The Dangers of Sugar

One sugar cube equals one teaspoon of sugar.

The average American consumes 152 pounds of sugar a year. 152 pounds is the size of an average nineteen year old male. Imagine that, eating that much sugar in a year! Why do we eat this much sugar you may ask? Well sugar is addictive. In fact it is eight times more addictive than cocaine. Companies load up their packaged foods with hidden sugar to make them their products addictive so that we crave them more, and thus buy them regularly. Sugar is hidden in products like potato chips, crackers, yogurt, salad dressing, condiments, dried fruit, bread, granola, smoothies, juice, and nut butters. The fact is that there is no dietary requirement for sugar. And when I talk about sugar I'm not talking about carbohydrates. We all need carbohydrates to survive; carbohydrates in the form of fruits and vegetables. However, we do not need sugar which is a form of carbohydrate. Fats, carbohydrates, and protein are all a part of a well rounded diet, sugar is not. Sugar addictions are easy to develop with all the sugar we are surrounded by. A perpetual cycle of sugar addiction affects many of us. This cycle begins with sugar cravings, so we eat sugar whether we know it or not to fulfill these cravings. Then our blood sugar spikes and insulin, a hormone, is secreted to lower our blood sugar levels. High levels of insulin cause fat storage. In the meantime, the brain releases dopamine signaling pleasure, strengthening the addictive pattern around sugar, and rewarding us for eating sugar. As we eat more sugar our bodies down regulate the receptors that release dopamine, which means one has to eat more sugar to get that sugar high and pleasure that sugar gives us. Blood sugar levels then fall some time after consuming the sugar. The body then craves more sugar to increase blood sugar levels to make it happy again and be in that pleasurable state. Hunger and cravings for sugar continue. The cycle repeats until the sugar addiction is broken of which it can be broken.

Why is sugar harmful to our health? There are many reasons why sugar is harmful but the most prevalent reason is that sugar stimulates fat storage hormones like insulin. Insulin causes you to shuttle the sugar from your bloodstream into your bodies cells to store as body fat. Spikes in insulin is what is contributing to our obesity epidemic. Sugar also impacts our aging. The more sugar we eat the more insulin spikes we have and thus the faster we age. This happens through a process called glycation where free radicals in the body attack collagen and elastin which make up the skin. This glycation leads to enhanced aging through the development of wrinkles. Sugar can also contribute to the development of heart disease, cancer, dementia, type 2 diabetes, depression, acne, infertility, and impotence.

Reasons to cut out sugar:

• Gain more energy throughout the day without sugar crashes

• Lose weight

• Be more satisfied for longer with your meals.

• Increase brain performance

• Lower inflammation

• Reduce bloating

• Lower chance of developing heart disease

• Improve and prevent type 2 diabetes

• Balance hormones and increase fertility

• Reduce risk of pre-mature aging

• Elevate mood and prevent depression

• Reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and dementia

• Reduce the risk of cancer and fight ongoing cancer

• Reduce acne and skin related issues

Tips to cut out sugar:

1. Exercise regularly. Exercise can help with insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels.

2. Clean out your kitchen. Clear out all processed foods in your kitchen because they more than likely contain sugar. Sugar can be hidden in many foods. Below is a list of other names for sugar that are often in packaged foods.

• dextrose

• maltose

• lactose

• fructose

• glucose

• high-fructose corn syrup

• molasses

• sucrose

• agave

• cane juice

• cane sugar extract

• brown sugar

• golden syrup

• raw sugar

• turbinado sugar

• icing sugar

• panela

• rapadura

• date sugar

• invert sugar

• barley malt syrup

• rice malt syrup

• palm sugar

• brown rice syrup

• birch syrup

• karo

• glucose syrup

• corn sugar

3. Buy whole all-natural foods commonly found in nature. Make a grocery list of these whole foods and stick to that grocery list. Fresh is always best but sometimes you have to buy canned tomatoes, broth, or healthy condiments. Here are a few tips when looking at food labels:

• Always make sure you can pronounce and recognize the ingredients on the food label.

