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So you are trying to eat properly, yet still not getting the results you crave
Let me tell you about my own journey. I was raised by parents that were into wellness. When I lived at home we had very little sugar. We had 27 fruit trees, a vineyard, and a vegetable garden. My dad raised much of our own meat. But, I always had a sweet tooth. I loved anything sweet-especially chocolate. I still do.
When I grew up and moved away from home I decided to be just like everyone else and eat like they do. Guess what? I didn’t fare very well. My weight went up, my health went down, and I even began to get cavities. I just didn’t like the results. I didn’t like how I felt or looked. (Anyone who knows me realizes that my genetic disposition is great at making and storing body fat. Yuk!)
So I decided to get back into to health.. I stopped eating sugar, but, then I was addicted to starches and most especially breads. I didn’t realize how much sugar they dumped into the system. Our dear Janice says I wasn’t ready then.
So, after taking courses, classes, doing research and much intensive study, I learned that sugar comes in many forms. As you already know, it is regular table sugar. It is also high fructose corn syrup, it also comes in the form or breads and any starchy foods, and it is in the form or processed high glycemic boxed foods. This sugar is absolutely death dealing.
I found out that there are many hidden sugars in our modern diet that we don’t even realize.
This is a big contributor that holds us back from our goals of vibrant health and wellness.
Note the facts:
We consume more sugar in one day than our ancestors did in a whole entire year! The typical American diet has many hidden dangers. Restaurants may not disclose the whole truth about those “low calorie” meals that they advertise on their menus.
This can puts us at risk of diabetes and other diseases.
Eating properly and staying on a low glycemic diet means much more than just achieving a smaller waist size, it means you will gain vibrant health and wellness and that is our main goal.
Notice the cascading and yes, disease and aging effects of sugar in the diet. Not dietary fat mind you, but sugar. (We’ll discuss different types of oils and fats at another time.)
Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas and one of its many critical jobs is to lower blood sugar levels. Our bodies are programmed to store energy for survival purposes. Insulin allows us to do this by opening doors to cells, moving sugar from the bloodstream into the cells, where it can be used as energy. However, only a small fraction of glucose (sugar) is actually stored for energy. The excess sugar, is then stored as fat which is the main culprit in heart disease. (Note-sugar is stored as fat, again I’m not speaking of dietary fat here)
Because of the large amounts of sugar we consume, the pancreas needs to produce more and more insulin. Eventually the cells close their doors to insulin in an attempt to protect themselves from reaching toxic levels. When normal amounts of insulin are unable to open the doors to cells; this causes insulin resistance. Insulin resistance causes glucose (which is sugar) to build up in the blood which if not controlled eventually leads to diabetes. (There are 5 steps or levels of diabetes.)
Now this may not be news to you but what you might not have known is that when our pancreas is exhausted from overworking, high insulin levels in our blood also stimulates our sympathetic nervous system, increasing stress hormone release which inhibits part of our immune system function.
Vitamin C is made from glucose (sugar) so they both enter the cell the same way. When the doors are closed due to high levels of insulin neither Vitamin C nor glucose may enter cells to do their jobs. The immune system needs high amounts of Vitamin C to work correctly. So even if Vitamin C is in your diet, simply by ingesting toxic amounts of sugar you will decrease the absorption of Vitamin C, therefore hindering your immune system’s capabilities. Research shows that our immune systems are declining each and every year.
Do any of us need our immune system? Remember the movie “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble.” He eventually died very young because he didn’t have an effective immune system. Our immune system is the difference between life and death.
A mineral, magnesium is also affected by the absorption of insulin. Without insulin’s ability to enter our body’s cells, it is also not absorbed. A very important job of magnesium in the body is to relax muscles. Not just the muscles we use to exercise, but also smooth muscle tissue, which makes up our blood vessels. If the muscles in our body cannot relax, over time blood vessels will chronically constrict causing high blood pressure. Decreased magnesium absorption also lowers energy production.
How many times have you or someone you care about said: I just don’t have any energy. Or, my get up and go got up and went? I know I’ve said it.
With magnesium being blocked we have more high blood pressure, and more fatigue.
Insulin concentrated in the blood stream causes sodium retention. Sodium retention causes fluid retention, and this dangerous combination increases blood pressure. High blood pressure and fluid retention over time can contribute to heart disease.
Also, persistent high insulin levels along with insulin resistance increase LDL cholesterol levels because of increased stress hormone release.
