sugar Archives - Center for Holistic Medicine

Before you reach for that cookie, consider this: studies have shown that eating too much sugar or simple carbohydrates can have devastating effects. Not only will the sugar likely lead to weight gain, but an unseen, internal chain of events can be triggered that could result in some of America’s most deadly diseases.

The surprising culprit behind many illnesses, especially heart disease, is inflammation.

It’s surprising because inflammation is a necessary function of our bodies. The immune system uses inflammation to fight pathogens and inflammation can be essential in defending us from disease.

Problems occur when inflammation becomes chronic. And though studies have not been able to conclusively pinpoint an exact cause and effect between chronic inflammation and chronic conditions, there are certain factors that are consistently present when looking at heart disease.

Diet is one of them. Too much sugar in the diet leads to insulin resistance, which in turn causes inflammation. And when the blood vessels leading to the heart are inflamed, heart disease develops.

Dr. Jerry Gore, founder of the Center for Holistic Medicine, says, “Simple sugars get into the bloodstream too fast, create too much insulin, which then creates insulin resistance, which then creates inflammation, which then creates all these diseases. Sugar is really the scourge of our society.”

Even if you don’t have a sweet tooth, you may be consuming more sugar than you think because many prepared foods contain hidden sugars. It’s been estimated that the average American eats a half pound of sugar a day!

How Sugar Leads to Inflammation

When blood sugar is high, the body produces more free radicals. Free radicals are especially damaging to the body because they disrupt healthy cells and set off an unnecessary immune response, which causes inflammation.
Excess sugar consumption leads to an over-production of Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs). These are formed when protein or fat combine with sugar in the bloodstream. Having too many of them causes inflammation.
Sugar is thought to contribute to gut permeability. When bacteria and toxins pass between the gut into the bloodstream, inflammation occurs.
Sugar has long been associated with elevating LDL cholesterol, the “bad” cholesterol that’s linked to higher levels of C-reactive protein, another cause of inflammation.

Perhaps one of the best ways to understand the connection between eating sugar and putting your heart at risk is to look at the role diabetes plays in heart disease.

The statistics are truly staggering:

Evidence shows that patients with diabetes have higher levels of low-grade inflammation in their arterial lining.
68 percent of people over 65 with diabetes die from some form of heart disease.
Adults with diabetes are two to four times more likely to die from heart disease than those without diabetes.

So what can you do to reduce your risk of both diabetes and heart disease? In addition to exercising, quitting smoking and lowering your blood pressure, one of the best things you can do is to cut out sugary snacks, drinks and simple sugars found in white bread and replace them with more complex carbohydrates such as whole grains and raw fruit, which have more fiber.

Katie Bogaard, a naturopathic practitioner at the Center for Holistic Medicine, says you can also reduce your insulin spikes by eating carbs along with extra fiber and proteins, which slows down your sugar absorption and reduces the risk of developing chronic inflammation.

“If you balance a smoothie with proteins, good fats, and extra fiber, that will give you a slower increase in your blood sugar, making you feel not only more balanced but more satiated until your next meal,” she says.

Learn more about the negative effects of sugar in our podcast, Healing Holistically.

These days, many people are aware that sugar can have a negative effect on your health. It can lead to weight gain, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, cancer and more.

Unfortunately, cutting sugar out of your diet can be challenging, especially because sugar is highly addictive. In fact, most people experience intense sugar withdrawal symptoms in the first few weeks of getting off of it.

Common Sugar Withdrawal Symptoms

Headaches
Mood swings, irritability
Muscle aches
Tiredness
Sugar cravings

So if one of your goals this year is to kick your sugar habit for good, what are some tricks you can use to get through the sugar withdraw symptoms and make a healthy change for good?

Katie Bogaard, a naturopathic practitioner at the Center for Holistic Medicine, says you can either try the gradual detox method or the cold turkey method.

Gradual Detox Method
“Some people might want to start naturally decreasing sugars on their own before embarking on a program that is very low sugar to help with some of the sugar detox side effects,” Bogaard says.

If you want to ease into the elimination, Bogaard suggests starting by replacing some of the sugars you’re currently eating with healthier substitutes. Make small goals for yourself, such as cutting out juices and sodas during the day and switching to water. Or instead of eating cereal or a doughnut for breakfast, try having plain oatmeal sweetened with fruit, dates, honey, molasses, coconut sugar or stevia.

Once you’ve conquered one part of your diet, move on to the next until you’ve eliminated sugar completely.

Just remember, however, that even though using honey, molasses, stevia and other sugar substitutes is better than regular sugar, you’ll still have sugar cravings when you cut them out of your diet.

Cold Turkey Method
If you can handle it, Bogaard says the best way to reduce your sugar cravings is to go cold turkey and eliminate all sugars in your diet for a period of time.

“This is usually difficult, but can be very effective. The first few days are usually hard, but it is most effective in dealing with the actual cravings,” Bogaard says.

