You are listening to the Overthinker's Guide to Joy, episode 24. This is the one
where we're going to talk about everything you need to know about what sugar is
doing to your body. Let's dive in.
Hey there, you are listening to the Overthinker's Guide to Joy. This is a podcast
for overthinkers, overachievers, perfectionists, type A, stressed out,
Anxious people who just want to calm down and feel better. I'm your host certified
life coach Jackie de Crinis
Hey there, how are you guys? So last week I was talking all about how comfort
eating might be interfering with your weight loss goals and Comfort eating or
emotional eating being a habit, and probably something you started when you were
little, a learned behavior from a caregiver or a family member, and somewhere the
messaging about managing your emotions with food was a good idea. But as we get
older, we realize not so much. The emotions behind overeating,
absentmindedly eating, or needing to comfort ourselves by eating is only one part of
the equation, though, to sabotaging your weight loss goals. So I wanted to dedicate
another episode on this subject and get a little bit more specific. It's not just
eating that's getting in your way of weight loss or feeling empowered or feeling
like you have control of your bodies. It's what you're eating that might be
preventing you from losing weight or keeping it off. Now look, it's no secret that
sugars and starches are the primary culprits of the weight battle. But sugars and
starches don't just wreak havoc on weight loss, and that's why I want to talk about
it today. I want to talk about the role sugar and starches play on our bodies.
And scientific studies have, you know, over the last 10, 20 and 30 years have shown
that sugars and starches have a chemical addiction, which is why the emotional eating
component I talked about last week may also have a chemical component to what's
going on with why can't I lose weight, why can't I stick to a program, why can't
I do this. And the chemical addiction is not that different than caffeine,
alcohol, or drugs. Sugar, when we put it in our bodies,
lights up our brain like a Christmas tree. We get a big dopamine hit from sugar,
like any drug. And like any drug, the more we do,
the more we want, because you kind of build up a tolerance to it. So like you
know how when you were little like a little bit of sugar was fine and then
suddenly you needed more and more and more and then ultimately you become sort of
desensitized to how much sugar you're eating. You don't even know how sweet our food
is. So for example, if you've ever given up sugar for a week or two, you'll be
unbelievably surprised how sweet a piece of fresh fruit tastes. Whereas if you're
eating a lot of highly processed food or a lot of food that has sugar in it,
you're probably not that interested in fresh fruit. There is almost no learning curve
to learn to like things that are slightly sweet. If you've ever seen a baby take
their first bite of pureed pears or applesauce, they get this huge smile across
their face. It's not the same for when they take their first bite of pureed
broccoli or pureed lamb or chicken. So sweet is just something that our palate needs
almost no introduction to to immediately like. And look,
sugar is in everything. It's not just in cakes and cookies, candies and ice cream.
It's in muffins, breads, barbecue sauce, salad dressing, ketchup. And there are
natural sugars like maple syrup and honey, which are slightly better than the refined
ones like white sugar, fructose, high fructose corn syrup being one of the worst.
Now, these highly processed simple sugars put a huge demand on our bodies,
specifically on our organs. Sugar is not just empty calories, but it's been linked
to inflammation. And inflammation seems to be one of the biggest culprits in
autoimmune diseases, age -related diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and various
forms of cancer. You don't need to eat candy or be drinking soda to be consuming a
lot of sugar. Our bodies turn starches into sugar almost at the same rate those
sweet foods do. Starches like breads, and pastas, crackers, baked goods, they may be
the greater cause of heart disease rather than the traditional beliefs that fats and
cholesterol laden foods were the cause. So scientists are changing their tune on that
and seeing that a lifestyle that has a lower carbohydrate sugar intake may be better
for heart health. So I'm a huge sushi lover and I was sad to find out that Even
sushi, which is literally one of my favorite foods, has a ton of sugar in it. Not
the fish, not the vegetables, not the seaweed, but the sushi rice is made with
sugar and salt. Most sushi rolls have 11 to 15 grams of sugar in them.
