SUGAR TECHNOLOGY

Help, I Have an Addiction to Sugar? What You Can Do

2010-08-23T22:49:00.001-07:00

Experts debate the fact that we can become addicted to sugar in the same respect as drugs, alcohol or tobacco. Addiction can be defined as a substance which is compulsive, persistently used, and is known to be detrimental to the body and harmful. Many people have experienced these feelings in relationship with white refined sugar. We know that a high sugar intake is bad for us but we cannot seem to stop ourselves, and feel the need to carry on whatever.

There are many tell tale signs and symptoms that give an indication that we may have a sugar addiction. Perhaps we can learn from these symptoms and try to find a solution:

- Do sugar cravings occur at certain times of day?

Some of us seem to follow a pattern in the time of day we crave sugar. It may be first thing in the morning or mid morning or afternoon. Perhaps for some of us early evening, while we are relaxing watching television is our craving time. Maybe we feel that at these times we need that extra lift and energy injection, or to help relieve the stresses of our day.

- Do we constantly crave sugar throughout the day?

If sugar craving takes up a major role in our thoughts throughout the day, it is most likely that we have a sugar dependency issue. If we constantly have an intense desire for sugary, sweet treats or drinks, we are severely dependent on the lift and comfort the sugar gives us.

- Do we blame a sweet tooth?

When we are faced with a choice between a sweet or savory snack, which is more appealing to our taste buds? We all like sweets but some of us can resist the temptation, others cannot. If we find ourselves unable to resist that delicious looking dessert at dinner, and just have to have that sweet cup of coffee to follow, there is every possibility that we have an addiction issue, not just a sweet tooth.

- Do we suffer side effects when reducing sugar intake?

If we feel that when our sugar intake is reduced, we notice changes in how we feel, both physically and mentally, then we are showing signs of sugar addiction. Some of us may have mood swings, anxiety attacks, or feel tired or irritable. These uncomfortable and erratic feelings and emotions lead us to believe that we are suffering from withdrawal symptoms. That is to say that our body is craving the sugar to which it has been deprived.

Once we have regulated our sugar consumption, these symptoms will gradually diminish, enabling us reduce our dependence on sugar, making it far easier to stay sugar free.

If we submit to our cravings to relieve any uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms, we will only be fueling even greater cravings later. We have all, at some time eaten a chocolate, which makes us crave another. Before we know it, the whole box of chocolates is gone! It is often, the more sugar we eat, the more we want. By employing a little determination, we can overcome these discomforts and as time goes by we will gradually have the ability to fight the cravings, making them a thing of the past.

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Revitalization of sugar and fertilizer factories to total: Rp 70.6 trillion

2010-08-20T00:45:00.000-07:00

Nani Alfrida, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government’s five-year program to revitalize the country’s inefficient fertilizer and sugar industries will cost up to Rp 70.6 trillion (US$8 billion), says the industry minister.

“The majority of the budget or Rp 47.1 trillion will be used to finance the revitalization of the fertilizer industry, while the rest will be allocated to the sugar industry,” Industry Minister M.S. Hidayat said Monday.

The revitalization of urea factories alone will require Rp 45.2 trillion, while NPK fertilizer factories will need Rp 1.9 trillion, Hidayat said.

Urea, which is produced through a two-step chemical reaction, is made from ammonia and carbon dioxide, which are both fed into a reactor at a high pressure and temperature, while NPK contains three chemical materials; nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (NPK).

Hidayat said the revitalization of the country’s existing fertilizer factories was necessary in order to cope with rising demand.

“The technology used in existing fertilizer factories is outdated and no longer efficient,” he said, adding the government had estimated that fertilizer production from those factories would not be sufficient to fulfill future demand in the country.

Domestic fertilizer consumption currently totals 11 million tons a year.

The government estimates that in 2025, Indonesia will need about 23.2 million tons of fertilizer.
Last year, fertilizer factories produced 6.8 million tons of urea and 1.5 million tons of NPK.

Based on a meeting held in January, the government plans to revitalize the fertilizer industry by providing additional capital to state fertilizer producers, restructuring six urea factories, constructing four new organic fertilizer factories and ensuring sufficient supplies for the factories.

The shortage of gas, for example, has caused serious problems for the country’s fertilizer production.

Existing fertilizer factories require 783 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMSCFD). With the revitalization, the gas needed will increase by 509 MMSCFD.

Hidayat said the ministry had succeeded in negotiating gas supplies over the next decade, from Total E&P, Pearl Oil and Inpex, for 80 MMSCFD for the newly opened PT Pupuk Kaltim plant.

The ministry also issued a regulation stipulating a road map of cluster expansion on the sugar cane industry on Jan. 27 to strengthen the program.

“The forestry minister has informed us there are about 500,000 hectares of conversion and abandoned forest that are ready to be converted into sugar cane plantations,” Hidayat said.

The vacant lands are in South Sulawesi, Lampung, Jambi and Papua.

“We will ask for some assistance from the agriculture ministry to determine whether the area is fit for sugar cane plantations,” he said.

Hidayat said the demand for raw sugar for industrial use reached 2.15 million tons in 2009, while domestic production was only 1.9 million tons.

He added that demand for raw sugar for industrial use would reach 2.74 million tons by 2014.

Indonesia is the largest sugar buyer in Southeast Asia, with a total domestic demand (household and industrial) of 4.8 million tons per year.

How Does the Body Process Sugar?

2010-08-18T03:42:00.001-07:00

Simple sugars are one of the two forms of carbohydrates. (The other sphere of carbohydrates would be starches) Simple sugars come in the form of processed/refined sugars which would be found in junk food or in a natural form which would be found in fruits. Clearly, junk food sugars are more problematic than natural sugars although both are essentially processed the same way. Actually, the same could be said of starches since the body will break them down into simple sugars in the bloodstream.

Ultimately, when sugars are released into the bloodstream, there will be a clear effect on the system. Specifically, the pancreas will react to the presence of sugar by releasing a hormone known as insulin. It is insulin that is employed to move sugar through the bloodstream and to the cellular level.

What is so important about sugar that is needed by the cells? Basically, sugar is a source of energy. When the body needs to expend energy, it will employ the sugars in the cells to deliver such a response. This is why the low carbohydrate diet yields such an effective weight loss impact. With little or no sugar in the system, the body will have to burn protein and stored fat for energy. Hence, fat cells are metabolized by the body.

This brings up another point that bears mentioning. When you ingest a diet that is very high in sugar content and you do not burn it, the excess turns to fat and it can turn to fat rapidly. This is why refined sugars are so guilty of causing obesity. Such sugars are loaded with calories which mean they require a lot of energy to burn off. Since it is extremely difficult to burn them off, excess always remains. That, in turn, means there will be a lot of excess calories that turn to stored fat.

Natural carbohydrates and sugars are lower in calories and they do not break down and flood the bloodstream as quickly. That means they are not as guilty of promoting excess weight gain as the other sugars.

