6 Compelling Reasons to Quit Sugar - and HOW

Sugar makes you fat – processed sugar is void of any vitamins, minerals, fibre or amino acids. It raises your blood sugar levels and deposits fat into your liver. It encourages bad bacteria to build in your gut and slows your digestion leaving you bloated and sluggish. Sugar highs can lead to overeating, as the ‘dip’ makes your blood sugar plunge thus triggering the body to seek more to alleviate the ‘dip’ symptoms.

Sugar is a bitch for your skin and it’s aging. It disrupts your hormones and encourages free radicals (responsible for disease, destruction of the DNA and aging).

Sugar makes you sick – processed white sugar is highly acidic. Studies have shown that a body with a low ph (high acidity) is the best environment in which cancer cells thrive.  Sugar suppresses your immunity. It has a high glycemic index (the speed it enters your blood stream). GI Examples:  White Sugar - 80 - High Fructose Corn Syrup 87 - Dextrose 100 - Maltodextrin 150!  Coconut palm sugar 35 and stevia 0! The speed it enters your blood causes the liver to convert it to fat. This leads to insulin resistance which can give you heart disease and make you obese. It also increases inflammation in the body and can lead to osteoporosis. Sugar disrupts your hormones. All these factors can contribute to each other. How many you end up experiencing is like Russian Roulette! Always sick? Ditch the sugar!

Sugar makes you moody – In 2007 studies proved that the demon processed sugar is more addictive than cocaine! Do you trust your package food supplier to deliver good food?! Yeah right, check out how many products ADD needless sugar to their food. Look at the label, it is in ketchup, baked beans, bread, sauces, savoury ready-meals. Sugar gives a TEMPORARY high. It spikes your glucose levels and can cause hypoglycemia. Those peaks and troughs reek havoc on your brain and can bring on anxiety attacks, anger, depression. Sugar makes your levels of concentration akin to someone with ADD (heck, is SUGAR the cause of the huge rise in ADD? 100 years ago 4lbs of sugar were ingested by humans in a YEAR. Now it is 100 lbs! Linking it back to the sharp rise in diabetes, heart disease, cancer…yeah, and bad old depression!). Sugar diverts B vitamins and chromium (happy vitamins) to turn itself into energy. Your body needs stability. Think less ‘rollercoaster’ and get more ‘stroll in the park’!

Sugar is addictive – This is no shock? It is more addictive than cocaine. Don’t bury your head in the sand. We all know sugar ain’t no BFF!

Sugar dulls your life – fighting all those sugar highs, battling with obesity, disease, depression, bloating, fogging thinking. Who has energy left for living the life of their dreams?!

Read – The Mood Cure by ….. Julia Ross  or  Sugar-Blues by William Dufty and Lick The Sugar Habit- Nancy Apelton

When shopping, read the back of ALL food and drink labels. Substitute processed sugar for low GI alternatives. Look for Stevia, Xylitol, coconut palm sugar. These taste BETTER than sugar (more complex flavours) and are good in ALL baking and anywhere you used sugar in the past. Be wary of fruit juices or any sweet fruit that is not high in fibre as this will spike your blood sugar levels too. Berries and citrus fruits are ok for most people. My friends/family/customers/blog followers do not feel deprived or ever miss the ‘white’ crap.  Clever marketing had us all believing in the past that sugar and processed white foods and flour where the only way.  BS!  Try my recipes and you’ll agree.

Drop the habit. Quit sugar, AND white flours and rice TOTALLY (they’ll supercharge your blood sugar and rugby tackle your willpower). Stay the course for over a month. If you then eat sugar you will notice how fake it tastes. Set daily/weekly goals.  Studies prove it takes 28-30 days to break a habit.  Use low GI substitutes and reduce the need for sugary foods.  If you are comfort eating, consider talking to a supportive friend or counsellor.

