The more reading I do and the more documentaries I watch and experimenting I do with my own diet, the more that I am convinced that processed foods and especially sugar is messing with our health. The other sad thing, is that we have been operating on false information for years. We’ve been led to believe that fatty foods and cholesterol are the evil culprits in our diets, however it has recently been discovered that this information was fed to us in quite a strategic and undermining way.
Why is sugar so bad for us? Sugar is empty calories, we’ve all heard that before but it’s what sugar does in our bodies that is worrisome. When you ingest sugar, a hormone called insulin is released in order to regulate the glucose in our bloodstream. Our bodies are amazing machines that are able to regulate many processes that keep us trucking along throughout the day and feeling well.
Sometimes though, we don’t feel well. Most of us have experienced the so called sugar crash after eating some sweets. That initial rush of feel good serotonin and blood sugar, quickly plummets after insulin brings our blood glucose back down and for some of us with hypoglycemia, it can lead to a feeling of light-headedness, the shakes, short temper, etc. which really isn’t fun. I used to have to carry snacks around with me to avoid being ‘hangry’ (hungry/angry)!
My work as a Child and Youth Counsellor puts me in touch with many families from many walks of life and I would hazard a guess that sugar is a challenge for most parents and children. I recall a coworkers’ attempts to avoid giving sugar to their young child and how easy it was for their efforts to be sabotaged. An innocent offering of a plate of candies at a work BBQ was enough to brighten up that little girls eyes and turn her towards the dark side of having a ‘sweet tooth’. It was so cute at the moment, her grabbing the candy before her Dad could notice and us all cheering her on to eat it but as I think about that moment, it really is so sad that we undermined their parenting choice to avoid introducing this toxin to their child.
You may be thinking that toxin seems like a harsh word to describe your beloved ________ (insert your own favourite treat here – licorice, donut, gummy bears or ice cream) but I have found that the only way to change our behaviour towards sugar consumption is to change our thinking about it and our children’s thoughts about it. A good place to start is to consider sugary snacks to be a treat only. In fact, I have found it helpful to think of sugar as a toxin. This may seem harsh but the more documentaries you watch and articles you research about sugar, the more you will realize how harmful sugar is to our bodies and us as a society.
Now, where to start when we want to reduce the sugar in our diets you ask…
So, if you don’t think you can cut sugar out entirely, then pick one time during the week that it will be treat night. Perhaps Friday night is family movie night and that is a time that you enjoy having some licorice or ice cream.
The rest of the week, you are going to cut out candy, pop, doughnuts…the obvious sweet treats. Replace them with sugar free jello, keto desserts made with stevia or erythritol, fruit or better yet, veggies.
You may be thinking that toxin seems like a harsh word to describe your beloved ________ (insert your own favourite treat here – licorice, donut, gummy bears or ice cream) but I have found that the only way to change our behaviour towards sugar consumption is to change our thinking about it and our children’s thoughts about it. A good place to start is to consider sugary snacks to be a treat only. In fact, I have found it helpful to think of sugar as a toxin. This may seem harsh but the more documentaries you watch and articles you research about sugar, the more you will realize how harmful sugar is to our bodies and us as a society.
Now, where to start when we want to reduce the sugar in our diets you ask…
So, if you don’t think you can cut sugar out entirely, then pick one time during the week that it will be treat night. Perhaps Friday night is family movie night and that is a time that you enjoy having some licorice or ice cream.
The rest of the week, you are going to cut out candy, pop, doughnuts…the obvious sweet treats. Replace them with sugar free jello, keto desserts made with stevia or erythritol, fruit or better yet, veggies.
If you use sugar to sweeten your tea or coffee, try replacing it with Stevia (a natural plant extract that is zero carb). You can buy stevia as a powder or a liquid. I like the liquid stevia for sweetening my lemon water when I want a treat.
Cutting out sugar isn't easy, but it is definitely worth it. You may notice that you have more sustained energy through the day, you may be less irritable, you may be able to go longer without eating and you may notice your pants are looser.
Once you've managed to take these steps, then perhaps you will be motivated and ready to take the next step and go low carb or keto!
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