How Sweet it ISN’T – Day 17

Do you have a sweet tooth?  Did you know that you probably don’t, however because you keep eating sugar your body continues to crave it more and more.

What is SUGAR?  Sugar is the most simple form of carbohydrate and is known by many names: Sucrose, Fructose, Dextrose, Maltose, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Brown Sugar, Molasses, Honey, Agave, and more!  Sugar is everywhere and in nearly every processed food product you eat.

Sugar is referred to as a “Simple Carbohydrate” because it’s chemical structure is simple, one quick split of a bond and it is in your blood stream as glucose and it will cause a short-lived spike in your blood sugar.  If you believe you have a sweet tooth, most likely what is happening is that you are giving your body a little bit of simple carbohydrate; then your blood sugar spikes, quickly comes back down,  and then you are craving more of those simple carbohydrates.

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At the end of the day you are simply going to be exhausted because you haven’t had any steady levels of blood sugar throughout the day. Research is now showing that sugar actually may be more responsible for heart disease than saturated fat. The reason for this is because excess sugar can cause inflammation throughout her body and that inflammation then in turn can result in problems with our cardiovascular system.

Did you know?

  • The average American consumes as much as 150 to 180 pounds of sugar per year
  • Adults in the USA in 2010 consumed about 15% of their daily calories — about 300 calories a day, based on a 2,000-calorie diet in sugar.
  • Sugar levels in most processed foods have increased dramatically – even foods that you think are “healthy” are loaded with sugar.

How does Sugar Cause Inflammation?

According to an article by heart surgeon, Dr. Dwight Lundell,  “Blood sugar is controlled in a very narrow range. Extra sugar molecules attach to a variety of proteins that in turn injure the blood vessel wall. This repeated injury to the blood vessel wall sets off inflammation. When you spike your blood sugar level several times a day, every day, it is exactly like taking sandpaper to the inside of your delicate blood vessels.”

This inflammation in the blood vessels around the heart can actually trap cholesterol so as we have all been trying to eat low fat and low cholesterol diet for all these years the increase in sugar and carbohydrates has actually negated what we’re trying to achieve.

Last year the Journal of the American Medical Association released a very interesting study that actually shows a statistical relationships between the amount of sugar consumed and the risk of death from heart disease. The study compared people that consumed 10% or less of their daily calories from sugar;  and here are the results quoted from a USA Today article:

  • People who consumed more than 21% of daily calories from added sugar had double the risk of death from heart disease.  DOUBLE! This equates to about three 12 oz cans of regular soda per day, or one BIG 36oz soda popular in convenience stores and fast food restaurants.
  • People who consumed between 17% to 21% of daily calories from added sugar had a 38% higher risk of death from heart disease

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WHAT TO DO?

Take a Sugar Sabbatical. You really need to get it out of your system so that you can get off of that Spiky, Sandpaper, Sugar Roller Coaster.  I realize it isn’t going to be the easist thing to do, but you will be amazed at how much better you feel after a week of reducing your sugar intake.

Quick Tips:

  • Skip Desserts
  • Replace sugary sodas with sparkling water with flavor essence
  • Replace high sugar coffee drinks with a cappuccino
  • Replace a fruit smoothie with a protein drink
  • Limit fruit to 1 or two servings per day
  • Try Stevia, it is a natural non-nutritive sweetener

Do you have questions about Sugar?  Email me!  Susie@theSusieGarcia.com

Health & Bliss to You,

Susie

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