All About Sugar
Why is sugar so bad and which sugars to avoid?
Sugar is detrimental to our health! Not only is it a contributing factor to diabetes but it weakens our immune system, ages us faster and causes neurological problems later in life such as dementia and Alzheimers. Sugar is also extremely addicting. It is even more addicting than drugs like cocaine and heroin. There was a study done with rats, if the rats pressed one lever they would get a dose of cocaine and by pressing another lever they would be supplied with sugar water. Nearly most of the rats preferred the sugar water over the drug. Sugar binds to the same receptors in the brain that drugs like cocaine bind to, which is why it is so addictive.
Sugar lowers our immune system because it competes with vitamin C in our cells. The more sugar we have in cells the less vitamin C there is and our ability to fight infections decreases. Don’t forget we are unable to create our own vitamin C and we need to get it from our diet or supplements. Sugar also impairs white blood cells ability to fight infections. It literally paralyzes the white blood cells. So don’t drink that orange juice in the morning, it is not beneficial to your health at all. That OJ is full of sugar and has none of the fiber. One of the reasons why fasting (or intermittent fasting) is so beneficial to our health is it increases the ability of white blood cells to fight infections.
You should consider all carbs and starches as sugar. Starches are just sugar molecules bonded together in long chains. So when you look at the nutrition facts label and see the total carbs on the label, just subtract the fiber from total carbs and that is the grams of sugar there really are in the food. For example, one bagel has approximately 50 grams of total carbs, 3 grams of fiber and 11 grams of sugar listed on the label. It is not just 11 grams of sugar that the bagel has. It really is 47 grams of sugar (50g carbs minus the 3g of fiber). So just keep that in mind when reading labels.
Sugars and sweeteners can be hidden in processed food under many different names. The worst ones to watch out for are Aspartame and Sucralose, found in Splenda, diet soda, gum and many other products. High fructose corn syrup is practically everywhere. It is a highly processed sugar and is cheaply made out of GMO corn. It blocks leptin which is a hormone that tells our brain we are full. Most sugars will have the “- ose” ending such as dextrose, maltose, glucose, sucrose (table sugar), lactose, fructose.
Sugar alcohols are very popular in the Keto community because they are low on the glycemic index. Glycemic index is a measure for all sugars and carbs on a scale of 0 - 100. Which tells us how fast the food we eat effects our blood sugar levels. Sugar alcohols such as: Xylitol, Erythritol, Sorbitol, Maltitol cause bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort as well as alter your gut flora.
Try to remember these few tips. Incorporate Ceylon cinnamon into your diet as much as possible. It helps in regulating your blood sugar levels. Also, many people are deficient in magnesium which works together with insulin to help lower your blood sugar levels. Magnesium is a great supplement to take that has other numerous health benefits.
At the end of the day, sugar is sugar! No matter what kind of sugar it is; white sugar, honey, brown sugar, it is all sugar. It spikes your blood sugar levels followed by a crash, leaving you wanting even more sugar there after. It is very hard to break the sugar addiction and the more your eat it the more you crave it. So be more mindful of how much sugar you consume. Im not telling you to completely take sugar out of your diet because that is nearly impossible. Just cut down on sugar. It’s a weaning process that takes time.