Regardless of the type of sugars that you ingest, it is best to never overdo it. This is because a diet that is loaded with sugar will mean the bloodstream will be flooded with insulin. This can lead to problems such as heart disease and diabetes over time. This is most definitely a serious issue which is why people need to pay attention to the effects of sugar on the body and to curtail eating sugars to excess.

Cliff Pape is a Houston Personal Trainer who can help you achieve all of your fitness goals, all while keeping it fun and exciting. Cliff will develop a custom routine for you based on your own fitness goals, and he is always a phone call away for support. So what are you waiting for, call Cliff today!

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How to Lose Weight Healthily and Keep Fats Off Permanently

2010-08-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

Burn The Fats And Keep Them Off Permanently!

How many times have you heard a friend say, "I am on a diet"? Then what happens is your friend would lose some weight for a while before putting them all back on again.

I'll bet you have also heard someone said that "Cardio exercise is the best way for losing weight". This person would then religiously pound the treadmill but results are agonizingly slow. Soon, he gives up and gains back all the weight he had lost, and sometimes even gaining some extra kilos!

Ah, so you thought you've finally found the answer to permanent weight loss. You went on a strict diet and ran your heart out. Yes, you dropped kilos real quickly. But somehow, something is wrong when you look into the mirror in your birthday suit.

Yes you have lost some weight, but somehow your body shape isn't as flattering as you would like it to be. And then suddenly, you hit a plateau. No matter how strict your diet and cardio workouts are, your weight just simply refuses to drop any further. Then horrors of horrors, your kilograms actually started piling on! You get disillusioned with the unrewarding program and soon you succumbed, gave up and blame it on your bad genes. Sounds familiar? Why???

Here's why. Firstly, the heading of the article said "Burn The Fats" and not "Lose Weight". My point is, by merely losing weight, you will also lose some muscle mass in the process. By losing muscles, you will lose body tone and thus your metabolism for burning calories will slow down correspondingly. Therefore, you have got to maintain or even build muscles while losing fats. You may even gain some weight because muscles are heavier than fats. See the paradox?

To lose fats and keep them off permanently, you have to combine healthy eating habits, incorporate cardio exercises and lift weights to build muscles. For every kg of muscles you pack, you will burn an extra 70-100 calories per day even without doing anything. Can you imagine the benefits of building up 5kg of extra muscles? You will be burning 350 to 500 extra calories a day even if you just laze around. You'll be burning a Big Mac everyday! To further illustrate my point, 1 kg = about 7,700 calories, thus if you burn 500 calories a day because of the extra muscles you have, you will be burning off about 1 kg every 2 weeks simply because of your higher metabolism rate! You'll also look good, healthy and well-toned too! Is it any wonder why body builders eat so much but do not put on fats as easily?

Everyone knows that intensive cardio and strict diets cause you to lose muscle mass along with fats. So while you will lose some weight at the beginning, you will look like, well, just a smaller version of you without any muscle tone. That's not what we want isn't it?

As you lose more and more muscles, your metabolism plummets. On top of that, your body will start conserving fats and 'eat' your muscles for energy because it is reacting to your strict diet and is now in the "famine" mode. What happens then is that you will hit a plateau and no matter what you do, you will not reduce anymore weight and your fats will start creeping up again. This, in a nutshell, is the 'yo-yo' dieting effect that we hear so much about.

Losing fats is simple. And notice that I said 'simple' but did not say that it is 'easy'. My pointers will be simple to understand, but the execution will take determination and discipline on your part. It is a lifestyle change to keep the fats off permanently and you will be glad you did because you will get used to the changes in only a few weeks. By then, it will become a cultivated habit for you, especially when you are rewarded with a fitter, healthier, hunkier and sexier you, together with a glowing complexion to boot!

Here is how you do it. Simply, losing fat just means you must burn more calories than you consume. Period.

Lift weights with compound exercises. Forget those puny biceps and triceps curls. Go for big muscle groups like legs, back and chest routines. Why? Because you are working with bigger parts with more mass, and that means more body muscles are working, translating into more calories being expended. If you are fit, do giant sets (4 or more exercises or sets with no rest in between sets or exercise).

Here's an example. Lift only one set of each exercise with no rest in between the exercises. Choose a weight of about 60%-70% of what you normally lift and go for at least 25 reps. Lift more if you can or until your muscles are fatigued, then stop. Leave the gym. The whole routine should not take you more than 40 minutes. But remember to warm up thoroughly and cool down with some light movements and stretching.

After thoroughly warming up, start with squats, then dip, bench press, barbell row and military press. Sounds simple? Not so. You will be huffing, puffing and sweating profusely. What is achieved? You will have combined a cardio workout with a weightlifting workout and your metabolism will burn for the next several hours. Do this 3 times a week with at least a day's rest in between lifting days.

After 4-8 weeks, change the sequence of the exercises. So if you usually squat first, then squat last. Then after another 4-8 weeks, change some of the exercises, like substituting squats with dead lift, or bar bell rows with lat pull down. This is to shock your muscles so that they continue to adapt and grow.

For cardio, go for a run first thing in the morning before breakfast. If you are jogging at normal speed, sustain the jog for at least 45 minutes. If you are running at 65% to 80% of your maximum heart rate (you will be panting and unable to sing or complete a sentence while running), then 20-30 minutes will be enough. Anything more than that may cause muscle break down. You may intersperse the speed with slower jogs in between to catch your breath. Do these 5-6 times a week.

Eating habits? Just eat less of what you normally eat. For example if you have 2 slices of bread with 2 eggs in the morning, now take just one slice and an egg. Just eat half of what you eat but eat more regularly. Have 5 to 6 meals a day if you can. This is to feed your body frequently so that it will not go into starvation mode and start to conserve fats. At the same time, it will boost metabolism because your body burns calories while digesting the food. Chuck away all soft drinks, sugared drinks and stop adding sugar into your coffee and tea. Just by abstaining from sugary drinks, you may already have gotten rid yourself of 200 calories per day. Drink plenty of water instead and double the amount if you can.

Oh, by the way, all work and no play make Jack a dull tired boy and an exhausted Jill. Do choose a day to relax a week. No exercise on that day. Indulge in your favorite food if you must. Hey, pat yourself on the back and reward yourself for passing another grueling week. After all, your body needs to recover too.

As you reach your fat loss goals and you are happy with your muscular development, you can then take things a little easier. Hit the gym less frequently, have shorter runs and even relax a little in your diet. Because of your greater musculature, your body is now a fat-burning machine. You have earned that luxury.

Simple? Sure. But do you have the determination enough to lose those fats and keep them off permanently? It's your call folks!

Author Bio
Chris Chew is a Singapore based American Muscle and Fitness Institute's Master Trainer. His clients consist of TV personalities, models, winners of national and international pageants. He has appeared on national TV and papers on numerous occasions. For more articles like this and free newsletters like this, check out www.sgfitnessonline.com

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Benefits of Raw Sugar Or Molasses

2010-08-12T00:40:00.000-07:00

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Raw sugar is made from sugarcane. Occasionally, it is considered as brown sugar. However, there are differences between raw sugar and brown sugar. Brown sugar is refined white sugar added with molasses while raw sugar is just unrefined sugar.

