We eat about 130 pounds of the stuff a year or 35 teaspoons a day. And it’s in everything, chicken soup, pickles, pork and beans, peanut butter, bread, macaroni and cheese, ketchup, mustard and relish, jam, pop, yogurt, canned fruit and vegetables, salad dressings, not to mention the endless list of desserts, jam packed and stuffed to capacity with sugar.

Sugar cane in its natural form is rich in minerals and vitamins. The sugar molecules are complexed with other organic molecules. The organic components of sugar cane work synergistically to nourish the body. Sucanat, which is dehydrated cane sugar, is rich in potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, B1, B2, B6, niacin, calcium, iron, phosphorous, pantothenic acid, magnesium, zinc, copper, and chromium. In contrast, refined sugar is devoid of nutrients and acts more like a drug than a food. It quickly passes through the stomach wall causing blood sugar levels to rise, then plummet. First, the blood sugar level skyrockets and causes the pancreas to secrete insulin to compensate for the excess blood sugar. Afterward, the blood sugar level drops below normal. This state has been coined the sugar blues. The downside of the sugar blues is a state of depression, lethargy and irritability.

The craving for sugared foods can be like a drug addict craving a fix. There is an uncontrollable desire for something sweet. The addict will seek a sugar fix eight to twenty times per day.

While the average consumption is 24%, there are children consuming more than 50% of their calories as sugar. For school teachers, Halloween is a nightmare. Their students are affected by a massive sugar intake. Hyperactive on sugar, they behave erratically and become difficult to control.

In digestion, protein and sugar combinations putrefy and cause toxic substances called ptomaines and leucomaines. Over-consumption of sugar paralyzes our white blood cell's phagocytic ability, increasing the risk of viral infections. There are 60 to 400 trillion phagocytic white blood cells active in the body. White sugar causes these defenders to become sluggish in their work, thereby lowering resistance to disease. In other words, processed sugar messes up your immune system.