How Sweet It Is – Or Not!

It would seem that once we are through with all of the holidays of Christmas and New Year’s, after all of the decorations are put away, that are attention is immediately turned to love!

Via the stores, commercials, shopping centers, emails, radio, & TV, – Love Is In The Air! We see all the love related items everywhere. There are all types of heart shaped items, many different types of boxes of candy, any type of simple to fancy cards, and even lace-trimmed cards all over the place; teddy bears, décor to place in our homes, cars, & at the office; clothing representing love and or affection – hearts, sayings, and the word LOVE seems to be everywhere! It seems like throughout the months of January & February, LOVE is the main focus!

For most people, it seems to be a time to really focus on specific “heart felt” issues, generally regarding relationships. In healthcare, we even focus on “Heart Related” health concerns or issues. Then for other people, this time of years seems to really suck! Why? Loss of a loved one, loss of a relationship, loneliness, irritations, frustrations, lack of time, and the cost of the whole process!

Most people that I have talked with about this, feel the “love” part, yet also feel the “yuck” part of all this. Some consider it to be a pointless type of celebration, while others want to make it a traditional holiday. For others, it just feels like another excessive commercialization of a good (or bad) thing.

While it is an interesting time of year where some couples seem to go all out – dinner at a fancy restaurant, an evening at a fancy hotel, or maybe even a romantic movie, the perfect card, the perfect Valentine’s Day gift (even if it is a last-minute thought) that says, “I Love You”, all to show, resurrect, or improve their relationship, or just to express appreciation and gratitude. And yet, others chose to have a more low-key setting, and even some ignore it all together.

Then let’s not forget to take into consideration that we as kids, and the current kids are not immune to this day (time) of celebration either. How many of You recall Your experiences of making and receiving cards and candy as kids? How many of Your children or grandchildren will be involved in exchanging valentines at this time of year?

Since Valentine’s Day is generally looked upon as a celebration of Love and Commitment between two people who are involved in a relationship, and one of the most exchanged items after cards and flowers is some form of candy (sugar), I would like to look at what it is that this sugar (candy, chocolates, & alcohol) really does to our bodies.

First, it is already a very good chance that You (we all) are already eating too much sugar! Even though we know that it is not good for us (me included), we still are probably not really paying that close attention to it. It has been published that the average American is consuming 17-19 teaspoons of sugar per day which is over 250 to 285 calories per day; which averages out to 57 pounds per year consumed; and that translates to 29.72 pounds of body fat!!!

So, How Much Sugar Should We Be Consuming:

Here are the generalized daily intakes recommend – no more than 6% of calories per day:

Kids (2-18) & Women over 18 years of age: 6 teaspoons; 25 grams or 100 calories, which equals no more than 8 ounces of sugar sweetened drinks per week!

Men: 9 teaspoons; 36 grams or about 150 calories per day!

The next concept is that we need to look at ALL the things that sugar is in; like candies, baked goods, sweetened drinks & milk, condiments, protein bars, boxed foods, and even supposedly healthy foods!

Then we need to become aware of hidden sugars. We know that there are many types of sugars and they are hidden in foods that we least expect. Although they may not seem sweet to You, they are in there! Things like: ketchup, barbeque sauces, salad dressings, (even the low fat type), baked beans, flavored coffees, and many more processed food items.

Sugar is still sugar even though it goes by many other names. (See – sweet deceptions). So, before You place the food item in Your shopping basket, get in the habit of reading the labels and to the best of Your ability, weed out the high sugar food items. Most of us have heard of and even look for High-fructose corn syrup, yet there are many other additional things to look for. Names like:

• Agave nectar / Nectar
• Brown rice syrup
• Cane sugar or Evaporated Cane juice
• Corn Syrup and/or High-fructose corn syrup
• Dextrose
• Glucose
• Lactose
• Malt syrup
• Molasses
• Palm sugar
• Sucrose
• Many different types, if unsure, then “google” it!

Also be aware of food items that list any of the above forms of sugar either in the first few items listed, or that have more that 4 TOTAL grams of Sugar per serving!  No matter the name or type of sugar, it is still sugar and too much of it can have dramatic negative effects over time.

Let’s look at the Sugar Addiction Cycle: 

(Addiction = You lose control, & eat more than You planned on or is needed.)

1. You eat a Moderate Sugar Item (over 4 grams). You like it, then You crave it, because it has Addiction Properties. This causes You to eat more!
2. Then the Blood Sugar Levels spike. When this happens, Dopamine is released in the Brain which gives You a “High/Good” Feeling! Then mass amounts of Insulin has to be secreted to drop the dangerous (acid) blood sugar levels.  Sugar has the same toxic effect as Cyanide!!
3. Once the Insulin is released, the Blood Sugar Levels then fall rapidly. This rapid change in Your blood sugar leaves You feeling wiped out, shaky or jittery, or having some brain fog.

