Diabetes and obesity are two of the most discussed health issues at the moment. Medical, pharmaceutical, entertainment, wellness organizations, alternative medicine, cooking/culinary industries are all exploring, studying and yes, even exploiting these health issues. Everyday there is an article written, study done or book published on these health conditions facing the people of the good ol’ USA.
One of the biggest issues is sugar. Sugar is in everything and we love it. It’s hard to imagine the American diet without it. Sugar is so prevalent, people are overwhelmed and often are at a loss as to how they should go about cutting back. Plainly put, the statistics for diabetes in this country are nothing short of astounding. See for yourself.
Diabetes Statistics:
- Among U.S. residents ages 65 years and older, 10.9 million, or 26.9 percent, had diabetes in 2010.
- About 215,000 people younger than 20 years had diabetes—type 1 or type 2—in the United States in 2010.
- About 1.9 million people ages 20 years or older were newly diagnosed with diabetes in 2010 in the United States.
- Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, non-traumatic lower-limb amputations, and new cases of blindness among adults in the United States.
- Diabetes is a major cause of heart disease and stroke.
- Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
- In 2005–2008, based on fasting glucose or hemoglobin A1C (A1C) levels, 35 percent of U.S. adults ages 20 years or older had pre-diabetes—50 percent of adults ages 65 years or older. Applying this percentage to the entire U.S. population in 2010 yields an estimated 79 million American adults ages 20 years or older with pre-diabetes.
Health Experts Agree
One factor contributing to both of these conditions, that is agreed upon by all sources, is the intake of sugar. Some would lead you to believe that some forms of sugar are better than others to ingest. While this may be true to a degree, if you suffer from diabetes or obesity the message is pretty much the same…stay away from SUGAR! Check out this video with CNN’s Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. He speaks with many health professionals and even has the sugar industry weigh in. It’s quite eye opening!
Sweet Dreams Are Made of This…
After watching that report you might be thinking of a life without any sweetness and you would be incorrect! We are happy to report that we will have the great fortune of having the host of PBS’s Christina Cooks, Christina Pirello giving lectures and teaching cooking classes on our next cruise. One of the lectures will be entitled “How Sweet it Isn’t”. In this lecture she will answer questions like “Is there a place in a healthy diet for sweet decadence?” and “Are we doomed to grimly endure our meals from the day we decide to adopt a healthy lifestyle?” Fortunately for us the answer is NO, and Christina Pirello is happy to provide us with useful information on sugar substitutes and how they differ. Here is a taste of the type of information she will offer…
Taste of Health Holistic Holiday at Sea is more than a great vegan travel experience, it’s an opportunity to travel and stay healthy while pampering AND educating yourself with current events and trends in the vegan world. On our holistic cruise you will have the opportunity to eat divine meals, make new friends engage with some of the most celebrated personalities of the Vegan Industry. 2013 will mark the 10 year Anniversary of the Holistic Holiday @ Sea and there will be lots of socials, great classes, amazing Caribbean ports and even a few surprises. Learning a new way of living has never been so much fun, so easy and so tasty!
