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In 1980 the dietary fat revolution and subsequent promotion of; “Don’t eat dietary FAT it will cause cardiovascular disease and will make you fat”, began with a boom. The <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/pa.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-2695 " src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/pa.jpg" alt="pa" width="186" height="139" /></a>recommended food pyramid was flipped from the original version, (of which was nothing more than just eat food from the ground, on trees, and with eyes), was now promoting more manufactured food choices.

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So we bought this message and ate loads of starchy carbohydrates, packaged cereals, and basically anything that was labelled low-fat, low -calorie, fat-free, and supported with the heart foundation tick.

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Early in this new revolution of food consumption, it was clear that food free of real fat was unpalatable.

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So, those responsible for selling food, and making a profit, asked themselves the simple question of, “How do we make food taste good, encouraging consumers to not only buy it, but buy lots of it, whilst keeping the products low or fat free?”

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The most obvious answer was to load manufactured products with sugar. And, yes, this definitely helped with both taste, increased buying, and, as stats now confirm, increases in the populations weight gain and metabolic sickness.

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But.......

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Move forward to 2015. Most of us recognize and accept that (refined) sugar has played a huge role in making us both fat and sick. The ever accessible and irrefutable information <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/hcgcc.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-2382 " src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/hcgcc-300x168.jpg" alt="hcgcc" width="271" height="152" /></a>with supporting data is seemingly everywhere. Everyday there is yet another article, book, documentary, movie, advertisement, and unbelievably Government campaigns – including clear macronutrient labelling and more recently taxing. All these mediums (of which I have been one) have essentially made sugar the “fall guy”, and the (sugar) industry has suffered globally.

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<blockquote>
<span style="color: #008080;">It’s said that food loaded with sugar is both toxic and addictive. And, accordingly, sugar is the culprit for dragging down our countries health status and placing an increasing strain on our health system.</span></blockquote>
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Now, while I agree that sugar certainly contributed to self-sabotage illnesses like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and non-alcoholic liver disease, I’m not certain that sugar, even when refined, is actually addictive – causing us to eat, and then eat more, and thus causing a strain on our entire metabolic system.

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Example;

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We know that soft drinks contain a bucket of sugar. For example the biggest cola brand on the planet contains 10 teaspoons of sugar per 375mls. Now, if I mixed 10 tspns of refined sugar (white or brown) into a glass of water (375mls), do you think you could drink the entire glass? Well, I tested this, and, while a sip was tolerable, 9/10 people (including my kids) declined a second sip. It was not addictive and volume consumption pretty much self-regulated.

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I then did the same thing for ice blocks. I simply froze sugar and water and slapped a stick into it. Again, two licks and most were done.

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I made Anzac biscuits (sugar, oats, and lots of butter) and had them plated against packaged Tim Tams. Tim Tams won easily for the return visit.

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And again, I gave people the option of eating as much whole fruit (which is loaded with <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/waterrrrr.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-2797 " src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/waterrrrr.jpg" alt="waterrrrr" width="233" height="140" /></a>fructose) - watermelon, peaches, and pineapple as they could stomach versus a bowl of fruit jube confectionary. More collective calories were consumed in confectionary than the whole fruit.

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<strong><span style="color: #008080;">So what’s the go?</span></strong>

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In 1965 a “machine” was invented that could extract the precise taste or flavour, colour, and odour of whole foods like an orange, as an example. The process obviously discarding the bulk, including all the goodies like vitamins &amp; minerals, antioxidants, fibre and purpose built toxins. Next we had drinks, sweets, snacks, ice-blocks, vitamin tablets, everything seemingly tasting like an orange. They found they could do this for tomatoes, cheese, vanilla, chicken, beef and even an entire friggin’ pizza.

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Basically, you could now make nothing offer the same experience as something else – sort of. Essentially, we were able to trick the brain with manufactured flavouring, colours, odours and of course good old sugar. We then gave some longevity to this “frank-en-food” with trans-fats and preservatives, and bingo, you’ve got some serious repeat sale$.

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A flavoured potato or corn chip is the most classic example. Cracking real taste &amp; smell, <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/dor.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-2795 " src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/dor.jpg" alt="dor" width="157" height="117" /></a>energy dense, zero nutrients and off the charts addictive (for most people).

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Adding to our brains culinary confusion is this. Not only can you buy chicken flavoured savoury snacks, but you can now also buy chicken flavoured chicken. Chickens in 1960 took about 12 weeks to fully mature - ready to be served up perhaps adding salt &amp; pepper to your liking. The chickens would eat bugs, grass, spices etc. Now, chickens are in the supermarket in 4 ½ weeks – basically a fully grown baby. And, as it is a baby, the immature meat tastes like cardboard – so – enter flavours yet again. There is an entire isle full of ideas to flavour your chick!!!!

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<blockquote>
<span style="color: #008080;">So while there was little (real fat) in foods it was littered with sugar + the necessary flavours, odours and colours. Food became extra-ordinarily clean and controlled – free of toxins that will supposedly make us sick.</span></blockquote>
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To finish up, real food is loaded with toxins - everything from animal protein to fruit. These toxins are naturally designed to self regulate our consumption. Our volume, food balance, preference, regularity and timing of our fuelling should all be governed by real food <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/flavv.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-2793 " src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/flavv-300x240.jpg" alt="flavv" width="160" height="128" /></a>nutrients. Our brains should and do respond with: you’re done, you’ve had enough; this is not for you, it will make you sick; this is off, don’t eat anymore; you will feel like moving now; you don’t need any more sugar right now, stop, and go and find some protein of fat etc etc.

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Artificial flavours (not sugar) have tricked our brains and destroyed our most brilliantly engineered regulating system.

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Next time you pick up (food) that is packaged, boxed, or bottled, check out the label. While the macronutrient value is clear to see (as in CHO - Sugars, PRO, FAT etc), look a little more closely in super fine print for added flavours. Usually it reads like Bradman’s test innings – 204, 187, 245, 173, 203, 94. This can’t be good!

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BP