That's four grams of sugar per teaspoon. So if you're having three California rolls
or three spicy tuna rolls, you might be having the same amount of sugar that's in
a can of Coca -Cola. Now, obviously, if you're just having sashimi, that's just the
fish, and plain rice, not sushi rice, which is still high in carbs, at least you're
not having that sugar added. But the issue isn't just the extra calories from the
sugar. The real issue is the flood of insulin that is required by our bodies to
manage the sugars we're taking in. This is why so often after we eat we're
exhausted. The body has to work so hard to process that flood of chemicals. This is
why people crave something sweet after a huge meal. They're tired and they're looking
for something to keep the party going. When we eat less sugar and less simple
carbs, we balance out our blood sugars so that you don't get those spikes and
crashes. And when we eat more complex carbohydrates, like cruciferous vegetables like
broccoli and cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, and proteins like lean meats, nuts,
eggs, cheese, we give the body what it needs. But avoiding the sugar spikes and
crashes does something else for our body. It prevents that feeling of an emotional
roller coaster. This is why so many people turn to sweets when they're feeling sad,
lonely or bored. They're looking for a pick -me -up. But that pick -me -up,
that candy, that ice cream, that cookie, it's only temporary. And it's guaranteed to
be followed by another crash. And then more cravings for starches and sugars.
So you see, it's like a vicious cycle, and it puts us on a path of not just
weight loss sabotage, but also an emotional rollercoaster of highs and lows.
And our bodies are then inflamed, achy, our immune system is compromised, and all of
this leads to us feeling less well, emotionally, physically,
and mentally. When we eat Whole foods, proteins, vegetables,
berries, and whole fruits and moderation. We see a change in our organs.
They become healthier. We have more energy. We have better self -esteem. We have more
motivation to practice other healthier habits like exercise, meditation, other forms of
self -care. Now, the mistake we made in the '80s when we heard sugar was bad the
first round, was everything went sugar -free. Cookie companies, soda companies,
and pretty much everyone couldn't wait to jump on the bandwagon and advertise how
their products were sugar -free. But over the last 40 years, we learned that
artificial sweeteners are not a viable substitute for the human body. Saccharin was
associated with cancer, that's like sweet and low and there's other brand names.
Aspartame was leaked to behavioral and cognitive issues. People who were eating
artificial sweeteners were sending signals to their brains that something sweet was
coming, but when there was no substance to follow, the body would crave more and
more food to satisfy the promise, thus resulting in people gaining more and more
weight.
So artificial sweeteners is not the answer. The trick is to eliminate sugars and
processed foods. And ideally, what you want to do is do it for 7 days minimum.
And then see how you feel. By eating protein, vegetables and healthy fats that's
olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds, you will end up stabilizing your blood sugar,
reducing your inflammation, reducing your cravings, reducing your insulin production and
keeping you feeling more emotionally stable, which means less anxiety,
less emotional roller coaster, clearer thinking and more self confidence. Now I eat a
very healthy diet, but I find myself sort of allowing sugars and even gluten -free
is to creep back into my diet, and before I know it, I feel the difference in my
body. It shows up on my scale, in my sleep patterns, and especially in my own
anxiety and my over thinking brain. Because when my blood sugar drops from eating
starches and sugars, then that's when I get that kind of anxiety roller coaster.
And just this past week, I did another cleanse where I took all the sugars and all
the starches out of my diet and I am feeling so good. So if you're feeling like
you want to take some control back into your health and your emotions, I highly
recommend taking a hiatus from sugar and starches for just one week and seeing what
happens. I think you're gonna love it. Alright, that's it for today.
I'm wishing you a great week, and I look forward to seeing you next time. Bye for
now. If you wanna learn more tips about managing your stress and how to manage your
overthinking brain, just go to my website and sign up for my weekly newsletter at
jackiedecrinis.com. That's J -A -C -K -I -E -D -E -C -R -I -N -I -S .com.
You can also follow me on Instagram at Jackie de Crinis. Thank you for listening to
this episode of Overthinkers Guide to Joy. If you like what was offered in today's
episode, I would love you to leave a review and subscribe or follow wherever you
get your podcasts.
