Sugar is Not a Treat | Jody Stanislaw | TEDxSunValley

0:00 Translator: Tanya Cushman Reviewer: Peter van de Ven Take a few moments

0:16 to think about your most vital organs in your body,

0:20 those organs that you cannot live without.

0:26 Okay, got them?

0:28 Excellent.

0:29 You probably thought about your heart.

0:32 I bet "brain" popped into your mind.

0:35 Lungs.

0:37 But did any of you think, "My pancreas, I can't live without my pancreas"?

0:43 I'm assuming most of you probably didn't.

0:46 I'm a naturopathic doctor,

0:47 and I love educating people about the importance of the pancreas,

0:51 which is located right here, tucked behind your stomach,

0:54 behind your left lower rib cage.

0:57 Inside your pancreas is a small cluster of cells called beta cells.

1:02 You only have two grams actually; it's the size of, like, two almonds.

1:07 Well, these life-giving cells surprisingly get no attention,

1:11 yet if they were to wither away, in the absence of medical intervention,

1:17 you would literally die within a few weeks.

1:20 That is how important your beta cells are; you would die.

1:24 Here's how they work: Anytime you eat sugar or highly-refined carbohydrates,

1:30 that sugar circulates in your blood from your head to your toe,

1:34 throughout your body.

1:36 The beta cells are the security guards for your blood,

1:39 and as soon as they see this rush of sugar, they send the alarm bells off.

1:44 They call in a team of dump trucks to haul all of that sugar out.

1:49 Well, the dump trucks are called insulin,

1:52 and insulin's job is to pick up all that sugar

1:54 out of the blood and feed it to your liver,

1:57 your muscles, or store it as fat because you don't

2:00 want all that excess sugar hanging out in your blood.

2:05 This seems pretty innocent, right?

2:08 But here's the problem:

2:10 Millions and millions today are overworking their security force.

2:17 Overworking your beta cells doesn't happen [only] with obvious foods,

2:21 like cake and ice cream,

2:22 but it also happens with highly-refined carbohydrate foods,

2:25 like yogurt and granola,

2:27 cereal, bread, pasta, alcohol- even when used in moderation.

2:34 Anytime you eat these foods,

2:37 your beta cells send the alarm bells off to make more insulin.

2:42 And this is scary because- just like anything that gets overused,

2:46 from cars to computers- the parts eventually wear out,

2:52 leading to beta cell burnout.

2:55 This is another name for prediabetes or type 2

2:58 diabetes which you really don't want to suffer from.

3:02 Beta cell burnout can happen to anyone,

3:04 and it has a lot to do with your food choices.

3:08 As your beta cells weaken through the years,

3:11 the blood sugar level starts to rise to a dangerous level,

3:14 maybe even unbeknownst to you.

3:16 If the beta cells get really weak,

3:18 and you don't pick it up- your diet doesn't change- you'll likely need

3:23 to take insulin injections every day for the rest of your life to stay alive.

3:30 But the good news, the good news

3:33 is reversing beta cell burnout is entirely possible.

3:36 Just with a few small dietary tweaks and lifestyle changes,

3:40 especially when caught early.

3:44 I specialize in diabetes.

3:46 I also am an expert because I was diagnosed

3:48 with type 1 diabetes when I was just seven years old.

3:52 So the effects of sugar have been a lifelong study for me.

3:56 Now, the cause of type 1 is very different than

3:59 the pandemic of type 2 today that we're hearing so much about.

4:03 In type 1, the immune system attacked and killed all of my beta cells.

4:07 Killed them- they're gone.

4:10 When I was seven.

4:11 Why it did this is still not understood.

4:14 But as a result, without my beta cells I take insulin injections every day,

4:19 and I've taken over 100,000 in my lifetime, thus far.

4:25 Living with type 1, in a way, has been a gift,

4:28 though, because I'm so motivated not to eat sugar.

4:32 When I eat sugar, my blood sugar level skyrockets and I feel awful;

4:36 I get a headache, I feel cranky- if the phone rings,

4:39 I don't want to get it because I am irritable- and I just want to take a nap.

4:46 Most people walk around oblivious to this direct

4:49 correlation between what you've eaten and how you feel,

4:52 so the negative effects on all of you living with beta

4:56 cells- you're lucky enough to still have them- is much more subtle,

5:02 but potentially just as deadly.

5:07 The good news is saving your beta cells is entirely in your hands.