In the traditional way of producing sugar, after sugarcane is harvested, it is grated and juiced. The sugarcane juice will be filtered to remove any dirt or fiber. The pure juice is then boiled with low heat for about 5 to 6 hours. In the boiling process, it has to be stirred frequently and the water content will be evaporating slowly. So the mixture become thick and concentrated. When it is cool, it becomes solid and this is raw sugar. Color of the sugar is proportional to the boiling time. The longer the boiling time is, the darker the color of the sugar.

Recently natural or organic food has become very popular. As most of us are concerned about our well being, more and more natural food is now being studied and used in many aspects. In Chinese medicine, raw sugar is believed able to improve blood circulation, blood cell production, improve appetite and enhance digestion. The glucose contained in it can be adsorbed by human body almost instantaneously and replenish your energy at once.

Women are encouraged to have sugar drinks during or after their menstrual cycle daily before lunch. This will also help to ease the menstrual cramp that one experienced. For mothers who have just given birth to their child, it can also improve uterine contraction and recovery after birth and improve milk secretion. For one with a cold, drinking it with ginger will effectively ease the symptoms. To prepare a sugar ginger drink, just add 30g of ginger slices in boiling water and boil for 10 minutes in low heat. After that, add in 20g of sugar and stir slowly until it is melted. And also for those with constipation problems, this will be a simple and fast remedy to improve digestion.

Beside the medical benefits of it, now we also discover the cosmetic effects of raw sugar and find that it is used in many top cosmetic products. As we know, pigmentation in skin is caused by melanin in skin cells. Molasses is able to deplete melanin into the lymphatic system and finally out of the human body. Molasses also act as an antioxidant agent and increases the repairing rate of skin cells in the dermis layer. With the whitening and antioxidant effects, it is now one of the popular ingredients in many cosmetic products. We can use it to ease the swelling caused by bee stings by applying molasses on the swelling. Also we can improve skin irritation caused by dehydration by adding in some sugar to water used for bathing.

Raw Sugar has many benefits to offer as a food or as a cosmetic. To consider our well being, raw sugar will always be my first choice for sweetener. What about you now?

Joanne T.
To learn more about healthy diets, please visit http://www.101lowfatrecipes.com/.

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The Definitive Guide to Sugar

2010-08-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

You’d think this post would come with a blaring alarm, flashing strobe light or at least an ominous gong. Sugar, after all, gets little welcome around these parts. It’s on one hand a dastardly devil, shameless snare for many a man, woman and child. Beyond this luring, ignoble reputation, however, you’ll find (as is so often the case in life and biology) the story is a bit more complicated – and compelling – than the proverbial black hat. Sugar comes in many forms of course, and each of these leaves a certain amount of damage and destruction in its path. Yet, what do we do when sugar naturally accompanies some of the healthiest fare out there? Do we forgo it altogether when a touch ties an otherwise good Primal recipe together? Are the typical substitutions any better when we choose to use a sweetener? We’ve covered the artificial options in the past, but today I’ll give several natural varieties of sugar their due – the obligatory facts, the practical details and a final Primal analysis.
Why Avoid Sugar?

How could I possibly talk sugar without the warning? If you’ve spent any time around MDA, you likely know the drill. Despite its beloved place (not to mention omnipresence) in our culinary culture, sugar offers the following gifts that keep on giving:

* Sugar stimulates a physiological stressor-reaction cascade that provokes adrenaline and cortisol release and thickens the blood.
* Sugar effectively disables your immune system by impairing white blood cells’ functioning.
* Sugar decreases your body’s production of leptin, a hormone critical for appetite regulation.
* Sugar induces significant oxidative stress in the body.
* Sugar appears to fuel cancer cells. (Check out Free the Animal for much more on the cancer connection.)
* Sugar promotes fat storage and weight gain.
* Sugar disrupts the effective transfer of amino acids to muscle tissue.
* Sugar intake over time spurs insulin resistance, subsequent Type II diabetes and the entire host of related health issues like nerve damage and cardiovascular disease.

Yes, sugar is one insanely powerful drug. Addictive, to boot.
Different Types of Sugar

Public service message aside, let’s get into the nitty-gritty now. Chemically speaking, there are different kinds of sugar. The natural sweeteners and sugary foods we eat contain varying proportions of these. Let’s look at a few of the most common forms.
Glucose

Glucose is the cornerstone of most carbohydrates. It’s a monosaccharide that often combines with and creates other forms of sugar (e.g. sucrose, lactose). In plants, glucose is formed through photosynthesis and stored as starch. In our own bodies, glucose is a precursor for (and product of) glycogen. It’s the common currency of carb-based fuels. In fact, our bodies manufacture glucose (through gluconeogenesis) when our blood levels get too low. Dextrose, a common isomer (same formula, different structure) of glucose, is also referred to as dextroglucose or glucose. Insulin directs glucose processing in the body when blood glucose is already sufficient or high. Glucose supply can be routed to cells throughout the body (e.g. brain cells, red blood cells, etc.) and used right away for energy, or it can be condensed and stored in both the liver and muscle as glycogen for later use. Maltose is a disaccharide joining two glucose molecules. Although it is significantly less sweet (about half of glucose’s sweetness), it is metabolized in the same way glucose is.
Fructose

Then there’s fructose, which is an isomer of glucose. It’s also called crystalline fructose, laevulose/levulose, or fruit sugar. (Crystalline fructose isn’t the same as the manufactured concoction called high fructose corn syrup. We’ll get to that one shortly.)

Some people have a harder time digesting fructose than others. Fructose (in the form of certain fruits, corn syrup, etc.) can cause everything from bloating to diarrhea in these folks. Some experts argue that fructose is a better choice for those with diabetes/insulin resistance because it’s more densely sweet, which encourages people to use less. It also has a lower glycemic value than glucose or sucrose. Indeed, fructose raises insulin less than glucose; however, fructose results in higher ghrelin levels, which boost rather than suppress appetite like insulin does. It also appears to throw off mineral levels (PDF) in the body. Finally, fructose is processed almost solely by the liver. There is some evidence that this concentrated burden on the liver over time can contribute to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The liver’s metabolism of fructose also produces uric acid, a predictor of cardiovascular disease. Fructose appears to be some pretty nasty stuff. For more information on fructose see Dr. Lustig’s video presentation, Sugar: The Bitter Truth, and then follow it up with a counter-perspective from Don Matesz: Paleo Basics: Fact vs. Fiction.
Sucrose

Sucrose is a disaccharide sugar comprised of fructose and glucose in a 1:1 ratio. It’s perhaps the most familiar of the sugars, since sucrose is also known as table sugar. Although it’s found in fruit and other plants (often with varying amounts of free fructose), sugar cane and sugar beets are the most popular sources for commercial production. Given that sucrose contains a large amount of fructose, it shows similar metabolic patterns to the monosaccharide fructose and particularly to high fructose corn syrup, which is commonly blended to an approximate 55% fructose: 45% glucose mixture.
Common Sugar Sweeteners

