Growing up, I was known as the girl with the “sweet tooth”; if ‘they’ only knew that it wasn’t just a tooth, but a mouth-full of teeth!
I’d crave that chocolate dessert, indulge, enjoy, and pay for the consequences later.
What consequences? I felt: Physically ill. Dizzy. Experienced irregular heart palpitations. A whole list of other, horrible things!
Then I felt as though I was going into a “sugar comatose state” and would just want to go to sleep!
So, throughout a lifetime of poor choices, and bad health, I have discovered I have a form of
Connie Bennett, author of SUGAR SHOCK, invites YOU to explore the possibility that your baffling, unexplained health issues might be related to your eating patterns, too!
- Are you buffered about by wildly fluctuating mood swings, panic attacks, angry outbursts, and sobbing spells that make your sweetheart throw his hands up in puzzlement?
- Are you bewildered by overpowering exhaustion, fuzzy thinking incapacitating blues, aching eyeballs, rapid heartbeat, unbearable migraines, and severe PMS?
- Are you engaged in a seemingly endless battle of the bulge–but nonetheless always make room for dessert food or quickie-carb snacks?
- Are you “hooked” on chocolate, chips, or pasta–even identifying with people who have addictions?
If you answered YES to any of the above questions, then you might be among the estimated 74 million to 147 million Americans–who have difficulty processing sweets and refined carbs. Perhaps you, too, are a victim of this terrifying, menacing epidemic that I call SUGAR SHOCK.
A mood-altering, emotionally devastating, mentally damaging, physically destructive constellation of symptoms affecting millions of people world-wide, who are caught in a cycle of overindulging in refined sweets and much-like-sugar carbs like white bread, pasta, and chips. “SUGAR SHOCK!” described the often-misdiagnosed condition of reactive hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and other blood sugar disorders, from insulin resistance to diabetes. Mounds of research reveal that repeatedly over consuming these nutrient-deprived quickie carbs and caloric sweeteners wreaks HAVOC on your blood sugar levels, overstimulates insulin release, triggers inflammation, and could contribute to 150-plus health concerns, including
obesity,
diabetes,
heart disease,
cancer,
polycystic ovary syndrome,
failing memory,
sexual dysfunction, and
infertility.
may also experience depression, fatigue, headaches, dizziness, cold sweats, anxiety, irritability, tremors, crying spells, severe PMS, nightmares, heart palpitations, mental confusion, muscle pains, blurred vision, temper outbursts, suicidal thoughts, and more.
Ultimately, this insidious roller-coaster effect, which occurs whenever you eat lots of sweets and quickie carbs, hampers sufferers’ ability to function at full or even half throttle.
This totally makes sense to me now… in 2003, I went on a version of “South Beach Diet”. I ate only low-sugar fruits, veggies, lean meat, dairy products, and nuts and legumes.
I cut the following out of my diet:
Bread
Bagels
White Flour
Pasta
Sugary Desserts and Pastries
Chips,
Crackers
I know what you are thinking! I could NEVER give up those things! I know, I thought so too. I am a sweet-lovin’, bagel and cereal addicted, woman too!
BUT, I found when eliminating these things from my diet (even after just 3 days):
I did not crave the bread, pasta, & crackers
I felt 100% BETTER!
I had energy
I was not tired
My sinuses cleared up
I was motivated to accomplish anything
I had mental clarity
I was not dizzy anymore
I was truly able to “live and be happy”!
What! Just from eliminating those foods? YES!
**Side Note** If eating these foods does not alter your behavior/physical well being, then you most likely do not have a form of reactive hypoglycemia.
But I do, and so many others have gone undiagnosed and are SUFFERING!
But, the struggle comes, with me, in making the CHOICE not to eat those things. It is so hard. But, I encourage you to get this book:
I have read the first few chapters, and skimmed through several others. This is not (to my knowledge) a christian author – so there is some language and “un-biblical thinking”. But, the concept about your health is right on!
