Sugar is everywhere! We add it to our morning coffee, find it in the cereal box, muffins, salad dressings, tomato sauce, bread, yogurts, condiments, granola and protein bars, smoothies, energy drinks, cocktails…you name it. It is hard to find anything that doesn’t include the white substance.
I think everybody agrees that too much sugar is not good for you and adds extra pounds to our bodies. But do you actually know how sugar behaves in your body and which foods to watch out for especially? Here is a little quiz: Which food would you avoid mostly to reduce your sugar intake…Snickers bar, tbsp. of pure white sugar, pineapple, or a slice of wheat toast? My bet is that you would avoid the Snickers bar. However, it is actually the slice of wheat bread because it has the highest glycemic index of all 4 products, meaning it raises your blood sugar faster than the others.
Culprits of Sugar:
· Sugar makes you gain weight: excess sugar turns into belly fat and leads to insulin resistance, diabetes, and heart disease
· Sugar suppresses your immune system and reduces longevity
· Sugar is addictive (no, there is no such thing as a “Sweet Tooth”; YOU ARE ADDICTED!) Sugar triggers the release of dopamine and opioids. Your body loves that and wants more. Once you try to get off sugar, you will actually go through a few days of withdrawal with headaches, fatigue, and mood swings.
· Sugar makes you extra hungry: the rise in blood sugar causes a fast dip in blood sugar shortly after, which makes you more hungry and leaves you with more cravings for unhealthy foods.
· Sugar causes cavities (cavities are almost non-existent in tribes that live removed from industrialized societies)
· Sugar is void of nutrients: it has no nutritional value, minerals or vitamins
· Sugar increases breakouts and wrinkles on your skin
· Sugar is linked to cognitive decline, depression and anxiety, food allergies, high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s and even cancer (cancer cells feed off blood sugar in order to grow and multiply!)
All these symptoms and diseases are linked to sugar consumption and backed by science from all over the world.
So What Can You Do?
· To begin with, acknowledge that sugar has powerful and toxic effects on your body and mind.
· Read your labels and know that all these sugars need to be avoided: brown sugar, raw sugar, fruit sugar, corn sugar, milk sugar, beet sugar, alcohol, monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides.
· Avoid temptation! Simply don’t have sugary foods and drinks available at home or at work.
· Substitute them with them with blood sugar stabilizing foods like beans, nuts, seeds, nut butter, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
· Use these sugar substitutes (in moderation): raw honey, stevia, dates, coconut sugar, and maple syrup
· Avoid artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, saccharin, sucralose; these are chemical poisons!
If you think that sugar is not a big deal, then I dare you to try it: 3 days without ANY sugar (including artificial sugar and remember, that almost everything processed and packaged has sugar).
Sugar is your enemy. If you really want to be healthy, you need to take charge of your sugar consumption, so the sugar doesn’t take charge of you.
To your good health,
Tanja Samalya, MNT
Note: All information presented is for information purposes only and is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you have any questions or comments about this article, please feel free to contact me.
