We’ve all heard it time and time again… that sugar is an issue for our health, but seems like one of the hardest addictions to break. I want to give you all the details on how sugar effects your body and ways you can satisfy your sweet tooth without compromising your health!

It’s unfortunate how reliant we’ve become on sugar and the adverse side effects we are facing because of it. Back in 1822, the average American consumed around 45g of sugar every 5 days (approximately the amount in one can of soda). By the year 2012, it was reported that the average individual consumed roughly 765g in 5 days. That’s about a 17 fold increase! It’s no surprise we are seeing such a rapid rise in chronic disease.

So here’s a little nutrition science to give you the best understanding… a normal individual should have about 1 tsp (around 4g) of sugar in their blood. With that, our bodies have the ability to store 90g in our liver (as liver glycogen) and 400g in our muscles (muscle glycogen). A healthy individual can metabolize around 6 tsp of sugar in their blood a day, however, the average American surpasses that three-fold. 

So what exactly happens when we overload our body with sugar? Well, overtime serious damage to our internal organs and blood vessels may result… some of which is irreversible. Here are just a few things that can happen: 1. We can develop nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (essentially a liver similar to that of an alcoholic), 2. We can interfere with our leptin (the hormone that tells your brain you are full) and insulin (the hormone that controls blood sugar) signaling, 3. We can develop metabolic syndrome, and 4. We can deteriorate our heart and kidney function. 

Okay, so how about sugar on the brain? Maybe you have heard that sugar actually has many similar effects on the brain as cocaine. The way cocaine stimulates the brain’s neuro-pathways to induce reward and pleasure seeking is very similar to that of sugar. The brain scans of a cocaine addict and that of a sugar addict are remarkably similar. According to Dr. Robert Lustig, “Sugar is the alcohol of the child,” and it’s unfortunate that our country is facing an epidemic of obese 6 month olds because of it. 

Alright, so how can we get our sweet fix without compromising our health? It’s actually super easy, delicious, and fun! Let me give you the secret to the sweet sauce: FIBER!

Mother Nature is quite incredible in how she designed whole foods that are sweet and full of sugar that won’t cause you any issues. In all sweet fruits, every sugar molecule has a wonderful molecule of fiber attached, which changes the game in how your body metabolizes it. Fruits come in all flavors and varieties and so it can be quite fun to play around with different ingredients and find sweetness in the most unexpected ways. I personally love to sweeten recipes with dates, applesauce, bananas, and even a little raw honey or maple syrup can go a long way.

Check out this super easy and delicious Brownie Bite Recipe below:

Ingredients:

14 pitted dates, soaked in warm water for about 15 minutes to soften

1/4 cup organic cacao or cocoa powder

3 Tbsp hemp seeds

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 ½ Tbsp almond butter

1 pinch sea salt (vary amount depending on how you like it)

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Using a food processor or high speed blender (I love Vitamix), add all ingredients and pulse for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. If you are using a blender, use a low setting as the dates can clump together.

2. If the mixture is too dry, feel free to add in a little more nut butter or soft dates to give it more moisture.

3. Scoop out around 1-2 tbsp at a time and roll into balls. This recipe should make around 12-14 servings.

4. These can be enjoyed immediately and will last in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks and the freezer for about a month. Enjoy!

*Recipe adapted from minimalistbaker.com