~5 Reasons That Sugar Is Not So Sweet~
I have always had a sweet tooth. The rumor that I once ate half a dozen frosted donuts in a single day, is indeed true. It is also true that I felt awful that evening!
It wasn't until I did my Yoga training at Yoga Life Institute, that I found Nancy Appleton's books about sugar and learned of sugar's effect on our bodily systems. I began to notice a connection to my sugar intake and some of the ailments that I was experiencing. In her well researched books, she lists 144 reasons why sugar ruins your health. The list can be overwhelming and scary, but factual.
Here are the 5 things that I think are the most important for you to understand about sugar. All are sited from Nancy Appleton's research. It's also important to know that when I say "sugar" I am talking about highly processed sugar... two examples are white sugar and high fructose corn syrup. There are more healthy substitutes like dates, real maple syrup, and raw honey.
I have gone through many periods of eating no sugar other than dates, real maple syrup and honey, but overall I have found that I eat a little here and there. When I feel a cold coming on, I back off entirely. I try not to beat myself up about it from day to day...after all knowledge is power and moderation is key.
It wasn't until I did my Yoga training at Yoga Life Institute, that I found Nancy Appleton's books about sugar and learned of sugar's effect on our bodily systems. I began to notice a connection to my sugar intake and some of the ailments that I was experiencing. In her well researched books, she lists 144 reasons why sugar ruins your health. The list can be overwhelming and scary, but factual.
Here are the 5 things that I think are the most important for you to understand about sugar. All are sited from Nancy Appleton's research. It's also important to know that when I say "sugar" I am talking about highly processed sugar... two examples are white sugar and high fructose corn syrup. There are more healthy substitutes like dates, real maple syrup, and raw honey.
I have gone through many periods of eating no sugar other than dates, real maple syrup and honey, but overall I have found that I eat a little here and there. When I feel a cold coming on, I back off entirely. I try not to beat myself up about it from day to day...after all knowledge is power and moderation is key.
1. Sugar is addictive
And like any addict, if you have a sweet tooth, you will deny and make excuses for the second cookie you had for dessert or the "little bit of sugar" that put in your coffee every morning. The more you have it, the more you will crave it...gotta have it...need it!
Americans consume more than 50 Lbs. of sugar per person each year. Yikes! Those tablespoons in your morning coffee really do add up.
2. Sugar suppresses the immune system
To be more specific, sugar puts stress on our bodily systems. It throws our body chemistry off balance or in other words, it effects homeostasis. Think of a seesaw. When one side weighs more it throws the seesaw off balance. When both sides have equal weight, they can maintain balance and both hover, legs dangling in air. When our bodies cannot maintain balance (homeostasis), we will get sick. That may mean catching the cold that is going around the office, or over time, something worse.
And like any addict, if you have a sweet tooth, you will deny and make excuses for the second cookie you had for dessert or the "little bit of sugar" that put in your coffee every morning. The more you have it, the more you will crave it...gotta have it...need it!
Americans consume more than 50 Lbs. of sugar per person each year. Yikes! Those tablespoons in your morning coffee really do add up.
2. Sugar suppresses the immune system
To be more specific, sugar puts stress on our bodily systems. It throws our body chemistry off balance or in other words, it effects homeostasis. Think of a seesaw. When one side weighs more it throws the seesaw off balance. When both sides have equal weight, they can maintain balance and both hover, legs dangling in air. When our bodies cannot maintain balance (homeostasis), we will get sick. That may mean catching the cold that is going around the office, or over time, something worse.
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3. Sugar interferes with the body’s absorption of nutrients This is directly related to #2! When we consume too much sugar, our body tries to regain composure by pulling minerals from the bloodstream to compensate. This leaves the minerals in the bloodstream to function at much less than par. When they not working at full capacity, the body cannot absorb nutrients properly. This leaves your body depleted and functioning at less than 100%. Everyone's resilience is different, but over time this results in sickness.
4. Cancer cells feed on sugar
Precancerous cells are lurking in all of our bodies. When the body is weakened, by an accident, by illness, by heavy sugar intake... by being unbalanced in any way, we are putting ourselves at risk for illness. Again, everybody's resilience is different.
Ever had a friend that is always sick...they have lower resilience. A grandfather who smoked, drank, and had a doughnut everyday until he was 90....higher resilience. That being said, Cancer cells feeds on sugar. They love the stuff. More sugar = Cancer grows and Cancer cells multiple. No sugar = Cancer cells starve. Appleton and some Ayurvedic practitioners even go as far as suggesting cutting out natural sugars, such as fruit, after a Cancer diagnosis.
5. Sugar is ruining our children's health
Sugar is replacing nutrients that children need and then leading to malabsorbtion of nutrients that they are consuming. According to Appleton's research, juvenile diabetes, anxiety, hyperactivity and food allergies are all directly related to consuming sugar. Sugar lurks in almost all marketed process foods. And that does not mean only cookies and cakes! Some hidden places include, crackers, bread, ketchup, salad dressings, alcohol(for those of us over 21), and snacks like granola bars. High fructose corn syrup is the first ingredient in baby formulas marketed for sensitive tummies! Not only might we be starting the sugar addiction in infancy, we are weakening the bodily systems in babies. This is setting them up for potential suffering of juvenile diabetes, anxiety, hyperactivity, food allergies, and more.
From an ayuvedic stand point, the more your body has to work to balance itself, the weaker it becomes. Sugar is a stressor to the body. It takes us out of whack and our body will fight to regain balance. The more sugar, the harder it has to work to do so.
So, that's depressing! What can you do?
Try to eliminate some sugar from your diet now. Cutting every bit of sugar will most likely be challenging and result in relapse. I started with my morning coffee. Years ago, I used artificial sweetener because it tasted so darn good! First, I switched to regular white sugar. I lessened the amount that I used and in a matter of a few weeks I didn't use sweetener at all. Then, I made more small changes like making my own salad dressings or using bananas to sweeten my oatmeal instead of brown sugar. It took years, but here I am today.
~Stay tuned for posts about~
You Don't Have to Deprive Yourself! Healthy Desserts Without All The Crap, Alternatives to White Sugar, How to Decrease Your Sugar Intake, Places That Sugar Lurks, Sugars in Baby Formula
Suicide By Sugar by Nancy Appleton and Lick The Sugar Habit by Nancy Appleton
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