Why sugar fasting? (part 2)

Last time, I talked about my personal experience with sugar fasting. Today, in relation to our sugar fast, I want to talk some about the science I've seen involving the relationship between sugar intake and overall health.

Sugar and other nutrition


One of the biggest issues I have with junk foods is not what's in them, it's what's not in them. When we  fill up on nutrient void junk food, we are replacing foods that would be nourishing our bodies with foods that can actually be damaging them. It's confusing to our systems because, in nature, most sweet foods are full of nutrition, and most calorie dense foods are very filling. Not so with processed, sugary treats. Our bodies want more and more because they're thinking "What am I supposed to do with this? Where is my nutrition? I don't feel satisfied for long with this."

Where's the sense in putting your body through that day in and day out?

(This is why I sometimes get frustrated when people don't understand why I limit the amount of junk food my Izzy gets. It's not a question of "what's wrong with a few cupcakes?", but a question of "Why would I give my daughter something that's not good for her - train her taste buds and body to crave it - when she'd be just as happy with a piece of fruit or some whole grain crackers?" I give her treats now and then when I'm having them, but it seems silly to fill my kid up with junk at a time when her body is growing so fast and desperately needs good nutritional building blocks to help. Ok, stepping off of soapbox now...well, that soap box, anyway.)

Sugar and disease


It's a well known fact that ongoing, excessive sugar (and refined carbohydrate) intake can trigger adult onset diabetes. I also struggled with frequent (at least once daily) bouts of hypoglycemia when I was pregnant with Izzy and was eating a lot of sugar. If my blood sugar started to drop, I'd eat something sweet. I didn't know that I was making the problem worse and adding momentum to my blood sugar roller coaster. This pregnancy, the only problems I've had with hypoglycemia came around Christmas when I was overdoing it on the desserts at all the parties we went to.

When your body is constantly receiving an onslaught of sugar, and responding with a big release of insulin, it's not long before the system gets off balance and you end up with either an overactive pancreas (reactive hypoglycemia) or one that gives up altogether (diabetes).

The constant battle to keep up with overconsumption of sugar also wears our your adrenals, triggering or worsening any syndrome associated with the adrenal system such as chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and the like. This, combined with the emotional roller coaster of high and low blood sugar can also aggravate emotional disorders and ADHD.

New evidence shows that sugar consumption is related to cancer growth. (I don't feel qualified enough to expand on this one, but it's out there, if you want to research it.)

Excessive sugar intake can also cause bone loss and tooth decay. I don't totally understand it, so I'm going to quote Sally Fallon here:

"Tooth decay and bone loss occur when the precise ratio of calcium to phosphorus in the blood ratio varies from the normal ratio of four parts phosphorus to ten parts calcium...sugar consumption causes phosphorous levels to drop and calcium to rise. Calcium rises because it is pulled from the teeth and the bones. The drop in phosphorous hinders the absorption of this calcium making it unusable and therefore toxic."  - Nourishing Traditions, 24

This misplaced calcium either makes it's way out of the body through urine or is stored in unhealthy ways, such as in gallstones or kidney stones.

Sugar also suppresses the immune system for a number of hours after consumption, so if you (or your child) is getting sugar multiple times a day, you may be dealing with a constantly suppressed immune system and more viruses and infections.


Sugar promotes inflammation, which is probably why I have a fibromyalgia flare-up whenever I consume too much of it. This would also affect people dealing with athritis or any other chronic pain.

Sugar feeds bacteria in your tummy, bad bacteria. If you struggle with any type of ongoing "tummy issue" such as IBS, Crohn's, or Heartburn and Indigestion, you can bet that sugar consumption will aggravate it. Considering the fact that the standard american diet is completely devoid of foods containing beneficial bacteria, and we're constantly sanitizing away any that we might accidentally come in contact with, it seems very counterintuitive to be feeding the bad guys in our gut their favorite food every day.

