TRENDING TUESDAY // SUGAR CRASH

Sugar – the yummy additive that is associated with all things, sweet, celebratory, childlike and delicious. The word even doubles as a term of endearment – sweetie pie, sugar plum, honey bunny – but don’t be fooled, Sugar is not the innocent little treat that it seems. Some seriously credible researchers go as far as to call sugar an addictive poison. If you’re looking for a thoroughly well-researched breakdown of the toxicity of sugar I highly suggest Dr. Robert Lustig’s lecture Sugar: The Bitter Truth. Dr. Lustig’s viral video really started the conversation about the negative effects of sugar and has over 5.5 million views! If you’re looking for an abbreviated version, read on:

Sugar, that white grainy substance that you borrow from your neighbor, is actually called Sucrose and it is 50% Glucose and 50% Fructose. Glucose is processed in our gut and used to fuel our cells. Fructose, however, bypasses the gut and goes straight to the liver. Some of this Fructose gets stored as glycogen and some of it turns straight into fat (aka. Trigycerides). I know, fat – it’s not the end of the world, moderation is key, cutting out foods is not the answer, BUT…

For one, Fructose is a dangerous fat linked to chronic diseases, slow metabolism, high cholesterol, heart disease, cirrhosis, hypertension, obesity, insulin resistance and gout.

Plus, since almost all processed foods are laden with sugar and lacking in fiber, we consume way too much of it (for example – apples are sweet AND filling, cereal is sweet BUT you can’t stop eating it because it lacks that good filling fiber). 5 teaspoons is the recommended MAX amount of sugar you should be taking in each day. 

Additionally, SUGAR ITSELF IS ADDICTIVE, on a very scientific level. Sugar alters the dopamine receptors in our brain to make us actually crave the sugar high we had in the past, but to reach this high we need to take in just a little more each time. So we progressively consume more and more and more.

It is pretty safe to say that sugar is not exactly a health food! But, now that we have that knowledge it is our responsibility to act on it. Next week I will be taking a week-long no sugar challenge and I invite you all to join me!

THE CHALLENGE: Starting Sunday we will eliminate all added sugar from our diets. This means no added sugar, no sugar substitutes and no alcohol. Three pieces of fruit are allowed each day. The goal is to get back to basics, break mental and physical addictions and reset. Check in on Sunday for a blog post detailing the challenge guidelines. All next week I will be sharing fun recipes and pointers to get you through. See you Sunday!