Now that we’ve covered the basics on the most common sugars, there’s the question of how all this plays out in our everyday choices. Clearly, we want to avoid sugar as a whole, but few of us achieve full sugar abstinence 100% of the time. Consider this run-through a quick and dirty snapshot of common sweeteners that can inform your decision-making.
Glucose Syrup/Corn Syrup

Glucose syrup in this country is usually made from corn, but it can be produced from other starches like potatoes and rice. Chemically speaking, true glucose syrup/corn syrup consists mainly of glucose sugar; however, some companies like Karo add fructose to their products. It’s commonly used as a sweetener plus emulsifier for food items that require a smooth texture like hard candy. Although glucose itself rates a 100 on the glycemic scale, corn syrup generally falls around 75.
HFCS

Like corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is produced from corn starch; however, the manufacturing process deliberately converts a certain percentage of initial glucose into fructose. The two most common HFCS mixtures are HFCS-55 (containing 55% fructose) and HFCS-42, the former typically added to sodas and the latter added to other processed foods. The presence of fructose in HFCS appears to be key behind its myriad of negative health effects. Fructose content not only contributes to liver disease but lowers HDL levels while increasing small, dense (and more dangerous) LDL particles. As mentioned earlier, fructose also doesn’t flip the hormonal satiation switch as glucose does. Finally, the HFCS industry has been haunted by evidence of mercury contamination related to its production techniques.
Table Sugar/Sucrose

As mentioned, table sugar is actually a 1:1 combination of glucose and fructose and is metabolized in much the same way as HFCS. It’s GI measures around 64. One potential advantage of table sugar over HFCS is the absence of risk for mercury contamination.
Fruit Sugar

Even if you’ve sworn off adding sweetener of any kind to any food ever, there’s the question of fruit. Although the PB advises moderation and selectivity for most nutritional bang for the sugar buck, the best Primal fruits offer some of the highest ORAC values you can get from anything. Is it really necessary to swear off even nutritional powerhouses like berries and cherries to avoid their natural sugar content? The picture gets further complicated by the fact that “fruit sugar” doesn’t exist as a consistent chemical formula. Different fruits contain varying ratios of fructose, glucose and sucrose. Higher fructose-containing fruits include apples and pears, mangos and papaya, while relatively lower fructose fruits include cherries, figs, plums, kiwi, fresh and dried apricots, dried prunes and bananas. Keep in mind, however, that lower fructose ratio fruits can be higher in total sugar.
Raw Honey

Honey consists of dextrose and fructose (broken down from sucrose through honey bee’s digestion) in a nearly 1:1 ratio (with other components such as water, wax, nutrients, etc.). Raw honey has a glycemic index of about 30, but processed honey clocks in around 75. Those who have a harder time digesting fructose can often tolerate honey. Although conventional processing destroys much of honey’s natural benefits, raw honey serves up a (many claim therapeutic) dose of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and enzymes.
Maple Syrup

Maple syrup is boiled and refined sap from maple trees. It has a GI of 54 and is low in free fructose but high in the fructose-glucose disaccharide sucrose. Nutritionally speaking, it contains manganese, iron and calcium.
Molasses

Although molasses has a fairly equal fructose-glucose ratio (half in free fructose/free glucose and half in disaccharide sucrose), it offers the nutrients extracted in table sugar production: iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, copper and zinc.
Agave Nectar

The last few year have marked agave nectar’s time in the sun, so to speak. The sweetener has enjoyed growing popularity for some time, but experts are beginning to question whether agave nectar lives up to its reputation. Agave nectar is often heralded as low on the glycemic index (15), however, processing techniques result in a 75% or more fructose content. Given the increasing strikes against fructose, it’s harder to justify use of a higher fructose sweetener without significant nutritional benefit.
Palm Sugar/Coconut Sugar

An up and coming (in this country) sweetener is coconut sugar. The sugar is actually made from a variety of palm sources, but the palm and coconut labels are used (albeit mistakenly) interchangeably. It’s largely sucrose-based and registers in the 30s/40s on the GI. The taste is relatively light from what I understand, and the nutritional profile is worth noting.

There you go, folks. Information is power when it comes to your health, and I hope this list offered good food for thought. Here’s my analysis. When you are choosing whether/how to include sugars in your Primal diet, I’d suggest paying closest attention to the total sugar content first, then to any nutritional benefits, and finally to the fructose content. Blueberries might have a relatively equal fructose/glucose ratio, but they offer huge antioxidant benefit. On the other hand, dried apricots have a lower fructose ratio, but their overall sugar content dwarfs many fruits ounce for ounce. Raw honey and coconut sugar likewise offer solid nutritional benefit for their sugar content compared to other sweeteners. Of course, any sugar should be used in strict moderation, but it’s clear not all sweeteners are Primally equal.

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Recommended Tips to Lower Blood Sugar Levels

2010-08-08T21:19:00.001-07:00

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Diabetes is all about blood sugar level. Apart from diabetes, conditions like insulin resistance and hypoglycemia also results in higher blood sugar levels. Elevation of sugar levels could result in a number of fatal or near fatal diseases related to heart, kidney, and eye. In addition, many diabetic patients suffer from the veritable curse of appearance; obesity.

One of the difficulties with controlling sugar with medication is that it tends to affect less or more than desired at times. Either they have little effect or the blood sugar is as high as ever when one uses a certain dose or they lower the level below normal when higher doses are taken. Both are harmful to health are not natural ways of controlling blood sugar.

There is no reason losing heart however. One can control diabetes with a little care and caution and a few tips to the effect could be really useful. Such methods are natural and simple and easy to incorporate in anyone's life style. Best part of it is that they are economic as well.

Steps that a diabetic should take are -

* Change the life style in such a way that it will help lower the level of blood glucose. This essentially involves the food and drinking habits as well as work outs.
* A combination of well planned workout with balanced diet can help control the blood glucose to desired levels.
* Exercise can help improved blood circulation, weight loss, increased energy levels and is great for the blood sugar problems helping insulin to become reactive and thereby reducing the sugar levels.
* In both workout and diets one has to be slow, steady, disciplined, dedicated and determined. Haste is waste and indulging into something all of a sudden like taking up heavy weight exercises or going for a sudden crash diet could do more harm than help lowering the sugar levels in blood.
* One of the most effective ingredients for lowering blood sugar is vinegar. Having a couple of tablespoons of vinegar a day could reduce the sugar level in the blood quite drastically. Best part of it is that they need not be consumed raw. Mixing with food will not reduce their good effects in lowering blood glucose.
* Well planned exercise; not too hard or strenuous; diabetic vitamin intakes, drinking unsweetened green tea, drinking decaf coffee, eating cinnamon, are all good habits that could control the blood sugar levels.

Most important thing to remember is whichever of the above steps a person suffering from high blood sugar level does, he or she must be dedicated to the task and make it a routine and not merely crash course for blood glucose control.

Controlling blood sugar levels is an art. If you want to be an expert in it, you should know the full details in Diabetic Foods to Eat AND Diabetes Foods to Avoid.

Murali is the author of this article. This article can be used for reprint on your website provided all the links in the article should be complete and active.

