I just saw this interview yesterday, and while I haven’t seen the movie yet, just watching the trailer had me nodding in enthusiastic agreement. The thing that’s so important (to me) is that he’s eating 40 grams of sugar found in supposedly healthy food.
Everyone knows that candy is candy and is a sometimes food. But very few of us realize that we’re fueling our bodies with a constant barrage of sugar and simple carbs. Take a day in the life of the Standard American Diet (SAD): cold cereal with skim milk for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, maybe a piece of fruit for a snack and pasta for dinner. It’s ALL sugar, or going to be sugar very shortly after eating it. It sets us up for a sugar high and a sugar crash every time we eat. This sets us up for insulin resistance, the precursor to diabetes.
According to the CDC, 29 million Americans have diabetes. Eighty-six million American adults have pre-diabetes. That’s above 30% of the adult population.
THAT’S INSANE
I became interested in hormone balance through nutrition as many of us do: by receiving a scary diagnosis. At age 27, I was diagnosed with poly-cystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which is a pre-cursor to diabetes. Insulin resistance contributes to it. I was a “healthy” vegetarian at the time, eating a decent amount of veggies but TONS of simple carbs: my days were full of flavored yogurts, cereal, sandwiches, pasta and rice. Plus a daily treat of a cookie or ice cream. Looking back now, I realize I was addicted to the sugar high I got every time I ate. Even though the thought of flavored yogurt turns my stomach now, I still crave that high once in a while.
When I first turned my diet around, I quit cold turkey. I threw away the cereal, pasta and ice cream and reluctantly tried chicken. I felt like shit. I was in a total fog that I couldn’t shake. It was awful, eye opening and terrifying. Two weeks later, the fog lifted and I haven’t gone back. I definitely eat dessert. I love chocolate and eat it every day. But I don’t fuel my days with sugar on top of sugar. My sometimes food is exactly that: sometimes.
It wasn’t easy. I had a lot of support along my sugar purging path. Now I help others who need to get off the sweet stuff navigate it all: the practical (what do I eat!?) and the emotional (it sucks, I know). If you’re trying to quit sugar, please reach out. It’s always easier with support . Check out sugarpurge.com for more information!