Sugar… It is in everything! Look at the nutritional breakdown on packaged things that you eat, sugar is always there. It is in ketchup, salad dressings, crackers, frozen meals, many drinks, it is everywhere. It is even in things that are labeled as healthy~ “low fat”, “natural”, “whole grain”, “gluten free”…most of the time there is hidden sugar in these labels. Have you heard of how sugar can negatively impact your health? Do you read labels of food? Do you know what as impact it has on your body?

So what is the big deal with sugar? It tastes good right? Well yes, but is it good for you… no!

First, you must read labels! In the nutritional guidelines it will have sugar listed under the carbohydrates. Sugar is added to so many things that are labeled as healthy because the manufacturers want you to think that if something is labeled “low fat” you will think “oh that is healthy”. When in reality, low fat just means they have removed some fat and replaced it with sugar. Reading labels and ingredients is critical when buying food!

So how is sugar hidden in things that we eat? When you are looking at ingredients, you want to pay special attention to what could be hidden sugar. Things that are listed as corn syrup (one of the most toxic), rice syrup, fructose, sucrose, maltose, dextrose, or anything ending in “ose” is an added sugar. The manufacturers add these toxic sugars to make the product taste good. The better it tastes, the more you are going to eat. If they label is as healthy… your are also more apt to keep buying it because you think you are eating a healthy item. When in reality you are poisoning your system with toxic sugar.

What does sugar do to the body?

Sugar gives you instant energy, you feel good eating it, it just tastes so good. Then about an hour or so after eating it you start to feel sluggish, tired, maybe bloated. Then you think maybe you need more, so you eat something else that maybe you think is healthy… but also has added hidden sugar. So you eat that, have that energy spike, go about your business…then another crash. This goes on and on each and every day. You are not feeling your best and you do not know why. All the while you do not realize that you are completely addicted to sugar and are poisoning yourself.

So what are the negative effects of sugar to your body? Well, there is a whole list of them!

First off, sugar decreases your immune system so much that your immune cells do not know what is going on! They do not know how to do their job in your body because they are being poisoned with sugar. This makes you more prone to getting sick more often. Sugar also has a negative impact on your gut! Since most of your immune system starts in your gut, this goes hand in hand. After you consume things with sugar, the sugar creates inflammation within the gut, which creates inflammation in the whole body. You may feel bloating, pain in joints, acne and things happening with your skin, eczema…these are just some common signs of inflammation and sugar toxicity.

Sugar also feeds cancer! If you have any pre-cancerous cells in your body and you are eating sugar, the sugar is feeding these pre-cancerous cells making these cells grow into full blown cancer cells. Sugar increases your risk for all cancers, especially breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

Sugar increases your risk for diabetes and heart disease. It is the leading cause of obesity, which is such a huge issue in this country! Sugar is linked to food allergies. It also disrupts all of the hormone production in our bodies. If our hormones are out of whack, our sleep, metabolism and emotions are all effected.

Sugar is a huge contributor to skin issues! It will show up as acne, rosacea and eczema. What shows up on the skin is sugar causing inflammation in the body.

Sugar is also a huge contributor to gut issues like leaky gut and IBS. It also is linked to anxiety, panic attacks, mood disorders, hyperactivity in children and poor concentration.

Now after reading all these negative things that sugar can cause, who is ready to ditch the sugar?

If you have read all these scary things about what sugar can do to your body, and you are ready to ditch the sugar…let’s go! It can be done!

First look at what you are drinking. Drinks are loaded with sugar. Read labels! If there is sugar in your drink, put it down and choose something healthy. Water is best. Water can get boring, so find a way to spice it up. You can infuse fruit or cucumbers in your water and give it a kick. Maybe some lemon juice in your water too-also great to detox the liver and kidneys. Watch out for artificial sweeteners! Many are toxic and actually cause you to crave more sweetness. Young Living has yummy Vitality oils that you can add to your water. They also have Vitality Drops with electrolytes that are so delish, good for you and no sugar!

Coffee and tea…switch out your sugar for a healthier alternative like stevia or monk fruit sweetener. These are both healthy and natural that will not harm your body.

Next, look at any packaged food you eat and look at the sugar content and ingredients. Look for those added, hidden sugars! If they are in there, put it down and make a switch. Look at all condiments…lots of hidden sugars there! You think you are having a nice, healthy salad, put your “low fat” dressing on the salad and you think “ah…a healthy meal!”. Nope! That hidden sugar in the salad dressing is sabotaging your salad!

Switching out refined carbohydrates decreases your sugars because refined carbohydrates turn to straight sugar! So it is just as bad eating these refined carbohydrates.

If you are a sweets eater, there are many healthier alternatives to still get that sweet kick without sabotaging your health! Fruit has sugar, but it is a natural sugar that is processed differently in the body. Fruit has so many vitamins and nutrients that your body needs. Eating more fruit is a good way to get that sweetness, plus benefit your body with healthy nutrients.

You can also bake with healthier flours and sweeteners. Again, Monk fruit sweetener is natural, healthier, and good for baking. So you can still have a baked good, just make it yourself so it is healthier! It can be done! Look at the recipe section of this website, I place keto recipes regularly that are easy and yummy!

You can feel amazing!

You can feed your body in a healthy way so that you are not feeding disease!

You have the ability to change your way of eating and choosing the best foods to fuel your body!

No more excuses! You can do it! You will do it! You are an amazing person and have the ability for amazing things!

Are you ready? Are you motivated? Are you ready to treat your body like a temple and only feed it the best things?

Let’s go!!