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What is Sucrose?

2010-02-04T20:01:00.000-08:00

Sucrose, the technical name for table sugar, cane sugar, or white sugar, is made of one glucose molecule and one fructose molecule bound together. Comes in powdered and granulated forms, sugar is made from highly processed form of sugar beet or sugar cane plant extracts.

Sugar can hide behind many names on food labels. “Brown sugar” is simply white sugar with some colouring added either in the form of burnt sugar or molasses in amount that is not enough to make it any more nutritious than white sugar. So if you stir brown sugar into your tea or coffee, you are actually not getting any added benefit compared to using white sugar. Similarly, "raw sugar”, which appears in larger crystals than the refined granules of table sugar, is also a marketing gimmick. “Raw” suggests “a more natural and healthier sugar”, but raw sugar is nothing more than crystallized, refined white sugar with a touch of molasses.

Table sugar is often called "empty calories" as it is high in calories but has zero nutritional values, that is, it supplies energy, but virtually nothing else that builds or rebuilds the body. Excessive sugar and insulin can directly affect the strength of our immune and cardiovascular system, and lead to many health problems, including diabetes and heart disease. Beware, a 12-ounce can of cola contains about ten teaspoons of sugar. When children fill themselves with these junk sugars, they tend to eat less of more nutritious foods like milk. And this explains why obese people tend to also suffer from malnutrition.

Source :
http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/

How Beet Sugar is Made - the Basic Story

2010-02-03T21:21:00.000-08:00

White beet sugar is made from the beets in a single process, rather than the two steps involved with cane sugar.

Harvesting

The beets are harvested in the autumn and early winter by digging them out of the ground. They are usually transported to the factory by large trucks because the transport distances involved are greater than in the cane industry. This is a direct result of sugar beet being a rotational crop which requires nearly 4 times the land area of the equivalent cane crop which is grown in mono-culture. Because the beets have come from the ground they are much dirtier than sugar cane and have to be thoroughly washed and separated from any remaining beet leaves, stones and other trash material before processing.

Extraction

The processing starts by slicing the beets into thin chips. This process increases the surface area of the beet to make it easier to extract the sugar. The extraction takes place in a diffuser where the beet is kept in contact with hot water for about an hour. Diffusion is the process by which the colour and flavour of tea comes out of the tea leaves in a teapot but a typical diffuser weighs several hundred tons when full of beet and extraction water. The diffuser is a large horizontal or vertical agitated tank in which the beets slices slowly work their way from one end to the other and the water is moved in the opposite direction. This is called counter-current flow and as the water goes it becomes a stronger and stronger sugar solution usually called juice. Of course it also collects a lot of other chemicals from the flesh of the sugar beet.

Pressing

The exhausted beet slices from the diffuser are still very wet and the water in them still holds some useful sugar. They are therefore pressed in screw presses to squeeze as much juice as possible out of them. This juice is used as part of the water in the diffuser and the pressed beet, by now a pulp, is sent to drying plant where it is turned into pellets which form an important constituent of some animal feeds.

Carbonatation

The juice must now be cleaned up before it can be used for sugar production. This is done by a process known as carbonatation where small clumps of chalk are grown in the juice. The clumps, as they form, collect a lot of the non-sugars so that by filtering out the chalk one also takes out the non-sugars. Once this is done the sugar liquor is ready for sugar production except that it is very dilute.

The next stage of the process is therefore to evaporate the juice in a multi-stage evaporator. This technique is used because it is an efficient way of using steam and it also creates another, lower grade steam which can be used to drive the crystallisation process.

Boiling

For this last stage, the syrup is placed into a very large pan, typically holding 60 tons or more of sugar syrup. In the pan even more water is boiled off until conditions are right for sugar crystals to grow. You may have done something like this at school but probably not with sugar because it is difficult to get the crystals to grow well. In the factory the workers usually have to add some sugar dust to initiate crystal formation. Once the crystals have grown the resulting mixture of crystals and mother liquor is spun in centrifuges to separate the two, rather like washing is spin dried. The crystals are then given a final dry with hot air before being packed and/or stored ready for despatch.

Product

The final sugar is white and ready for use, whether in the kitchen or by an industrial user such as a soft drink manufacturer. As for raw sugar production, because one cannot get all the sugar out of the juice, there is a sweet by-product made: beet molasses. This is usually turned into a cattle food or is sent to a fermentation plant such as a distillery where alcohol is made. It does not have the same quality smell and taste as cane molasses so cannot be used for rum production.

Power

One of the big differences between a beet sugar factory and its cane sugar counterpart is with respect to energy. Both factories need steam and electricity to run and both have co-generation stations where high pressure steam is used to drive turbines which produce the electrical power and create the low pressure steam needed by the process. However the beet factory does not have a suitable by-product to use as fuel for the boilers, it has to burn a fossil fuel such as coal, oil or gas. This is partly because the pulp will not burn properly and partly because the animal feed business has been built from the availability of the pulp.

Reference : http://www.sucrose.com/

Blood Sugar: Essential in Diabetes Control

2009-09-14T20:22:00.000-07:00

Diabetes o Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which the body does not produce or use insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other foods into energy. The cause of diabetes at time is a mysterious; it seems that genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play important roles and control levels sugar is really important too.

Controlling your blood sugar level should be your main priority if you are diabetic. It should always be kept and maintained at a normal level, which means it should not go either above or below.

This is very important for you to remember because there would be some complications if your sugar level on the blood goes below or above the normal level.

In order to know what your blood sugar level is, you can test it by using a glucose meter. This is used to detect hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia, glucose meter is a device that may help you to do this so easily.

Testing is usually done before and after meals, for at least a few times a week. The blood sugar tests are used for you to have more information about your glucose levels. Therefore, you can adjust and maintain the food you eat and how you exercise.

There are a number of companies that sells glucose meters. You can either buy it in pharmacies, or you can order online, you only have to do a search on one of the main search engines to find the right and cheaper blood sugar meter, if you want to buy online.

Having your own glucose meter is much more convenient than running to your nearest medical laboratory in order to test your blood sugar levels, is much more easy and you reduce costs.

With a glucose meter, you test your glucose levels anytime you want. It is very important for you to know if you are hypoglycaemic or hyperglycaemic in order to know what to do in case you are feeling ill. (You may research in Wikipedia further information about hypoglycaemic or hyperglycaemic).

Here are the symptoms to know if you have a high or low blood sugar level:

High Glucose Level:

- Increased thirst
- Fatigue
- Increased urination
- Slow-healing infections
- Blurred vision

Low Glucose Level:

- Hunger
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Confusion
- Anxiety
- Blurred vision
- Comatose

If you feel some of the symptoms mentioned above, you may want to get your glucose tested by testing it with a sugar meter of the blood, and always will be fine talk with your physician for advice about this disease and how control it.

REFERENCE :
From http://www.articlecircle.com/
Article written by Hector Milla, editor of http://www.thehighbloodsugar.org, a website about High Blood Sugar, thanks for using this article in your website or ezine keeping a live link.

