The Danger of Sugar
When many think of obesity, they immediately think of Type 2 Diabetes. This disease is NO
Sugar contributes to all around cellular inflammation. It's like giving yourself multiple paper cuts one after the other. These small wounds compromise cellular function. They occur below the pain threshold, so we don't feel the damage that's being done. It's when we can't see the damage being done on the inside that falsely leads so many to think 'I've eaten it my whole life and I turned out just fine." Have you really??
Sugar has also been linked to heart disease and ESPECIALLY cancer. Cancer cells LOVE sugar. If you've ever had the scary experience of getting a PET scan done to detect it, you know the first thing they make you do is a drink a sugary drink. The scan works by identifying possible
malignancies by highlighting the areas within the body that eat the most sugar the fastest. Think about this for a moment. If this is so, it makes perfect sense that eating a diet high in sugar would skyrocket your chances of developing cancer at some point. If you're genetically prone to it already, it seems to me that eating a cancer-friendly diet would seal your fate. Another ailment sugar causes.... Candida. Or better known as YEAST infections. We have yeast in our gut naturally. It's kept in check by healthy bacteria. When you eat a crappy, nutrient deficient diet, it throws off the balance of good vs bad bacteria in the gut. In addition to that, the bad bacteria--or yeast--is fed by all the sugar your consuming, so they go nuts running a muck throughout your body. Yeast infections can occur in different places on the body, not just the 'feminine' type we see so many commercials for. If you have cracked feet with whitish flaky dry skin and toenails with fungus, you more than likely have a yeast infection on your feet. It's more common than you think!
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It's a deadly legal drug
Sugar is addictive. As addictive as cocaine, in fact. Seriously. This stuff affects our neurological receptors in the brain by producing opium-like effects. Lab rats have experienced binging, withdrawal and cravings similar to those experienced by amphetamines, nicotine and alcohol addictions. Many times people engage in 'emotional eating' to cope with stress, much like drug users use drugs to cope with stress. Even after you stop eating sugar, the cravings persist long afterwards, and various things can act as triggers that can cause relapses.
The big industry packaged food companies put sugar in EVERYTHING. It's swimming in things you may not think would even have it in there. They put it in everything because they know you are addicted to it and if their product tastes good enough you will keep coming back for more. It doesn't have to be sweet to have sugar in it. If you eat the 'Standard American Diet' (SAD), you ARE addicted to sugar. Sorry. Accept it and take the next steps toward getting this monkey off your back...or should we say back fat.
Fact: If you do nothing else right this very minute but cut sugar out of your diet, you WILL see results quickly! Those with significant amounts of weight to loose (40lbs+) especially will see benefits quickly, just by cutting out sodas and bread. You will not believe the toxic impact sugar has on your body until you rid yourself of it.
The recommended maximum intake of sugar each day is about 12 teaspoons, or 48 grams. There are 4g of sugar in every teaspoon, so when you are reading labels and see that something has 12g of sugar, you now know that means it has 3 tsp of added sugar. If you are dieting, would you dare go to the sugar bag and dip out 3 spoon fulls of sugar and eat it? Hell no! So you MUST read labels and know what is going into your body. Without doing so, you may as well be eating right out of the sugar bag, and I assure you that your waistline will not shrink despite whatever you're doing in the gym.
Sneaky sneaky sugar
It may sound easy enough to cut out sugar. The obvious foods you need to avoid are cookies, donuts, sodas, juice drinks, frosted cereals, etc. But what about the foods with hidden sugars? The ones that are marketed as 'Fat Free' and 'Lite' that lead you to believe eating them will help you reach your goals. This is where label reading comes in real handy!
Reading labels is a MUST when losing body fat is your mission. There's no way around it. Big businesses don't make it easy for us to know the truth. You gotta go a little digging from time to time.
The recommended maximum intake of sugar each day is about 12 teaspoons, or 48 grams. There are 4g of sugar in every teaspoon, so when you are reading labels and see that something has 12g of sugar, you now know that means it has 3 tsp of added sugar. If you are dieting, would you dare go to the sugar bag and dip out 3 spoon fulls of sugar and eat it? Hell no! So you MUST read labels and know what is going into your body. Without doing so, you may as well be eating right out of the sugar bag, and I assure you that your waistline will not shrink despite whatever you're doing in the gym.
