September 12, 2018
Sugar & Mood
The phrase, “you are what you eat” is literally true. Nutrients from the foods you eat food provide the foundation of the structure, function, and integrity of every little cell in your body, from your skin and hair to your muscles, bones, digestive and immune systems. -Cynthia Sass, RD You realize what this means, right? It means we have control of what what eat, therefore we have control of the function and integrity of our bodies. This also means feeling better is in our control. And, “that’s because what we eat affects the neurotransmitters our brain produces. These are the brain chemicals which guide how we’re feeling.” If what we eat affects how we feel, we need to know what we are eating that is causing us to feel so poorly. Can you guess the culprit? If your guess was a resounding, “SUGAR,” - you are correct. You should know, “almost all disease can be traced back to your microbiome. and the proper balance of bacteria in your gut is largely responsible for your optimal health. You can either choose to feed good bacteria or bad bacteria—and sugar continues to feed bad bacteria as well as yeast overgrowths like Candida. (We have something for this! Click Here!) When bad bacteria take over, it creates an imbalance that leads to chronic systemic inflammation. And although you may not have digestive symptoms, you can certainly have digestive problems—they may just be manifesting themselves in different areas of your body—like your brain or nervous system.” -Mind Body Green Naming a few of these manifestations: anxiety, fatigue, and depression.
Anxiety.
“Research has found that high, not low levels of serotonin are, in fact, making anxiety levels worse for many people. Guess what also raises serotonin levels? Sugar. If you struggle with anxiety, it's possible that every time you eat sugar you're contributing to the neurochemical reaction of anxiety and further perpetuating the issue. Further, studies actually show that people who deal with anxiety have lower levels of Bifidobacterium longum and Lactobacillus helveticus bacteria strains.” Excess sugar causes blood sugar spikes and imbalances, and eventually resistance. An inconsistent blood sugar throws off your, “hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis), which is responsible for releasing your stress hormone cortisol. If you're constantly throwing off your adrenals with sugar, you’ll never really calm down and can further perpetuate the feelings of anxiety. If you want your HPA axis to function properly, you have to keep your blood sugar levels in check.” -Dr. Axe
Fatigue.
“In the long term, chronically high and low blood sugar levels also drain your adrenal glands, setting you up for chronic profound fatigue.” And because, “our blood sugar also affects our moods. When foods are high in added sugars, the spike is followed by a crash when insulin starts to clear sugar from your blood. These sugar lows are often accompanied by headaches and irritability.” -Mind Body Green Have you ever consumed a high amount of sugar (hello, donut) and crashed soon after? This is your body’s response in attempt to regulate your blood sugar levels.
Depression.
“You might be surprised to know how much altering your diet can change how you feel. Some studies have found that those who eat diets high in processed and fast foods are up to 60 percent more likely to suffer from depression compared to people eating healthier diets.” -Dr. Axe Try recording what you eat for a week and your mood in correspondence to each meal. The more fast food and sugar you are consuming, the more you will want to hide out, sleep, and complain.
Feel better now formula:
What can you do now to feel better? Make sure your diet consists of healthy fats (coconut, raw dairy and grass-fed meats; clean, lean protein foods (cage-free eggs, wild fish); wild-caught fish (salmon, halibut, sardines, mackerel); vegetables and fruit; high fiber foods (nuts and seeds, flax, chia, hemp, pumpkin seeds) And know it’s, “best to avoid foods that have lots of sugar, added sodium and artificial ingredients, in addition to greatly cutting back or eliminating caffeine and alcohol. And, studies have linked ultra-processed foods like fast foods and baked goods to depression, greater aggression, anxiety and other mental illnesses.” -Dr. Axe Lastly, put yourself through the Skinny Up! Protocol to detox, reset your gut biome, shed unnecessary weight, kick the pesky sugar habit, and finally FEEL GOOD today!
