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Introduction to Sugars
Sugar seems to be related to all things sweet in life. We call our loved ones sweetheart, sugar plum, honey, and sweety pie. Life without any sweet flavors would be challenging at best and extremely disappointing at worst. Sugar is the great reward of life and we know that people and animals perform consistently better when rewarded. Because the term is used so loosely, sugar has become an ambiguous word. When one states the word sugar it could mean one of a dozen things such as high fructose corn syrup, refined cane sugar, white sugar, brown sugar, maple sugar, beet sugar, fruit juice, dried fruit, etc. For purposes of this article, sugar is defined as a natural hydrocarbon compound (such as honey, Jerusalem artichokes, yacon root, fruits, dried fruits, etc.) and refined sugar is an unnatural hydrocarbon product (such as high fructose corn syrup, brown sugar, white sugar, etc.) made through human engineering, plant breeding, and heat processing. To be specific, natural sugar compounds consist of hydrogen and carbon molecules linked together in short, medium, or long chains. Short chain sugars are what we call glucose, fructose, sucrose, fucose, xylose, and galactose. These are simple sugars that are easy to break down and provide quick energy. They are sweet to the taste. Some of these sugars (namely glucose, fructose, and sucrose) can be problematicboth physiologically and neurologicallyif overeaten (eating too many dates or bananas) or when miscombined with other foods leading to fermentation and flatulence. Sometimes, we may have such serious candida or cancer problems that we may not want to consume any glucose, fructose, and sucrose sugars at all for at least 3 months (no glucose, no fructose, no sucrose). Candida yeast cells and cancer cells feed on glucose, fructose, and especially sucrose sugars. These are their favorite food. Medium and long chain sugars are often called polysaccharides or glyconutrients. Once the sugar chain becomes medium to long in length, the sugar begins to become bitter in flavor. In simple terms, bitter polysaccharides or glyconutrients are one of the healthiest, immunologically-active substances we can ingest especially when still found in their natural state in whole organic raw foods, superfoods, and herbs. Polysaccharides (glyconutrients): Soothing to cells and tissue Produce healthy youthful skin cells Help keep us slim and trim Help detoxify our bodies Improve and educate our immune system Increase our brain power. Polysaccharide molecules of beta glucans (found in the medicinal mushrooms such as Agaricus blazei, Reishi, Chaga, Cordyceps, Maitake, etc.) have repeatedly been proven to enhance the bodys production of B-cells, T-cells, and NK cell activity all of these support a healthy immune response.
Certain foods, namely Jerusalem artichoke syrup or yacon root syrup, have just the perfect length of sugars and provide us with the sweet taste of a short chain sugar, but the health-enhancing properties of medium and long-chain polysaccharides. Polysaccharides in aloe vera rejuvenate epithelial cells (skin cells) better than any other food known. Goji berries, due to their high polysaccharide content are not only great for the immune system, they are also great for long-term energy and endurance because polysaccharides are broken down more slowly than simple sugars like glucose.
Mannose (polysaccharide)
Properties: Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral. Reduces inflammation.
Food and Herb Sources of Mannose: Aloe vera, kelp, shiitake mushroom, fenugreek, carob gum, guar gum, black currants, red currants, gooseberries, green beans, cayenne pepper, cabbage, broccoli, eggplant, tomatoes, turnip, cranberries.
N-Acetylgalactosamine (polysaccharide)
Properties: Inhibits the spread of tumors. Heart disease causes a low-level of this saccharide. Food and Herb Sources of N-Acetylgalactosamine: marine phytoplankton, Dumontiaceae (red algae).
N-Acetylglucosamine (polysaccharide)
Properties: Immune system modulator. Anti-viral. Anti-inflammatory. Repairs cartilage. Repairs the mucosal-lining that is damaged by Crohns disease, ulcerative colitis, and interstitial cystitis. Enhances learning. Food and Herb Sources of N-Acetylglucosamine: Shiitake mushroom, glucosamine sulfate
Food and Herb Sources of N-Acetylneurominic Acid: Lions mane mushroom, marine phytoplankton, raw dairy products
Medicinal mushrooms Try different types of medicinal mushrooms. Start with Reishi. Experiment and discover which ones work best in your body. I personally enjoy Reishi, Chaga, Shiitake, Lions Mane, and Maitake (I never would have found this out without trying different ones over the years). Noni One of the best polysaccharide containing foods in the world. Noni is the only fruit tree in the world that grow directly out of a lava field with no soil. Nori (laver) Nori is a great seaweed and a source of polysaccharides. Sea lettuce Great to add to salads or snack on during long trips. Stevia a natural sweetener alternative. A South American plant, stevia produces false sugars in its leaves that may be processed into a sugar alternative. As a general rule, stevia does not irritate diabetic conditions, hypoglycemia conditions, cancer, or candida. Yacon root Like its temperate climate relative, Jerusalem artichoke, this tropical food contains polysaccharides that help to nourish friendly bacteria and help to alleviate blood sugar disorders. ** Written by David Wolfe 2012