• Look at the serving size and number of servings. Ask yourself if this is a realistic serving size?

• Pay attention to the number of fats, carbs, proteins and calories. You should always avoid any products with trans fats as well as added sugar. A little saturated fat is okay as long as the saturated fat is coming from high quality grass-fed beef, other high quality protein sources, and healthy fats like coconut oil, avocado oil, or olive oil. Check the ingredient list to see where the fat is coming from. To find the amount of added sugar in a product you should look at the column labeled "included ___ g of added sugar". When buying a product there should be zero grams of added sugar as seen in the apple juice label. The column labeled "total sugars" may have a certain number of grams of sugar, but this sugar is naturally occurring from fruit because we know that there are zero grams of added sugar. Added sugar can come from refined sugar sources such as the ones I listed above in step 2.

4. Lower stress levels. Stress can lead to excessive consumption of sugar.

5. Eat more protein. Protein keeps you full and satisfied for longer compared to sugar. Eat pasture raised eggs, chicken, and turkey, as well as grass-fed beef and wild fish.

6. Eat more fat. Fat also keeps you satisfied for longer. Eat these foods which are rich in healthy fats: avocados, nuts, seeds, coconut, olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, fatty fish, grass-fed beef fat, and pasture raised eggs.

7. Eat plenty of fiber in the form of non starchy vegetables, chia seeds, and flax seeds. Non-starchy vegetables include asparagus, bean sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, celery, cauliflower, cucumber, eggplant, mushrooms, onions, peppers, greens, tomato, turnips, and zucchini. Avoid starchy vegetable like white potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, butternut squash, lentils, parsnips, peas, yams, and beans. A great way to incorporate more vegetables into your diet is by consuming a salad packed with 5 or more different veggies, a source of protein, and a drizzle of olive oil. This salad will keep you satisfied for longer.

8. Consume more probiotic rich foods. These foods can reduce sugar cravings. Apple cider vinegar, low-sugar kombucha, brine cured olive, pickles, sauerkraut, and kimchi all contain a healthy dose of probiotics.

9. Reduce your fruit intake momentarily as fruit contains lots of natural sugar. You can start to add back in natural sugars when your sugar cravings are under control and you are no longer emotionally attached to sugar. Below is a list of healthier sugar alternatives when you do start to add back in natural sugars. Keep in mind though that you can become addicted to these natural sugars just like any other sugar so eat these sugars sparingly.

• raw honey

• dates

• coconut sugar

• maple syrup

• fruit

10. Get more deep sleep.

11. Drink lots of water.

12. As far as celebrations go, where there will more than likely be sweets present, try to refrain from eating sweets while you are detoxing from sugar. However, if you are feeling left out you can always make your own healthy treat and bring this to celebrations. There are plenty of healthy sweet recipes online that use the alternative "healthy" sugars that I listed above in step 9. Just be aware that these sugars can still prompt addition if not eaten in a controlled manner. Once your sugar addiction is under control and you are no longer addicted, you can enjoy a small piece of these celebration desserts occasionally. You should be cautious though, as these small pieces can trigger addiction symptoms and send you spirally back into a sugar addiction. Another thing to keep in mind is that when faced with sweets after completing a detox you may not even have sweet cravings.

Note: You can experience withdrawal symptoms after cutting out sugar. These withdrawal symptoms could include bloating, migraines, fatigue, headache, cramps, nausea, hunger, anxiety, depression, and cravings. With all this in mind, these withdrawal symptoms are only temporary, keep pushing, and kick that sugar addiction!

Tips: It takes anywhere from 10-30 days for an individual to get rid of sugar cravings/sugar addiction. Go in with the mindset that I am not depriving myself my not eating sugar. Tell yourself that if I were to eat sugar that I would be depriving myself of health, happiness, and feeling good on the inside and out. I promise you will not regret cutting out sugar from your diet. There are so many health benefits to living a sugar free life.