• Then the Hunger and Cravings Return. The Low Blood Sugar Levels Causes an Increase in Appetite Craving which starts You searching for more sweets to regain that sugar “High/Good” Feeling again! This causes Immediate Fat Storage!  And the Sugar Craving Cycle starts all over again!

(It has been said that Sugar is the new Cigarette!)    

(93% of lab rats chose Sugar Water over Cocaine!)

Excessive Sugar can negatively affect Your body in many ways. Here’s a closer look at how sugar can mess with Your health, from head to toe. Although this is not a complete list, let’s look at the basics.

Your Digestive Tract:

The first thing that sugar does is to upset Your digestive tract! I want to start here because once the excess sugar gets to the digestive tract, it will mess up everything else that I will be listing!

The Main Reason that we eat is to provided energy or fuel for our body. This energy is related to 3 different types of energy production and utilization that Your body uses and needs:

1. Supply Energy. This category has 2 parts:
   1. handle any & all Inflammation in Your body (think of feeding Your Firemen); and
   1. The Energy needed to support Your Immune System (think of feeing Your soldiers to be able to fight a war)!
2. Now Energy. The Energy You use while awake to perform Your daily duties.
3. Repair Energy. The Energy utilized to repair & rehab Your body while You sleep.

Now, all energy is created by the Mitochondria (mi·to·chon·dri·a). These cell takes the air we breath and the food we eat and turns it into Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) which is the organic compound that provides energy for all living cells! Think of brain, nerves, lungs, muscles, heart, teeth, bones, hormones, etc.

Early I said that Sugar = Acid. Well, it turns out that too much sugar actually poisons the mitochondria cells and the 3 very distinct separate enzymes that are necessary for the mitochondria to do their job!

When these three enzymes are deactivated (AMPK – activated protein kinase; Acyl-CoA dehydrogenase; & CPT1 – Carnitine palmitoyl transferase I), this changes the fuel gauge of specific liver cells! At this point, You then cannot break down stored fats, nor shuttle them to the mitochondria, and therefore You block the digestive process and store all excess sugar as fat, thereby increasing the fat storage and STOP burning Your fat! This will cause Fat Rancidity which starts the disease processes! This starts or then continues the Sugar Addiction Cycle!

Your Mouth – Teeth & Gums:

Your Parents (and Dentist) were/are right! Consuming too much sugar feeds the Bacteria that produce enamel destroying acid, which produces cavities (eats out Your teeth) and effects Your Gums!

Your Pancreas, Circulation, & Heart:

Insulin resistance will also effect Your bloodstream / circulation – the arteries all over Your body. It causes the walls of Your arteries to become inflamed which then causes them to grow thicker than normal, which closes the openings and they become stiff. This will cause stress on Your heart and damages it over time. This can lead to gout, high blood pressure, heart disease, heart failure, heart attacks, and strokes.

Your Kidneys:

The kidneys play an important role in filtering out Your blood. Since the kidneys receive about 25% of all blood from Your heart, too much sugar in the blood can lead to kidney damage. Once blood sugar levels reach a certain amount, the kidneys start to release excess sugar into Your urine. If this continues to happen, this will damage Your kidneys, which then prevents them from doing their job by filtering out the waste material that is in Your blood. This can lead to kidney failure. A simple rule of thumb is that if You have to get up to “pee” more than once per night, it is because the kidneys are producing or expressing more water to flush out the excess sugar, especially during the “repair” phase of sleeping!

Your Liver:

The liver is the organ that every system in the body works with and it effects everything in Your body. As stated earlier, the liver effects the mitochondria that produces all forms of energy. Therefore too much or excessive amounts of sugar can damage the liver. If the liver cannot break down sugar, then it turns it to fat. Tis then will lead an excessive build up of fat inside the liver, which is called Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); another condition called Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) which causes a fatty liver, inflammation and “steatosis,” which is scarring of the liver. It is the scarring aspect that eventually cuts off the blood supply to the liver and that can develop into a condition called: “cirrhosis of the liver” and if that happens, then You will eventually need a liver transplant.

Your Brain & Your Moods:

As stated earlier, consuming a lot of sugar gives Your brain a huge surge of a chemical called dopamine. Once Your brain gets used to this, it starts to need more and more sugar to get that same “High” feeling of pleasure. This is what causes those “gotta-have-it” feelings for Your after-dinner treat or mid-afternoon or bedtime snack that is so hard to tame. We mentioned earlier that the High causes a Drop that causes the jittery, anxious, sluggish feeling known as the “sugar crash.” Some studies have also revealed that excessive sugar intake seems to also reduce specific performance in parts of the brain that deal with memory or recall! Other studies have linked this high sugar intake to a greater risk of depression in adults.