5:14 You know, this talk wouldn't have applied even ten years ago,

5:17 when sugar wasn't added to everything that we eat,

5:21 and it was just used as a special ocassion.

5:24 Are you aware that there are only ten

5:27 companies that own the entire world's food brands?

5:30 And the reality is the sweeter a food is, the more it sells.

5:36 So when you eat sugar,

5:38 you might immediately feel a rush of energy and kind of feel good, think "Wow,

5:42 sugar makes me feel great!" But the reality is an hour or two later,

5:48 if you pay attention, you'll likely feel zapped.

5:51 You might not be able to concentrate; you might kind of want to take a nap;

5:55 or you might want to eat more sugar.

5:58 If we keep doing this over a lifetime,

6:01 the beta cells get weak, the blood sugar level slowly starts to rise,

6:05 and over time, high-blood sugar causes heart disease, kidney failure,

6:12 strokes, gangrene, blindness, alzheimer's, lower-limb amputation,

6:18 depression, violent behavior and more.

6:22 The amount of deaths called by sugar- all

6:25 of these afflictions combined- leads to more deaths than automobile accidents.

6:32 Imagine that.

6:36 At the rate we're consuming sugar today, sugar is not a treat.

6:44 Ladies and gentlemen, at the rate we're consuming it today,

6:47 sugar has become a gradual death sentence.

6:52 But the good news is, like I said, this is something,

6:55 a major problem, that we have in our hands.

6:58 My patient Pam, she was just freaking out;

7:01 she thought something was entirely wrong with her.

7:03 She said, "I'm just tired all the time.

7:05 I feel good in the morning, but then I drag, and I can't focus, and I'm cranky.

7:10 Something is wrong with me.

7:12 Will you check my thyroid?

7:13 Do I have a brain tumor?

7:15 Is that why I can't think?" I said, "Pam...

7:20 before we run all those expensive tests, I just want to ask you,

7:24 'What do you have for breakfast?'" And she said, "Well,

7:28 I have a vanilla latte- get a few extra pumps of vanilla

7:31 because I love it- and then I have some zucchini bread." I said,

7:35 "Well, okay, let me tell you something.

7:38 Vanilla is syrup- you realize that, right?

7:40 it's not the vanilla bean, it's the syrup, lots of sugar,

7:44 and zucchini bread- might as well call it zucchini cake.

7:46 I mean let's be real, okay?

7:48 Zucchini muffin, whatever.

7:49 It's all cake- muffins- they're just cake without frosting." So I said,

7:54 "Before I run all these expensive tests,

7:56 why don't you just start your day with protein?

7:59 Let's just have a handful of eggs for breakfast,

8:01 maybe some sliced apples with peanut butter.

8:04 When you start your day with balanced blood sugar level,

8:06 I think your energy is going to be a lot better, just saying." Two weeks later,

8:12 I get an email full of exclamation points: "Nothing's wrong with me.

8:16 I feel great.

8:17 I'm having protein for breakfast, and everybody's like, 'What have you done?

8:21 You're so happy now.'" Changing your life can be this simple;

8:25 it doesn't have to be overwhelming.

8:29 But I get it.

8:30 It's so easy to fall into the traps

8:32 laid by the 1.5 trillion dollar processed-food industry today.

8:37 They label so many high-sugar foods as healthy: Gummy vitamins- right?

8:43 they're gummy bears, let's not be...

8:45 come on.

8:46 Yogurts- many yogurts today, blueberry,

8:48 strawberry yogurt- they have more sugar, ounce for ounce, than Coca-Cola.

8:55 Kids are eating fruit chews today.

8:57 Kids, are you aware they're not fruit?

9:00 They're not fruit; it's sugar and fruit flavoring.

9:04 There was this study done in rats that showed chronic sugar consumption

9:08 creates as much damage to the brain as abuse done in childhood.

9:14 Teens are drinking less soda today,

9:17 but they've replaced it with sports drinks and energy drinks.

9:21 These drinks are shamefully being touted as healthy,

9:25 yet they are a key part of the obesity epidemic that's spreading today.

9:29 And, all of you parents out there and grandparents and loved ones,

9:33 the birthday parties, right?

9:34 The six-years-olds, they just ate their cake and ice cream,

9:37 and now they're running around like a bunch of screaming banshees.

9:41 This behavior is a direct result of the sugar intake.

9:45 This happens in schools every day,

9:48 and the sad thing is we're still doing it as adults: pasta and beer...

9:56 pizza and beer, pasta and bread.

9:58 It's the same effect.

