Are you living with chronic inflammation? Have you been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue or rheumatoid arthritis? Do you wake up in the morning with body aches, stiff joints, or tender points anywhere on your body that hurts even though you never injured them?
I know I did. I lived with chronic inflammation and pain for years until I did this one important thing. I eliminated sugar from my diet!
Yes, I got rid of those chocolate candies, soda and donuts. I was never a big fan of sweets anyhow, but when I removed them completely from my diet it had a huge impact on the way I felt.
That was twenty years ago.
Chronic Inflammation and Sugar
This past Halloween, since I was feeling pretty healthy, I ate a few too many miniature Kit-Kats, Twix and Tootsie Rolls. I felt that all too familiar pain come back, and I couldn’t understand why. Then it hit me like a smack in the head! I remembered how sugar played such an important role in propagating my chronic inflammation and pain.
It started creeping all through my body. Not bad mind you, but enough to remind me of my days with rheumatoid arthritis. I know what it’s like to live with chronic pain. I remember when it would take me 15 minutes to get out bed each day.
Thankfully, I no longer live with chronic pain. But after Halloween this year, to experience that familiar pain course through my body scared me. Since I never eat that much candy, I knew the sugar I was putting into my system was affecting me.
So I quit eating it, again. It just wasn’t worth it.
And the pain went away.
I know other people who live with chronic pain in their hips, knees, and backs. I also know, when they eliminated sugar from their diets, their pain diminished.
One person was a woman in her fifties. She already had two hip replacement surgeries and the joints in her hands hurt so bad; it was difficult for her to play any of the sports she loved. If you saw her when she was suffering, you wouldn’t have believed that she grew up as an athlete, since she could barely walk.
If you asked her what she ate, she would have told you she preferred to eat processed foods since she didn’t like to cook. She frequently ate at restaurants. Also, since she didn’t drink coffee, but wanted the caffeine, she would consume multiple soda drinks every day.
For years, she resisted modifying her diet. Then one day she decided she’d had enough. She dramatically changed her diet overnight and removed all the sugar and BAM! Her pain dramatically reduced.
Quit the Sugar
Even knowing sugar aggravated her pain, it was hard for her to remove it from her diet. We become addicted to sugar. It is amazing how people resist this one dietary change, even if they are living with so much pain.
With all the information blasted in the news about how bad sugar is for our bodies, I am amazed at how many people still drink one or two sodas every day.
And don’t think fancy vitamin waters or electrolyte drinks are much better. Manufacturers load these drinks with sugar which makes them unhealthy.
Think it may be too big of a task for you?
Here are five strategies to help you remove sugar from your diet.
1. Wake Up Determined
Since it takes 21 days to break a habit, take it one day at a time. Focus on each day individually. Wake up determined to make it through that one day so it doesn’t feel like such an overwhelming task. Also, tell yourself you are choosing to make a lifestyle change, not restricting your diet. That way you feel it is a positive choice you are in control of making, not a negative diet restriction.
2. Read The Labels
When you start looking for sugar in the ingredients of your favorite foods, you’ll be surprised how often sugar pops up. Even in foods that aren’t sweet like salad dressings, condiments and tomato sauce. Read the labels. If you see sugar at the top of the list, consider it a red flag. That’s when you may want to find a healthier alternative.
3. Sneaky Names
While you are reading the label, be sure to look for all those sneaky names that sugar likes to hide under. If the product contains one or more of the following, it may not be as healthy as you think:
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Dried Cane Syrup or Cane Sugar
- Invert Sugar
- Maltodextrin
- Sucrose (or any word that ends in “-ose”)
4. Replace The Sugar
Use Xylitol instead of sugar. If you like your coffee sweet, add a bit of Xylitol. It is a natural food source that acts just like sugar but doesn’t elevate blood sugar levels or insulin levels. It is good for you and can improve your gut health. I also like Stevia and use it every day in my coffee or tea. However, some people get an aftertaste from Stevia and it is difficult to bake with. Xylitol has the same baking properties as sugar, so it is an even exchange in recipes.
5. Helpful Supplements
Take supplements that help reduce sugar cravings like chromium, vitamin B6, and lipase. There are others that can help as well. If you want to learn more about other supplements that help with sugar cravings, here is a good article that discusses twelve of them.
That’s it. Not too hard is it?
We all know sugar is so bad for our health in countless ways. But when you are dealing with chronic pain and inflammation, removing it from your diet is an important action you should take. If you are feeling any pain, feel achy, or just feel older than your years, try removing all sources of refined sugar from your diet. It will have a dramatic impact on how you feel.
While it may be difficult at first, it will be well worth it in the end. Check out my recipes for inspiration on healing foods that can help you detox and get back on track!
Peace and be well,
Founder of Maty’s Healthy Products — a line of natural & organic health products made from whole food ingredients
Carolyn Harrington