Sugar and aging


Ok, if I haven't convinced you yet, here's a good inspiration for all of you ladies to give up the sweets - it makes you grow older, sooner. Sugar suppresses the release of Human Growth Hormone, which slows the aging process. It also promotes glycation, which speeds up the aging process and causes irreversible damage.

Ok, should I give up all sugars forever? What about fruit and milk? Don't they have sugar in them?

The resources I found all agree - it's the overconsumption of sugar that causes problems for most people. Also, sugars naturally occurring in food don't have the same effect because 1) They are still in their natural form and 2) They accompany nutrients like fiber, minerals, and fats that help the body process them more effectively.

How much is too much? 


It depends on who you ask. The World Health Organization says no more than 10% of your total calories. For most people, that's around 50 grams a day. This is about the equivalent of what you'd find in a 20 oz soda. That seems like a lot to me, but everyone's body is different.

According to author and doctor Nancy Appleton, the average person can handle no more than 2 teaspoons of added sugar a day, no more than 2-3 times a day, and no more than 2 Tablespoons total in a day. This seems like a more reasonable amount for me personally, but it's kind of confusing. To help make it a little clearer, one teaspoon of sugar = about 4.2 grams. Something like 16-20 grams a day total. So, that breakfast cereal with 14 grams of sugar per 3/4 cup is probably not gonna make your list of health foods. Or that "healthy" granola bar with 11 grams of sugar per tiny bar.

Some studies have found that the body puts added sugars to good use immediately after a workout, so if you're looking for a way to squeeze in a cheat, or inspire yourself to work out more, make sweet treats a reward for a completed workout. (This makes sense to me because fruit juice usually makes me feel a little queasy, but I used to drink about 1/2 glass right before I would go running, and it would give me an energy boost without the usual sugar side effects.)

So, there you have it, a list (though I'm sure not exhaustive) of health issues caused or aggravated by the overconsumption of sugar. Watch your labels, read your ingredients, and give your body a chance to tell you how it can feel without being bogged down with sugar!

*All of the above information was found in these sources:

http://nutritiondiva.quickanddirtytips.com/how-sugar-affects-your-body - I don't always agree with this gal, but she's pretty middle ground, which is good if you're looking for some balanced opinions. Sometimes the all-natural crown can get a little out there. (Yes, I'm talking about myself here.)

http://www.westonaprice.org/childrens-health/zapping-sugar-cravings - This is the Weston A Price foundation.

I also referred to my Nourishing Traditions cookbook p23-25.

Do you or your family suffer from any of these afflictions? Have you tried limiting or giving up sugar as a way to manage them?

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Why sugar fasting? (part 1)

For the month of April, we'll be fasting from all added sugars. I don't know if you're like me, but this is a tough challenge in my book! Today I'll be sharing why I think sugar fasting is important from a personal standpoint. I'll share later about the medical and scientific evidence for avoiding sugar.

Just say no to this stuff!

Photo Credit

I love sweets, and I find that they can be a big part of my social life. I'm an emotional junk food eater. It's not so much when I'm upset that I eat sugary foods but when I'm happy or with friends and family or feeling like I have "earned" something nice. Baking something sweet is also a love language for me. Making desserts for others is one of my main ways to do something nice for them. I've tried "healthying them up", but it never seems to turn out right without all that sugar.

Also, as a really ironic twist, my system is insanely sensitive to sugars. If I allow myself just one sweet treat a day, by the end of a week, I'm having insonmia, joint pain, blood sugar issues, suppressed immune system and/or more. It's a trigger for fibromyalgia, I believe. My body can normally handle 1-2 sweet treats a week without too many problems, if the rest of my diet has been good (not too many simple carbs, etc.). I know that not everyone is like this, but I've definitely found it to be true for me.

To add to the irony, sugar is so very addicting, especially for me. Like I said, I can handle a few sweet treats each week without issues. However, if I let myself indulge once, my body will be asking for more and more again and again. Part of it is emotional, but part of it I believe is a physical addiction. It's a constant cycle for me. 

