One of the most energy draining substances in its many different forms: white refined sugar, excess honey, maltodextrin, sugar from very sweet fruits like bananas and pineapple as well as foods that turn into high sugar in the body like wheat and breads, pasta, brown rice, and amaranth.

Because I had candida and still struggle with it on and off today if I eat too much natural sugar foods I have gone many seasons eating very little sugar at all. Those times I really did feel healthy and light. I say light because I always lost extra body weight when I ate this way.

Sugar in many forms drains physical energy. Barbara Reed Stitt author of Food and Behavior and who is a probation officer turned nutritionist says that sugar itself contains no nutrients and can cause nutrient depletion. She also says, “Sugar contains no nutrients, yet in order to be turned into energy it must use up a wide range of nutrients…the body must remove what nutrition it can from its own stores to metabolize the sucrose…a meal high in refined sugar…actually robs the body of nutrients.” Pg. 56 Food and Behavior.

Nancy Appleton author of Lick the Sugar habit has many things to say about sugar. She also produced an excellent video called Sweet Suicide. She says, “When you eat sugar, any food that is in the stomach at the time will become the food to which you can become allergic…this happens because of the mineral imbalance that happens when eating sugar and the lack of the enzymes ability to digest food properly without certain minerals.” Pg. 31 Lick the Sugar habit

So sugar does more than just spike and then drastically drop your blood sugar which is a huge problem in and of itself and will make you feel fatigue and exhaustion because once your blood sugar drops your adrenal glands will go into action telling your liver to release glycogen to get your energy up quick.

Nancy talks about how sugar destroys your immune system, “Through the combined effects of mineral imbalance, allergic reaction, and phagocytic suppression, sugar can destroy the immune system and slowly but surely lead to degenerative disease.” Pg. 57 Lick the Sugar Habit

If you’re a mama who wants to get pregnant again listen to the things sugar does that specifically affect pregnancy preparation, fertility, and pregnancy:

• Sugar can suppress the immune system.
• Sugar can upset the body’s mineral balance.
• Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
• Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
• Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity (a condition which is pre-diabetes).
• Sugar causes food allergies.
• Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
• Sugar can cause liver cells to divide, increasing the size of the liver.
• Sugar can increase the amount of fat in the liver.
• Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance.
• Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon. Lick the Sugar Habit by Nancy Appleton

On top of all those destructive things sugar does in the body, it has been shown in research studies to be possibly more addicting than cocaine. When we eat sugar opioids and dopamine are released. http://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/experts-is-sugar-addictive-drug. “Sugar activates the opiate receptors in our brain and affects the reward center, which leads to compulsive behavior, despite the negative consequences like weight gain, headaches, hormone imbalances, and more. http://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/experts-is-sugar-addictive-drug

I continued to eat too much sugar to the detriment of my health and I paid the consequences of candida overgrowth. When candida overgrows it can release over 79 different by products or toxins one of which is called actaldahyde. The byproducts of candida are very dangerous.10 These are neurotoxins that destroy and decompose tissues and organs. These toxins disrupt RNA and DNA synthesis, damage and destroy neurons, are carcinogenic, and cause ataxia (lack of coordination) and even convulsions. They also confuse body systems which explains why the immune system gets confused attacks itself and can turn into autoimmune disease.11 (from the candida guide I wrote from digestion bootcamp)

One toxin produced from candida albicans is acetaldehyde. This one toxin alone does many things just to the brain. It impairs memory, decreases your ability to concentrate (brain fog), causes depression, slows reflexes, lethargy, and apathy, heightened irritability, decreased mental energy, increased anxiety and panic, and several others.12 (Digestion Bootcamp)

The bottom line is that too much sugar can be detrimental to your health negatively affecting your energy, and if eating too much sugar for you has caused candida overgrowth you may be experiencing some of the above symptoms as a result of that.

There are a few things I do to overcome my sugar addiction.

1. Be patient with myself when I stop sugar. It’s a difficult process and sometimes you fall off the wagon or experience symptoms again because of it.
2. Eat lots of nutrient dense foods like green, green smoothies, luscious green salads and veggies. Biochemically your taste buds change and you actually desire the healthy tasting foods.
3. Remember the pain it caused me and treat it like poison.
4. Use stevia to sweeten things like tea, fruit, and I even put in in chicken liver pate as well as spaghetti sauce. It gives me that sweet taste without the problems.
5. Eat fruit. Fruits are naturally sweet, loaded with antioxidants and even taste sweeter when you’re not eating all that processed sugar. You may need to go through a short season of no or very low sugar fruits like berries and green apples if you have candida or need to heal from that.

What have you done to end your sugar addiction? How do you avoid sugar especially in social situations? Tell me your sugar story. I really do love hearing stories and hearing about how others cope with difficulties.