I hope you’re all doing wonderful today! I am so excited that it’s January and we have a fresh new year to make new goals. One of my biggest goals this year is to go the whole year without sugar.
Yep, NO sugar, not even maple syrup, coconut sugar, stevia and all that natural sugar stuff. I will only be eating good old fruit and using lots of dates to sweeten everything. Wish me luck!
- A few exceptions…honey sparingly in times of sickness and toothpaste and gum that do NOT use artificial sweeteners like aspartame. Generally more “natural” toothpastes and gum are sweetened with xylitol and stevia. This is my only exception for these 2 sweeteners. Who wants bad breath? Not me.
When I first announced this on social media I was surprised that SO MANY PEOPLE were a little…possessive about their sugar habits saying things like, “I could NEVER give up sugar,” and “Chocolate Is GOOD for you,” and “I can’t go 1 day without it.” It made me chuckle!
This tells me that WOW we have a BIG problem. We are ADDICTED to sugar!!!
I put together a whopper of a list today of 101 reasons why you should cut back on sugar. If you’re on the fence and thinking about participating in this challenge maybe this will persuade you to join.
Remember you don’t have to go the whole year, just start off with 1 month, you might just surprise yourself with what you can do.
I just created a facebook group for support too so don’t forget to stop by!
101 Reasons To Ditch Sugar
- Increases inflammation throughout your body
- It’s addicting
- Zaps your energy
- Creates hormone imbalance
- Makes you irritable
- Hot flashes
- Throws off the calcium/phosphorus balance necessary for good health
- Negatively impacts dental health
- Depletes calcium stores in our bones
- Restless sleep
- Increases anxiety
- Keeps us from eating nutrient dense food
- Alters our taste buds
- Empty calories = waste of $$$
- Increases risk of Type 2 Diabetes
- Our endocrine glands are most affected by sugar i.e. our hormones
- Mood swings
- Lowers our immune system function
- Increases risk of Urinary Tract Infections, and makes them worse
- Pancreas has to work overtime to produce insulin
- Thyroid and adrenal glands don’t work at optimal levels
- Depletes enzymes in our bodies that are necessary for our body to break down and assimilate our food…this leads to allergies
- Makes you age faster
- Bad for your skin
- Constipation
- Hypoglycemia
- Weakens your endocrine glands
- Causes hyperactivity (especially in kids)
- Difficulty concentrating
- Crankiness in kids (& adults)
- Causes drowsiness
- Creates a significant rise in triglycerides
- Weakens our defense against bacterial infections
- Causes kidney damage
- Causes Chromium deficiency
- Causes Copper deficiency
- Interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium
- Weakens eyesight
- Increases risk of many types of cancers…or pretty much all cancer
- Produces an acidic stomach
- Increases adrenalin in kids and adults
- Produces wrinkles
- Promotes gray hair
- Causes weight gain and obesity
- Increases risk of Chron’s and Ulcerative Colitis
- Canker sores
- Temper tantrums in kids
- Crying spells
- Achy body
- Worrying more than normal
- Joint pains
- Cold hands and feet
- Nervousness
- Waking up exhausted and feeling “hung over”
- Feeling wired
- Lightheaded
- Difficulty sleeping
- Fainting
- Increased risk of heart disease
- Weird breath/body odors
- Foggy thinking
- Sensitive to light and noise
- Lack of coordination
- Internal trembling
- Forgetfulness
- Digestive upsets
- Shaky when hungry
- Inflamed intestinal tract
- Asthma
- Arthritis
- Yeast Infections
- Promotes formation of gallstones
- Promotes formation of kidney stones
- Varicose veins
- Exacerbates symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis
- Increased risk of appendicitis
- Increased bacterial fermentation in the colon…ew
- Higher cholesterol
- Depression
- Psoriasis
- Exacerbates eczema in kids
- Causes cataracts
- Increase risk of fatty liver
- Increase fluid retention
- Toxemia during pregnancy
- Dizziness
- Increased liver size
- High glucose and insulin response in oral contraceptive users
- Stresses out pancreas causing damage
- Worsens PMS
- Tendons become brittle
- Headaches and migraines
- Tissues lose elasticity and function…think skin…think aging!
- Negatively affects the lining of capillaries
- Disrupts seratonin (feel good chemical)
- Heart palpitations
- Leg cramps
- Itchy skin
- Decreased libido
- Aggresivness
- Stresses our body out!!! Don’t we have enough stress in life?
PHEW! If you didn’t think you could remove sugar from your diet maybe reading through this list will inspire you. You have to have a good reason. Better health is a GREAT reason;)
If you deal with any of these annoying symptoms on this list maybe now is your time to ditch sugar too.
Join the facebook group for support all the way!
Have a wonderful, healthy day,
~Hannah
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Hello..aren’t dates full of sugars?
Dates do have sugar, although it’s different than table sugar that has been heavily processed and had all of the nutrients removed. Dates are a whole food and easier for some people to handle. They can be a great alternative for those avoiding sugar. Now if you have to avoid sugar for specific reasons like blood sugar imbalance and diabetes, then by all means you can avoid dates as well.
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