Beware of cyclamate and saccharine

2009-09-10T23:51:00.000-07:00

Sweet foods combined with attractive colors really make a child interested. Especially if the food is soft, so easy to chew. Not to mention if formed as a frozen cold drinks, like ice cream or powder that is poured syrup ice.
Although much-loved children, many sweet foods sold in this market should really pay attention. The reason, many food products, especially household products industries, which use artificial sweeteners instead of sugar.

Deputy Director of Food Safety Control and Hazardous Materials Agency of Drug and Food Control (POM) RI Dedi Fardiaz revealed, in Indonesia there are still many problems associated with the use of artificial sweeteners. Although there are provisions that allowed the maximum limit, the use of artificial sweeteners is often done arbitrarily exceed the maximum allowable limit.

Products that violate this provision, according to Matthew, is generally made by the craftsmen and merchants hawker food and household industries that have not received guidance or counseling. Use of artificial sweetener widely used small traders and cottage industries that can save production costs. Artificial sweetener prices far cheaper than the original sugar. Little artificial sweetener added to obtain a strong sweet taste.

Limited studies conducted POM in some primary schools (SD) in Malang, East Java, found no consumption at a level that is not safe to use artificial sweetener saccharin and cyclamate. From elementary school children studied, there cyclamate consumption reached 240 percent of the value of the ADI (acceptable daily intake).
While consumption of saccharin was found to be 12.2 percent of the value of ADI. The ADI is defined as the maximum number of chemical compounds that can be consumed every day continuously without causing any risk to health. Chemical compounds are referred to food additives and artificial sweeteners. ADI values expressed in milligrams per kilogram of body weight.

POM only did the study of cyclamate and saccharin as an artificial sweetener was allegedly used by traders unlimited snacks school children. Saccharin and cyclamate much cheaper price compared to other sweeteners, like aspartame, acesulfam, alitam, and neotam.
Overdose
• Chairman of the Foundation Indonesian Health Consumer Empowerment (YPKKI) Widjajarta Marius said, POM findings were not synergistic toxicity factors.
According to Marius, intake of artificial sweeteners not only come from food, but can also come from cigarettes, cosmetics, food supplement, pharmaceutical products, including prescription doctor formulated with artificial sweeteners added.
Because not consider synergistic toxicity, it is a safe level for the use of artificial sweeteners is only 45 percent of the value of the ADI. Cyclamate in humans has a maximum ADI value of 11 mg / kg body weight (BB). So if the child was found 240 percent cyclamate ADI, means the content of artificial sweeteners that have reached 240 percent / 0.45 = 533.3 percent. If converted, meaning content of cyclamate 5.333 x 11 mg / kg = 58.63 mg / kg.
Lecturer Department of Community Nutrition and Family Resources, Bogor Agricultural University, Mudjajanto Setyo Eddy, who study says about artificial sweeteners, in the U.S. and Japan have banned the use of cyclamate. So it is with most countries in Europe.
As for saccharin, but not banned in the U.S. and Japan, but its use began to be greatly reduced because of safety is considered doubtful. In animal experiments, saccharin is considered to cause bladder cancer.
Meanwhile, according to Marius, the use of cyclamate also been banned in ASEAN, except Indonesia, which still allow cyclamate. The amount of artificial sweetener used in the respective ASEAN countries ranged two-five types. Meanwhile, in Indonesia there are 13 types of artificial sweeteners which allowed its use in food products.
Thirteenth type of artificial sweetener is aspartame, acesulfam-K, alitam, neotam, cyclamate, saccharin, sukralosa, and isomalt and five more are included in the polyol groups, namely xilitol, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, and laktitol.
Just to diet
• The use of artificial sweeteners can not be done haphazardly. According to Eddy, artificial sweeteners may actually only be consumed by people who are dieting sugar (diabetes mellitus).
Home-made traditional food industry using artificial sweeteners clearly violated the rules. Because the artificial sweetener is not for the consumption of healthy people, said Eddy.
Eddy suggested that people be more careful in choosing foods, especially foods that have a sweet taste, to avoid artificial sweeteners. There are several characteristics of the products that use artificial sweeteners, namely:
• Food / drink artificially sweetened a bitter taste follow-up (after taste), especially saccharin.
• sweetened drinks made thinner than the drinks that use sugar.
Different Cyclamate and saccharin
• Cyclamate is an artificial sweetener that is still popular in Indonesia. This artificial sweetener is the sodium salt of the acid cyclamate.
The difference with saccharin, cyclamate led to a sweet taste without a sense of follow-up (no after taste it). The nature of cyclamate is easy soluble in water and has 30 times the sweetness of sugar. In the trade is known as Assugrin, Sucaryl, and Sucrosa.
While saccharin is the sodium salt of saccharin acid. This artificial sweetener has 200-700 times the sweetness of sugar. In trade Gucide known, Glucid, Garantose, Saccharimol, Saccharol, and Sykosa. Prices are cheaper than saccharin with other artificial sweeteners. Therefore, saccharin is widely used small traders.
Artificial sweetener caused enough harm to human health. Cyclamate and saccharin can cause bladder cancer, and migraine. Cyclamate led to many health disorders, including tremor, migraine and headaches, memory loss, confusion, insomnia, irritation, asthma, hypertension, diarrhea, abdominal pain, allergies, impotence and sexual disorders, baldness, and brain cancer. (Lusiana INDRIASARI)

REFERENCE :
Kompas Cyber Media

Refined Sugar

2009-06-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

Sugar refining is sugar that is used in the food and beverage industry. Import of sugar is done through the manufacturer of the importers of food and beverage industry itself. Circumgyration refined sugar-based raw sugar imports continue to insist that market consumption of sugar derived from sugar cane people. Distribution of sugar refined the practice not only for food and beverage industry, but has begun to be marketed to consumers' households. This type of sugar used refined sugar industry, industry, MSG, and grinding mills to fill idle capacity.

Than the direct consumption of sugar is also used as raw materials for the food industry. At this time most sugar factories in Indonesia is only able to produce quality GKP sugar (white sugar crystals), which is consumed directly. SHS sugar is still not eligible to be used as a raw material for food industry. For the quality of the food industry requires a better sugar obtained from refined sugar. Refining words taken from a word meaning refinery distill, filter, cleaning. So that can be rafinasi sugar is sugar that has a high purity quality.

In economic language, the development of industry of refining will option to open the business for a more flexible producer of sugar in the country to process raw materials in accordance with the potential of the industry assets. Technically agronomis, sugar cane production on the lands of the womb with phosphorus (P) high will be more profitable economically if processed into refined sugar . While in the land with low P contents, the processing into raw sugar is still more profitable. In the initial phase, the industry can take advantage of the potential of raw materials imported raw sugar to form a structure of the industry more healthy to meet the increased consumption of sugar so rapidly.

