You are smart. You know sugar isn’t your friend, no matter how many things it’s called. You know that you have to take charge, learn the names of sugar, read those labels and know where it’s “hiding” so you can make the best choice possible. You know it not only adds weight, especially around the middle, but it also causes inflammation which is at the root of practically all diseases. Just look at this list! 

EVERY time you eat sugar, this is just a smidge of what it can be doing in your body…

• Lowering your immune system
• Causing fatigue
• Triggering anxiety and depression
• Triggering mood swings
• Causing weight gain
• Achy joints
• Contributing to fatty liver
• Bloating
• Triggering blood sugar drops
• Raising blood sugar
• Feeding candida leading to yeast infections

Doesn’t all of this just want to make you get a dozen of Krispy Kreme right now?🙄 I think not. Sure it tastes great on the lips for the moment you are eating it, but then what? Usually, you get that crappy sugar crash or even worse, you reach for more sweets so you don’t get the crash. Then before you know it, just like that, you are addicted. I know, I have been addicted to sugar so many times over the years I lost count. It wasn’t until I really kicked it for good that I started to realize how awful it made me feel, nearly every time I indulged. 

It’s no wonder that by the time the holidays are over, we are not only addicted to sugar (again.. still…?) but we’ve also gained weight, gotten sick and by January are so ready to get clean! 

If you want to get clean from sugar and really ditch it, you first have to realize it’s not just leaving out the candy, Coke and desserts. Sadly, it is hidden in plain sight in so many foods by a variety of names and forms. The following is where you may be getting caught and feeding that craving without even realizing it. First, (and this is an easy one) anything ending in “-ose” is a sugar; dextrose, maltose, sucrose, fructose, etc. 

And so is…

• Brown rice syrup
• Agave nectar
• Barley malt
• Beet sugar
• Cane crystals
• Caramel
• Coconut palm sugar
• Corn sweetener
• Date sugar
• Erythritol
• Evaporated cane juice
• High fructose corn syrup
• Honey
• Maltodextrin
• Mannitol
• Maple syrup
• Molasses 
• Organic raw sugar (just because it’s organic and raw doesn’t mean it’s not sugar)
• Rice syrup
• Sorbitol
• Turbinado sugar

The above can often be found in unexpected places like lunch meat, oatmeal, yogurts, peanut butter, chips, energy drinks, soups, breads and nearly anything with a label!

Once you know the names of sugar, you can more easily decide if it’s something you want to eat and in what quantities. It’s definitely worth cutting back or cutting it out altogether except for fruits and special occasions. And the best way to do it? Go cold turkey. Sorry to say that but as painful as that can be, it’s what works. You won’t regret it. EVER. 

So what about the sugar substitutes like stevia, acesulfame-K, xylitol, Splenda (sucralose) and Sweet ‘n Low (saccharin)? Again, sorry to say, they make you think you are making a better choice but the body still feels it as sugar so you aren’t killing your addiction; you’re extending it. Plus, the substitutes are highly processed chemicals or once “natural” ingredients that have been chemically processed to make it look more like sugar. For example, stevia. It’s from a plant, a green plant, so how the heck can it naturally become white? It can’t. 😉 These substitutes are harmful in their own ways causing even more health issues.

What is an additional bonus of leaving sugar out or greatly reducing consumption? It won’t cost you a penny. In fact, it may save you some $$$ with all of the health conditions you can avoid when you leave it out!

If this has piqued your interest and you want a deeper dive into why sugar is “bad,” check out this past blog on sugar and this video by Dr. Lustig, THE expert on sugar.