America's drug of choice

So I've started on another 30 day kick. For some reason I feel the need to do things for 30 days!! :) Although since I started Aug. 1, it will probably be 31 days since there's 31 days in the month. My plan this month has been to do all raw for the first part of the day (breakfast, lunch, snacks) and then Paleo for dinner. If you don't know what Paleo is, you can click the link. I'm not going to take too much time to explain it here. Basically, it's eating only meats, veggies, fruit, seeds and nuts. What that means is NO dairy, NO grains, NO sugar. It makes sense to me that this way of eating would be good for our bodies. Well, it is good for my body anyway. I'm still convinced that there is no ONE right way for everyone to eat. But I know that grains do bad things to me!! Especially wheat and gluten-filled grains. But I'm pretty sure any and all of them could do some damage!! :) But no matter what your body type is, no matter what "diet" is best for you, I can promise you that we would all be better off without SUGAR!


Yes, that is America's drug of choice. I have heard that it was a drug, and I've come to definitely believe it. I used to think and I've heard others say *God made sugar cane so surely it's okay for us to eat it in it's natural, unrefined state.* So as long as you use "pure cane sugar" you're fine.... right? Funny thing is--it does the same bad stuff to your body and keeps you in a dependent state on it. Lately I've started thinking about other "natural" things that God put on this earth. Hmmmm, the tobacco plant is natural, but we shouldn't smoke it or we're in danger of lung cancer. We pretty much all agree on that one. What about natural marijuana? That's something that most of us would agree that we shouldn't smoke as well, right? There are poisonous berries, mushrooms, and plants. Those are all in the natural world, but it would do our bodies harm to eat them. So why are we so convinced that *God gave us sugar cane so it couldn't be too bad!*? 


Think about it. We hear people say all the time, "I just have a sweet tooth" or "I just NEED a little something sweet after a meal" or "I just feel better when I have a little sugar." We say these things and think of them as just normal. It's just part of someone's personality. One person likes sweet, another person likes salty. It's just likes and dislikes, right? The problem is that sugar wreaks havoc on our bodies! The first and most noticeable example of this in America is that it makes us FAT! Look at Americans today. Statistics say that 65% of Americans are obese!! That's crazy ridiculous!! Now, I'm not blaming that all on sugar. The fact that people are lazy doesn't help! But look at the rise of diabetes in the last three decades. In 1980, there were just under 500,000 new cases diagnosed. In 2009, there were almost 2 million!! We've got to take a look at this huge jump and figure out what we're doing as a culture to cause this! 


According to this website the average American consumes 2-3 lbs. of sugar a week. In the last 20 years, our consumption has jumped from 26 lbs. per person per year to a whopping 135 lbs. per person per year!! Is it any wonder why diabetes has shot up?? And going back even further, before the turn of the century the average person only consumed 5 lbs. of sugar per year!! That was back before we had the obesity problems, the cardiovascular problems, and the cancer that we have today. 


There is such a long list of things that sugar can do to our bodies, that I'm just going to copy and paste them from this website right here so that you don't have to go look for yourself! :)

• Sugar can suppress the immune system.
• Sugar can upset the body's mineral balance.
• Sugar can contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children.
• Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
• Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
• Sugar can reduce helpful high density cholesterol (HDLs).
• Sugar can promote an elevation of harmful cholesterol (LDLs).
• Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
• Sugar contributes to a weakened defense against bacterial infection.
• Sugar can cause kidney damage.
• Sugar can increase the risk of coronary heart disease.
• Sugar may lead to chromium deficiency.
• Sugar can cause copper deficiency.
• Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
• Sugar can increase fasting levels of blood glucose.
• Sugar can promote tooth decay.
• Sugar can produce an acidic stomach.
• Sugar can raise adrenaline levels in children.
• Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
• Sugar can speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and grey hair.
• Sugar can increase total cholesterol.
• Sugar can contribute to weight gain and obesity.
• High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
• Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
• Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
• Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
• Sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance.
• Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
• Sugar can increase systolic blood pressure.
• Sugar causes food allergies.
• Sugar can cause free radical formation in the bloodstream.
• Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
• Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
• Sugar can overstress the pancreas, causing damage.
• Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.
• Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
• Sugar can cause liver cells to divide, increasing the size of the liver.
• Sugar can increase the amount of fat in the liver.
• Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in thekidney.
• Sugar can cause depression.
• Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.
• Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance.
• Sugar can cause hypertension.
• Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.
• Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter the mind's ability to think clearly.
• Sugar can increase blood platelet adhesiveness which increases risk of blood clots and strokes.
• Sugar can increase insulin responses in those consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.
• Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon.

Now, believe me, I'm just as guilty as anyone. I known a lot of this stuff for a long time. I've even been off sugar several times over the last few years. It's a lot easier for me to go off then it is for me to make my kids go completely off!! They tend to buck me a little more than I do myself. But it's what I know I should do--for their sake and well being. Now, they are pretty active kids so they burn it pretty quickly. There's not one of them that's overweight or unhealthy. But that's no excuse. It's my responsibility right now to teach them healthy habits for a lifetime. My 14 year old is actually the best about sugar intake. He's just naturally a pretty healthy eater. The food he chooses is usually pretty healthy. Most of my others will eat healthy food when it's put in front of them. But most of them will also choose fast food (pretty much Chick-fil-A or Jason's Deli are the only choices for that these days) over eating at home. Hmmm, hits a little close to home there!! I think that's a learned habit!

So once again I'm off of sugar. It's going on five days now. I had some cloudiness the first couple of days, but I'm doing better. But I promise, go cold turkey off of sugar (if you are one who finds you "have a sweet tooth") and tell me you aren't addicted! Sugar feeds yeast in our bodies which can lead to all sorts of problems--starting in early infancy. Each time I do this I say, "I'm never going back!" And here I am, once again. I know this about myself. I am an *ALL OR NOTHING* kind of girl. I have to have the "rules" to live by. If I tell myself that I'm going to do a certain kind of diet for 30 days, I'll do it. I won't back down. I have the will power. Even if I tell myself I'm going to stop eating something for good, I can do it. I haven't eaten gluten since October, and even though it's a pain sometimes, I don't give in. But if I give in once--if I tell myself I'll just "watch" it--you can forget it!! It's over. So I know that I will have to tell myself *no more sugar forever.* That kind of hurts right now. It makes my heart a little sad--okay, a lot sad! But we'll see how it goes.

I've always been frustrated that I'm not one of those girls who just loses weight easily, that I'm not naturally skinny no matter what I eat. You know those girls you just want to hit?? Well, I guess I'm thankful (sort of) now. If I was naturally skinny and didn't have to think about it, I don't think I would have set out on the journey that I have. I don't think I would have been so determined to figure out this nutrition thing. I know I wouldn't be so determined to cut sugar out of my diet! But since I am, I think I'm the better off for it! 

Cutting out gluten is one thing--cutting out sugar is another! God will have to be the one to give me strength for that one!! He is the ultimate end in my quest for health. He is the giver of life, perfect healthy life. His ways are best. His word is best and has the answers--even for our health.