By Jennifer Smith, Natural Medicine Practitioner and Certified in Holistic Nutrition
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Everyone knows that sugar is bad, right? Well, yes and no. Surprisingly sugar benefits our metabolism and thyroid! It turns out this topic may not be as black and white as we've been told. Even people like Dr. Mercola have started shouting from the rooftops that carbs both complex and simple carbs are what our bodies actually require at the cellular level to function and metabolize properly.
Now let's get some terms straight. First off, you may think when I say carbs and sugar is good that I'm talking about baked good, cakes, pies, pastries and juices loaded with high fructose corn syrup. This article is NOT referring to any of these processed, packaged food items which contain added ingredients.
I'm talking specifically about raw cane sugar, raw honey, real maple syrup, coconut sugar, orange juice (not from concentrate), whole fruits. These natural sugars and simple carbs your body craves because it requires these for a fast metabolism and proper function of the thyroid gland which controls all the hormones, metabolic systems and cells of the body.
Watch this fascinating interview with Georgi Dinkov (Dr. Ray Peat advocate) and Dr. Joseph Mercola where they discuss the benefits of adding more carbs to your diet.
"Per calorie, sugar from orange juice, fruit and cane sugar is less fattening than starch, partly because it stimulates less insulin and when its used with a good diet, it increases the activity of the thyroid hormone"
--Dr. Ray Peat
Proverbs 24:13
My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:
When we begin to add more natural sugars gradually, your metabolism will actually start to speed up. Signs of a healthy metabolism include a body temperature through-out the day that is always above 97.8 degrees F. If you notice after eating a meal that your body temperature drops, then this is an indication that the meal is decreasing metabolism and it may not be a good balance of carbs, protein and fat.
It turns out without adequate sugars in the diet, blood sugars can drop which results in, additional fluid being allowed into the cells. This is what we see in bloating and fluid retention. A chronically stressed metabolism results in increases of cortisol and adrenaline. These stress hormones are the fight or flight response kicking in, which over the long term will cause the body to hold onto fat and increase fat in the bloodstream.
Similar to Dr. Mercola, I have done a complete 180 degree change in direction with the way I see sugar in my diet. I started diving into Dr. Ray Peat's research about a year ago. I feel that this information needs to be heard because all this carb and natural sugar avoidance has led me and so many of my clients, to a damaged metabolism and reduction in thyroid function and I suspect this is something that is occurring more and more with the popularity of keto, low carb diets, paleo; further causing an orthorexic, obsessive mindset on food and chronic dieting.
So, what will you do with this information? Do you plan to add more natural sugars and carbs to your diet?
Jennifer Smith, BA, NMP, CHN, FBCC
Jennifer Smith is a Natural Medicine Practitioner, Holistic Nutrition Practitioner, and Faith-Based Clinical Counselor. She has a Bachelor's degree in Christian Counseling. She has completed advanced training in Functional Nutrition, Functional Medicine, Natural Health Consultant diploma, Biblical Heath Coaching Certification, Biblical natural medicine, and Biblical Eating and Clinical Nutrition. Jennifer has a virtual Natural Medicine practice in Naples, FL called Fx Remedies Virtual Care.
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