Sugar is in many ways the “china white” of food. Think about it: Sugar is addictive, desirable, popular, pure white and in the end — deadly.
There are more then enough reasons and information telling us why to curb the consumption of sugar, but despite the facts, we are lured by the smell of Cinnabons, the sweet downy peaks of freshly iced cupcakes, the taste and texture of warm glazed donuts.
Sugar is empty calories
Sugar makes you fat
Sugar rots your teeth feeding bacteria that causes cavities
Sugar in excess, leads to increase risk of diabetes, heart and kidney problems.
Sugar is a threat to every aspect of good health
So why do we eat sugar?
Sugar raises serotonin levels, which is the “feel good” part of the brain, creating a kind of chemical high, which results in a boost of your frame of mind and mood. Sounds good so far, right? The danger is that over time with high levels of artificial sugar, your body cuts down producing natural serotonin, causing mood swings, depression, irritability and other negative personality effects.
So why don’t we stop eating sugar?
Truth is, even if you take the leap and decide to give up the cookies and cakes, it's nearly impossible to avoid sugar completely. Sugar is in almost every processed food we eat, from ketchup to bread, soda to snacks. The more you eat the more you crave. Like any other addiction, the only way to stop is complete detoxification from these white crystals. No packaged, processed, baked, sweet packaged food. Joe has stopped the intake of processed sugar, managing complete satisfaction from the natural sugars present in so many foods.
So how to sate a sugar fix?
Joe is a chef, and he thinks like a chef. What season is it now?Its strawberry season, along with cherries and other locally grown fruits. Not only are they the most delicious form of natural sugar, but you can benefit from many of their healing properties:
Antioxidant power. Antioxidants help protect your body from disease.
A great source for vitamin C
Regulate blood sugar levels, reducing blood sugar spikes.
They have been proven helpful in the management of heart disease and arthritis
Strawberries in particular contain anthocyanins, which stimulate the burning of stored fat to use as fuel.
Joe has found different ways to use these versatile fruits. Freeze them — either to create an icy snack or to create a smoothie with non-fat Greek yogurt and ice. Cut them up and mix with fresh lemon thyme or basil and some good balsamic vinegar as a dressing for spinach or watercress salad topped with chicken and goat cheese. Dice and mix together with fresh avocado, lime, red onion cilantro and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for delicious salsa, or just eat them on their own.
Joe's Progress, Week 12:
STARTING WEIGHT: 276.4 LBS
WEEK 12 WEIGHT: 235 LBS
WEIGHT LOST WEEK 12: 6 LB
TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS: 41.4