Pour some sugar on me!!!

I sometimes dream I live in Candyland, where roads are paved with Tootsie Rolls, the trees are made of marzipan and the lakes run with melted chocolate. Then I wake up and fight a daily struggle with my sweet tooth. How bad can sugar be? 


First of all what is sugar?
The white crystalline substance we know of as sugar is produced by industrial processes (mostly from sugar cane or sugar beets) by refining it down to pure sucrose, after stripping away all the vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes and other beneficial nutrients.


What effect does sugar have on the body?

• Sugar can suppress the immune system
• Sugar can upset the body's mineral balance.
• Sugar can contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children.
• Sugar can produce a significant rise in triclycerides
• Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
• Sugar can reduce helpful high density cholesterol (HDLs).
• Sugar can promote an elevation of harmful cholesterol (LDLs).
• Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
• Sugar contributes to a weakened defense against bacterial infection.
• Sugar can cause kidney damage.
• Sugar can increase the risk of coronary heart disease
• Sugar may lead to chromium deficiency.
• Sugar can cause copper deficiency.
• Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
• Sugar can increase fasting levels of blood glucose.
• Sugar can promote tooth decay.
• Sugar can produce an acidic stomach.
• Sugar can raise adrenaline levels in children.
• Sugar can increase total cholesterol.
• Sugar can contribute to weight gain
• High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
• Sugar can contribute to diabetes
• Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis
• Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity
• Sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance.
• Sugar can increase systolic blood pressure.
• Sugar causes food allergies
• Sugar can cause free radical formation in the bloodstream.
• Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy
• Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
• Sugar can overstress the pancreas, causing damage.
• Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
• Sugar can cause liver cells to divide, increasing the size of the liver.
• Sugar can increase the amount of fat in the liver
• Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney
• Sugar can cause depression
• Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.
• Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance.
• Sugar can cause hypertension.
• Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.
• Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter the mind's ability to think clearly.
• Sugar can increase blood platelet adhesiveness which increases risk of blood clots and strokes
• Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon

The average American consumes 115-135 lbs of sugar a year!!! 100 years ago we consumed less than 5lbs of sugar per year.  If the above doesn't scare you off of sugar here is one more:

Eating sugary foods can actually contribute to developing wrinkles!

Enough said.