If you worry about your immunity - quit sugar! Here is why.

Sugar is energy and our bodies, and especially our brain, need it to function. The problem is the excess sugar and, in particular, the added sugar in the processed food.

In general, all the sweat things we eat (both natural like fruit and processed like candy) and all the carbohydrates get converted into a form of sugar (glucose) in our blood stream. But, while whole fruit or sweet vegetables would also include fiber and plenty of other nutrients, added sugar has no added nutritional value and therefore constitutes the so-called ‘empty calories’.

As having energy is crucial for our survival, our bodies are designed to keep the level of glucose in our blood constant and secrete insulin in order to do just that. The extra glucose that is not needed at the moment is transported and stored in liver and in our muscles as glycogen. The problem starts when these storages are already full (in general we can store up to 1 day of energy needs as glycogen). At this point, the excess glycogen gets converted into triglycerides and stored as fat (especially the belly fat). And yes, it is what most of us would like to avoid! In addition, if we constantly over burden our bodies with excess sugar, our cells may become insulin resistant, leading to diabetes. So, excess sugar makes us fat and sick!

There is also another important aspect to consider – and that is immunity. It has become also a buzzword these days as we are all worried about the Covid-19 and try to boost the immunity. While getting good sleep, reducing stress, and supplementing with key immunity boosting supplements (Vit. D, C, zinc, probiotics, etc.) are all great ways to boost our immunity (see my post on that), it is equally important what we do, or rather not do, to undermine the very thing we are trying to preserve.

That’s where SUGAR enters the picture. Sugar molecules resemble the molecules of Vitamin C and confuse our bodies to take their place in the cells. The problem is that our white blood cells (aka ‘the first responders’ in our bodies) that fight viruses and bacteria need Vitamin C to function properly. When we consume sugar and our bodies mistakenly store its molecules instead of Vit C, we do a real dis-service to our hard working immune system and jeopardise its efficiency and effectiveness. Studies have shown that our body’s immunity response is compromised even 5 hours after in digesting sugar. Now what we want – especially these days!

So, what kind of sugar we are talking about and why is it so hard to quit?

As part of the evolution, we are predisposed to like sugar as the sweet taste signals that the food is safe to eat and has high energy content. That was important for our ancestors to ensure the survival of human race. So far, so good. The problem we are facing today is the abundance of cheap sugar in everything we consume.

As we like sugar and get easily addicted to it (some studies showing sugar is as addictive as cocaine!), food producers add it to most of the foods we consume. What’s worse, when we eat sugar, we need increasing doses of it - just like with drugs. This is because regular sugar consumption inhibits dopamine transporters, which prompts you to eat even more sugar to get the same pleasure reward as before.

It is no surprise that there is added sugar in sweets and candy but we also consume added sugar in bread, pasta sauce, salad dressing, and so on - the list could go on. For a fun exercise, do a quick Internet search on different names of sugar and investigate food labels on the foods you regularly consume to see where the added sugar is hiding. A good place to start is this article, which includes 57 names for sugar.

And one word of caution on the worst of all high fructose corn syrup – just stay away from this stuff! Glucose raises your blood sugar and signals your hormone insulin to either use it as an energy source or store it as fat. However, fructose doesn't raise blood sugar (in this case, not a good thing as your body is unable to tell when you have eaten enough) and instead heads straight to your liver (the only place where it can be processed). Excess amount of fructose in our bodies leads to insulin resistance, high triglycerides, belly fat (increasing your risk for type 2 diabetes), and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease – definitely not what we want. If there is one change you implement – stay away from products containing added fructose or high fructose corn syrup!

What about artificial sweeteners? They claim not to increase insulin and often have very few calories – what not too like? Well, as with may of these claims that appear too good to be true, you should really try to stay away from these. We are only slowly learning about the impact these chemicals are having on our bodies and it is not pretty. Apart from that, our body is smart and given their sweet taste, it expects some calories to come with them – as they have very few, they create a certain caloric deficit that over time leads to increased cravings for – you guessed it – more sugar as we are lacking the energy that should have come with these substances. So, it becomes a downward spiral.

There are better alternatives to using white sugar in your cooking. These include honey, maple syrup, stevia, monk fruit, alcohol sugars (xylitol, erythritol), etc. but the same caution as with any sugar should be exercised. Try to use these in moderation and train your taste buds to need less sweetness over time.

So, once you can read the food labels and get an idea on how much sugar you consume, try to reduce it gradually. Gradually is a key word here if you want to avoid some nasty withdrawal effects – yep, as mentioned sugar is an addictive substance. The less you eat it, the less your body is going to crave it. It is like magic!

Getting off sugar or at least reducing it gradually over time is a process that can benefit every person. If you consider it and would like some help in kick-starting the process and motivating you along the way, schedule a free initial consultation with me where we discuss your specific health concerns and needs leading to designing a custom made program that will work for you. Get in touch with me on FB/Instagram or here.

Hello! I am Magda and I work with people that are ready to transform their health and wellbeing. What are your health goals that you have not been able to reach? Read more about me and my services.

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