The change in my diet that transformed my body and life

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Over the past few years, I have been quite focused on improving my diet.  I have always been interested in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, playing tennis and doing sports since I was 6 years old, but up to a few years ago I was never too mindful of my diet.  Since I was always slender, I thought I could eat anything I wanted, “just work out”, and it would all balance out.  As I became more educated in wellness, I realized how incorrect this strategy had been. 

With the help of a nutritionist a few years back, I started to revamp my diet to a great place (I worked with Karen Kelley, owner of Trimm-Way, an excellent and affordable nutritionist that works with clients over the phone.  I highly recommend her, so check her out by clicking here).  We began by balancing my consumption of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.  I was eating too many carbs (and the bad ones too!), not enough protein, and not giving fats (the good ones) their proper importance.  We kicked processed foods out the window, and drastically increased my intake of vegetables and fruits.  Yet of everything that we did, there was a change that had an incredible impact on my body and life: Cutting out added sugar. 

What are added sugars? According to the US Department of Agriculture “Added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added to foods or beverages when they are processed or prepared. This does not include naturally occurring sugars such as those found in fruits, vegetables, and milk.”

OK, so why is added sugar bad for you?  These are just some of the results of its overconsumption:

  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Pre-diabetes
  • Weight gain
  • Obesity
  • Heart and cardiovascular disease
  • Impaired immune system
  • High blood pressure (a recent study by Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City linked sugar as a greater cause of high blood pressure than salt)
  • Liver failure
  • Pancreatic Cancer
  • Kidney disease
  • Cognitive decline (e.g. Alzheimer’s)
  • Arthritis (Gout)
  • Cavities
  • Fatigue
  • Brain fog
  • Insatiable hunger
  • Acne
  •  FYI, research shows that sugar is very addictive and behaves in our body like a drug (e.g. heroin and cocaine), something you do not want inside of you!

After just decreasing my intake of added sugar, I lost weight and my body became leaner and stronger.  I was much less tired (no more fatigue!) and my mind was as clear as a blue sky (no more brain fog!).  My skin looked younger and healthier (also helped by my habit of meditation) and I just felt GREAT all of the time. I didn’t feel weighed down and sluggish, and instead felt lite and nimble.  The change was amazing. 

Now, what to avoid? Obvious examples of popular foods and beverages with added sugars are:

  • Soft drinks (e.g. Coke, Pepsi) and sports drinks (e.g. Gatorade)
  • Fruit drinks (e.g. Fruit Punch)
  • Ice Cream
  • Candy
  • Cakes
  • Cookies
  • Pies
  • Donuts
  • Pastries

I knew enough to know the above were not healthy foods.  Yet, I still indulged in these thinking they couldn’t be that harmful, but I quickly learned how wrong I was.  What was even more impactful was to eliminate foods that had added sugar hidden in the ingredients.  I began to regularly read the ingredient labels of the foods I ate and avoided anything with added sugar.  Here are some of the many different names of added sugar on ingredient labels:

  • Sugar
  • Raw sugar
  • White granulated sugar
  • Sugar cane juice
  • Brown sugar
  • Sucrose
  • Honey
  • Fruit nectar
  • Fruit juice concentrate
  • Cane juice
  • Corn syrup
  • Evaporated corn sweetener
  • Fructose
  • Liquid fructose
  • High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
  • Lactose
  • Malt syrup
  • Maltose
  • Maple syrup
  • Molasses
  • Nectars (e.g. peach nectar)
  • Pancake sugar
  • Invert sugar
  • Confectioner’s powdered sugar
  • Dextrose
  • Anhydrous dextrose
  • Crystal dextrose
  • Glucose

Those are a lot of different names for added sugar!  Start reading the ingredients of the foods you purchase.  You will see added sugar in pasta sauce, frozen pizzas, yogurts, cereals, salty crackers, granola bars, teas, even some pre-made salads have a ton of added sugars!  Don’t worry, there is a lot of food out there that you can eat that does not have added sugar and I will post many of these options on this site and my Instagram account: Instagram.com/JudithDuval.     

If you are interested in learning more, check out the movie Fed Up.  I found it to be great (and there are a several other documentaries I've loved on this subject).  Here’s the trailer for you:

 

Check out this great video by The Bigger Picture, addressing the epidemic within the Hispanic community:

I promise you that this change in your diet will be well worth it.  Why don’t you try to go 90 days without eating added sugar and see how it goes?  Leave me a comment after the 90 days with an update!  I would absolutely love to hear from you either way, so please leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts on added sugar.  If you enjoyed this post, share it with your friends and family!

Lots of love,

Judith