The average American eats 22 teaspoons of sugar per day (thats 150 pounds per year). And that’s just the average. That means there are a whole lot of people who eat much more than that. Sugar in all of its forms (evaporated cane juice, high fructose corn syrup, table sugar etc) is killing us as a nation.
It sounds crazy, but I implore you to look through your pantry to see how much sugar is added to all of the products you consume regularly. Ketchup, cereal (yes even the “healthy” ones), barbecue sauce, tomato sauce, chicken broth, peanut butter, bread, yogurt, salad dressing – and the list goes on.
Eliminating Sugar from your diet is life changing and life saving. Here’s why.
1. Sugar is a drug, and its extremely addictive
Did you know that eating sugar activates the same pleasure centers in the brain as morphine, cocaine, and heroin? Eating sugar releases dopamine in your brain which activates its pleasure centers and makes you feel good. Your body recognizes this pleasure and it craves more. Like all addictive substances, over time you’ll need to consume more and more to reach the same high.
2. Sugar is toxic
Sugar consumption is linked to diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and certain cancers. Want more of an incentive? Sugar can actually age your skin.
3. Sugar has no nutritional value
When it’s refined and processed from sugar cane, corn, or beets, all of the vitamins and nutrients from the plants are stripped, leaving you with a food that causes your blood sugar to rise with no nutritional benefit. Foods with naturally occurring sugars (beets, oranges, berries) have healthy properties that both slow the sugar absorption in your system and provide you with those missing nutrients.
Want to kick the habit? Dr. Oz has a fantastic sugar detox program. I went cold turkey a while back, and I actually had withdrawal symptoms. While not fun, removing sugar (and all of its cousins) from your diet can be the best thing you do for your health.
