Sugar makes many of us sick in many surprising ways we don't recognise and the benefits of cutting sugar are huge.
We know about sugar and the crazily rapid growth in diabetes from 5% of US adults in 1980 to 24% in 2022!!
But too much sugar doesn't just cause diabetes. It is also a huge trigger for :
- Gut Ache
- Bad Skin
- Menstrual Issues
- Fungal Infections
- Viral infections
- Mood Swings
- Splitting Headaches
- Brain Fog
- Inability To Concentrate
- Painful Joints
- Histamine Intolerance
- Food Sensitivities
- Nutritional Deficiencies
- Tooth & Gum Disease
Reducing sugar really can transform our health if we suffer with any - or a whole bunch - of these issues.
That is NOT to say sugar is the sole cause of these health problems BUT it is almost impossible to tackle other root causes without slashing sugar.
So if you and your family suffer chronic health issues do read on to discover the big benefits reducing sugar can bring.
Table of Contents
Gut Ache
Sugar is one of the biggest triggers for digestive issues of all sorts :
- Acid Reflux & Heartburn
- Colitis
- Gastritis
- IBS
- SIBO
- Urinary Infections
Sugar in sodas is really disastrous for acid reflux and colitis but even the natural free sugar in fruit juice can seriously aggravate gastritis, IBS and SIBO as it ferments in our gut.
Some gut issues take time to heal but it is possible to reverse or significantly reduce these digestive problems especially acid reflux and urinary infections in as little as 6 weeks.
Bad Skin
We tend to think sugar problems are all about being over weight but lots of skinny girls have serious sugar issues and they really show up in our skin as :
- Acne
- Blackheads
- Eczma
- Psoriasis
- Vitiligo
Excess sugar can knock our hormones out of whack triggering acne but also make skin cells vulnerable to infection e.g. blackheads and prevent skin cell renewal e.g. stubborn blackheads.
Surprisingly sugar can also lie behind food sensitivities and allergies that trigger eczma and psoriasis. If I keep my sugar low I can eat tomatoes, if I don't they trigger psoriasis!
Vitiligo is another skin issue tied to sugar. Vitamin D and iron deficiencies are key triggers but excess sugar directly stresses skin cells in a triple whammy that destroys pigment.
Menstrual Cycle
Sugar is up there with iron and magnesium deficiencies as a major root cause problem behind :
PCOS is tied to insulin resistance i.e. the same problem as diabetes.
Slashing sugar can have a huge impact on menstrual health and recent research shows a low-sugar Keto diet can reduce PCOS symptoms.
Severe mood swings in perimenopause and menopause can be the combined impact of iron deficiency and erratic blood sugar from excess sugar.
Recurrent Fungal Infections
There is a very high probability you have sugar issues if you keep getting hit by any of these fungal infections :
- Athlete's Foot
- Candida
- Dandruff
- Fungal Acne
- Ringworm
Fungal infections are not just triggered by added sugar in candy, cakes, cookies etc. The free sugar in fruit juice and smoothies is also a problem.
Some people manage to break the cycle of recurring fungal infections with a 6 week diet excluding :
- Added sugar
- Fruit juice & smoothies
- High sugar fruit e.g. bananas, dates, grapes, mango
- Sweeteners
- Honey
- Maple syrup.
Common nutritional deficiencies like iron, magnesium, B12, zinc and retinol are also triggers for fungal infections so do tackle these whilst cutting sugar.
Recurrent Viral Infections
Excess sugar can waken the dormant herpes and HPV viruses that cause :
Frequent outbreaks of cold sores or plantar warts can actually be symptoms of growing insulin resistance and pre-diabetes, so do see a doctor to get your blood sugar checked if these keep coming back.
Mood Swings
Eating loads of sugar makes it very hard for our body to stabilise blood sugar levels and we can get trapped in a constant rapid switchback ride of hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia.
