How sugars break us down

It’s kind of harsh, but it’s the ugly truth. This second week of the challenge I want to tell you more about how bad sugars are. And just to be clear when I talk about sugar I mean the bad, refined sugar. In a few weeks I will tell you more about the different kinds of sugar. But first things first!

You probably have never thought about it, but sugars are a big part of our daily life. This started when we were little and it goes on our entire life. If we don’t stop it now. As a kid you used to be comforted with candy. Also good behavior has always been rewarded with candy and other unhealthy foods, so you don’t know any better than sugar means ‘good job, well done’. This is one of the reasons we got dependent on and addicted to sugar. Not quite a calming thought if you ask me. Besides the fact that sugar is not good for a slim and fit body, there are also a lot of other things happening in your body because of sugar. Just to name a few:

• Your quality of sleep depends on it
• You don’t feel fit (read: your health in general is never what it’s suppose to be)
• You feel down more often and can even get depressed
• You age prematurely (bye bye vibrant skin)
• You can get food allergies
• You can get migraine
• Your hormonal balance can get disturbed

If you experience one (or more) of these things, you probably don’t think of sugar to be the cause but guess again.

But why do we consume sugar and products that contain sugar? There are many reasons for this. If you want to stop consuming sugar, it’s good to know what’s the underlying reason for eating candy, a chocolate bar or bucket of ice cream. Below I summed up the most common reasons. Do you recognize them?

1. You can’t say no

If you’re really honest, who’s guilty? I definitely am a 100%! Imagine the next scenario. You are meeting up with a friend you haven’t seen in a while and for this special occasion she bought all different kinds of unhealthy snacks. Super sweet of her of course but this day actually wasn’t your cheat day. What to do? It’s not nice to say no because she went through all that trouble just for you. You decide to take one cookie (okay 3) and you think ‘oh well, who cares?’ and you also take a cupcake and a piece of pie. It’s the well-known all-or-nothing thought. So recognizable!

2. Boredom

Note to myself: Dear stomach please start understanding the difference between hunger and boredom. This is so true, you will eat more when you’re bored. It’s also scientifically proven that people who watch TV or doing something on their computer tend to overeat. Most of the times you don’t even know that you are overeating.

3. Stressed out and fatigue

We all have our busy lives and a thousand things to do. I hear you. Running your own company is pretty stressful. And then it sneaks in. You are too busy to cook or prepare something healthy so you go for a quick fix. It’s easy and won’t take long. Also fatigue can cause you to crave sugar. Your body needs quick energy and sugar gives your body that kind of energy. But that quick energy is not of any help to your body, because all your body needs is a date with your couch and Netflix or a good night sleep.

4. Habit

This may sound pretty obvious, but have you have ever thought about how many sugar you consume while doing things that have become a habit? Every Friday is girls night out and those nights can’t go by without a glass of wine (or 2 or 3). Your weekly couch potato nights with your family aren’t complete without chocolate, cookies and soda. And you have to eat chips while watching your favorite series. We want things to always be the same. That actually makes sense because habits are easy, don’t take much energy and we already know we are good at it. But believe me ladies, it’s not healthy at all.

This week’s assignment

Okay, now it’s time to get busy :-). This week I want you to become more aware of the moments you crave sugar / feel hungry. I want you to keep a diary of when you eat sugar / feel hungry.  And when you do I want you to think of the reasons I mentioned above. Do you recognize them? I bet after this week you realize that you consume more sugar than you think.