REFERENCE :
http;//mailto:ipardboo@indo.net.id
htp://mailto:webadm@litbang.deptan.go.id
http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/2723/
http://www.prakarsa-rakyat.org/info/contact.php
http://www.sinartani.com/info/kontak.htm
http://www.bnsp.go.id/default.asp?go=contact
http://www.suaramerdeka.com/harian/0504/25/x_int.html
http://www.agrina-online.com/index.php

Simple Carbohydrates Explained by Tom

2009-05-28T02:37:00.001-07:00

The foods we eat contain three main nutrients (often referred to as macronutrients); carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Carbohydrates are your body's preferred source of energy and can be further broken down in to simple carbohydrates or complex carbohydrates. In this article I am going to be discussing simple carbohydrates in more detail.

Simple carbohydrates are sometimes referred to as simple sugars. They are often associated with highly processed, sugary products such as candy and chocolate. However, this is not always true. For example, some simple carbohydrates can be found naturally in milk.

So what are simple carbohydrates? Well the name actually comes from the chemical structure of the carbohydrate. Simple carbohydrates are made of one or two sugars whereas complex carbohydrates are made of three or more. There are two main types of simple carbohydrate and I will be discussing these in greater detail below:

1) MONOSACCHARIDES:- Monosaccharides are chemically made of one sugar as can be seen from the name 'mono' which means one. They are often linked together to form complex carbohydrates but can also be found naturally in certain foods. There are three main types of monosaccharide; Fructose (which is found naturally in fruits and honey), Galactose (which is the result of the disaccharide lactose being broken down as part of the digestive process) and Glucose (which is found naturally in honey, fruits and vegetables).

2) DISACCHARIDES:- This simple carbohydrate is made of two chemically linked monosaccharides as the name 'di' (which means two) suggests. There are many types of disaccharide with three main ones being; Lactose (which is a combination of the monosaccharides glucose and galactose that is often referred to as milk sugar), Maltose (which is a combination of two glucose units that is often referred to as malt sugar) and Sucrose (which is a combination of glucose and fructose that is often referred to as cane sugar).

I hope this article has given you a greater understanding of exactly what simple carbohydrates are. Many people see simple carbohydrates as bad because of their association with processed snacks that are high in sugar. Whilst simple carbohydrates are often used to manufacture these snacks they also occur naturally in certain foods. For example, fructose is naturally found in fruits and vegetables whilst lactose is a natural component of milk. Therefore, simple carbohydrates are not always bad. Whilst cakes, chocolate and candy should be avoided or consumed in moderation, naturally occurring simple carbohydrates should be a welcome part of your diet.

About the Author

Tom Parker owns and operates a number of useful fitness resources and websites. You can learn more about the main carbohydrates and get a free fitness tip delivered to your email inbox every day for a full year by visiting his websites.

REFERENCE :
http://www.goarticles.com/

Sugar Cane

2009-05-26T19:32:00.000-07:00

Sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum) is a plantation crops / industry such as annual grasses. This plant is important because the commodity in the stem are 20% liquid sugar. Stem plant cane sugar is a source, however percentage of sugar produced only around 10-15%. The rest of the stem is cane sugar cane molasses (molase) obtained from the phase separation of crystal sugar and still contain 50-60% sugar, amino acids and minerals. Sugar cane molasses is the raw material ingredients cooked MSG (Monosodium Glutamat), liquid sugar and wine. Leaf bud on the cane is used for transporting the cattle feed in the form of silase, pelet and wafer. Blothong of sugar cane is the result of the addition of liquid sugar cane extraction process. Used as a fuel plant, the material paper industry, particle board and medium for mushroom cultivation or fertilizer to composs (Forestry and Plantation Rembang District, 2005)

A sugar is a form of carbohydrate, the type of sugar that is most often used sucrose crystalline solid. Sugar is used to alter the taste and the food or drink. Simple sugar such as glucose (which is produced from sucrose with enzyme or acid hydrolysis) that will save the energy used by cells. In culinary terms, sugar is a type of food associated with one of the basic sense, that is sweet. First - first raw material destroyed and extracted, essence collected and filtered, the liquid form and then added additional material (usually in use calcium oxide) to eliminate the purity, the mixture is then dimurnikan with the sulfur dioxide. Mixture that then boiled, sludge and waste can be separated and float. After quite pure, liquid cooled and crystallization (usually while stirred) to produce sugar which can dituang to print. A centrifugal machine can also be used in the crystallization process (Anonymous, 2007).

REFERENCE :

Arifin, Bustanul. 2008. Ekonomi Swasembada Gula Indonesia. Penerbit Rajawali Pers. Jakarta.

Sudana, W., P. Simatupang, S. Friyanto, C. Muslim, dan T. Soelistiyo. 2000. Dampak
Deregulasi Industri Gula Terhadap Realokasi Sumberdaya, Produksi
Pangan, Dan Pendapatan Petani. Laporan Penelitian, Pusat Penelitian
Sosial Ekonomi Pertanian, Bogor.

Dewan Gula Indonesia. 2001. Restrukturisasi Gula Indonesia April 2001. Bahan
Diskusi Reformasi Gula Indonesia, Dewan Gula Indonesia, Jakarta.

Susila, W.R. 2005. Pengengembangan Industri Gula Indonesia: Analisis Kebijakan
dan Keterpaduan sistem Produksi. Desertasi S3. Institut Pertanian Bogor

Anonim, 2009. Perkembangan Bisnis Pergulaan di Indonesia. Diambil dari http://www.ptmdri.com/outline. Pada tanggal 10 May 2009.

Suci, Kurnis, dkk, 2008. Perspektif Perkembangan Industri Gula Indonesia. Pusat Analisis Sosisal Ekonomi dan Kebijakan Pertanian. Bogor.

Anonim, 2009. Industri Gula Rafinasi Indonesia. Diambil dari http://www.republika.com/. Pada tanggal 10 May 2009.

Anonim.2008.Analisis Efisiensi Gula Merah. http://tesis-skripsi.blogspot.com/. Pada tanggal 10 May 2009.

Anonim.2007. Gula. http://id.wikipedia.org/. UtamaPada tanggal 10 May 2009.

Dinas Kehutanan dan Perkebunan.2005. Gula Tebu. Dinas Kehutanan dan Perkebunan Kabupaten Rembang

Top 5 Tips for Losing Weight by Rob Harris

2009-05-25T20:46:00.002-07:00

Achieving weight loss is like trying to attain any other goal, in the sense that sometimes it is very difficult to know where to start. However there are several ways way you can get an idea of what direction you should be moving to.

One of the most useful is the 'calorie calculator' essentially a formula deployed by nutritionists to work out everything from your recommended calorie intake to the type and amount of exercise you should expect to put in a week.

Through using this formula you will and can quickly tailor a weight loss plan according to your own requirements. Check out government websites for further free information and the different simple to use calorie calculator formulas out there

So you have worked out the amount of calories you want to reduce from the calorie calculator formula. Now there is the small matter of making the necessary changes to your lifestyle. Fortunately this need not be the daunting undertaking that worries so many weight loss wannabes.

For instance there are many ways you can begin taking the right steps. Think about walking more, getting off the bus a stop before, using a cycle rather than a car to get to places. Even from just taking a twenty minute walk you burn extra calories- so think of how you can get as many extras into your daily routine as possible.

