Can I eat Sugar and still be healthy?

You are probably thinking one of two things here: either I have lost the plot or ‘finally, a licence to binge’.

I hope you think I have lost the plot! If not, then please read on…

Let’s discuss sugar and, more importantly, the impact sugar has on the quality of your day-to-day life, i.e. your energy, mood, emotions, memory, concentration and weight.

For example, do you experience quite pronounced changes in energy levels through the day? And what about erratic changes in mood – can you go from being happy and elated one moment to being irritable, angry or tearful the next? Do you walk around with a super-tube band of fat around your waist?

I wonder, have you ever considered that perhaps the changes in your energy, mood and weight could be associated with your eating patterns?

Let’s explore this further – do you think foods offer the same nutritional value because the calories are the same? Well let’s have a look…if I were to offer you either a 90-calorie ‘low fat’ cereal bar in one hand or a 100-calorie apple in the other, which would you choose? (Be honest!) The apple: a fantastic source of soluble fibre, antioxidants and vitamin C, or
 the cereal bar: read the label! Sugar, glucose, sorbitol. In fact, I wouldn’t even call this food. I would call it a ‘food-like’ product!

You see, once this sugar is in your system, it will send your blood sugar sky high to give you that energy hit. But what goes up must come down, and with a bang! This can easily turn into a blood sugar roller-coaster throughout the day, leading to mood swings, changes in energy levels, weight gain and insulin resistance.

The argument: ‘I don’t eat sugar!’

I hear this a lot in the clinic, especially if my clients don’t have sugar in tea or coffee, or they don’t drink fizzy drinks.

Our definition of what sugar is needs to be expanded; it is not just about this white crystallised stuff! White bread, pastry, pasta, fluffy processed high GL carbs, and fruit juices all convert into sugar within minutes of being eaten. Please don’t be fooled by brown sugar, it is just white sugar coated in molasses. How many of these items are in your diet at the moment?

Why not just eat sugar in moderation?

A very good question and I am all for balance and moderation. But when it comes to sugar, it’s biologically impossible. We can’t help but binge on it, we’re programmed this way. We are programmed to seek it out, and obsessively so!

So what can we do?

In a nutshell, if you want better moods, more energy, better concentration and improved health, stay away from SUGAR! And while you wean yourself off sugar, ensure that you nourish your body with plenty of energy giving and sustaining foods. I’m always here to help with this and all recipes on my site are free from refined sugar

Nourishing well wishes

Angelique

Consult your doctor or health care practitioner for any health problems, before embarking on any new health regimes, using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications or food programmes.

Part of my work in clinic is to identity and address the root cause which is responsible for the symptoms a client is experiencing. The most common underlying condition I see is unbalanced hormones. Once I noticed that balancing hormones leads to the reduction of so many other symptoms, I knew I had to create a simple plan to help people understand and support their hormones.

Follow the plan

Blood Sugar Energy Weight