Scary, I know. But isn't that just perfectly fitting for October when all the ghouls and goblins rear their startling faces?
What is truly scary is how negatively sugar affects our bodies.
Our blood has a very specific amount of sugar that it can tolerate. Refined sugar [unlike the sugar found in fruits] goes directly into our bloodstream. So, when we consume refined sugar, our bodies must produce and release insulin quickly to balance the level of sugar in our blood. This release of insulin is what causes the "sugar crash" that you feel after you consume refined sugar. That tired feeling then causes your body to crave more sugar [for the high], and this creates a vicious cycle. This cycle is very hard on our bodies, and after a while of this back and fourth of sugar an insulin, our bodies just kind of give up trying to normalize the levels of sugar in our blood. That is called diabetes.
[Let me also mention that this is only the tip of the ice burg in discussing why sugar is so hard on our bodies and how it makes burning fat really difficult.]
You may be wondering, then, about the natural sugar in fruits. Fruits do not affect our bodies the way refined sugar does because the fiber in them slows down the absorbtion of that sugar into our blood. That does not spike our blood sugar and trigger the instant insulin response that refined sugar does. Fruits are a great part of a healthy diet!
Most people are addicted to sugar [I know I am]. Some form of sugar is in almost every packaged food [which is part of why packaged and processed foods are so bad for you, but we'll get to that next month ;)]. Sugar is hiding in some unexpected places like condiments, bread, crackers, and processed meat [just to name a few]. That is how we end up consuming much more sugar than we expect. This has caused a rampant addiction to sugar in our society. And if you think addiction is too strong a word, it's not. If you join me on this challenge, you can expect to experience some very real withdraws. These include fatigue, crankiness, low energy and extreme cravings. But don't lose hope, these will subside after a week or so and then you will experience a rebound of energy and at some point sugar won't even sound good.
Here is the challenge: go one month without consuming refined sugar. See how it makes you feel. I am hoping that I will feel more energetic and less just plain tired all the time. I also hope to curb the intense sugar cravings that I have and break my addiction to sugar. The purpose of this challenge is to make a lifestyle change. It is a challenge for a month so we can see how much better we feel without sugar. I am not one of those people that is going to claim that I am never going to have sugar again. At this point in my life that just sounds preposterous. However, I hope this month will teach me to be able to have a little sugar every once in a while, instead of a ton of sugar every day.
So you want to join me? What does that mean? What can you eat? What can't you eat? It is pretty simple. Do not add sugar to anything that you are eating. Check the packages of anything that you consume to make sure that there is no sugar or any kind of corn syrup in it. Hint: anything that ends in an "-ose" is sugar with a Halloween mask on. I am also going to stay away from honey for the month, not because honey is bad for you [although it is high on the glycemic index, and I'll explain what that is another time], but because I do not want to be using it as a crutch.
So, other forms of sweeteners. We have agave nectar. Ah, it kills me to have discovered this because I really used to like agave, but it is no better than corn syrup. So, agave is a no go [sorry]. Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin are a resounding NO. These are so bad for you, it would be better to just eat sugar. These are chemicals that are not meant to be consumed by humans. Researchers are finding all kinds of unexpected health problems caused by artificial sweeteners. Stay away from those. Ok, so we have come to stevia. Now, some people may disagree with me on this [and that is okay], but I do not think it is a good alternative to sugar. It may be "derived" from a natural plant, but then it goes through an ungodly amount of processing before it hits the shelf. So, I say no. Honey, molasses and pure maple syrup are about the only good sweeteners that I can think of, but don't overdo it. These are meant to be used sparingly, not at every meal.
I will update you on my experience at the end of the month.
Well, wish me luck on my sugar-free month. I hope you join me!
No comments:
Post a Comment