 100% Control of Your Actions

This could be the most underrated yet the most important step, as we are the only person who controls what we put into our body. Everything starts in what we choose to put in our mouths. Some people may say they can't control their sugar cravings, but that is already admitting defeat and giving up power to some “cosmic sugar influence” out there. We can pass on dessert, we don't need to buy a candy bar, we can drink water instead of soda, but the choice is ours to make.

Also many like to call it an “addiction”. This is just another way to give up your own personal power of choice. While sugar can have “addictive like” qualities, it's not something that you own or is a part of you. Fight the battle and you will get over the addictive feelings, they will go away. But if you call it an addiction and make it part of you, then it is yours to keep forever. Be free from it, let go. Take back control and anything is possible.

Third Step—Just Live the Daily Journey One Choice at a Time

Life is just a series of present moments, and the choices we make in those moments. So let's just focus on what we can do right now instead of worrying about what has happened in the past or may or may not happen in the future. “Now” is all we have and all we need to focus on.

Choose to eat more natural foods. Choose whole food proteins, healthy fats and natural sources of carbohydrates. If it wasn't around a thousand years ago or is made by man (and not nature), chances are you don't need it. Note how it says “Choose” above, as it is your choice.

Find the hidden sources of sugars and remove them. Sugar is hidden in places such as sauces, ketchup, soups, processed foods, drinks, so called health bars, and more. Become a label reader and see how much sugar you are consistently putting into your body. Don't fall for the marketing trick either of “low fat”, because that usually means “more sugar”.

1. The author believe that sugar in fact is _____.

A. our good friend most of the time

B. a hidden enemy

C. a friend as well as an enemy

D. a longtime friend

2. The reason why many people can't help having sugar is _____.

A. they are addicted to it

B. they neglect its danger

C. they are unaware of its danger

D. they want to hurt their body

3. We are able to cut down blood sugar levels by _____.

A. taking part in intense activities

B. just sitting around

C. going on diet

D. losing weight

4. When insulin in the bloodstream is high, fat cells will stop releasing _____.

A. excess glucose

B. bloodstream

C. insulin

D. stored fat

5. Taking high sugar meals may result in _____.

A. brain damage

B. mood fluctuation

C. mental disorder

D. bad temper

6. Many studies show that sugar-free diets with more fat can improve children's _____.

A. attention ability

B. behavior

C. brain function

D. depression

7. The truth that we get older is that our body _____.

A. lacks essential minerals

B. is under risks of diabetes

C. has a weak immune system

D. breaks down faster than it can be self-repaired

8. You yield to your addictive feelings, which means you give up _____.

9. To be healthy, what we should do now is to eat natural foods and remove _____.

10. This passage discusses how to _____ out of our life.

文章精要：

糖类食品无处不在，影响了人们的健康。作者建议人们做到以下三个步骤，以保证健康的生活：第一，真正了解糖对人体的危害；第二，完全地控制自己吃糖的欲望；第三，做到健康饮食，远离糖类食品。

答案解析：

1. B　由题干中的sugar和in fact定位到原文首段末句。文章指出，很多人在需要糖的时候把它们当作朋友，但事实上，糖是披着“好朋友”外衣的最糟糕的敌人，B项中的hidden与原文中的in disguise相对应，故选B。

2. C　根据题干信息词can't help定位到第一个小标题下的首句。文章指出，大多数人都知道不应该吃糖，但是他们忍不住，在作者看来，他们是缺乏对糖的害处的真正认识。C项中的unaware of its danger是对原文lack of true awareness of what sugar does to oneself 的同义转述，故选C。

3. A　根据题干信息词blood sugar levels可定位到第一个小标题下第1条第三句。文章提到，我们吃下的糖很快会进入血液中，导致体内的血糖水平达到峰值，而进行剧烈运动可以降低这个峰值。A项中的intense activities与文中的high activity同义，故A项正确。

4. D　根据题干信息词insulin和high定位到第一个小标题下第1条的倒数第二句。文章指出，当血液中胰岛素的含量很高时，脂肪细胞就会停止将储存的脂肪释放到血液中消耗掉，D项符合文意，为正确答案。

5. B　根据题干信息词high sugar meals定位到第一个小标题下第2条的第二句话。文章提到，作者认为大多数人在吃过含糖量高的食物后，都经历过情绪波动，或者能量或高或低，故选B。

6. A　根据题干信息词diets和children可定位到第一个小标题下第2条的末句。文章指出，事实上有许多研究表明，去掉儿童饮食中的糖分，增加脂肪摄入，可以增强他们的注意力，故A正确。

7. D　根据题干信息词get older可定位到第一个小标题下的第3条。文章提到，所谓老化就是身体的衰退速度比其自身的修复速度快，随着我们年龄的增长，老化一直在进行着。选项D正是对原文的同义转述，故正确。

8. your own personal power of choice。根据题干信息词give up可以定位到第二个小标题下第二段的首句。文章提到，许多人忍不住吃糖，把这称之为上瘾，其实这就是以另一种方式放弃了个人的选择权。可以理解成你不能控制自己的选择，被欲望控制了，故得答案your own personal power of choice。

9. hidden sources of sugars。根据题干信息词remove可定位到第三个小标题下第三段的首句。文中提到，我们不要去关注过去发生了什么，或者将来要发生什么，更重要的是我们要把握现在，做出正确的选择，保持健康的生活。首先选择吃绿色天然食品；第二要找到食物中隐藏的糖，将它们除掉。故得答案hidden sources of sugars。

10. cut sugar。通读全文可知，本文主要介绍了减少糖分摄入量以保持身体健康的三个步骤，故得答案cut sugar。