The average North American consumes 150 pounds of sugar per year! That could be a whole person! Read below to help kick your highly addictive habit…to SUGAR.
Undressing 7 reasons to banish sugar from your life!
1. Depletes Your Immune System
Consuming sugar can actually decrease your white blood cells, inhibiting your body’s ability to fight infection, viruses and disease. Sugar depletes your body’s stores of vitamin C, magnesium and B vitamins, all super essential for warding off sickness and protecting you from the latest cold and flu.
When you feel as if you’re coming down with something, try to avoid or limit your sugar intake. Instead stock up on ginger, garlic and lemon.
Try my favourite cold/flu tea:
1 tbsp raw honey
1/2 fresh squeezed lemon
2 tbsp minced ginger
Steep in hot water. Enjoy!
or… to step it up to the next level give this one a try (Click here for recipe).
2. Ages You Faster
Consuming sugar actually causes free-radical damage. For those of you who are still confused by this fancy-pants word, it basically means damage caused to your body’s cells which potentially increases our risk for illness, disease and premature aging.
But don’t panic! Free radical damage is happening inside of us all the time even through the process of digestion and even when we exercise. The preventable free-radical damage comes primarily from:
- pollution
- poor nutrition (i.e. too much SUGAR)
- smoking
- alcohol consumption
- over sun exposure
- lack of sleep
- stress
- pesticides
In a nutshell, sugar dehydrates, steals vital vitamins and minerals from the body and puts a whole lot of stress on the adrenal glands, causing you to burn-out, stress out and age much faster.
3. Feeds Candida
Candida is an overgrowth of a yeast fungus found in the intestines (but can also be found throughout the body systemically) which can hinder the proper balance of good to bad flora and can spread throughout the body.
An excess of Candida in women can cause:
- yeast infections
- depression
- headaches
- fatigue
- PMS
- sugar cravings
- diarrhea
- anxiety
- irritability
- inability to concentrate
- mood swings
Candida thrives off of sugar in the form of refined sugars and simple carbohydrates such as cookies, candy and ice cream, allowing it to flourish, especially in the digestive tract.
4. Messes Up Your Blood Sugar
Sugar in the form of refined and simple carbohydrates can seriously muck up your blood sugar and lead you to feeling those energy highs and lows all day long. Initially the sugar intake brings your blood sugar up, but shortly after, forcing a crash that leaves you not only exhausted but craving more.
Sugar also diverts the supply of another nutrient involved in mood – chromium. This mineral is vital for keeping your blood sugar level stable because insulin, which clears glucose from the blood, can’t work properly without it.
Not only does this put strain on your body’s ability to handle stress, but it also can put you at risk for diabetes and heart disease. Avoid sugar first thing in the morning when your blood sugar is already significantly low from fasting all night.
5. Screws Up Your Sexy Hormones
Too much sugar = increased cortisol = increased estrogen
When we have too much estrogen in our body (which most women do these days) we experience hormone imbalance that can lead to all kinds of health problems including:
- PMS
- endometriosis
- cysts
- fibroids
- and even increase our risk for breast cancer
Consuming a diet high in sugar essentially has the ability to increase our estrogen load in our body and create a total hormone disaster that, if left unattended, will get worse over time.
Ladies – if you think your PMS is BAD now and leave it unresolved, menopause will be PAINFULLY torturous.
6. Makes You Fat
All sugar if not burned turns to fat. It’s as simple as that. Too much sugar will make you fat, period.
7. Makes You Depressed
If you are an individual who is particularly sensitive and prone to depression, take it easy on the white stuff – sugar that is. Sugar chemically acts like a drug in the body.
Sugar can cause depression in the sense that it not only supplies zero in the way of nutrients but it also uses up the mood enhancing B vitamins; stealing them from your brain, lowering your body’s ability to cope with stress.
Sugar at first can increase serotonin (that feel good neurotransmitter in your brain that makes you feel happy and elated) but leave you crashing and in withdrawal afterwards. The initial burst of energy or “high” created in the brain from eating the sugary food is almost always followed up by a low, only leaving you wanting more to re-create that “high.”
NO MORE SUGAR – Now What?
So now that you’re convinced that sugar is the Devil himself, what’s left? Try replacing refined toxic sugars with more natural ones (in moderation of course) including:
- fruits
- dates
- coconut sugar
- maple syrup
- stevia
- honey
Even better, ensure to focus on a whole foods diet filled with lots of veggies and dark leafy greens in particular.
Eat protein with every meal to keep you satisfied and help you curb sugar cravings. Once you’re in the vicious sugar cycle it can be highly addictive and literally change your brain chemistry, forcing your body to cry out for a sugar “fix.”
Switching to a whole foods diet with lots of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes and lean protein will be your saviour in weaning off this drug-like substance.
Hugs, Love & Physical Activity
What’s love got to do with it? EVERYTHING!
Choose healthier sugar alternatives like:
- hugs
- cuddling
- exercise
They have been scientifically proven to naturally increase mood enhancing endorphin’s including serotonin, without the nasty side effects. They don’t call it a “runner’s high” for no reason.
Next time you have a sugar craving, ask yourself if it’s the sugar you crave or perhaps a little TLC? Emotional eating is hugely common in our society, which prefers us to eat over our feelings rather than deal with them. Eating sweets is often a result of this.
But be warned: these natural healthier alternatives like a HUG, just might leave you addicted and coming back for more.
This article was contributed by Jacquie Robertson. At The Naked Label we are head-over-heels in love with Jacquie’s passion and inspiration for self-healing! Check out her site by clicking here. She’ll blow you out of the water with her scrumptious recipes and health articles.
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Photo by: Feserc.
