Cindy

Sugar is toxic and has many negative effects on the body.  It suppresses the immune system,  messes with mineral balance in the body,  raises bad cholesterol,  causes hyperactivity in children, feeds cancer cells, produces GI tract issues, weakens eyesight, prematures aging, causes tooth decay and periodontits, assists yeast and bacterial overgrowth, and the list goes on and on and on.  I can not think of a good reason to ingest such a substance.  Perhaps you will say,  ‘but it tastes so good!”.  Hmmmmm…….think about what you just said.

According to Sugar Shock, by Connie Bennett, sugar is called by many other names: beet sugar, brown sugar, brown rice syrup, evap cane juice, fruit-juice concentrate, turbinado sugar, honey, barley malt, maple syrup, molasses, raw cane sugar to name a few.  Check your labels!  HIdden sugars are in most salad dressings, packaged meats, catsup, cocktail sauce, tomato sauce, and frozen dinners.

Today begins a 3 week pre-holiday sugar fast I am holding with a group of clients.  I have decided to plan my menu for the day to include no sugar!  That’s  no regular sugar, no fake sugar “ols’, no sugar alternatives, i.e.  honey, agave nectar, maple syrup, etc.  Whoa…tricky!  Here’s todays menu:  breakfast-gluten free waffles w/berries and ghee, mid-am snack-protein smoothie w/whey isolate, fresh pineapple, banana, nutritional yeast, vits/mins, lunch- shrimp stir fry w/carrots and broccoli, wild rice, afternoon snack-hummus, avocado, and brown rice snaps, or celery and almond butter, dinner- baked chicken breasts in coconut oil, herb seasoned, curry, greens, sweet potato.  Maybe yogurt later in the eve…not sure.

In March, 2009,  a small group of my clients and I, embarked on the March Nutrition Spring Clean-Up Project.  We agreed and contracted to eat absolutely no added sugars (the real thing or fakes!), and no grains.  It was an effort to break through a weight loss plateau with a group of people who were generally already doing all the right things, i.e. exercising regularly and eating fairly well.  What an amazing journey it was for all!  Eyes opened to the availability of sugar in almost all food items and choices narrowed to primarily fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, fish, chicken and turkey!  Many revealed less joint pain and stiffness, more even moods, decreased menstrual symptoms and more!  What an awesome experience!  You gotta try it!

Are you thinking that because it is the holidays and goodies abound that you are going to indulge?  NO! NO! NO!  Now is the time to test your true resolve.  Leave the junk alone!  It has no place in the human body.  It destroys.  All that extra sugar will reduce your immune system’s ability to fight the colds and flu at this time of year.   You will have wasted your efforts to get healthy and fit.  You’ll feel sluggish, and then after the turn of the year, you will be just plain angry at yourself.  I see nothing positive in any of this.  LEAVE THE JUNK ALONE!