Sugar and I had a good go, but it is time to break up. The more I study about it, the more I just can’t have it as a part of my life. I’m going to have to get my joy ride from something else. For 2021 (and I can’t believe I am saying this out loud and on paper FOR-EV-ER in the clouds) that I am going to try my darndest to go the whole year without it. And, from what I’ve studied, it may take up to 5 years, FIVE, to get the cravings to go away. Sheesh… I’m in it for the long haul. But it is imperative that we breakup.
Not convinced you are ready to say goodbye to your best friend who always has your back, even though you know that they aren’t doing you good? I get that. It is a sneaky one and an addicting one as well. but being open to this idea may help you create some awareness around your body and diet and you may be able to start some simple changes to help your health.
Here are just some of the main ways sugar affects your body. Definitely a big list and seriously not even the tip of the iceberg….
- First off, sugar messes with your energy regulation. No one needs energy drops. Eating sugar alone can be an issue too so pair it with a protein and small amount of healthy fat to sustain and regulate energy better.
- Sugar can mess with your brain’s ability to regulate. When you eat sugar, you can get the same rush of endorphins that can be equal or even greater than a hit of cocaine to the pleasure center of the brain. And next time, in order to get the same degree of rush, you must eat more sugar. If you are an emotional eater, this could cause a problem with consuming sweets to “feel better.”
- Studies are showing that too much sugar leads to higher depression in adults. One of the main thoughts on this is that sugar can give you a burst of energy, but when that energy runs through your body, you body may drop to an even lower state of mood and energy than before. So think twice about hitting up for that mid-afternoon slump. Witching hour anyone? But also sugar decreases and interferes neurotransmitter effectiveness in your brain due to… you guessed it, inflammation of the brain on sugar.
- We all know that sugar can rot your gorgeous smile, even if you brush your teeth, your saliva can hold more sugary goodness long after you eat it.
- Did you know that sugar can also cause joint aches and pains? Yep. Sugar is an inflammatory, dare I say, DRUG. With that inflammation your joints cannot work in full range of motion and you are more likely to cause injury to them. Too much sugar over time is also linked to rheumatoid arthritis. Yikes!
- Inflammation just doesn’t happen in your joints, it can also happen on your skin… hello acne AND wrinkles! We definitely don’t wait to age faster for any reason but that is what sugar is going to do to your skin due to the loss of elasticity because of how sugar reacts with the collagen in your skin. You will get acne because the inflammation causes the fatty layer of your skin to produce more oil and your pores cannot keep up so they get clogged.
- When you eat excess sugar, the extra insulin in your bloodstream can affect the arteries all over your body. It causes their walls to get inflamed (another inflammatory response), grow thicker than normal and more stiff, this stresses your heart and damages it over time. This can lead to heart disease, like heart failure, heart attacks, and strokes.
- When you eat, your pancreas pumps out insulin to help your blood sugar levels regulate. If you’re eating too much sugar, your body stops responding properly to insulin and regulations. It is on overload. So then your pancreas starts pumping out even more insulin. Eventually, your overworked pancreas will break down and your blood sugar levels will rise, setting you up for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Or even milder symptoms such as bad sleep and heart palpitations… which as a mom, sleep if everything for me!
- Added and refined sugars in your diet can increase your risk of cancer. Cancer FEEDS on sugar and so does estrogen which can be instrumental in breast cancer is levels get too high or the hormone mutates.
- And it can cause weight gain due to the inflammation stress that happens to your body with increased blood sugar levels. Soda is the biggest offender here because of its concentrated and liquid sugar content.
- AND (maybe the most important lol) it can seriously decrease your sex drive because your blood flow isn’t working properly due to the chemicals and sugar fighting throughout your body. I don’t think we need ANY of that going on.
For me, having PMDD, eating sugar really messes with my hormone balance and therefore my mood and body image. The times when I have eaten a sugary diet (around the holidays for example or even a “craving week”), my anxiety and disruptive thoughts skyrocket. I don’t necessarily know the science of why but I can only guess that inflammation has a major part in this change. I feel crappy and therefore I act crappy. Super sciency words right there!
I hate that I don’t sleep well when sugar is a main part of my diet and I feel like I can’t be a good teacher and coach being sluggish. Everything is so connected in my body (and yours) that removing sugar is going to help in SO many areas as I talked about above.
Check out my next post on ways to limit sugar and a further post on some other ideas about sugar. In the meantime, you can watch this video that was produced a while ago, but still so pertinent to the breakup with sugar…
Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin. Find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM&t=69s&ab_channel=UniversityofCaliforniaTelevision%28UCTV%29
***We do not claim to be a doctor or anything of the like. This document is for educational and journaling purposes only. Any action taken by the reader is their sole responsibility and should be done with discretion. No claim can be made against Adagio FIT or its employees. If you ever have any questions, take them to your primary care doctor.***