Take charge of your own healing.  If you suspect you have candida then Google it and take charge of your healing. Go to a nutritionist who understands the dangers of processed sugar and processed foods. Follow your instincts (or should I say, gut). After 30 days SUGAR FREE you will be in a good place to listen to your body. Your seratonin levels may be low. Consider supplementing trytophan or 5 HTP to build up your NATURAL happy. Again…read The Mood Cure. 

Increase your DAILY intake of vegetables. BIG TIME. Think Green Smoothies and Green juices. Start the day with one and it sets you up on a healthy trajectory. My current morning smoothie – blend Spinach and always a squeeze of lemon (raw spinach needs vitamin C to stop it diverting absorption of Iron), celery, cucumber, avocado, flax or chia, carrot, apple or berries (organic is a must, berries are soft fruits that some farmers love to coat in nasty chemicals). Think a ‘touch’ of sweetness. Overtime you will find the smoothies and juices sweet enough without fruit. This will MASSIVELY boost your bodies alkalinity. A alkaline body is a healthy body. These drinks are CRAZY GOOD and they will reduce your sugar cravings!

Hydrate – drink the best source of water you can find. Distilled (with a dash of apple cider vinegar or a pinch of sea salt). Distilling removes ALL impurities and chemical nasties but minerals too..this is ok, as you will now be getting those from your whole foods, or guzzle alkaline; spring or filtered water. Do your research. Do what you feel is best for you. Even TAP water is better than being dehydrated.

Cut down on, or cut out totally (your best bet) CAFFEINE (it is a stimulant…you want to focus on levelling off your blood sugar). Drink herbal teas for comfort. Try these; tulsi, rooibos, mint (make your own fresh), nettle, ginger (slice fresh ginger root), chamomile…lots of others easily available. Avoid the fruit teas.

Be flexible – this is a journey…it probably won’t be a straight path to health. Find what is right for YOU. YOU are totally unique. Discover what makes you THRIVE.  You will reap the rewards.  You want to be fit and well ALL your life, right?

Exercise – flush those toxins from your body. Exercise will boost your natural endorphins. You won’t need sugar to give you any FALSE highs. Exercise will increase your weight loss/maintenance and even your mood. It will assist the liver and kidneys. You will get toned and you will LOOK and FEEL so much better you won’t need any more convincing.

Cut out ALCOHOL. Not only is it a poison it will break your WILL.

Take a probiotic DAILY. Your body will be supported and some say health begins with your digestion. Those lovely little friendly bacteria help you do the job. DO NOT take probiotics in sugared drinks or, as I have seen, in sugary sweets and chocolate bars. Body Ecology suggests drinking kefir or taking a probiotic if you should slip.

Add fermented foods to your diet. They balance out the sugar cravings and boost your health. I make my own water kefir and kombucha, nut ‘cheeses’ and coconut yogurt. Sauerkraut is available in most supermarkets. Google fermented foods you can make your own really cheaply. Give them a go.

Get out in the daylight EVERYDAY. Vitamin D is a precursor to many of your body functions and vitamin and mineral uptake, hormone regulation etc.

Ditch dairy..or at least reduce. Dairy causes blood sugar levels to spike. Many people are tolerant and studies have shown your body can get addicted to the ‘intollerance, allergy’ and the inflammation it causes because of your body kicking in to fight the trespass kicks in your adrenals and leads to adrenal fatigue. I know. You’ve got to watch your back!

Research. SURF the Web for blogs that encourage baking without processed sugar. BELIEVE ME there are thousands of them. Mine is one..www.aveganobsession.com Google - sugar free

Get a friend or partner to quit with you.  If you are a parent, I promise you (if you keep it a secret) they won’t know the difference if you use the healthy substitutes in your baking.  Cut down on the baking anyway, simple carbs and baked goods are not good for you.  Try RAW DESSERTS.  They are incredibly delicious!  

Swill and rinse your mouth after eating fruits to greatly reduce the acid in your mouth and protect your teeth!