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š§ It Wasn't Aging
This was originally sent in my Sunday morning Strong Wise Good newsletter. If youād rather receive these thoughts in your inbox each week, subscribe here.
Sugar and the Brain
I am getting back to my roots today.
The reason I changed my diet.
The reason I think you should, too, if I'm being blunt.
We began Strong Wise Good to empower people to achieve real health through real food.
Including, especially?, brain health.
Let's talk about it.
š§ My Story
I didnāt change how I eat to lose weight.
I changed how I eat because I was losing my mind.
In my late 50s, I was dealing with what my doctor agreed looked like early Alzheimerās.
I retired early and settled in for my long goodbye.
Well, almost.
My girls were not yet married; we did not yet have grandbabies.
I knew there was no cure (!), but I thought...maybe I could just reduce the rate of my decline? Surely that was not impossible
I started my research.
Six months after changing my diet, I realized something unexpected had happened.
I wasnāt leaving the stove on anymore.
I wasnāt getting lost driving.
I could walk out the door with my keys, my glasses, and my bag ā on one try!
I wasnāt just holding steady.
I was better. I was actually better.
Turns out, food has a tremendous impact on health. Imagine that!
And this is why I am so passionate about limiting the sugar I feed my brain.
š§ What Everyone Knows about Sugar
We grew up with sugar everywhere.
Sugar was energy.
Sugar was a treat.
Sugar was fortified with 8 vitamins and minerals for a healthy breakfast!
Yes, we knew about cavities. Brush and floss more often.
Yes, we knew about weight. Best walk off that coffee cake.
What we did not know about was the negative impact on our body as a whole, including the negative impact on our brains.
Yes, our brains.
Did you know that sugar affects focus, memory, and clarity?
And that this impact begins long before you need bigger slacks.
š§ Carbs in the Wild
Let's start with our fruits and vegetables.
I don't think most of us are in trouble because we're eating too many oranges.
When sugar comes packaged in real, whole foods, it arrives in human-friendly amounts, wrapped in fiber and the food's natural structure, which slows how quickly that sugar reaches the bloodstream (a good thing).
Could we have a longer conversation about the higher sugar content of modern genetically modified fruits and vegetables? Absolutely.
But I don't believe too many blueberries are the core of the problems we face today.
š§ Table Sugar (& Flour)
Table sugar, refined, processed sugar, is different.
The processing, the refining, strips the fiber from the sugar.
The result is naked sugar, a concentrated substance that no longer behaves like food.
It behaves like a drug.
Once itās in your system, moderation stops being a realistic option.
Why can't you eat only one bite? It's not for lack of willpower.
Itās chemistry.
It's naked sugar racing through your blood, hijacking your hormones, and demanding more sugar.
And other refined grains such as flour? They might as well be pure sugar. From your body's point of view, they are just sugar molecules holding hands.
š§ Sugar and the Brain
The problem isn't one cookie or one slice of birthday cake.
We can handle that from time to time.
The problem is years of repeated sugar spikes.
Every time we flood our bodies with refined sugar and rapidly digested carbohydrates, our bodies have to work hard to bring blood sugar back under control. Over time, those repeated swings contribute to chronic inflammation, which researchers increasingly recognize as harmful to brain health.
This isn't about one dessert.
It's about the thousands of sugar hits most of us accumulate over a lifetime.
Researchers believe that changes associated with Alzheimer's disease often begin years, even decades, before symptoms become noticeable. By the time someone is forgetting names, searching for words, or getting lost on familiar roads, the brain has often been under stress for a long time.
If you'd like to read a balanced overview of the evidence, this Healthline article is a solid place to start.
ā”ļø https://www.healthline.com/health/alzheimers/sugar-and-alzheimers
Your āsenior momentsā didnāt just arrive suddenly.
They've been building.
š The Good News
The encouraging news is that food is one source of that stress we can actually do something about.
When sugar is removed, the brain begins to heal.
Signaling improves.
Fog lifts.
You don't need perfection.
But you do need to remove the relentless stream of sugar.
Now, I am not saying that limiting sugar can reverse every brain injury.
But sugar is a known factor in diminished brain health, and it is one over which we have complete control.
I'm Glad You're Here
If you'd like my weekly musings this delivered to your inbox each Sunday, I'd love to have you join the Strong Wise Good newsletter.
As my thank-you for subscribing, I'll send you Simple Real Food Meals, a free one-page guide that shows how I put "Nutrition First" into practice with silly simple meal ideas.
Until next time, stay strong, wise, kind, and good.
Choose real food for real health.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, scientist, or nutritionist. I do not provide medical advice. I share personal experience and ongoing learning about health through real food.
Good morning!
I am a late boomer spreading the gospel of good health through good food.
My bona fides?
Beating back Alzheimer's by eating clean low-carb.
And dropping a little weight effortlessly as a bonus.
Real food for real health.
Join me?
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