When you think of sugar…what comes to mind?
Maybe a picture of your favorite sweet as a child represents sugar to you.
But when you think deeper, what images, scenes and feelings come up for you when you think of sugar? Fun? Happiness? Indulgence? Rewards? Reminders of childhood when life was simpler and easier?
Sugar is the #1 food associated with emotional eating. The reason why this is so is because refined white sugar acts as a neuroexcitotoxin in your brain. Sugar is a stimulant (excito) – that is why so many people use it as a “pick me up”. Sugar affects brain functioning (neuro) and gets emotionally imprinted in your brain with reward and comfort. And it an be destructive to your body and can become very addictive (toxin).
There is a demonstration I have done with audiences using Applied Kinesiology to show how toxic refined sugar really is to the body. If you are not familiar with Applied Kinesiology or AK, it is a muscle testing technique that shows what strengthens the body’s energy field and what weakens it. When testing a person, you have them hold out their arm in front of them, and you push down on their arm to see if it hold strong or goes weak.
In the sugar demonstration, I have the person hold three different sealed envelopes to their chest and I test their arm strength each time. The person does not know what is in the envelopes. They are not marked and you cannot see what is inside them. I don’t even know which one is which because we mix them up.
Now, in the three muscle tests, the volunteer can only hold their arm strong with one of the envelopes to their chest. With the other two, the person’s arm goes weak.
What is in the envelopes?
The ones that made the person’s energy field go weak are:
- White sugar packets – the same you would find at a coffee shop.
- Packets of an artificial sweetener – the pink ones, the blue ones, the yellow ones. It doesn’t matter which one is used in the demonstration. They all make the person go weak.
But what about the other envelope that the person stayed strong with?
“Sugar in the Raw” – yes, it was a sugar packet but it was the brown packet of whole, unprocessed sugar. Raw sugar doesn’t weaken the body.
The abundance of refined sugars and artificial sweeteners in the common food supply is a major contributor to the obesity epidemic we have in this country, not to mention the rising problem of diabetes. Nowhere is this more evident in our children. Think of all the sugar kids eat today. It is not just a treat to be enjoyed as a dessert after dinner anymore. It is now present at all meals and all of the snacks in between. Candy bars, cookies, candies, ice cream, cupcakes, donuts, gum, soda, juices, sports drinks are readily available for kids now. It is no wonder that childhood obesity and childhood diabetes are the fastest growing health problems for kids today.
Excess Sugar = Excess Calories = Excess Weight = Obesity.
Sugar molecules are toxic chemicals. They are addictive. They are unhealthy for us and we need to limit our intakes of it. If you cannot eliminate it altogether, then try to cut down the amount you eat during the week. Stop drinking soda. Eat fruit instead of candy. Use Stevia or “Sugar in the Raw” as a sweetener instead of artificial sweeteners.
It might take some time and it might take a lot of effort, but you will be a lot healthier if you do.
*Exerpted from the Being Well Lifestyles Home Study Course by Dr. Jay Warren.
Drawing on over two decades of experience as a hands-on holistic practitioner, Dr. Jay Warren is a primary healthcare provider and licensed chiropractor in the San Diego area. He has spent tens of thousands of clinical hours helping his patients achieve their optimal health potential through holistic approaches bolstered by years of personal experimentation, education and research. Dr. Jay creates customized plans integrating exercise, nutrition and stress management strategies to overcome a myriad of health challenges. For more information, email drjay@drjaywarren.com or visit www.DrJayWarren.com.