Why Your Sugar Cravings Could be Aging You

I have a confession and it's bittersweet.

I’m a self-confessed sugar addict. 

In my 20’s, I was struggling with migraines out of nowhere. I had barely even ever had a headache before, much less experience a migraine. 

My daily activities, such as working full-time in an office and going to community college were soon met with crippling headaches. After three trips to different doctors, a neurologist and one MRI, I finally realized --  it was SPLENDA. 

Yep. One simple change I’d made to “better my diet” (so I thought!) had lead to a series of unfortunate circumstances.

As you know, at Team JQ we practice an integrative approach to skin care because we know that it's all about addressing your skin from the inside out! We believe that everything is connected. 

Recent studies have stated that the average American consumes a whopping 17 teaspoons of sugar every day, which unfortunately increases inflammation! 

Eating too much sugar can not only cause health issues like diabetes, it also stimulates the production of sebum that can lead to nasty breakouts. 

In addition, too much sugar can cause our collagen and elastin to break-down, that leads to skin damage and aging. 

Cue heart break.  

If you’re spending loads of money on fancy facial products AND eating tons of sugar (not from fruits) you’re sadly in a counter- productive relationship. 

Hang in there, they don’t call me Dr. Quinn for nothing. ;) 

This process also creates the perfect environment for advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that causes our skin to have less elasticity and you guessed it – also leads to advance aging.

Sugar is proven to be highly addictive and, unfortunately, is hidden in many of the products we consume on the daily. 

So, unless you’re reading all the labels, you’re likely getting some unwanted, un-asked for sugar. 

Sadly, artificial sweeteners are no better because they trick the body into thinking it’s had something sweet, (it really hasn’t!) leaving us wanting more and often times, overeating, in an attempt to satisfy our cravings. 

In addition, some people, like myself, are highly allergic to artificial sweeteners because our brains don’t know how to recognize this foreign agent or understand what to do with it. 

If this sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, well… 

And don't take my word for it -- just google “rat poison and Splenda.”

So at this point, you're probably wondering WHAT THE HECK CAN I EAT that will satisfy my sweet tooth and not break down that collagen, right? 

Well, honey, honey is a great alternative, and according to my IHP friend, Larrisa Ness, one teaspoon of honey in your tea will not spike your blood sugar!! It also has anti-inflammatory benefits- woo-hoo!

Eating fruit is another great way to get you some sugar the good way, too.

Remember, when in doubt, eat your fruit and drink your veggies so you get all the good fiber from the fruit that also helps slow down the absorption of the sugar. 

For some fun and delicious beauty food smoothies, go here. They make a great dessert, too, btw!! 

I was telling the truth about my sugar addiction! :)

Remember, the more you know, the more you GROW! 

With love and appreciation,

XOXO

Jentri 

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Photo by Kaboompics.com