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Thank you for visiting! Walking the Walk is meant to be a source to assist you in your quest for a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Through my own lifestyle, I hope to give you creative ideas that make adopting a healthier, more holistic lifestyle as enjoyable and easy for you as possible!

Friday, January 6, 2012

Sugar: The Bitter Truth

An new year, a new you. That seems to be the attitude that most people take on around this time of year. Usually they start by eliminating nasty habits.  I used to have a particularly nasty habit; I was a sugar addict!  I loved all things sweet and I would routinely indulge in lovely, sweet vegan goodies that were loaded with sugar (usually not the refined white kind, but still just as sweet).  I was completely addicted but I always assumed that because I was active and thin and the rest of my diet was very clean, I could carry on like this without experiencing any of the negative consequences.

In a book by Jack Challem called The Inflammation Syndrome, I read a very interesting take on refined sugars that had never occurred to me before. I quote:
"Refined sugars are the ultimate empty calories...[but are also] anti-nutrients because they deplete the levels of certain vitamins (particularly vitamin B1) that are needed to metabolize them."
So, sugar wasn't just adding more calories to my diet that my metabolism had to work off it was also robbing me of vitamins by simply being in my system!   I slowly began to change my ideas towards the amount of sugar I was constantly consuming but what made me finally change my sickly sweet ways?

This video by Dr. Lustig,  an MD that specializes in childhood obesity.


Now, my undergraduate degree was in biological sciences, so I have a better understanding of some of the biochemical pathways he touches on than most people. It's also an hour-long video so if, you do not share my background in science and are strapped for time, I also found this delightful video that summarizes his lecture in a very straight forward way.


If you have decided to give up the sugar rush, maybe these videos will inspire you to change your ways for good.  It may seem hard at first, but I promise it's all worth it!

Have a wonderful day!

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