01/10/2017
Take the No Sugar Challenge!!
Happy New Year!!. 17 years into the new millenium... amazing!
I'm not big on new year's resolutions, but I do think its a great time to reflect on the past year or years and consider what kind of changes we might want to make for the coming year. I encourage people to reflect on all aspects of their lives including health issues, work, relationships, finances, spirituality, specific challenges...How would you like things to be different and what are you willing to do to make that happen? A commitment to even small changes can be extremely beneficial in the long run.
This year I'm starting with a cleanse of sorts. I've chosen to avoid sugar for about 3 months or so. ( I'm also avoiding dairy.) Avoiding sugar for me means avoiding white and brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, all corn derived sweeteners, chocolate !!!, basically any sweeteners except perhaps stevia and dried fruit. so for me this means avoiding any packaged food that has any of these products added.
Why avoid sugar you ask?
Well, while I don't believe that sugar is the ultimate evil, besides the immediate taste gratification, physiologically there isn't any real benefit to consuming it and there are many detriments.
The obvious cons with respect to a high sugar diet include:
Empty calories, no nutrients other than the caloric content
Contributes to non alcoholic fatty liver disease
Causes insulin resistance and blood sugar issues and ultimately contributes to diabetes
Promotes inflammation in general
Contributes to excessive weight gain and obesity
Raises cholesterol and triglycerides and contributes to blood vessel and heart disease
Suppresses healthy immune function for several hours after a round of sweets
Addictive for many people
Wowsa! If that's not enough, one additional reason to eat less sugar (and avoid high glycemic foods in general) is that it increases cross linking of proteins.
Hmmm. What does that mean you ask.
Well, crosslinking of proteins basically speeds up the aging process by stiffening proteins and promoting inflammation. Conditions affected by this cross-linking include heart and blood vessel disease, kidney disease, stiffness of joints and skin, arthritis, kidney disease, dementia, diabetes, erectile dysfunction etc. The protein sugar combination produces a combination called Advanced Glycolysation End products, (or AGEs ) for short, a very appropriate acronym since it accelerates Aging. So basically, sugar makes you stiff, inflexible and old. OUCH!
Who know sugar could do such a number on us?!
Personally, I'm not permanently avoiding sugar, but I'm interested to see what I notice in my body and how I feel not eating it.
I think its a great practice to occasionally avoid certain foods or for that matter any foods you suspect that might be a contributing factor to your health challenges. I routinely have patients try avoiding wheat and bread for a period of time; many feel dramatically better, losing weight and interestingly, experience less joint pain. So if you suspect any foods of having a detrimental effect on your overall health try avoiding them for awhile, a month or more would be ideal, though often people notice changes sooner.
Challenge yourself and learn some things about your body in the process.
Happy and Healthy New Year! Its hard to believe (for me) that 20% of this century is almost gone. Time flies faster as your chronological age increases.
PS The number one thing anyone could avoid in the new year that would definitely have a huge effect on well being is negative thinking and criticism. Many studies have clearly demonstrate the power of positive thinking, positive mental imaging, etc and the destructive effect of negative thinking. What we focus on, is what we tend to get more of in our life. Think about that and think about where you put your focus. Take good care.
