7 Reasons It’s Time to Break Up with Sugar in 2020
Photo: Joanna Kosinska
Sugar. It’s everywhere you look. Disguised by colorful packaging and deceptive “health” claims, it can be very hard to spot. Not only has it been made into something that we consume daily in unbelievable amounts, it’s thought of as a “right” or something we “owe ourselves” for sticking to a diet, doing well on a project, getting a promotion, or simply having a bad day.
Why is it so important that we minimize our intake of refined sugar?
Sugar is a well-known toxin, linked to every disease process known to man. Everything from chronic pain and poor immunity, to heart disease, obesity, diabetes and even cancer. It has no benefit to our health whatsoever, and is an “anti-nutrient”, meaning it robs the body of nutrition!
Reasons to Call It Quits
Refined Sugars Cause Inflammation
Refined sugar creates massive amounts of inflammation in the body. Acute, short-term inflammation is a natural part of the healing process, such as when you get a cut on your finger. On the other hand, chronic, long-term inflammation is exactly the opposite. This type of inflammation will wreak havoc on the body and mind over time.
Inflammation Leads to Pain
Sugar plays a major role in the development of chronic pain. It doesn’t matter if it’s arthritis in your knees, or that mystery pain in your back, decreasing refined sugar will help. Underlying chronic pain is inflammation and often, chronic infections fueled by sugar are also a very common cause.
Sugar Inactivates the Immune System
Sugar is one of the main culprits in immune system suppression. It puts added stress on the body and increases our cortisol levels (aka the stress hormone), which has an immunosuppressive effect.
Tired? Blame Sugar!
It seems nearly everyone is fatigued to some degree these days, and sugar is a main culprit! It negatively affects our blood sugar levels, hormones, immunity, digestion and forces the body to use its resources to keep us in balance, which rapidly drains our energy levels.
Ditch the Sugar to Lose Weight
Fat has been touted as the enemy of weight-loss, but this is simply not true! Fat is not the cause of weight gain and obesity, it’s sugar! Yes, this sweet habit, whether knowingly or unknowingly, is inhibiting your success in losing excess fat. When we consume sugar, insulin, which is responsible for lowering blood glucose levels, kicks into high gear to get all that excess sugar out of the bloodstream and into your cells for energy. The problem is your body can only handle so much sugar, so it stores the rest as fat, leading to excess weight gain and a lot of frustration.
Improve Your Brain and Mental Health
Mental health is so often overlooked as being only a psychological issue, when in fact it has a very physical cause as well. Refined sugar is strongly linked to anxiety, depression, learning disorders like ADHD and significantly increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
Sugar Ruins Your Gut
The gut health has been found to have such a large impact on overall health, including mental health as mentioned above. Sugar directly impacts our microbiome (our gut), by changing the type of bacteria that reside there, providing fuel for all the bad critters, while killing of beneficial bacteria. This can cause a whole host of issues, such as excess inflammation, leaky gut, allergies, brain fog, digestive upset and pain.
Start 2020 on the right note and take steps to reduce your refined sugar intake! More on how to do this next.
Ready to transform this year? I’m taking new clients for January! Let’s work together and help you reach your goals!
Asher Kleiber
Registered Holistic Nutritionist
Many of us tend to overthink and overcomplicate things; I’m guilty of this myself. We feel the need to have everything perfectly aligned before we feel confident enough to start moving forward. This can apply to various aspects of life, including eating healthier, working out, and prioritizing sleep and rest…