Who remembers the Archies?

I’ve been debating on what the next blog chapter would be as I have so many thoughts going through my head as to the topics I want to cover.  But this is going to be a sprint and not a marathon, so there is a lot to come.  The information I use in this blog will be coming from a book I read by Dr. Mark Hyman: The Blood Sugar Solution, 10-Day Detox Diet. 

How is everyone doing with 10-minute walks?  I try to walk 30 minutes every day, but mostly it has been 10 to 15 minutes.  As of right now I have lost 1 lb.☹Anyone else lose any?

I know one of the contributors to my weight loss stall is not getting the daily exercise I should, but an even bigger culprit is that sweet stuff – sugar.  Sugar comes in many different forms.  It isn’t just those white granules in the container.  So, today’s blog is going to review what most of us already know, but there may be some who don’t.  Sugar is actually bad for our bodies and it is very addicting. In his book, Dr. Hyman references a 2009 study showing sugar was eight times as addictive as cocaine.  I’m not going to go into the study, but the results are very interesting.

Why do we love sugar????  It hits our pleasure spot, just like drugs hit an addict’s pleasure spot.  According to Dr. Hyman, sugar can turn off our appetite control, so we start eating more.  But you say I don’t eat that many sweets.  Guess what.  Sugar is in processed foods in one form or another, mainly through High Fructose Corn Sugar (HFCS).  Sugar and HFCS are both toxins to our body.  They can cause inflammation, obesity, diabetes and contribute to sugar addiction.  Dr. Hyman’s book gives many explanations and examples of how this is true, but I am not going to go into depth on either of these now but will cover them in future postings. 

But no feeling badly about ourselves.  This blog is about knowledge and help in getting healthy.  I am as guilty or maybe even more guilty about resisting sugar.  This time in our history is very stressful and we need pleasure, but try to find it by another means other than eating. So just think about sugar being addictive and how much of it is in our food.  Read the ingredients on a label or two before buying it and see how much sugar is in it.  If sugar or HFCS is #1 or 2 on the list, that means that product is mostly sugar.  Try to find one with less sugar, or better yet, no sugar.

So our challenge this time is to increase your walking time by 15 minutes.  And let me add one more thing: resist one item that contains sugar each week until the next blog.  Remember sugar is not just in sweets, it can be in condiments or any other type of food.  Just a little at a time and we can all become healthier.

Until next time

A Santé