Refined Sugars

In their quest for superior health, occasionally people come to our office that have a very difficult time removing refined sugars from their diets. For those who haven't done so yet (and you know who you are), this is for you.
Natural unrefined sugars do not cause extremes of imbalance the way refined sugars do. Natural unrefined sugars provide an energy that burns slower and more evenly. In his studies of indigenous peoples, Weston Price found that in Eskimo cultures, protein and fat were the only food sources used. Yes, you heard it. NO Carbohydrates at all! Maybe you didn't know that the body could make glucose from fat and proteins. This is called gluconeogenesis. I'm not saying that we should hit the break room at work and snack on seal blubber-but if you do, make sure its organic. I'm just saying the body does not need carbohydrates to survive.
I like sweet foods (sometimes). Having something sweet is a pleasurable experience. Eating something sweet promotes a feeling of well being and comfort. But before we go any further we need to know and understand this absolutely critical fact: Refined sugars are not food. Refined sugars used to be food but the food part was processed out of them. Refined sugars do not contain the nutrients they had when they were in their unrefined states. Did you know that in sugar cane processing over 99% of the sugar cane plant is removed? What is left is pure sucrose sugar. Thousands of studies and medical reports have confirmed that white table sugar is an anti-nutrient that adversely affects energy, metabolism, immunity and causes serious nutritional deficiencies.
Let's say you eat an apple. Your blood sugar will not rise the same way as if you ate a candy bar. Why? Because the apple contains nutritional synergists that help the body metabolize the unrefined sugars naturally and evenly. Later, when the blood sugar lowers, your pancreas releases glucagon, which takes the stored sugar called glycogen out of the tissues and raises your blood sugar. The glucose that is taken from glycogen storage is the best carbohydrate for bodily function. This is how your body was designed to work.
What happens when we eat a candy bar or drink a glass of processed fruit juice? It is a high dose of refined sugar without any of the phytonutrients and nutritional synergists. The blood sugar goes through the roof and you get a nice boost of pseudo-energy. Insulin is released from the islets of langerhans in the pancreas to lower the blood sugar. The whole system is thrown out of balance, which causes the blood sugar to drop too low. You solve the problem with more candy. This over-stimulation of the islets of langerhans, with the sudden imbalance of the blood sugar, is a violent act against your body. It's like putting jet fuel in a Geo Metro instead of regular gas. BOOM!
If this wasn't enough to motivate you to give up the refined sugars, think about this. Once your glycogen stores are full, your body will take high blood sugar and store it as fat instead. Maybe you didn't know that your body could turn sugar into fat. Also, over stimulation of the islets of langerhans of the pancreas produces a parasympathetic state. This is a resting state. You would experience this as fatigue. So what we have is varying levels of being fat and tired when we abuse refined sugars. Look around you, over half of our society is both fat and tired. Read your labels!
I have found 3 products that will reduce sugar cravings in susceptible people. Pancreas Stabilizer, Protefood and Gymnema. Pancreas Stabilizer is a perfect blend of herbs that have shown to reduce cravings. Protefood is a amino acid supplement which almost instantly gives energy to sugar cravers. Gymnema is an herb which has been proven to reduce glucose absorption, making the sugary foods not taste so great. It also lowers cholesterol.
If you are having difficulty with refined sugars, there is a reason. Set an appointment with Dr. Lisa or myself today to find out why.