Sweet Fire
by Marjorie Tietjen
Most people are aware that consuming too much sugar is not healthy for the human body. Mainstream nutritional educators tell us that this is because a diet high in sugar displaces the important foods we should be eating. While this statement is certainly true, it is only the tip of the iceberg.
I was recently given the opportunity to view the DVD Sweet Fire written and presented by Mary Toscano. I was very impressed by the content and clarity of this very informative lecture. This film is suitable for any age group. The information given is very understandable and is shared in a humorous and non-judgmental fashion.
Mary Toscano became interested in nutrition due to her own experiences with fluctuating blood sugar levels and fatigue. She felt she was too young to feel so old. Mary became a certified nutrition educator and now shares her experiences and knowledge with others.
Toscano's DVD thoroughly discusses the different forms of sugar, the numerous foods it is found in and how much sugar is in each food. Mary goes over the typical foods that people consume in a day and physically shows us how they are not as healthy as we may have thought. She does this by adding up the sugar amounts on the labels of these foods and pouring this actual amount of sugar into clear containers so we can get a visual impression of the stress we are placing on our bodies.
Tuscano makes the point that sugar, not healthy fats, is the main culprit concerning heart disease and backs up what she says with scientific facts.
Using entertaining props, Mary painlessly discusses the chemistry of sugar and the way it reacts in our bodies. She explains the crucial differences between healthy complex sugars or carbohydrates and their unhealthy refined form. Mary gives the following example….The glucose you get from broccoli is the same glucose that you get from candy. However, broccoli is a whole food with fiber and enzymes, which help to digest it. When you eat candy, it comes with nothing. When eating candy, you actually deplete your vitamin stores while the body works harder to digest this unnatural food. Vitamins and minerals are drawn from the body to aide in digestion and assimilation and leaves you with a negative balance in your body's bank account. Instead of saying that a junk food has empty calories, Tuscano goes further and calls them "take away calories".
Through audience participation, Tuscano helps listeners to understand the importance of the rate at which sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream. The measure of this rate of absorption is called the glycemic index. Mary explains why it is so important that we eat foods which are on the lower end of the glycemic index. The foods on the lower end of this index are absorbed into the body more slowly and evenly, producing much less strain on the body than foods which are on the higher end of the glycemic index. The latter foods are absorbed into the bloodstream too quickly, causing repeated shock to our digestive organs and eventually wearing them out. It's simple… when they get tired, we get tired. This can negatively affect our energy levels, our mental state and many other physiological processes of the body. Some of the end results of this process are diabetes and hypoglycemia. These subjects are also covered in the video.
Toscano realizes that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to totally change your diet overnight. Her motto is….the more good foods you keep adding to your diet, the more the bad foods will fall away. Returning to a more healthy and natural way of eating does not have to be a struggle. I am currently going through this process and am finding that it can be a very exciting time of experimentation and discovery.
Sweet Fire is a video I would recommend to anyone. The information it contains is extremely useful for people wanting to lose weight, improve their moods and energy levels and for anyone who wants to help prevent degenerative disease. I would think that should include just about everyone.
