Sugar Baby

*If you haven't yet, please 'like' Happy Life, Healthy Life' on facebook!*

*Disclaimer: I hate calling food 'good' and 'bad' as you all well know. However, for this post, I will be portraying sugar in a negative light. Not a 'DON'T EVER EAT SUGAR AGAIN' kind of light, more of a 'I ATE A SH*T LOAD OF SUGAR, AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED'*

Okay. Here's the story: On Sunday, I had a premeditated 'cheat' day. As you know if you read my blog, I try and have a treat every day so I don't go out of my mind crazy. But for some reason, I decided this day, I deserved to eat candy like it was my last day on Earth. So I went to Rite Aid to stock up for a full day of Gossip Girl and pigging out with my friend Amanda. (Is it just me or do we girls ALWAYS eat more junk food if our girlfriends are doing it too? It's like a free pass). Anyways, here was our haul:

Epic. Cut to 1 AM. I am still tossing and turning in bed. I've been in bed since 8 PM. I am miserable. Cut to 1:30 AM and cue the miserable, POUNDING, headache. I must have passed out sometime around 3 AM. When I woke up, I literally felt hungover. A sugar hangover. Is such a thing even possible? So I did some research about why I felt so completely miserable.

 Too much sugar, just like too much alcohol, affects your kidneys, liver, stomach and small intestines, which explains some of what was happening in my body. Dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, gastrointestinal disturbances and disruption of sleep are some of the results. It's recommended we consume no more than 8 teaspoons of processed sugar per day. Guess how many on average we're consuming? 24 teaspoons. TWENTY FOUR! That's half a cup. Yikes.

So, here's what happens in your body when you eat too much sugar or processed food. Remember, TOO much. I'm not saying to cut sugar out. That'd just be silly. And impossible for me.
 -Refined sugars enter your bloodstream.
 -Blood sugar levels rise.
 -Your pancreas is pressured to release insulin (a hormone that helps sugars get into your cells).
 -The insulin helps to use up the sugar rapidly, so blood sugar crashes.
 -Your body goes into a sugar low or hypoglycemia.
 -More hormones are released to deal with the sugar low and return your body to a balanced state. This actually causes a stress response in your body.
 -These hormones squeeze sugar from your liver, sending blood sugar back up.

 Too much sugar causes your body to go on a roller coaster ride of ups and downs…and your moods often follow.

 Sugar is an acid forming substance in your body. Guess what thrives in acidic conditions? Cancer. And don't even THINK about switching to artificial sweeteners because if there is anything more acid forming than sugar in your body, it's artificial sweeteners. Bastards.


 I feel almost back to normal now, which is scary because it's Thursday and my sugar binge was Sunday. I now know there is no need for a 'cleanse' or a 'detox' or a 'fast'. What am I doing to get myself back on track you may ask? I've largely cut back on processed sugars this week.

 Don't get me wrong, I know better than anyone sometimes, you just gotta have that Recess and anything less will not do. However, if you think you can hang with a more natural option, here are some ideas.

 Medjool Date instead of Caramel.

These dates are chewy and super-sweet. They're called Nature's Candy.And they taste especially caramel like right out of the freezer!

 Chocolate Banana 'Ice Cream' over regular ice cream

Freeze a couple very ripe bananas and then blend them in the food processor with some cocoa powder and a splash of milk. YUM.

 Switch to Stevia in coffee instead of sugar or artificial sweeteners

Stevia is derived from a plant. It is all natural and provides a sweet taste with no calories.

Balance is everything though. Balance is life. I try and live 80% natural, 20% indulge. 100% natural wouldn't be good for me or my mental state, but 100% indulgence wouldn't either. Find a balance that works for you and live happy and healthy :) x

Ps- I know this is hypocritical but OMG look at these. Find the recipe here. Sorry in advance.