Eat & Feel Pretty 2018: Sugar

Happy Friday my friends!! In my opinion, the most difficult week is almost done! Wahoo! How has it been for you so far? I’m not going to lie, this week was hard for me. I wasn’t tired without coffee but I did miss having it every morning. I also got headaches the first two days but I powered through them with extra water. If you made it this week with only drinking water, please give yourself a pat on the back! I’m so proud of you!

This weeks challenge should be fairly easy for some of you- no sweets {refined sugar}. This means:

• No sugary beverages
• No desserts
• No ice cream
• No frozen yogurt
• No cookies
• No sugary pastries
• No chocolate (yes it deserves it’s own category)
• No candy
• No added sugar

You get the picture. If you have a major sweet tooth, try replacing your usual dessert with some naturally sweet fruit like mango and strawberries.

No Sugar: But Why?

So why is no sweets this weeks challenge? Unfortunately, for all us ladies who love a good dessert, added sugar is the single worst ingredient in the modern diet. It can have harmful effects on metabolism and contribute to all sorts of diseases. Scientist believe that it is added sugar who is responsible for many, if not most of today’s health issues: the obesity epidemic; the dramatic increase in diabetes; memory troubles, cancer, heart disease, fertility problems and more.

Added sugars (like sucrose and high fructose corn syrup) contain a whole bunch of calories with NO essential nutrients. So think of this way- it would take you running a mile to burn off the one candy bar you ate. And the worst part is the way our body breaks down excess sugar is it eventually turns it into fat.

Sugar is bad for your whole body but it’s particularly bad for your skin. Sugar raises insulin levels and puts unnatural demands on your body to deal with the food you just ate.  As mentioned in last weeks post, this spike in insulin leads to inflammation which then leads to enzymes that break down collagen and elastin, resulting in sagging skin and wrinkles. Simple carbohydrates are the worst offenders- think : candy, fried food, ice cream, fruit juice, pasta, ketchup, cream cheese, jam, pizza, sugar (white and brown), packaged snacks and sodas.

What We Should Eat This Week

One of the purposes of the eat pretty challenge is not to just make our lives difficult by giving up certain foods, but rather to encourage developing new healthy habits and promote clean eating. Since we are getting rid of all sweets this week, lets replace them with some nutritious options. What are some good carbohydrates we can consume this week? Lets focus on replacing those simple carbohydrates with complex ones like oatmeal, brown rice and vegetables. Low-glycemic options, like beans, nuts, and whole grains, as well as fibrous foods, which delay sugar absorption, also help control blood sugar levels. By adding healthy fats (like olive oil and avocados), lean protein (like salmon), fiber (like oatmeal or peas) and antioxidants (like berries), you will get healthy glowing skin!

Still not sold on the whole too-much-sugar-is-bad-for-you theory? Well I strongly recommend you watching the documentary Fed Up. I watched it when I was in graduate school and thought it was very powerful. The film focuses on childhood obesity and how America has become addicted to sugar. Scientist have found that our brains react the same to added sugar as it does to cocaine {pictured below}. Crazy right? Although a very sad film, I found it fascinating how much America relies on added sugar.

Beauty Challenge

So this week will be a little bit different. It has to do with our inner beauty, and finding beauty in others! Each day this week, I want to challenge you to give at least one compliment or sweet word to someone. Whether they are with you in person, or you give them a call- remind others around you how special they really are!

It is easy to get discouraged but a kind word can totally change your day. So get out there, and give a compliment. Or two. Or three. We might be cutting out sugar from our diet, but there is always plenty of room to spread love and kindness!

Recipes

Since we are giving up sweets this week, I thought sharing a super healthy cookie recipe that requires zero added sugar would be best. My dear friend and fellow registered dietitian, Marissa from Marisa Moore Nutrition, was kind enough to share one of her favorite recipes with us! This is one you won’t want to miss!! Click HERE to check out her Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Cookies!

I hope that I gave you a few solid reasons why we are giving up sweets for the week. If you still want to learn more, please feel free to email me! Or if you have any questions on what you can or can’t eat, email me! Good luck my friends- we are half way done with the challenge!

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Xo,