Last week while I was at work I was talking to a co-worker about our family’s diet changes.  She had complained that she had been trying so hard to lose weight, but it just wasn’t happening.  I was describing the changes we had made over the last year and mentioned that my post baby weight fell off once I committed to the changes as well!  She said she knew she needed to make those choices, but wasn’t ready to commit to it yet.

I also explained that in the past I had a HUGE sweet tooth and would scrounge the kitchen looking for anything with sugar in it once kids were down for naps.  I craved it and thought I deserved it for working hard all morning taking care of little kidos (3 under 3 ½ at the time).   After about 2 weeks of being off sugar I realized I didn’t miss it, didn’t crave it and when I did have a dessert that I would have devoured before, I only wanted a few bites because it was too sweet.  I couldn’t believe how much I had changed.

Another co-worked overheard me and said “What is so wrong with sugar?  Why would you even want to stop eating it?”  REALLY????  Someone actually doesn’t think there is anything wrong with eating lots of sugar?  WOW!  I guess I have changed a lot! 😉  I found that as she asked the question I actually had a hard time answering.  I knew it was bad for you and that it causes long term health problems, but there was so much to say I didn’t know where to start!

I know for me, I now have more energy, I enjoy foods in their natural forms and I appreciate different flavors more than I have before.  I also feel like sour, salty, bitter, or fermented flavors hold more interest and complexity than before.

I decided to write this post after the most recent post about Nourishing Traditions on desserts.  A lot of the side bars, throughout the chapter, talk about the effects sugar has on our bodies.  After reading them I realized I knew most of the information, but needed to be reminded of it and it encouraged me to be a little better about avoiding all hidden sugars!

Here are some of the quotes I found most interesting:

“The latest explosive evidence incriminating table sugar as the chief architect of heart disease comes from the University of Hawaii (1972). C. C. Brooks and his associates fed pigs high-sugar diets.  Sixty-eight of the eighty pigs developed heart disease in the left half of the heart.  This backs up the contention that Dr. Yudkin and others have been making for many years.  A remarkable added finding was that in pigs in which 10 percent of the sugar was replaced by coconut oil or beef tallow the heart remained free from the endocarditis that afflicted the [other] animals.  This may confound those who have been apprehensive about fat in the diet.”

Edward Howell in [amazon_link id=”0895292211″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]MD Enzyme Nutrition[/amazon_link] – copied from page 548 of [amazon_link id=”0967089735″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Nourishing Traditions (NT)[/amazon_link]

“Yudkin analyzed the sugar consumption habits of med with atherosclerosis…the men who had heart attacks reported a sugar intake nearly twice as high as those not having the heart attacks; and moreover, in patient with artery disease the degree of atherosclerosis was proportional to the amount of sugar consumed… The statistical figures indicate the relationship between sugar consumption and heart attack and between sugar consumption and artery disease was extremely strong in this study.”  

Chris Mudd in [amazon_link id=”0962451517″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Cholesterol and Your Health[/amazon_link] – copied from page 539 of [amazon_link id=”0967089735″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]NT[/amazon_link]

“Excess sugar in the diet promotes tooth decay and obesity and has been implicated in heart disease, diabetes, hypoglycemia, immune deficiency disease, digestive disorders, and allergies.  Perhaps the most fascinating and best kept medical secret about sugar is that excessive consumption causes calcium loss, which leads to a much publicized disease of our day – osteoporosis.”

Marc David in [amazon_link id=”0517881292″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Nourishing Wisdom[/amazon_link] – copied from page 541 of [amazon_link id=”0967089735″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]NT[/amazon_link]

“In his comprehensive study… Dr. Roberts concluded that a “significant source” of many unexplainable [automobile] accidents is that “millions of American drivers are subject to pathological drowsiness and hypoglycemia due to functional hyperinsulinism.”  He estimates that there may be as many as ten million drivers like that on the roads of America today.  In other words, low glucose levels in the blood gum up brain functioning, perceptions and reactions.  What causes this condition  The doctor’s answer: “The apparent increased incidence of hyperinsulinism and of narcolepsy [abnormal attacks of drowsiness] during recent decades can be largely attributed to the consequences of an enormous rise in sugar consumption by a vulnerable population.”  

William Dufty in [amazon_link id=”0446343129″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Sugar Blues[/amazon_link] – copied from page 569 of [amazon_link id=”0967089735″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]NT[/amazon_link]

I know that last quote was me.  All through college and for a few years after I would have episodes of hypoglycemia where I would get shaky, have a hard time thinking clearly and feel very drowsy and nauseated and on occasion feel like I was going to pass out if I didn’t get something to eat quickly.  I never really knew why it was happened, but now that I’ve changed my diet, I haven’t had episodes like these in years!

These are just a few of the MANY quotes regarding sugar.  I hope you found these helpful and informative.  I’d love to know what you think!  Have you had any changes in your health and well being after changing your sugar intake?  I’d love to hear!