Hypoglycaemia i.e. low blood sugar triggers the release of the stress hormones adrenalin and cortisol which can make us angry, irritable and anxious. As the stress hormones drop back down we can be left feeling depressed and listless.
Splitting Headaches
All sorts of surprising things can trigger headaches including too much sugar. But it can be a double whammy because sugar can also be the trigger behind other symptoms that themselves trigger headaches such as:
- Constipation
- Back Pain
- Gastritis
- High Blood Pressure
- Histamine Intolerance
- Food Sensitivities
- And more!!
Slashing sugar is not always the single silver bullet for our unexplained headaches but in plenty of cases it is impossible to stop the headaches without slashing sugar.
Brain Fog
Brain fog can be a direct result of too much sugar as out of control fluctuating blood sugar levels reduce our cognitive ability and make it difficult for our brain to access different parts of our memory.
Inability To Concentrate
Some research suggests that excess sugar in our diet and fluctuating blood sugar levels can seriously undermine focus and concentration by :
- Physically blocking essential neural transmitters in our brain
- Inflaming brain cells.
This double whammy can make it near impossible to focus on anything.
Arthritis And Joint Pain
Sugar is not usually the root cause of arthritis and other joint pain but eating sugar is like adding fuel to the fire all day every day. It is almost impossible to ease arthritic and other joint inflammation on a diet full of sugar.
Histamine Intolerance
Increasing numbers of people struggle with high histamine food such as :
I became being barely able to look at a tomato or aubergine without psoriasis, headaches and gut pain but the underlying problem was sugar!
Excess sugar - especially in high fructose corn syrup and fruit juices - triggers excess methane production which gives us gut ache and heightens our sensitivity to histamines.
By slashing sugar - including in juice - you could reset your tolerance.
Food Sensitivities
More and more people do have severe unexplained food allergies but sugar can be the secret villain behind common food sensitivities e.g. :
- Onions
- Garlic
- Leeks
- Kale
- Cauliflower
- Nuts
Excess sugar can cause SIBO (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth) which reacts with high sulphur food e.g. onions and garlic to produce hydrogen sulfide gas which can cause digestive pain and excess burping alongside headaches and more.
Slashing sugar - including in juice - can relieve SIBO and the food sensitivity.
Nutritional Deficiencies
Many of us today go short on basic essential nutrients. This can be due to :
- Eating lots of processed food
- Not eating enough fruit & veg
- BUT also from being vegan or vegetarian.
Unfortunately, excess sugar can make these deficiencies even worse as it directly inhibits absorption of :
- Magnesium
- Zinc
- Vitamin D
- Calcium.
These deficiencies are big risk factors for period pain, skin problems, auto immune disease and oral health issues.
Tooth & Gum Disease
We all know sugar is bad for teeth and gums and causes cavities and gum disease but sugar is also a massive trigger for other conditions that seriously harm teeth and gums:
- Acid Reflux
- Gastritis
- SIBO
- Diabetes.
All the brushing in the world won't resist the damage of a regular rinse of stomach acid from reflux!!
Slashing sugar to heal these conditions can save our teeth in later life.
So as you can see, sugar makes us and our families sick in all sorts of ways even when we don't have a weight issue.
It can all seem a bit depressing but the good news is the benefits of slashing sugar kick in really quickly.
Quick Ways To Slash Sugar
Recent research has shown that low sugar Keto diets can put type 2 diabetes into remission for some people in as little as two months.
Now you may not need to go low carb to enjoy the benefits of slashing sugar or want to dive into the complexities of the Keto diet but it does have handy tips for breaking our sugar addiction and massively reducing sugar :
- Enjoy great quality protein & fat for breakfast every day
- ... and for lunch.
- Quit sodas.
- Quit fruit juice.
- Replace cookies, candies & chocs with Keto friendly snacks.
- Eat in a smaller time window - max 12 hours - so your digestive system gets proper rest.
- If you do eat sugar occasionally save it for dessert.
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