Food companies have doubled the amount of sugar they add to many of their products. Soups, cereals, and other foods have been heavily sweetened to attract more customers.

Breakfast cereals have seen some of the biggest increases, but even whole grain bread now routinely contains almost a teaspoon of sugar in every three slices.

In 1978, Kellogg's Special K contained about 10 grams of sugar for every 100 grams of cereal, but that amount has now increased to 17 grams, very close to the sugar level of vanilla ice cream. Over the same period, the sugar per 100 grams in tomato soup has increased from less than 3 grams to more than 6 grams.

Processed foods contain some of the highest sugar content, often with levels close to or higher than 20 grams of sugar per 100 grams of food.

Sugar consumption has been implicated in rising levels of tooth decay, diabetes, and obesity.

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

You may not realize that we are in the midst of a diabetic epidemic; one in every three people in the United States either has diabetes or pre-diabetes.

This interesting report in the Sunday Times may explain, in part, why the incidence of diabetes and obesity have grown to epidemic proportions. Based on analysis that compared nutritional data reported in the UK's The Composition of Foods, processed food manufacturers have doubled the amount of sugar in their harmful products.

Clearly this is not the only issue as we also have a pandemic of exercise deficiency syndrome. Most people simply are not getting enough exercise and as such have decreased insulin receptor sensitivity. Please do review my latest thoughts on exercise from last week's newsletter.

You want to avoid or seriously limit sugar, though, as it causes your body to produce more insulin, which then blocks leptin, a hormone that normally tells the body when it is appropriate to stop eating. Processed foods are typically loaded with sugars and will fool your brain into believing that it is hungry; this, in turn, drives you to consume more calories and conserve energy.

The result is a worsening cycle of sugar consumption that floods your system with insulin and ravages your body.

Reversing the health-harming ratio of processed foods you typically eat -- 90 percent for most people -- is one of the key principles to achieving high levels of health while keeping diabetes and obesity away, not to mention cancer. Even in these time-challenged times of ours, you should strive to consume 90 percent of your foods raw, while keeping in mind your body's unique nutritional type.

Another effective way to avoid processed foods that litter grocery stores everywhere: Find local and safer organic sources for your whole foods.

Related Articles:

How The Deceptive Practices of Processed Food Manufacturers Contribute to Childhood Obesity

Excessive Sugar Consumption Can Ruin Your Body

How to Beat Obesity -- And Still Enjoy Your Food!