Two weeks into the 30 Day Water Challenge and things are tougher than last week. Although I keep water with me at all times, I cannot seem to fully quench my thirst. I am also experiencing some issues with maintaining a balanced blood sugar level. I spoke with a doctor who provided a possible explanation. I trained my body to function on an expected sugar overdose daily. Since I began drinking water, I have not replaced the sugar found in my previous drinks with sugar from other sources. Now my body has to adjust to functioning in a new way.
It is disappointing to discover that the foggy head has returned, along with afternoon dizziness and fatigue. I am told that these are symptoms of sugar withdrawal. A comparison of brain activity between patients on a sugar high and patients on a cocaine high look very similar. This seems to suggest that sugar acts as a drug in the body. Hopefully, sticking to the 30 Day Water Challenge will eventually lead to a passing of these symptoms as my body adjusts to a new normal.
This led me to sincerely consider the National Fed Up Campaign being led by Katie Couric. The focus of this campaign is America’s addiction to sugar. According to the Fed Up Campaign, 80% of the foods sold in American grocery stores has added sugar. This is a shocking statistic. However, a little more surprising to me was the fact that this does not seem to be the case in other developed nations.
This information is reinforced on social media regularly. There are lists created by those who visit or move to our country that numerates things they think odd about America that we do not seem to notice at all. A recurring item is the sweetness of our breads. Most Americans would tell you that bread is not sweet, cake is. I have checked the labels and discovered that most bread includes high fructose corn syrup. This leads me to one conclusion. If Americans do not perceive our bread as sweet, then there must be much more sugar in most of the other food items we consume.
This experience has made me pay more attention to the Fed Up campaign. This campaign challenges us to give up sugar for ten days. Honestly, I am not sure if that is truly possible given the staggering number of food items containing added sugar. After experiencing the withdrawal symptoms from just removing sugary drinks from my diet, I have to admit that completely removing sugar is a bit scary. On the other hand, over the remaining two weeks of my 30 Day Water Challenge, I am going to consider the possibility of attempting the Fed Up Challenge.
It is disappointing to discover that the foggy head has returned, along with afternoon dizziness and fatigue. I am told that these are symptoms of sugar withdrawal. A comparison of brain activity between patients on a sugar high and patients on a cocaine high look very similar. This seems to suggest that sugar acts as a drug in the body. Hopefully, sticking to the 30 Day Water Challenge will eventually lead to a passing of these symptoms as my body adjusts to a new normal.
This led me to sincerely consider the National Fed Up Campaign being led by Katie Couric. The focus of this campaign is America’s addiction to sugar. According to the Fed Up Campaign, 80% of the foods sold in American grocery stores has added sugar. This is a shocking statistic. However, a little more surprising to me was the fact that this does not seem to be the case in other developed nations.
This information is reinforced on social media regularly. There are lists created by those who visit or move to our country that numerates things they think odd about America that we do not seem to notice at all. A recurring item is the sweetness of our breads. Most Americans would tell you that bread is not sweet, cake is. I have checked the labels and discovered that most bread includes high fructose corn syrup. This leads me to one conclusion. If Americans do not perceive our bread as sweet, then there must be much more sugar in most of the other food items we consume.
This experience has made me pay more attention to the Fed Up campaign. This campaign challenges us to give up sugar for ten days. Honestly, I am not sure if that is truly possible given the staggering number of food items containing added sugar. After experiencing the withdrawal symptoms from just removing sugary drinks from my diet, I have to admit that completely removing sugar is a bit scary. On the other hand, over the remaining two weeks of my 30 Day Water Challenge, I am going to consider the possibility of attempting the Fed Up Challenge.
My sugar addiction is putting a damper on my 30 Day Water Challenge. To keep my head on straight, I have now added an eight ounce glass of orange juice to my afternoon. I will continue to only drink water the rest of the time. My hope is that by the end of the 30 days my body will have adjusted to operating with less sugar.