Studies are now showing insulin as a significant factor in determining longevity. Genetically, our normal rate of cell division is around 120 years. This means we should be able to live 120 years. But, high levels of insulin in the bloodstream cause your cells to divide quicker. More rapidly dividing cells increase the aging process. So, we’re living shorter and shorter lives due to high insulin levels directly related to the way we eat and live our lives. We call this our modern lifestyle.
I don’t know about you, but, I want anti-aging vibrant health and wellness instead of increasing the speed of the aging process.
Our diet consists of too many calories and foods that are just not good for us which spikes blood sugar levels. As I mentioned they are: primarily plain sugar, high fructose corn syrup and high glycemic and processed foods, increasing insulin production and leading the pathway to insulin resistance. If not controlled through diet, exercise and stress reduction, insulin resistance will lead to Type II Diabetes, immune system dysfunction, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease which are now the leading causes of death in our society.
Now, when I came to my senses, at least partially, I was already hypoglycemic, which is going down the pathway to diabetes. I was only 18 years old, and that was directly due to my genetics and my diet at that time.
I did take steps to stop the progression, just short of diabetes, but, I have continued to work to find out what does what in the body. I only have one body after all. I have decided I want to live a long time in a healthy body.
Now, for those that formerly believed it’s no big thing to have so much sugar and high glycemic foods in our diet, do you see the cascading effect which leads to disease and premature death?
If you want to turn all this around you may. But, you must take action. The choice is yours.
Are YOU ready?
You may have vibrant glowing health instead of a sick and diseased life leading quickly to death—-not only for yourself, but also for those you love.
Remember: you and your family are worth the time and effort.
(If you would like more information on the effects of sugar including Nancy Appleton’s list of the harmful effects of sugar, contact me and I will be very happy to email them to you. This is just the tip of the iceberg.)
(Carmel Aaron lives in Heber Springs, has a degree in biology and has been certified by Proevity in Nutrition and Glycemic Indexing. She owns and operates Anatomy Academy Wellness, where she teaches a Certified Wellness Weight Loss Coaching program as a GKCC. To get in touch with Carmel email: AWellnessCoach@Gmail.com.)
So you are trying to eat properly, yet still not getting the results you crave
Let me tell you about my own journey. I was raised by parents that were into wellness. When I lived at home we had very little sugar. We had 27 fruit trees, a vineyard, and a vegetable garden. My dad raised much of our own meat. But, I always had a sweet tooth. I loved anything sweet-especially chocolate. I still do.
When I grew up and moved away from home I decided to be just like everyone else and eat like they do. Guess what? I didn’t fare very well. My weight went up, my health went down, and I even began to get cavities. I just didn’t like the results. I didn’t like how I felt or looked. (Anyone who knows me realizes that my genetic disposition is great at making and storing body fat. Yuk!)
So I decided to get back into to health.. I stopped eating sugar, but, then I was addicted to starches and most especially breads. I didn’t realize how much sugar they dumped into the system. Our dear Janice says I wasn’t ready then.
So, after taking courses, classes, doing research and much intensive study, I learned that sugar comes in many forms. As you already know, it is regular table sugar. It is also high fructose corn syrup, it also comes in the form or breads and any starchy foods, and it is in the form or processed high glycemic boxed foods. This sugar is absolutely death dealing.
I found out that there are many hidden sugars in our modern diet that we don’t even realize.
This is a big contributor that holds us back from our goals of vibrant health and wellness.
Note the facts:
We consume more sugar in one day than our ancestors did in a whole entire year! The typical American diet has many hidden dangers. Restaurants may not disclose the whole truth about those “low calorie” meals that they advertise on their menus.
This can puts us at risk of diabetes and other diseases.
Eating properly and staying on a low glycemic diet means much more than just achieving a smaller waist size, it means you will gain vibrant health and wellness and that is our main goal.
Notice the cascading and yes, disease and aging effects of sugar in the diet. Not dietary fat mind you, but sugar. (We’ll discuss different types of oils and fats at another time.)
Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas and one of its many critical jobs is to lower blood sugar levels. Our bodies are programmed to store energy for survival purposes. Insulin allows us to do this by opening doors to cells, moving sugar from the bloodstream into the cells, where it can be used as energy. However, only a small fraction of glucose (sugar) is actually stored for energy. The excess sugar, is then stored as fat which is the main culprit in heart disease. (Note-sugar is stored as fat, again I’m not speaking of dietary fat here)
Because of the large amounts of sugar we consume, the pancreas needs to produce more and more insulin. Eventually the cells close their doors to insulin in an attempt to protect themselves from reaching toxic levels. When normal amounts of insulin are unable to open the doors to cells; this causes insulin resistance. Insulin resistance causes glucose (which is sugar) to build up in the blood which if not controlled eventually leads to diabetes. (There are 5 steps or levels of diabetes.)
Now this may not be news to you but what you might not have known is that when our pancreas is exhausted from overworking, high insulin levels in our blood also stimulates our sympathetic nervous system, increasing stress hormone release which inhibits part of our immune system function.
Vitamin C is made from glucose (sugar) so they both enter the cell the same way. When the doors are closed due to high levels of insulin neither Vitamin C nor glucose may enter cells to do their jobs. The immune system needs high amounts of Vitamin C to work correctly. So even if Vitamin C is in your diet, simply by ingesting toxic amounts of sugar you will decrease the absorption of Vitamin C, therefore hindering your immune system’s capabilities. Research shows that our immune systems are declining each and every year.
Do any of us need our immune system? Remember the movie “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble.” He eventually died very young because he didn’t have an effective immune system. Our immune system is the difference between life and death.
A mineral, magnesium is also affected by the absorption of insulin. Without insulin’s ability to enter our body’s cells, it is also not absorbed. A very important job of magnesium in the body is to relax muscles. Not just the muscles we use to exercise, but also smooth muscle tissue, which makes up our blood vessels. If the muscles in our body cannot relax, over time blood vessels will chronically constrict causing high blood pressure. Decreased magnesium absorption also lowers energy production.
How many times have you or someone you care about said: I just don’t have any energy. Or, my get up and go got up and went? I know I’ve said it.
With magnesium being blocked we have more high blood pressure, and more fatigue.
Insulin concentrated in the blood stream causes sodium retention. Sodium retention causes fluid retention, and this dangerous combination increases blood pressure. High blood pressure and fluid retention over time can contribute to heart disease.
Also, persistent high insulin levels along with insulin resistance increase LDL cholesterol levels because of increased stress hormone release.
Studies are now showing insulin as a significant factor in determining longevity. Genetically, our normal rate of cell division is around 120 years. This means we should be able to live 120 years. But, high levels of insulin in the bloodstream cause your cells to divide quicker. More rapidly dividing cells increase the aging process. So, we’re living shorter and shorter lives due to high insulin levels directly related to the way we eat and live our lives. We call this our modern lifestyle.
I don’t know about you, but, I want anti-aging vibrant health and wellness instead of increasing the speed of the aging process.
Our diet consists of too many calories and foods that are just not good for us which spikes blood sugar levels. As I mentioned they are: primarily plain sugar, high fructose corn syrup and high glycemic and processed foods, increasing insulin production and leading the pathway to insulin resistance. If not controlled through diet, exercise and stress reduction, insulin resistance will lead to Type II Diabetes, immune system dysfunction, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease which are now the leading causes of death in our society.
Now, when I came to my senses, at least partially, I was already hypoglycemic, which is going down the pathway to diabetes. I was only 18 years old, and that was directly due to my genetics and my diet at that time.
I did take steps to stop the progression, just short of diabetes, but, I have continued to work to find out what does what in the body. I only have one body after all. I have decided I want to live a long time in a healthy body.
Now, for those that formerly believed it’s no big thing to have so much sugar and high glycemic foods in our diet, do you see the cascading effect which leads to disease and premature death?
If you want to turn all this around you may. But, you must take action. The choice is yours.
Are YOU ready?
You may have vibrant glowing health instead of a sick and diseased life leading quickly to death—-not only for yourself, but also for those you love.
Remember: you and your family are worth the time and effort.
(If you would like more information on the effects of sugar including Nancy Appleton’s list of the harmful effects of sugar, contact me and I will be very happy to email them to you. This is just the tip of the iceberg.)
(Carmel Aaron lives in Heber Springs, has a degree in biology and has been certified by Proevity in Nutrition and Glycemic Indexing. She owns and operates Anatomy Academy Wellness, where she teaches a Certified Wellness Weight Loss Coaching program as a GKCC. To get in touch with Carmel email: AWellnessCoach@Gmail.com.)