Sneaky sneaky sugar
It may sound easy enough to cut out sugar. The obvious foods you need to avoid are cookies, donuts, sodas, juice drinks, frosted cereals, etc. But what about the foods with hidden sugars? The ones that are marketed as 'Fat Free' and 'Lite' that lead you to believe eating them will help you reach your goals. This is where label reading comes in real handy!
- Breads and cereals often have sugar added to them. Especially those labeled cinnamon raisin or honey wheat.
- Tomato sauces often have sugar added. Ketchup is also in this category. Nearly 1/3 of an entire bottle of ketchup is sugar. This extends the shelf life in canned goods, as well as counters the acidity of the tomatoes, especially if they are picked too early.
- Canned Soups are the same. In addition to the added sugar, canned foods should be avoided when possible because of BPA. I've found that organic tomato sauces in glass jars tend to have the least, if any, added sugar.
- Yogurt: Unless it is PLAIN, it likely has added sugar. There is some naturally occurring sugar in yogurt. Approximately 10g. Anything on top of that is added. Your best bet is to use 0% plain and add a low/no sugar preserves, fresh fruit or honey. There are also flavor drops out there, such as Capella Flavor Drops you can use. Most of the flavored yogurts on the shelves, fat free or not, have almost as much sugar as a candy bar or a couple donuts. AVOID THEM! The only time these would be ok would be immediately post workout mixed in a protein shake. That is IT.
- Prepackaged Oatmeal should also have made the above list, I forgot to stick it in. Do yourself a favor and get a huge 6lb bag of oats from Costco or Sams and make your own. Add protein powder and a little PB2, or almond milk and cinnamon. If it's made for you and in a box, it's loaded with crap.
- Protein Bars - The majority of the 'mainstream' protein bars have as much sugar as a Snickers. That's really all they are--glorified candy bars. DO NOT purchase them. DO NOT eat them. Make your own! I have a couple recipes for them on my facebook page and I will add a section on the blog too. You can also google it.
- Fat Free dressings. The same as fat free yogurts. LOADED. Read the labels!
- Fast Food - This is a no-brainer, but many think if they're not eating dessert, then it's sugar free. NOPE. Most of the nasty fast food chains add a sugar molasses type mixture to the meat to bulk it up a little bit. It's also typically in the breading of fried foods and of course, condiments like bbq sauce, honey mustards, sweet n sour, etc. Candied pecans and dried fruits in fast food salads will also sabotage your salad efforts, so order those salads without them!
Reading labels is a MUST when losing body fat is your mission. There's no way around it. Big businesses don't make it easy for us to know the truth. You gotta go a little digging from time to time.
Start Slow
Don't overwhelm yourself by cutting it totally off. Remember, sugar addiction is FOR REAL and you will experience similar type symptoms as addicts do during detox. Start with cutting our sodas, or drop to one soda a day, then one a week, etc. You may get headaches, tremors, irritability, fatigue, etc., but instead of saying 'Screw this diet stuff, I feel horrible!' remember that is your body's response to DETOXING all these horrid chemicals and sugar from your body. It will pass in a few days to a week and then it will be like the sun is shining down on you and you can see clearly. The SAD diet is poisonous to our bodies, so it's inevitable to have those symptoms while your body is cleansing itself.
Remember to stay consistent with making changes, and don't give up! If you 'relapse' try not to beat yourself up. Call a friend, send me a message, go to an online support group, read success stories....do whatever you must to shake it off and start anew from that second on. You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great!
xoxo~Ashley
Don't overwhelm yourself by cutting it totally off. Remember, sugar addiction is FOR REAL and you will experience similar type symptoms as addicts do during detox. Start with cutting our sodas, or drop to one soda a day, then one a week, etc. You may get headaches, tremors, irritability, fatigue, etc., but instead of saying 'Screw this diet stuff, I feel horrible!' remember that is your body's response to DETOXING all these horrid chemicals and sugar from your body. It will pass in a few days to a week and then it will be like the sun is shining down on you and you can see clearly. The SAD diet is poisonous to our bodies, so it's inevitable to have those symptoms while your body is cleansing itself.
Remember to stay consistent with making changes, and don't give up! If you 'relapse' try not to beat yourself up. Call a friend, send me a message, go to an online support group, read success stories....do whatever you must to shake it off and start anew from that second on. You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great!
xoxo~Ashley
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