Hi Babies,
You may already know this. You may have already figured this one out. But bear with me, because your Faithful Blogger here is a bit slow on the uptake.
Eating sugar may actually cause pain. Not just in the form of crashing lows after the short-lived burst of energy it provides, but actual “oh me achin’ bones” kind of pain.
At least I’m pretty sure it does for me.
I have noticed that, as I age, I have some days that are just plain achey. Bones or joints or muscles ache and it’s very unpleasant and difficult to get the day started in a positive fashion.
If you read up on inflammation, which is the new medical buzzword for why we get sick and dead (well, not that new), you will learn all about how the crap we eat causes it.
For me, sugar is a big culprit. For you, it might be gluten or nightshade vegetables or certain additives or the poison that is Diet Coke. We’re all label readers these days, aren’t we! But there’s so much crazy stuff in so much of what we consume, we really have to be. This is the best book I have read yet about how the food industry is working really hard to addict us all to poisonous garbage food.
For me, straight-up sugar in the form of dessert type items is sheer poison. I just have to avoid it. I can do a little now and then, but processed sugar — even the organic, “bla bla bla this isn’t so poisonous we swear on a stack of Michael Pollan’s books” products — it’s all just sugar and it all accumulates in my body very quickly and makes me creaky and sore and achey.
Any white flour products function just about the same way. Which makes sense, because all of that stuff metabolizes pretty fast as sugar.
It’s a big bummer that so many yummy foods that we reach for for pleasure and comfort in times of stress should turn out to be little pain bombs waiting to be released in our bodies, but they certainly are in mine and they may be in yours, and I wanted to share what I figured out in the hopes that it might be a useful insight for some of you, my lovely pigeons.
Here’s Dr. Weill’s Anti-Inflammatory Diet. I always liked that guy.
Be well, darlings!
I recently (like, 3 weeks ago) stopped eating desserts, etc, after seeing the havoc diabetes has played on my mother’s body…..and while I don’t have any less aches (I am 55, after all) I do have more energy, fell like my brain is operating more clearly, etc- still haven’t loss any weight, tho……I had to chuckle when I looked at Dr Weill’s Anti-Inflammatory food pyramid- “cooked Asian mushrooms= unlimited amounts” guess I know what Im having for snacks….
YAY!
Absolutely! Also, I’ve noticed that my anxiety issues are *much* more manageable when I avoid sugar & refined carbs. It’s hard because those are the very foods I crave when I’m stressed out, but they unfailingly have a negative effect on me that lasts for days, and more and more I’m figuring out that it’s just not worth it.
The biggest lifestyle change I’ve made with the new academic year is not eating at my desk. Nothing good comes of eating at one’s desk, I’ve found. If I need a snack, I get up, leave the office, and eat my little meal somewhere pleasant.
I am so glad you found what works for you! This is why I write so much about diet helping create a good foundation for recovery with mental illness. The inflammation effects the brain-gut barrier and has a profound effect on our mental health too.
Thanks for recommending The End of Overeating. My library had it on cd, so I was able to listen to it in the car. I’m still trying to absorb it all; it’s eye-opening.