When I completely avoid sugar, my energy is through the roof. I can run all day long and feel great at the end of the day. I can accomplish so much more in a day. When I've been bingeing, I have those mid-afternoon dips, I wake up aching in the morning and it takes a little while for it to go away. I hear a lot of anecdotal evidence for all kinds of things, and people say "oh, my energy level went up, and I'm thinking so much more clearly!" I'm usually doubtful of that as evidence because it's so subjective, but in this case for me, it's like night and day. There is a 100% correlation for me between sugar consumption and how I feel physically, and sometimes emotionally.

The thing is, most people are probably like I was and don't even know what they would feel like if they gave up the sweets. I thought that I didn't have any problem with them, in moderation, because sugar is in everything. I didn't realize how much I was eating, and it never had a chance to get out of my system because I was getting it every day. I didn't know how good I could feel until my first sugar fast this past summer.

Foods that we consider "health foods" are often still loaded with sugar. Granola, granola bars, whole grains baked goods like muffins, pancakes, waffles. Dried fruit and fruit juice are pretty sugary, as well. Most drinks are filled with sugar, even "healthy" bottled tea tends to have a lot.

I know that not everyone is as sensitive to sugar as I am. Some people may not notice a difference. Also keep in mind, though, that some people are extremely sensitive, and need to watch their carbohydrate and fruit intake, as well. If you don't notice a difference, try taking it a step further for a few weeks before you give up. Especially if you have problems stabilizing your blood sugar, struggle with emotional disorders, or have adrenal fatigue related issues. Sugar consumption can have a negative effect on all of these things. (Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, I'm just relaying what I've been told by friends and trusted resources.)

I challenge you this month to continue reading your labels, and pass on anything that has added sugars. It's definitely worth a try.

Next time, I'll be sharing some of the more scientific evidence I've found for giving up the sugars.

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Where do (natural) babies come from?

Their natural mommies, of course! What did you think I was going to say?

Today I'm going to share how I came to be a natural Mommy, and it has a lot to do with my own mother.

Before I start sharing all of the things I do that are a little different from the norm, I'd like to share why doing things naturally, or traditionally, is important to me.

Those of you who know my family may not know this, but my Mother was not always the hippie that she is today. (You are reading this, right Mom?) Growing up, as I remember it from my point of view, we weren't on the extreme of either "crunchy" or....whatever the word is for the oppposite of crunchy. I guess my parents never gave it much thought. I never did, anyway. Then, mom got sick.

I don't remember how old I was when we all got mono, but I was old enough to remember bits and pieces without completely understanding what was going on. I remember all sitting in a doctor's office, and I remember Mom going back to the doc every few months after that and hearing mom say "I still don't feel better." Not a lot was known back then about fibromyalgia, but my Mom was eventually diagnosed with it. As anyone with a chronic illness knows, one will try just about anything to relieve the symptoms.

Somewhere along the line, around the time I was in high school, we came across the book "The Maker's Diet by Jordan S. Rubin. It all seems like common sense to me now, but reading his book was the first time I'd been introduced to the concept that God knew what he was doing when he made our bodies and the earth. Maybe, just maybe, we're messing ourselves up with a lot of these things we call "progress." Maybe food the way it comes from the earth is the way our bodies were intended to process it? Perhaps all of these chemicals we're putting into and on our bodies are doing more harm than good? It occurred to me that, in the Garden of Eden, man's and woman's original job was to be a good steward of this world God created. Adam and Eve were put in that garden to glorify God by enjoying and taking care of it. Are we, as Christians today, exempt from that job? I don't think so.

So began my long, slow journey into the being the wierdo I am today. True story: I served a friend of mine a glass of kombucha, and she said to me, and I quote verbatim "Sarah Ellzey, you are the wierdest friend I've ever had."

Thank you very much.

That's all the time I have for today. Little Izzy is calling. I'll tell you some more about my little family later on this week. Tomorrow I'll finish my story by sharing how my Mom's journey became my own.

What about you? Where are you in your journey? What has inspired you? Are you anyone's "wierdest friend?"

What is the opposite word for "crunchy," anyways?