If you incorporate small steps like these into a weight loss routine of proper diet and exercise you will greatly increase your weight loss potential. SO get out there and get active! Even if its walking round the shops

There is one very easy way to enhance your weight loss potential and it comes from the start of the day. The first meal and the most important meal of the day is breakfast. Many people underestimate - or do not realise - the important role of breakfast in benefiting from a swift and healthy reduction in weight. Contrary to certain beliefs breakfast is not to be skipped. It is essential for making you wide awake and fires up your metabolism to burn off those calories you gain throughout the day. Furthermore, breakfast is an easy way to include some of the useful weight loss food stuffs into your diet, such as - wholegrain breads, oatmeal and low fat dairy products. Toss fruit such as berries into your cereal and you are on the way to a healthy and energetic start to the day that will more likely result in weight loss rather than weight gain- and all this before you have taken one step on a treadmill On your next visit to the supermarket invest in getting the goods for a week's amount of healthy breakfasts. You should notice some immediate benefits...

The modern supermarket can seem like a bewildering place. You can't seem to move without being bombarded with information after information about products. Among every aisle food manufactures jostle to tell you that their product is the best. We have all been there believe me!

The problem is that we very rarely take the time to do more than take what the manufactures say at face value. The key to understanding a product is not on the front but on the back of the labelling. For instance a product that claims it is 'Low Sugar' is not going to be healthy if it replaces sugars with artificial enhancers such as mono-saturated fats.

Basically the point here is- up your food IQ. Get to learn the various additives and fats used by the food industry. Alternatively buy fresh food when-ever you can that way you avoid the risk of processed additives.

Sometimes when the going gets tough we all need a shoulder to cry on. That's why you should look to enlist those close to you to joining your weight loss cause! Also you should remember that there is a wealth of support provided by your local services out there to help you. If you want to lose weight, it is important to have the support of your family and friends. They should keep you motivated at times when you are tempted to give up, and should let you know if you are being unrealistic about your weight loss goals. If you want to lose weight but do not know where to start, talk to your GP or practice nurse. They can give you dietary and fitness advice and point you in the direction of local slimming clubs and support groups, as well as making sure your weight loss plan is suitable for you

About the Author : Rob Harris is a dedicated writer, specialises in weight loss articles. He writes articles for free and also creates viral reports for free to help generate huge visitor to websites. harris.rob@live.co.uk http://www.loseweightnowdiet.com

Reference :
http://www.goarticles.com/

Sugar Process

2009-05-25T00:26:00.000-07:00

Source : http://guysuco.blogspot.com/

Source : http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/

THE PROCESS OF MAKING SUGAR CANE

2009-05-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

Sugar cane crops are planted is the raw material for sugar. This type of sugar cane including herbaceous. Sugar cane plant can grow to 3 meters in the area of support. Since the age of the plant can be planted until harvest reached more than 1 year. Stages in the process of starting from the cultivation of sugar cane, the ektrasi, sewage cleaning, evaporation, kritalisasi, afinasi, karbonasi, color removal, and packing up the process so that ketangan to consumers.

1. Extraction
The first stage is the making of sugar cane extract sugar cane juice or extract. Do with the sugar cane to the mill machinery to separate the pulp with sugar cane cairannya. Liquid sugar cane and then heated with boilers. The resulting juice is still a dirty form of liquids: the remnants of the land area, fiber-fiber and small extract from the leaves and skin of plants, all mixed in the sugar. Results from the extraction of juice contains about 50% water, 15% fiber and sugar residue, called bagasse, which contains 1 to 2% sugar. And also the dirt and sand like stones from a small area referred to as a "gray".

2. Sewage with lime precipitation (Liming)
Cleaned with sugar cane juice using a kind of lime (slaked lime), which will precipitate the most dirt, and dirt can be sent back to the land. This process is called liming. The extraction of juice heated before liming is done to optimize the cleaning process. Lime form calcium hidroksida or Ca (OH) 2 mixed in juice to the comparison with the desired and juice that has been given a lime is then inserted in the tank pengendap gravity: a tank penjernih (clarifier).

3. Evaporation
After the liming process, the process evaporasi done to thicken the juice into syrup how to evaporate the water using steam heat (steam). Sometimes syrup cleaned again but more often go directly to the stage of making the crystal without any more cleaning.

4. Boiling / crystallization
At the end of processing, syrup is placed into a very large vessel to dididihkan. In this case the water evaporated so that the conditions for the growth of sugar crystals reached. The formation of crystals begins with the compound to a number of crystals in the syrup. Once crystals form, the crystal produced and mixed solvents parent (mother liquor) is playing in the sentrifugasi tool to separate the two, can diumpamakan as in the washing process by using the rotary dryer. Crystal-crystal is then dried with hot air before saved.

5. Storage
Coarse sugar produced will form gunungan brown sticky during storage and look more like soft brown sugar which is often found in kitchens, kitchen household. This is actually Sugar can be used, but as dirty in storage and has a different taste then the sugar is usually not the person desired. Therefore, the coarse sugar dimurnikan more usually when the user in the country.

6. Affination
The first stage of purification of sugar is still rough pelunakan layer and cleaning fluids coat the surface of the parent crystal with the process called the "afinasi". Sugar syrup mixed with the rough thick (concentrate) with a warm, slightly higher purity than syrup layer so that it does not akan melarutkan crystals, but only around the fluid (brown).

7. Karbonatasi
The first stage of processing fluid (liquor) sugar next aims to clean up liquids from various padatan liquid sugar that cause snoring. At this stage some of the color components are also missing akan ikut. One of two general processing techniques called karbonatasi. Karbonatasi can be obtained by adding a calcium / lime [calcium hidroksida, Ca (OH) 2] into the fluid stream and carbon dioxide gas bubbles in the mixture.

8. Decolorization
There are two common methods to remove color from the sugar syrup, both techniques rely on the absorption of pumping fluid through the columns of the medium. One of them using granular carbon activated [granular activated carbon, GAC] which is able to eliminate almost all the pigment. GAC is the way modern at the "bone char", a granula carbon made from animal bones-bones.

9. Boiling
A number of water evaporated in the pan until the situation appropriate for the growth of sugar crystals. A number of powdered sugar added to the liquid to the / trigger the formation of crystals. When the crystal is grown from a mixture of crystal-liquid crystal and the resulting mother played in sentrifugasi to separate the two. This process can diumpamakan with drying clothes in the washing machine that rotates. Crystal-crystal is then dried with hot air before packed and / or stored ready to be distributed. (Anonymous, 2007)

REFERENCES :
mailto:ipardboo@indo.net.id
http://www2.kompas.com/kcm/
mailto:webadm@litbang.deptan.go.id
http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/2723/
http://www.prakarsa-rakyat.org/info/contact.php
mailto:redaksi@pelita.or.id
http://www.lintasberita.com/contact.php
http://www.sinartani.com/info/kontak.htm
http://www.bnsp.go.id/default.asp?go=contact
http://www.suaramerdeka.com/harian/0504/25/x_int.html
http://www.agrina-online.com/index.php
http://cetak.kompas.com/