EATING TO LOSE WEIGHT
WORLD'S MOST UNHEALTHY FOOD
If you could cut out only one ingredient to lose weight and maximize health, it would be sugar in all of its forms. When we eat foods high in sugar, we are more prone to heart disease, cancer, COVID, stroke, diabetes, mood swings, depression, and poor sleep. Other than that, no big deal!
Sugar is not a necessary ingredient in our diets. It has been refined and concentrated such that it can be easily added to foods in quantities that do not occur naturally. Sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and other caloric additives overwhelm the body’s internal engine leading to metabolic issues. In fact, sugar has been compared to addictive drugs with its hold on the body and mind. A recent report suggested that reducing sugar in packaged foods and beverages could prevent disease in millions of people. [1] [2]
WHAT DOES SUGAR DO TO YOUR BODY
Sugar is ubiquitous in the Standard American Diet (SAD), and its overconsumption leads to many adverse outcomes. It inhibits vitamin absorption, disrupts sleep, and leads to chronic inflammation, weight gain, and obesity. Obesity is not simply because we take in more calories than we burn. It results in a hormonal imbalance which leads to the storage of excess calories as fat, decreases satiety, and triggers a craving for more calories. [3]
You are led to believe that exerting willpower and limiting your dessert to a 100-calorie pack of cookies is a wise choice. Unfortunately, it's not satisfying and makes you more likely to reach for another high caloric snack; not to mention the negative impact of artificial ingredients and chemicals included in anything processed.
It's one of the main reasons why dieting can be so tricky. Choosing to show restraint with food that stimulates your appetite sets you up for failure. An apple and a handful of almonds would be a much better option, and you'd have a handle on the ingredients you're putting into your body.
WEIGHT GAIN IS NOT THE ONLY ISSUE
If we constantly feed the body glucose (in any form), we make it impossible to burn stored body fat; this can be true for active or sedentary individuals and is why exercise may not protect you. It leads to insulin resistance, chronic inflammation in the body, and a disinclination to exercise. Systemic inflammation triggers autoimmune disorders where the body attacks its own tissues. It also adversely impacts brain function, increasing the odds of dementia, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s, and speeds aging.
We are still told that a high-fat diet is the problem despite all the proof to the contrary. Low-fat diets have been recommended by the government and other health experts as the key to losing weight. However, over the past 30 years, the calories from fat in people’s diets have gone down, but obesity rates keep climbing. Evidence now suggests that diets high in added sugar are the problem. [4]
METABOLISM PROBLEMS
Our bodies have evolved to use fat as our primary fuel source. (Read the blog article on FAT CONSUMPTION HERE.) We are omnivorous and meant to derive our carbohydrate intake mainly from fruits and vegetables. Sweetened beverages, fruit juice, cookies, cakes, etc., spike our blood sugar and are easy to overconsume. We ride the sugar/insulin roller coaster, which triggers the consumption of excess calories, poor sleep, and mood swings. Our disrupted metabolism can't access fat stores for energy.
We're led to believe that simply restricting calories will lead to weight loss and move us toward our ideal body composition. But what if that serving of cookies triggers your appetite instead of satisfying your urge? What if it inhibits nutrient absorption and keeps us from being active? It’s not your fault if you lose the battle with your biology. If your body is not tuned to access stored calories (fat), it will demand more carbs for fuel.
HOW TO DETOX FROM SUGAR
Many people have a physical and emotional attachment to highly caloric foods, but it can be remedied. Studies in which refined sugar is removed from the diet have demonstrated the remarkable resiliency of the human body. Within days of eliminating refined sugar, biomarkers of inflammation decrease markedly, and blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels improve. The risk of type 2 diabetes drops by nearly 25 percent. [5]
As with any healthy diet plan, removing sugar from your diet will happen naturally if you focus on whole, unprocessed food. There will be sugar withdrawal symptoms (headache, brain fog, irritability, etc.) but know that when you come out the other side, you will be taking one of the biggest steps to reclaim your health. A meal plan that eliminates sugar is part of the Nutrition Master Plan program and can help you navigate this process.
DON'T EAT FOOD WITH REFINED SUGAR
The next time you consider eating a cookie or piece of cake, remember all of the downstream negative effects and take a pass.