10:01 According to the World Health Organization,

10:03 there are over 420 million people today with type 2 diabetes,

10:09 and that number just keeps going up.

10:12 In America alone, if our eating habits do not change in the next few decades,

10:17 that will be one in three.

10:21 That means it will likely be somebody you know and love, or it might be you.

10:28 We have all become so brainwashed to think that sugar on a daily basis is okay.

10:33 Frankly, it's reminiscent of when doctors used to endorse smoking.

10:37 Remember that?

10:38 The posters of the athletes on the bikes smoking?

10:43 Listen to this- this makes me so angry: I volunteer at diabetes camps,

10:50 so I see kids and what they eat every day, every summer,

10:54 and the standard recommendations given to children

10:58 diagnosed with type 1 diabetes today, is that they can eat as much sugar

11:02 as they want and just take more insulin for it.

11:06 The blood-sugar fluctuations that this way of eating causes to their precious,

11:11 growing bodies is a medical tragedy.

11:16 And it is devastating because the solution is so simple.

11:22 We need to eat less sugar.

11:27 Now, I've got to admit I love cookies,

11:31 so I'm not talking about never eating sugar again.

11:33 Let's be real here, right?

11:35 When I work with patients, I teach them the 80-20 principle: 80% of the time,

11:40 keep your food in healthy, wholesome choices,

11:44 and then put your sugar in the 20%- put it over here.

11:47 The highly-processed carb foods?

11:49 20%- over here.

11:51 But we've got it switched, right?

11:53 We're kind of like 20 healthy and 80 sugar.

11:57 Ahhh.

12:00 Our future depends on a healthy society.

12:05 Your contribution is needed in today's crazy world.

12:11 Sugar is never going to get you feeling your best.

12:15 And sugar is never going to help motivate you to have a great day.

12:19 Look at Pam.

12:22 So I ask you this: Would you like to have more energy?

12:27 Would you like to have less anxiety?

12:29 A better memory?

12:31 More productivity?

12:32 Better skin?

12:33 Better sleep?

12:34 More joy?

12:39 Reducing sugar and highly-processed carbohydrate foods

12:43 from your diet could change your life.

12:48 I see it every day with patients I've helped all around the world.

12:53 Now, you might be feeling resistant, like, "Oh, just overwhelmed.

12:56 Just like making a big change,

12:58 I feel paralyzed." Or you've tried it before, and you've failed.

13:02 Have no fear; I have you covered.

13:04 Because when you want to make a big change in your life,

13:06 you have to start with just small steps.

13:08 That's all you need.

13:10 So I've got you covered.

13:11 I have three steps for you to try over the next- you can apply them today.

13:17 If you're feeling really motivated, try all three.

13:22 Number one: [HAVE PROTEIN FOR BREAKFAST...] [eggs, nuts, cottage cheese,

13:26 sliced apple with peanut butter] Start your day with balanced blood-sugar level.

13:30 Then you're giving your body that balanced energy.

13:33 Trust me, you don't want to be like this- I do it a lot.

13:37 I do my best to avoid it but...

13:39 Have protein for breakfast.

13:42 Number two: Next time you're feeling that you just want a sweet;

13:47 you just had a meal but now you're like,

13:49 "I want something more after dinner or after noon," you want a sugary snack.

13:54 Grab a glass of water first.

13:57 Being dehydrated actually can feel like being hungry.

14:01 And so why don't you try water first?

14:04 You'll probably feel more energized because a 5% decrease

14:08 in hydration can correlate to a 20% decrease in energy.

14:12 So you'll have more energy,

14:13 and you probably won't need that sugary snack that will only

14:16 pop you up for a little bit and then drop you.

14:19 Okay, number three: There are so many

14:23 wonderful low-carb replacements now for high-carb foods.

14:27 Pizza crust that's made out of cauliflower;

14:29 pasta can be made out of zucchini noodles;

14:32 and- I love cookies- so I make chocolate chip

14:36 cookies out of almond flour and stevia as my sweetener.

14:40 There's so many great ones out there.

14:44 In conclusion, what I want to leave you

14:47 with is this, if it isn't already obvious,

14:52 reducing sugar in your diet could be life-changing for you.

14:58 Life-changing.

15:01 Please, you have beta cells; protect them.

15:04 You have the knowledge, and you have the power.

15:07 And if you reduce the sugar in your diet,

15:10 you'll be using your meals as they were intended to: to fuel you into greatness.

15:18 Thank you.

15:20 (Applause)