Sugar Is Not The Villain You Think It Is

The Weekly Fill: Think of sugar like a frenemy. It can be your friend but also your enemy when you don't know how to use it. Learn the details inside.

Before we get into today’s post, I wanted to share a few of my favorite things lately.

📚 The Women by Kristin Hannah: Honestly, I haven’t read a book of hers that I don’t like. The Women, blew me away not only in the details and imagery she creates in her writing but also in the story. It gave me a new appreciation for veterans, especially those who fought in Vietnam. What have you read lately that you like?

🥘 These high-protein pancakes double as waffles, and we can’t get enough. I have fed my kids this pancake recipe since they were toddlers. It was one of the first starter foods we went with. It’s only recently they’ve had ‘real pancakes.’ The good news is they still request this recipe. They’re filling and healthy. We like to top them with warmed berries and a drizzle of maple syrup. They double as pancakes, or you can put them in a waffle maker (for crispier waffles, add 1 tbsp olive oil to the batter).

🎧 The Best Unspoken Health Advice (it might shock you)! I wrapped up the Anti-Diet Podcast Series this week, and I think it’s one of the most overlooked and undervalued ideas in health. If you’re anything like me, you’ll understand why (I spent a long time hating this one)!

Now, to the good stuff! Let’s talk about sugar!

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I've deleted the start of this post approximately twenty times...

not because I don't have something to say (if you know me, you know that's never the problem). I just want to make sure this doesn't get lost in the endless health noise that has already established a nasty web of health confusion.

Understanding health is not always a straight and narrow path. It's rarely black and white, and even rarer is that it falls into one or another of the extremes we've self-created.

"Let's face it, health is rarely an 'only' or 'never' kind of thing. It's almost always somewhere in the messy middle, requiring a little bit of both sides.

Health is a balance.

Sugar is no different.

Think of sugar like a frenemy.

You love it, you need it, but too much of it causes all kinds of problems. It's like the friend that's overstayed their welcome. You need it in just the right amount—enough to get the benefits but not so much you lose your cool (or, in this case, metabolic function).

The truth is that sugar is required for health, yet too much damages it.

If that makes you feel like you want to rip your hair out or punch your computer screen, I get it. Health is too much sometimes, especially when you'd prefer to just be told what to do.

In many ways, no matter how impractical, the extremes make health feel possible. You're either in or out, but regardless, it's something you can follow.

But I need you to hear me out. Being told what to do adds more complexity than you realize. It acts against your biological need, creating a war between your physiology and your will. And your body rarely loses, which is why you seldom accomplish what you know you should.

This is why it's nearly impossible to overcome cravings by simply attempting to will yourself out of them.

It's why you obsess about food the more you try to restrict it.

When you work against your biological needs, you ignite the body war.

One of those biological needs is your need for sugar.

Of course, there are a million caveats to this need. Some forms of sugar destroy your health, but not consuming enough of the right ones does, too.

That's why, I'd like to address why sugar isn't the problem.

Sugar serves an essential purpose inside your body.

Sugar is so important that your body can produce it when you fail to consume it. This happens via gluconeogenesis, which is the process of converting specific body tissue back into sugar.

Any time your body has backup functions to produce a nutrient, like converting tissue into glucose, it's ESSENTIAL to your health. You can't survive, let alone thrive, without it.

You need sugar, period. The key is understanding it so you can control your consumption of it.

Next week on the podcast, we are having the sugar conversation. I think you'll be appalled at how difficult we've made this conversation when the truth is simple.

In addition to the upcoming podcast, I'm hosting a LIVE Class and Q&A on artificial sweeteners.

Let’s talk about artificial sweeteners!

There's so much chatter around artificial sweeteners that I'm half-surprised there isn't more quick information to help you understand them. But I want to change that by supplying you with the truth (that will surprise you).

Mark your calendars:

Meet me on Wednesday, November 20th, at 7:00 pm CST.

We’ll discuss artificial sweeteners and how to eat sugar to help your biology.

It's free for my insiders! If you're not an insider, become one for only $5.

Including the class, you’ll get my healthy holiday sweets guide with some of my favorite healthy Holiday dessert recipes!

**The link to join the class will be sent to subscribers on Wednesday!**

If you have questions about artificial sweeteners that you want answered, make sure you submit them. Leave a comment or send me a message.