Killing Us Sweetly

There is lots of talk about the fact that people should avoid sugar and processed foods. And to most it seems obvious, right? Sugar is bad for you. Pretty basic concept. Processed foods have lots of junk added to them. And the basic rule is if there are more than 5 ingredients in a packaged food, don’t eat it. Many of the added ingredients in processed foods are in a form of sugar. Yes, that’s right, sugar is hiding under another name.Here is a list of the names sugar can go by:AgaveBarley maltButtered SyrupCane JuiceCaramelCarob SyrupCoconut SyrupDate SugarDehydrated Cane SugarDextrinDextroseEvaporated Cane JuiceFructoseFruit JuiceGlucoseHigh-fructose Corn SyrupHoneyMalt SyrupMaltodextrinMaltolMaltoseMannoseMaple SyrupMolassesPalm SugarPanochaRice SyrupSaccharoseSorghum SyrupSucroseSugarSweet SorghumTreacleTurbinado SugarConfusing right? Some of them are obvious, but some are not at all. On the packages of these products, you are likely to also see declarations like “Fat-Free”, “Gluten Free”, “Nutrient Rich”, Low Fat”, “Vegan”, etc.But the reason to avoid sugar and processed food is interesting and may be more complicated than most people know. What happens in your brain and body when sugar is consumed?When sugar enters your mouth, digestion begins. That’s right! It starts before you even swallow it. This is because your body wants to separate carbohydrates into what is called monosaccharides. This is simple sugar. Which is easy to absorb into the blood-stream and used for instant energy. To the human primitive brain, this was THE BEST news. Anything that could provide instant energy was like gold. Something to seek out and get as much of as possible. Because you weren't sure when you'd come across it again.There is a chemical released in your brain when you eat sugar called dopamine. This was evolved to give us pleasure when we got basic needs like warmth, sex, shelter, food, and ENERGY! Understanding how dopamine works in your brain and works as a reward and as a motivator is really important when we are trying to understand why it’s so hard to lose weight. That is why you crave sugar even though you know it isn’t good for you. And that is why your brain gets addicted to it.We don’t need that kind of energy anymore. We are not running from a tiger or storing fat for some unknown future or running after an animal we might to shoot with an arrow and eat. If you are running a marathon, you use the energy from sugar right away. But most of the time, you are not running a marathon. So the energy gets stored. Guess how it gets stored? As fat! Your brain has literally been conditioned to desire foods that will cause the quickest and most lastly weight gain.Most Americans consume over 19 teaspoons of sugar every day. It is recommended that adults limit consumption to a MAXIMUM of 6 teaspoons per day. If you are trying to figure out when reading labels how many teaspoons of sugar are in the SERVING SIZE, each teaspoon contains 4 grams. So if your cereal has 8 grams of sugar per serving, that means you are consuming 2 teaspoons of sugar in the one serving. That is ⅓ the TOTAL you are supposed to have in a day.Here is a general idea of ADDED sugar:1 cup of tomato sauce - 11 grams  (almost 3 teaspoons)1 candy bar = 24 grams (6 teaspoons)8.3 oz energy drink - 27 grams (almost 7 teaspoons)1 cup of vanilla ice cream = 28 grams (7 teaspoons)1 medium blueberry muffin - 37 grams (over 9 teaspoons)1 medium chai latte = 42 grams (10 ½ teaspoons)32 oz sports drink = 52 grams (13 teaspoons) 24 oz soda - 72 grams (18 teaspoons)What about low-fat products? If you take a look at the labels of most “low fat” products, the amount of sugar is very high. For example, 1 cup of Kefir contains 9 grams of sugar. 1 cup of low-fat Kefir contains 19 grams. They use sugar to make up for the flavor change when they take the fat out! 3.5 oz of low-fat frozen yogurt contains 24 grams of sugar while the same amount of regular ice cream contains 21 grams of sugar.When you cut sugar and processed foods out of your diet, you will go through a withdrawal period. And you will feel like you cannot do it. Because it is truly an addiction. The reason you wind up eating more when you consume sugar is that your body is not identifying it as nutrients it can use. It is as if the sugar and fat in your body are deciding what you will consume. When you eat vegetables, proteins, and healthy fats, your brain turns off the hunger signal because those foods are nutritious. I can help you reprogram your brain. I work with my clients to identify foods they like and that work with their lives to make quitting sugar more a lasting lifestyle change instead of a “diet”. The diseases and negative conditions that sugar can cause is ridiculous:DiabetesInflammationTooth DecayAccelerated AgingMood SwingsHeadachesFatigueCravingsObesityWeight GainFat GainHeart DiseaseCancerWrinklesSagging SkinGum DiseaseStressImbalanced HormonesInability to off fight infectionLiver DamageKidney DiseaseSo why do we use sugar as a reward or treat for children? “I love you so much, honey! Here is something that will make you sick and maybe die over time.”When I was in my late teens and early twenties I consumed mainly sugar and processed foods. I exercised a lot and burned them off, but I was always hungry. After I developed a gluten sensitivity in my mid-twenties, I moved to eating rice, potatoes, proteins and lots of vegetables. I wasn’t hungry anywhere near as much even though I was exercising at a higher level. I didn’t realize what was happening, but people often asked me “what do you eat?” and “aren’t you hungry all the time?” I remember thinking it was weird that I was less hungry.If you cut down on sugar for the next 3 months, you have noticeable differences.What are your experiences with sugar? Have you tried to cut back, but find it impossible. I would love to hear your thoughts!Have a great week!