Bogaard recommends doing a Paleo Whole30 diet for 30 days — which means eating no processed foods, sugar, grains, legumes, dairy or alcohol for a month — to jump start your new lifestyle.

“I generally use this as an elimination diet, but because it is naturally so low in sugar it really helps people realize what sugars do to them and that they can feel good off of sugar as well,” Bogaard says.

Other Tips
The sugar withdrawal process is no joke and is just as powerful as quitting drinking, smoking or other drugs. Some ways you can fight it are:

Drinking a lot of water
This will help you feel alert and should also help with the headaches.
Keep your blood sugar steady
Typically, people crave sugar the most when their blood sugar is low, so the best way to deal with cravings is to keep your blood sugar steady throughout the day. Keep lots of healthy snacks on hand, such as nuts and peanut butter (unless you’re doing the Whole30 diet), and eat full meals with plenty of proteins.
Drink tea
If you’re feeling cravings for something sweet, some say drinking mint or licorice tea can help.
Get extra sleep
If you’re feeling tired or your headaches are intense, take care of yourself by taking a nap or getting some extra sleep. A warm bath can help as well. Be good to yourself!
Have a good support system
Tell your friends and family about your goals, so they can be supportive of you (and not offer you a piece of cake or doughnut and derail your plans). By sharing with others when you’re having cravings, you’ll be less likely to act on them.

We all know that eating too much sugar is bad for you, but did you know that sugar can actually lead to cancer?

“Basically, sugar feeds cancer cells,” says Katie Bogaard, a naturopathic practitioner at the Center for Holistic Medicine. “People often don’t realize what they eat has such a direct relationship to their cancer.”

A recent study from the University of Texas at Dallas found that sugar was responsible for the growth of certain types of lung cancer, and previous studies from Cancer Research and New York University have suggested that sugar may increase people’s risk for both breast cancer and prostate cancer.

The growing evidence that high sugar intake is linked to increase cancer rates is one of the reasons that the American Society of Clinical Oncology issued a statement in 2014 saying that obesity is “quickly overtaking tobacco as the leading preventable cause of cancer.”

Insulin Levels and Cancer
So how, exactly, does sugar influence cancer cells? The answer may lie in insulin levels.

Essentially, all cells feed on glucose, which is found in all types of food that we eat. But according to OncologyNutrition.org, cancer cells have more insulin receptors than other cells, so when you have a spike in blood sugar, it causes those cells to grow.

That’s why it’s important to avoid sugary drinks, candy, cookies and other sweets that are loaded with both sugar and simple carbohydrates that cause a massive spike in blood sugar and instead, focus on foods with a lower glycemic index, such as whole grains, that keep your blood sugar levels more even.

Fruit, for example, doesn’t cause as big of a jump in insulin levels as sugar because the fruit also has fiber, which takes your body longer to digest. But some fruits – like raisins and watermelon – cause more of a spike than others, such as apples and blueberries.

“I think any type of sugar that has some nutrients to it is better than refined sugar,” Bogaard says.

Sugar and Inflammation
Another reason sugar can affect your risk of developing cancer? Inflammation.

“The root of all illnesses is inflammation and sugar feeds inflammation,” Bogaard explains.

Bogaard says when you have abnormal cells (otherwise known as cancer), your body is supposed to be able to gobble them up and dispose of them, which is what happens in a normal inflammation response. But if your body is suffering from chronic inflammation, the body doesn’t know which affected areas to deal with first, leading to growth of abnormal cells.

Healthy Eating to Fight Cancer
Unfortunately, many doctors don’t tell people how dangerous a high-sugar diet can be.

“When people are going through chemotherapy, they often have trouble keeping anything down, so doctors will tell them to eat whatever they want,” Bogaard says. “So people are eating ice cream and cheeseburgers and not getting the proper nutrition.”

Instead, Bogaard recommends eating a ketogenic diet — high amounts of good fats, moderate protein, low carbs and low sugar — to stay cancer-free. Avoid simple sugars, including white flour, and instead go with complex carbohydrates. And, of course, load up on fruits and veggies that are high in anti-oxidants like blueberries, strawberries, plums, red grapes, red peppers, acai berries and goji berries.

Bogaard also recommends beefing up your use of spices, such as garlic, basil, rosemary and oregano, often found in Italian cooking; and curry powder, cayenne pepper and turmeric, often found in Indian cooking.

Want to find out more about the dangers of sugar and natural ways to fight cancer through nutrition, osteopathic medicine, acupuncture and more? Come to our free workshops: “The Dangers of Sugar: How to Kick the Habit for Good” on June 12, and “Comprehensive Cancer Care: Prevention, Treatment, and Aftercare” on June 13.

Tag: sugar

The Surprising Link Between Sugar and Heart Disease

Want to Get Off of Sugar For Good? Follow These Tips

Did you know sugar can lead to cancer?