On The Drew Mariani Show, Drew got into the sticky truth about sugar with Dr. Sean O’Mara, and it was… eye-opening (and a little terrifying)! Here’s what went down:
80 Pounds a Year?! Americans are eating an insane amount of sugar: around 80 pounds per person each year. That’s roughly 99 grams a day, which is double the recommended limit. Imagine 80 pounds of sugar piled up on your table. That’s what we’re putting in our bodies every year!
Sugar = Brain Hack 🧠💥 Turns out, sugar lights up the same parts of your brain as hard drugs like cocaine. When you eat sugar, your brain gets a little “hit,” which makes you crave more and more. Ever felt like you just can’t stop at one cookie? Yeah, you can blame your brain wiring for that.
Sneaky Sugars Everywhere 🍞🥫 Even if you’re not into soda or sweets, sugar hides in everything: bread, sauces, yogurt, you name it. Dr. O’Mara says the food industry knows sugar sells, so they sneak it in everywhere for profit. So even those “healthy” choices might be tricking you.
Gut Microbiome: Feed the Good Bears! 🐻 Here’s the science bombshell: sugar doesn’t just mess with your brain; it changes the “bears” (microbes) in your gut. When you eat sugary, processed foods, you’re feeding the bad microbes, which then multiply and crave even more junk! These little sugar-loving microbes multiply fast and make you feel those cravings even more intensely. 🐻🍪
Compounding Health: The Good Kind 🌱 Just like money can compound, so can your health choices. Every time you feed those “good” microbes (think fermented foods, whole foods, exercise), they get stronger, which makes you crave healthier stuff.
Global Sweet Tooth Spread What’s wild is that this sugar addiction isn’t just a U.S. problem anymore. Thanks to Western diets and globalized food companies, even traditionally healthy countries are seeing rising obesity rates and bad health due to our sugar-laden habits.
Bottom Line? Dr. Sean O’Mara gives us a great reminder. Choose what you feed, just like Joshua in the Old Testament: will you fuel your body with good stuff that builds it up, or the sugary snacks that break it down? It’s a choice but understanding the addictive and sneaky ways sugar gets into our lives can make a big difference!
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