Your Joints & Bones:

Most people think of joint pain and bone weakness or degermation as a form of arthritis, and they are correct. However, most are unaware that the excessive sugar intake all has a part of this process. Therefore if You are dealing with some specific joint pain, You need to pay close attention here. As mentioned earlier, Sugar = Acid, which attacks the joints and weakens bones (& teeth)! This acid increases inflammation of the joint capsules and cause the pain and referred pain from those areas. Think of gouty arthritis, osteoarthritis, and there is even some research that shows eating or drinking sugar can raise Your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.

Your Skin:

Excess sugar intake attaches itself to proteins in Your bloodstream and this creates some harmful molecules that are called “AGEs,” or advanced glycation end products. These molecules do exactly what they sound like they do they age Your skin! Theses AGEs have been shown to damage collagen and the elastin in Your skin, the  protein fibers that keep Your skin firm and looking Youthful. Another aspect of this is the that inflammation we discussed earlier in the blood circulation may also be a part of what makes Your skin age faster. The result? Wrinkles and saggy skin! Reducing excessive sugar, reduces inflammation which can reduce wrinkles & saggy skin!

Your Body Weight:

I know that for most of You this is a no-brainer! However, for all the reasons mentioned above, excessive sugar does put on more fat, which increase fat cells, which decrease metabolism (weight-loss), which causes more inflammation, which weakens the immune systems, which releases chemicals for us to eat more that causes us to gain more, which alters our moods, which causes us to “comfort eat” which changes our hormones, which wrecks all of our systems and we get out of control! And all of this is true even in people who seem to exercise regularly yet still cannot lose weight!

Your Intimate Relationship Health:

Caution: Since this article is based upon Valentine’s Day and the potential that can or may occur with this event, I would like to address this important aspect. To put it very simple, on a regular basis and especially on “Date Night” if You’re a man, You may want to skip the dessert or avoid as much sugar as possible, as sugar may impact the chain of events that are needed for an erection.

If You’re a woman, You may also want to skip the dessert or avoid as much sugar as possible, as sugar may impact the chain of events to achieve an orgasm! Why? Because excessive sugar effects the circulatory system, which effects the blood flow, the brain, and the hormones that are need for such activity!

Now, aren’t you glad that You read this article!

So, Now What?

Well, I myself, along with many others are choosing to make the change!  We are choosing to Reduce Our Sugar Intake! I would like to encourage you to consider doing at least one of 2 specific things that I list below:

First: Decide now to start reducing your sugar intake! Most people who have been eating moderate or up to excessive amounts of sugar will or may find it difficult to stop “cold-turkey.” I recommend that You take “Baby Steps” in starting to reduce Your sugar intake. Here are a few tips to implement:

• Drink more Water! You should be consuming at least 65% of Your body weight in ounce of water!
• Begin eating more natural, organic fruits and vegetables. Cut out a little sugar every week and replace it with fruits.
• Eat more lean protein like lean chicken, fish, eggs, & nuts. This does not cause the sugar spikes and helps to cut the sugar cravings.
• Eat more Fiber! Fiber helps You fill more full; gives You more energy; and gives You more resistance to fight the sugar cravings!
• Check the labels! Make sure to pick foods with less than 4 grams of sugar per serving! Be careful of artificial sweeteners as some research shows that they actually make You crave even more sweet things!
• Walk! Either inside or preferably outside, simple exercises like walking, bike riding, jogging, or swimming all help to reduce the sugar cravings! Don’t go crazy, simply moving 10-15 minutes twice a day will make a major impact over time!

Second: What Would Happen If You Actually Gave Up All Sugar For Two Weeks?

Well, in light of everything I have mentioned above, lets see what may transpire:

• You will probably actually end up with more energy!
• Your digestive system will probably start working better or more normal!
• Your craving – or food hunger pangs will probably reduce or be eliminated!
• You will more than likely eat less as You will begin to utilize the stored fat more appropriately.
• You will begin to reduce insulin resistance, decrease liver, pancreas, & kidney pains or dysfunctions.
• Probably decrease Your nighttime peeing or urination.
• You will probably actually sleep better and deeper, and wake up more refreshed in the morning!
• You will reduce arterial or circulatory inflammation, which will help with Your arteries, kidneys, eyes, brain, nerves, hormones, moods, stiffness in Your body, decrease Your joint pain, improve Your breathing, and improve Your skin & nails! Whew – that is a lot!!!
• And You will probably see some changes in Your body shape – reduced girth and weight!

And then, You will probably have better taste buds, and even make better overall food choices!

Whatever Your choice, just know that all of us here at Docere Life Center are committed to help You in any way that we can to make these choices and help You stick with them if that is what You desire!

Now, let’s take our lives back and live life to the fullest potential that we have without any Sweet Deception!!!