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Monday, July 27, 2015

A Really Simple Explanation of Why Sugar is Bad for You


At Institute for Integrative Nutrition I learned the theory of bio-individuality. The concept of bio-individuality is that each person has unique food and lifestyle needs. One person’s food is another person’s poison.

You are super special and unique. Reaching your ideal weight and enjoying sustained energy demands paying attention to and honoring the needs of your body instead of following a fad diet or random list of rules.

That said, there's one thing that's pretty bad for everybody across the board: sugar. Sorry. I'm sure this isn't a surprise but lemme explain further. It's easier to accept that way.
When you eat sugary things like candy and snacks or savory things made with refined or simple carbs (white potatoes, white pasta, white rice, white bread), your body breaks it down into something it can understand and use- glucose, a source for energy.

Your pancreas responds to glucose by creating insulin. Insulin moves the glucose into cells to be used as fuel. Good job, insulin!

The downside is if you've crammed a cupcake into your face, you've got way more glucose than your cells need. The insulin then just turns the extra glucose into fat so you can use it later.

Fat is your body's way of carrying around a doggie bag. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) you'll probably never have an emergency where you need those leftovers.

If you're like most people in America, you get more than enough to eat, including lots of glucosey goodness. I can't blame you. Most of what is available for us to eat is high in sugar but low in nutrients, so of course you are hungry and eating a lot.

When you eat lots of sugar, your body must continually produce enough insulin to deal with the glucose you assault it with. Over time, this can exhaust your poor pancreas. Even worse, your body may become insulin resistant which means the sugar isn't getting out of your blood stream. Insulin resistance can make it hard to burn fat. It can also lead to obesity, diabetes, and many more dangerous health problems.

How much sugar do you eat in a week? How does sugar make you feel? Keep a food diary for a few days to see. Also attend my next Beat Sugar Cravings webinar. 

Subscribe to my newsletter to stay tuned of that and other upcoming events, as well as get awesome resources for ditching diets and becoming naturally hot, confident, and joyful.

Olivia Lane Lovejoy is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition

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