SUGAR, AGING, AND YOUR SKIN
TURN BACK THE CLOCK WITH A SUGAR DETOX:
WHY DIVORCING YOURSELF FROM SUGAR CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE
(and Renew Your Youth)
Want to make major changes in your health, mood, skin, and weight with just one step?
Break up with sugar.
Sugar is really bad for us. It is responsible for a huge number of chronic diseases that plague the western world. For example, a high sugar intake is linked to:
Chronic Inflammation
Resistant weight gain (the kind you just can’t shed, no matter what)
Cancer
Digestive issues that lead to gas, bloating, constipation and/or diarrhea, and general discomfort
Chronic pain
Chronic fatigue
Type 2 diabetes
Cardiovascular disease
NAFLD (non alcoholic fatty liver disease)
Kidney disease
Cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease
Mood issues like anxiety and depression
Early aging, loss of skin youthfulness
Periodontal disease
Decreased immune function
Lack of nutrition (sugar robs us of important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants)
Cutting it out of your diet can literally turn back the clock on the aging process as well as helping to prevent chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and cancer (if that’s not enough, see the list of really scary things above).
BUT WHY IS SUGAR SO BAD FOR US?
What does it do, and what happens when we cut it out? I find that when people know more about what’s really going on inside their bodies, it empowers them to make positive changes in their lifestyle that give major returns in health and happiness. So let’s break this down a bit:
Sugar is a simple carbohydrate: this means that it is a very small carbohydrate chemical that is easily absorbed into our bloodstream. In contrast, a complex carbohydrate (the kind found in whole grains and veggies) is a much bigger carbohydrate chemical that must be broken down before it can get absorbed. Here’s what happens when you eat or drink these:
Sugar: imagine you drink a soda (which has a lot of sugar in it, and no other nutritional value): the sugary liquid hits your digestive system and pretty much immediately the sugars begin to get absorbed into your bloodstream. The net effect here is that all of that sugar is transferred quickly from your digestive system into your bloodstream, causing a huge spike in your blood sugar levels.
Sugar is toxic to our cells in high doses, so our bodies respond with a number of hormones to move sugar out of the bloodstream into the cells. Excess sugar is converted to fat and stored in fat cells for later use. This is what causes the inevitable blood sugar crash that happens after eating a lot of sugary foods and drinks.
Complex carbs: imagine instead you eat a bowl of brown rice (a whole grain with a lot of complex carbs, as well as fiber, vitamins and minerals): the brown rice enters your digestive system where it must be broken down so that the vitamins, minerals, and usable carbohydrates can be absorbed. The complex carbohydrates naturally found in brown rice can’t be absorbed as they are, so it will take some time to break them down. As they are broken down over time, the simple carbohydrates that get released (the sugars) can then be absorbed into our bloodstream.
In both cases, sugar is entering our bloodstream to provide energy to our cells. The difference here is that the time it takes for a complex carbohydrate to be broken down before its sugars can be absorbed ensures that our body will receive a lower dose of sugars over a longer period of time. Sugars spike our blood sugar, while complex carbohydrates maintain lower levels of blood sugar over a longer time. Keeping our blood sugar within a healthy level over time (not too high or too low) is a critical part of self-care and lifelong health.
WHEN WE CUT OUT SUGAR…
Our body then relies on other energy sources for fuel: complex carbohydrates, fat, and protein are all healthy sources of fuel that will not spike our blood sugar. When our body stops getting the high blood sugar signal, the stress of cell damage and the pressure of storing excess sugar is removed. This means that all of the energy our body would have had to devote to repairing cell damage from high sugar, as well as the pressure of quickly moving excess blood sugar out of our cells, can then be used for other things. Things like
Repairing and restoring skin damage (a no sugar diet has HUGE anti-aging effects)
Promoting healthy metabolism and fat loss
Restoring proper immune function and helping your body kill cancer cells
Improving the health of your cardiovascular system
Maintaining a happy mood and a healthy brain (sugar and smoking are two huge factors that promote cognitive decline)
And a no sugar diet has many, many other health benefits too.
WHAT IS A SUGAR DETOX?
A sugar detox requires cutting out all sugar from your diet (with the exception of sugar that naturally occurs in fruits; see below for more info on this!).
Cutting out sugar requires two big things:
Shifting to a whole foods diet and
minimizing processed foods.
A whole foods diet focuses on eating foods that came from the Earth: veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans, healthy meat and fish are all staples in a whole foods diet.
Processed foods are foods that came from a factory, that are packaged up. If your food comes in a package, if it has an ingredient list that includes more than just the names of foods (things like artificial or natural flavors, colors, preservatives, or anything else that sounds like a chemical), then it is a packaged food. Keep these out of your daily diet.
Here’s another sneaky thing about processed foods: processed foods are a notorious source of hidden sugar. When we began processing foods to make them more shelf stable over the last century, companies learned that if they added sugar to these foods, people liked them more and would buy and consume more of them. They began calling these sugars by other names to prevent people from recognizing them: high fructose corn syrup is a notorious example. High fructose corn syrup is a lab-made sweetener that is seriously hazardous to our health and should be avoided.
There are over 60 names for added sugars now, so reading labels becomes more and more important. Some big ones to look out for, and avoid, are
brown sugar
corn sweetener
high fructose corn syrup
dextrose
barley malt
fructose sweetener
fruit juice concentrates
glucose
honey
invert sugar
lactose
maltose
malt syrup
maple syrup
molasses
raw sugar
rice syrup
sucrose
trehalose
turbinado sugar
NO SUGAR VS. LOW CARB DIETS
Something I always tell my patients is that going sugar free does not mean eating a low carb diet. In fact, switching out high sugar foods for comforting carbs like brown rice (or any colored rice), whole grains, and root veggies like sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, parsnips etc. provide a nice dose of natural sweetness and carby comfort without the devastating sugar rush. Eating fruits for dessert is a beautiful and really nourishing end to a healthy meal. This type of diet still provides plenty of carbs without all the sugar.
Soda lovers can switch to sparkling mineral water with a squeeze of lemon, lime, or infused fruits and berries for a bit of flavor and sparkle.
NATURAL SUGARS VS. ADDED SUGARS
One more point of clarification: fruits contain natural sugars. This means that they have a natural sweetness due to their naturally occurring sugars. For most of us, this is not a problem, and reasonable fruit intake (1-3 servings a day, typically) is a really delicious and satisfying part of a healthy diet. People with type 1 or type 2 diabetes have different nutritional needs and should speak with their doctor to determine the optimal amount of fruit for their particular health requirements.
An added sugar is the sugar found in processed foods (the sugar that’s added in a factory to make food take sweeter so you want to eat more of it).
WHAT’S NEXT?
For people who’ve never tried to cut out sugar, starting with a goal of 1 week sugar free is great. Some folks like to commit to a sugar free work week with occasional weekend treats. Starting with an achievable goal is important. As your body frees itself from its dependence on sugar (sugar is a highly addictive substance, by the way!), sugar cravings go away and are replaced with steady energy levels all day long. Eventually people stop craving sugar altogether. They also notice younger-looking skin, easier weight loss, more energy all day long, steady moods, better digestion, even better sleep.
If you’ve never challenged yourself to go without sugar, give it a try! It can be tough at first but the health and anti-aging benefits you reap are worth every craving you overcome. And remember, when giving up sugar complex carbs and fruits are your best friend!