Chris and Steve eliminated sugar from their diets in December 2022, and while that might seem like the most “unsweet” thing, especially with holiday goodies being exchanged, here is what they have to say about it.

Last December sure was a sweet month here at Dopamine FX, but not because of the sugar in our diets! We took a deep dive into the world of sugar and learned why some people call sugar a drug and what exactly that “drug” is doing to our bodies. We realized the month of December could be much sweeter than any holiday cookie because we decided not to feed disease in our bodies.

Why did you participate in sugar-free December, and what did you notice?

“In short, eating starch and sugar turns on all the mechanisms of your body for disease and death. Historically, we only consumed about 22 teaspoons of sugar a year. If we were lucky and found maybe some honey, or if we had a lot of berries, we’d get a little rush of sugar. But now we are living in a sea of sugar and flour. The average American eats about 152 pounds of sugar per year and 133 pounds of flour per year; this includes wheat flour, whole wheat flour, and regular flour. Flour has a large surface area and gets quickly absorbed, whether it’s cassava flour, tapioca flour, or brown rice flour. What’s worse, is that you typically find sugar and flour together. Refined flour acts like sugar in the body. This includes bagels, cereal (yes, even the healthiest cereals), muffins, chips, crackers, pasta, bread, toast, and pancakes. All of this is simply refined sugar. In summary, refined carbohydrates (processed foods)  = sugar.

If we eat too much sugar, it turns into belly fat. This is called visceral fat because it covers our organs. Belly fat is active and produces molecules called cytokines, which cause inflammation. This is why about 80% of the deaths caused or occurred by COVID were in people who were obese. These cytokines lead to chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, dementia, and kidney disease. Not only does it create chronic disease, but it also slows down our metabolism.

Since cutting out sugar, we have been sleeping better, losing weight, our skin looks better, and we have more energy to name a few.”

Sugar is Hiding in your Food

Inspired by Chris and Steve’s results but also frightened by the average American’s sugar intake, we wanted to know more. We listened to a podcast in which Dr. Mark Hyman discussed everything sugar.

Dr. Mark Hyman says that sugar is more addictive than cocaine! It’s like a drug. It will provide you with temporary pleasure and is undeniably addictive. While you may think you are making healthy choices when shopping at the grocery store, food companies’ marketing is confusing consumers. Your yogurt cup might say “low fat” in big, bold letters across the front, but did you know it contains more sugar per ounce than soda? Just like that, your snack is now feeding disease.

So, what should you enjoy instead? Dr. Mark Hyman’s answer is protein!

“I have bison jerky or grass-fed beef jerky. I’ll have nuts, for example, or seeds. Pumpkin seeds, cashews, almonds, walnuts. I’ll have nut butter packets. I’ll have coconut butter in a packet. I’ll have almond butter, cashew butter, all these things I basically have in my bag. I got something here, but I’m careful when I look at it. I make sure it’s all whole ingredients.”

Don’t let the marketing confuse you; Chris can help you get started on your health and wellness journey.

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Tips to Help You Skip the Sugar and Heal your Body from Disease

1. Lemons, limes, and apple cider vinegar contain citric acid, which slows the blood sugar response. Squeeze citrus over your food or add ACV to a glass of water and drink it 30 minutes before a meal.

2. Stop sugar cravings, stabilize your blood sugar, and balance your hormones with a low-carb, ketogenic-style diet.

3. Move your body! When you aren’t moving your body regularly, sugar turns into fat.

4. Dehydration causes sugar cravings. Add high-quality pink salt to your water and drink up! Salts such as Himalayan pink salt assist in maintaining hydration and contain trace minerals and electrolytes your body needs.

5. Use natural sweeteners such as stevia and monk fruit.

6. Sleep and manage your stress. Chronic stress causes damage to the body. Incorporate breathing exercises, meditations, and daily gratitude and prayers to start recovering the body.

7. Support your dopamine production! Sugar and compulsive eating will lower your dopamine.