Sugar was one of my biggest fears when I first started eating healthier. I felt like there were a lot of good and bad sugars, but I didn’t really understand why. It created a lot of confusion and food fear, which is the exact opposite of intuitive eating. Let’s talk about how sugar affects the body:

I have a major sweet tooth, but something I’ve had to accept is that many sources of sugar simply aren’t that great for the human body. BUT understanding sugar and some good sources of sweetness is key to having a balanced and fun diet!!

Sugars to avoid:

🍬 Artificial sugars like Sweet-n-Low or Equal
🍬 Refined sugars like cane sugar, white sugar, and brown sugar

Why?

🍬 These sources of sugar are broken down quickly and spike your blood sugar. This contributes to insulin resistance, which disrupts the balance of sex hormones, period problems, and contributes to weight gain.
🍬 Insulin resistance can also contribute to weight gain. 🍬 These sources of sugar can create inflammation in the body.
🍬 They also affect gut permeability, leading to issues like leaky gut, candida overgrowth, symptoms of anxiety, acne, a weakened immune system, digestive issues, and more.

Sugar sources that can be part of a healthy diet:

✔️ Maple Syrup
✔️ Agave
✔️ Stevia
✔️ Monk Fruit Sugar
✔️ Honey
✔️ Dates
✔️ Fruit
✔️ Lactose (dairy, if your system is okay with it)

All sugar is best consumed in moderation! If you are healing from candida, leaky gut, period problems, or an immune issue – sugar is something to ideally avoid entirely during the healing process (in some cases, honey and fruit may be an exception).

I personally love honey because it has such a warm + cozy flavor to me! Which one of the above sweeteners is your favorite and why? 👇🏼