Holiday Candy 101
The day before my Mom passed away (June 1, 2016 — she was 95), we all knew her hours were short. She was fully aware of everything and family members were gathered around her bed and visiting. She chimed in, “The conversation is getting a little heavy around here. Carolyn, there’s some Easter candy in that dresser! Let’s have some!”
God bless her heart. She dearly loved her Peeps!
Which brings me to an excellent point: candy and sweets are quickly associated with our happiest times and most meaningful memories! I hope you’ll appreciate the article in the link below as much as I did.
Read “How Candy Brings Happiness” HERE!
Enjoying special treats with special people for special times is a wonderful thing!
For me, the hard part comes after everyone’s gone home and the leftover goodies linger in the kitchen and fridge. They linger in my head and heart too as the cravings, once awakened, have a very hard time settling down again.
Here’s a quick reminder of what it does and how to dodge the bullet after everyone’s gone home and the party’s over to help us just SAY GOODBYE to it pronto:
You can read the whole article HERE and the summary is below
What Happens To Your Body When You Eat Sugar
1. Your brain suffers
Fructose—the sugar that naturally occurs in fruit and is a component, with glucose, of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and table sugar—lights up the brain’s reward center, says pediatric endocrinologist Robert Lustig, MD, of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco. But over time, a diet packed with fructose (especially from HFCS) can make it tougher to learn and remember, animal research suggests. To stay in peak mental shape, try sticking with savory snacks.
2. You want to eat more
By revving the brain’s reward and appetite center, fructose can interfere with feelings of satiety, research reveals. Translation: That extra cookie may not curb your craving after all.
3. Skin ages faster
Too much sugar can hinder the repair of collagen, the buzzed-about protein that keeps skin looking plump, studies show. A steady diet of sugary treats can result in reduced elasticity and premature wrinkles. Indulge your sweet tooth with fruit instead. Experts say it’s A-OK to eat two to four servings of the natural sugar source each day.
4. Excess sugar is stored as fat
Pause before you slip that additional packet into your a.m. coffee. The liver has an innate capacity to metabolize sugar and use it for energy—but only to an extent, explains Dr. Lustig. The fructose that’s left over is converted into fat in the liver, raising your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
5. Your cells pay a steep price
Fructose accelerates the usual oxidation process in our cells, says Dr. Lustig. The result? Proteins, tissues, and organs can become damaged, and our risk of health conditions, including liver disease, kidney failure, and cataracts, rises.
6. You get hooked
Eating sugar leads to the release of dopamine, the neurotransmitter that makes us like something and want more of it. “As dopamine receptor neurons get overstimulated, the number of receptors to bind to decreases, so you’ll need a bigger hit of dopamine to get the same rush,” explains Dr. Lustig.
7. Stress eating begets stress
Sweets can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the near term, research shows. But continue OD’ing on sugary refined carbs and your risk of insulin resistance, which stresses the body from the inside, goes up. To find your calm, sweat instead: “Exercise is the best treatment for stress. It makes you feel good and reduces cortisol,” says Dr. Lustig.
8. Energy surges, then bottoms out
Refined carbs, like those in white bread and pasta, quickly cause a rise in glucose in the bloodstream, so you might feel extra energized—for a while. But this short-term fix can actually leave you more sluggish later on (when you eventually crash). Instead, opt for natural protein snacks between meals, such as fresh berries or fresh veggies and hummus. They help stabilize blood sugar and keep you going longer. Link below for the source.
(Courtesy of Antea Levi, https://www.health.com/nutrition/sugar-health-effects)
Well, what an article! What a help! I can raise my hand and personally acknowledge that each of those are physical truths that I have experienced far too many times in my life.
I am ready to just toss it out on Monday morning :0) How about you?