Say Goodbye: 10 Reasons to Break Up With Sugar

You grab the bag of apples, the last item from your shopping list, and go to the checkout. While you are standing there, you see the candy staring back at you. Do you pick it up? I know I did! For years, I was addicted to sugar and had to pick up candy in the grocery store aisle. So, how do you overcome that sugar craving? I am going to share 10 reasons you should break up with sugar.

Sugar was my go-to breakfast. I had to have something sweet (hello, Funfetti cupcakes) with my coffee every morning. I also loved candy, and it was always available when I was growing up. Now and Laters were one of my favorite candies. A funny story: I was on a double date with my now-husband, and we were bowling. Of course, I had candy with me. Mid-bite of my Now and Later, I felt my fake tooth snap out of my gums. I was mortified and hardly spoke that night because the gap would have looked like a SPARE.

There came a time when I needed to heal, and the only option I had was to break up with sugar. Removing sugar from my diet was instrumental in healing my body. Was it easy? I can’t say that it was easy but it was ABSOLUTELY worth it!

Remember those aisles, now I can literally go by those aisles and not be tempted by the array of candy and sugar. When I look at it now, I know that there is no real food or value for my body and that it would suffer trying to figure out what to do with all the processed junk.

Here are 10 reasons why you should break up with sugar.

1. Risk of Heart disease

   Inflammation is a significant cause of the most common form of heart disease. Processed foods, often loaded with sugar are a culprit for causing heart disease. Approximately, 75% of processed foods also have added hidden sugars.

2. Type 2 diabetes

   A lifestyle disease that can often be reversed or be turned on by what we eat.

3. Increases Tooth Decay
   Study shows lack of adequate nutrition plays a role in tooth decay.

4. Skin Issues
   High glycemic foods can lead to inflammation in the body which affects the skin.

5. Cancer
   Cancer feeds on sugar so removing it deprives the cells of glucose.

6. Suppressed Immune System
   Studies show that when sugar is consumed, our immune system decreases its effectiveness by up to 50%, often lasting up to 5 hours. (Wonder why the flu spikes up after Halloween.)

7. Brain Response
   Sugar causes a dopamine response, causing it to become an addiction leaving us craving more.

8. Obesity
   Chronic intake of sugar promotes fat storage, especially in the abdomen.

9. Unhealthy Liver
   High insulin levels cause a build-up of fat in the liver, which in turn leads to insulin resistance and non-alcoholic liver disease.

10. Poor Sleep
    Spikes in blood sugar can cause an imbalance, leading to overloaded and overworked adrenals. Therefore, exhausted adrenals interrupt quality sleep.

“I believe learning the effects of sugar and how it works within your body can help pinpoint problems you are suffering from and equip you to be more informed about the consequences”

— Rosa Sanchez

Knowledge is power

Some estimate that the average American consumes 152 pounds of sugar per day. As a result, we continue to see unhealthy, tired and obese individuals. I believe understanding the effect sugar has on the body will help you make better choices so that you can choose to fuel your body and find renewed energy and lost vitality. Ready to make the change? I created a quiz for you that will help you make simple swaps to lead you to have the power as well. You’ll now be able to pass up the candy as you checkout at the grocery store too. Take my Simple Swap Sugar Quiz.