Oh, the Sweetness of Sugar

Sugar is connected to so many of our childhood memories and even to this day. Every Christmas, Halloween, party, or wedding we go to there is never an absence of sugar. We can always find a table with tons of choices and boy, how our faces just lights up.

Truth be told, sugar makes even the most difficult moments sweet! For me, specifically, chocolate anything chocolate. Yum! (Just imagine the emoji)

For several years now, however, I’ve been cutting down on my intake of sugar. It has been affecting my blood sugar level and I’m considered to be in a pre-diabetic state.

You can’t imagine how difficult this has been, especially since you were a kid all you did was eat chocolate!

The Problem with Sugar

Here is the thing! Sugar is meant to go into your cells. Insulin binds it with glucose to get into your cells to energize the cells. If your cells are blocked, it can’t get in so it stays in the blood leading to diabetes. Then, you have both high blood sugar, meaning your insulin level is high triggering the storage of fat.

Simple carbs such as white pasta, white bread, white rice, bagels, cookies, crackers, sugar are the basis for them. And, if your diet is primarily of simple carbs you will be on a roller coaster ride because it won’t give you sustained energy.

You will crash and feel tired all the time because it’s not natural energy you are getting from your body. Your body will constantly crave sugar because on top of making us fat, it’s addicting.

Sugar and Hormones

If you’re experiencing hormonal imbalances and fluctuations, check your sugar intake. Because in order to balance your hormones, you need to balance insulin levels. A high level of insulin leads to insulin resistance one of the causes why you can’t lose weight. No wonder!

Insulin resistance is when your cells (muscles, liver or fat) do not respond to insulin and can’t use the glucose for energy.

Another cause for not losing weight is your leptin levels are low causing many struggles for the weight to come off. Leptin tells our brain we are full and not hungry. When low, our brain thinks we are starving and we need for our brain to see leptin in order to feel full.

In my situation, sugar made my hot flashes and night sweat worse. Boy, could I tell when I ate wasn’t eating as usual. I would definitely pay for it.

First Steps to Take

When having hormonal imbalance and insulin resistance, go after insulin resistance first. You need to bring down the sugar level in your blood and get your body to process it correctly.

Start by:

• Reducing the amount of sugar you intake. Use the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time eat clean and whole foods, organic whenever possible.
• Transition to a healthier eating lifestyle and only have sweets sparingly.
• Use natural sugar alternatives that won't spike your blood sugar level. Monk fruit is a natural alternative you can get at Amazon.
• There are almond milk creamers with minimal grams of sugar. I found one at BJ's.
• You can start intermittent fasting to start cleansing your cells and detoxing your body. Very important to detox your cells otherwise, anything else you do will not produce the expected results.
• You can also go on a sugar detox all at once. You know your body more than anyone else. Do what works for you.

These are a few things to start doing, however, there is more but I don't want to overwhelm you. Try implementing each one at a time and see how your body starts reacting and how you feel. Starting with small steps will ensure you reach success and sustained habits that your body will forever be grateful for. Check out this article for additional information.