Paraphrased from her book:
After you eat quickie carbs and sweets, your blood sugar leaps in reaction. But what happens next? In response to this rise in glucose, your pancreas begins to produce the all-important hormone insulin–alternately called the “master hormone” or “fat-storage hormone.” Essentially, insulin helps regulate your body’s blood sugar level by moving the excess glucose out of your bloodstream and into your cells, thereby lowering your blood sugar and making the glucose available to fuel your body’s functions and the activities of daily life.
So after you mindlessly guzzle that soft drink and scarf those cookies, your blood sugar shoots way up, followed by similar surges in insulin levels. Then, your pancreas responds to this burst of sugar by secreting a proportionate amount of insulin into your bloodstream.
The “insulin rush” that comes from eating sweets or fast-acting carbs brings about another dilemma. “As all this insulin forces glucose into your muscle and fat cells, blood sugar levels plummet, triggering the unmistakable signals of hunger”, notes Dr. Willett. You are setting in motion a vicious health-damaging SUGAR SHOCK! cycle.
While sweets/quickie carbs make your blood sugar shoot way up too quickly,
tasty, superior, nutrient- and vitamin-rich vegetables , low-sugar fruits, nuts, legumes, and whole grains take LONGER to process. These “healthy carbs” convert to sugar gradually, feeding glucose to your bloodstream a little at a time–in gentle trickles. Your needed “fuel” comes at a steady, slow rate!
If you are reading this information I am sharing with you right now, nodding your head, thinking “she is talking about ME”, you should
nuts, seeds, fats, and whole grains.
After those 21 days, provided your DOCTOR (yes consult your doctor first) gives you permission and you don’t have a medical condition already such as diabetes or another serious blood-sugar disorder, allow yourself one single day of indulgence.
WAIT! Not a license to PIG OUT folks! Just willingly participate in “polite portions” of those all-American-favorite-foods such as:
Pizza
Pasta
Candies
Pastry Delights
Soda
or any other
“Taboo” foods
on that designated day.
So, I invite you to take a look at your body; purchase the book SUGAR SHOCK on ebay, or amazon, do something to improve your health! It will be so worth it!
Motivation
Metal Clarity
Healthy Living
Weight Loss
TRULY LIVING the LIFE GOD HAS FOR YOU!
I want to hear from you!
What are your thoughts?
What are your concerns?
Don’t think you can do it? YOU CAN!
Anonymous says
Hey Traci…I love your web-page! It looks awesome and is very interesting. I’ve experienced the same thing w/refined sugar and then low carb dieting. I know i’m healthier when i cut the sugar. I just lose motivation. But it’s definitely true. Again…love you blog and webpage. keep it up chica! ~rebekah W.
Missy says
Interesting post. I have suffered from “the battle of the bulge” pretty much my whole life. I crave carbs and sugars. Maybe this is the answer.
I have also heard about another book called Metabolism Miracle that I want to check out.
He & Me + 3 says
I tried the south beach diet. I liked it ok. Weight watchers has always worked for me…up until I had my thyroid removed. I sure wish that I could make better food choices. I hate to cook and I want quick easy meals. I do need to eat better. Thanks for posting all of this information.
Traci Michele says
Mimi- I have Hypothyroidism and just recently found out that reactive hypoglycemia goes along with that… I guess we just have to do our own research and see what works for our “individual bodies”. I also think that EXERCISE IS HUGE for our mood/well being! It just goes back to making the choice. So hard, but SO WORTH IT! Our hubbies and kids will thank us when we become “happy people”! 🙂
jenjen says
Hi Traci! I am sure my body is sugar shocked. I really need to be better about not eating as much junk. Good post!
Thanks for coming by and saying hi. It is great to meet you!
XOOX
Jen
Five Moms & A Blog says
Thanks for popping by the 5 Moms blog today and the comment:)
Mimi