I've given this considerable thought, because I spent years researching and writing my book "Sugar Shock!."
Here's how I define Sugar Shock:
SUGAR SHOCK™ is a mood-damaging, personality-bending, health-destroying, confusion-creating constellation of symptoms affecting millions of people worldwide, who often turn to processed sweets and much-like-sugar carbs, which send their blood sugar levels wildly soaring and plummeting. These people are suffering from what they may call sugar addiction or carbohydrate addiction.
The term Sugar Shock is intended to encompass the often-misdiagnosed and maligned condition of reactive hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), as well as other blood sugar disorders, from insulin resistance to diabetes.
Considerable research reveals that repeatedly over-consuming sweeteners, dessert foods, and culprit, quickie carbs (such as white rice, French bread, chips, etc.) wreaks havoc on your blood sugar levels, overstimulates insulin release, triggers inflammation, and could contribute to more than 140 health problems, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and "brain fog."
Victims of Sugar Shock also may experience such baffling symptoms as excessive fatigue, headaches, dizziness, cold sweats, anxiety, irritability, tremors, crying spells, drowsiness or the opposite (sleeplessness), forgetfulness, heart palpitations, nightmares, blurred vision, muscle pains, temper outbursts, suicidal thoughts, and more.
Ultimately, this insidious Sugar Shock roller-coaster effect brought on by eating too many inferior carbs hampers sufferers' ability to function at full throttle--or even half throttle.
Sadly, millions of people in the United States and other countries plunge into Sugar Shock every day, because as high as 80 percent to 90 percent of people in "civilized" societies are hooked on sweets and refined carbs.
In the United States, the average American consumes some 170 pounds per year in the form of foods, beverages, and sweeteners. As if that's not enough, the typical American takes in roughly 200 pounds of white, processed, fiber-stripped, nutrient-lacking carbs, including white breads, white rice and white-flour pasta. These foods are metabolized like sugar and therefore can cause the same problems created by eating too many sweets. (This is why I call them "much-like-sugar carbs," "quickie carbs" or "culprit carbs.")
But millions of people just don't realize that eating sugar and refined carbs could lead to so many problems.
Many people only make the eat sugar=weight gain connection. What many fail to realize is that your sugar or quickie-carbs addiction also can trigger heart disease, cancer, depression, type 2 diabetes and the ailments cited above. .
Incidentally, a number of celebrities and high-profile authors already have drastically cut back (or even entirely removed sugar from their diets), including Ellen DeGeneres, Jeff Garlin, Halle Berry, Marilu Henner, Suzanne Somers, Dyer, Caroline Sutherland and recently Dr. Wayne Dyer.
See my recent AOL News op ed piece about the great example that Ellen and Jeff are setting by proclaiming an anti-sugar stance.
Thankfully, our bodies are quite forgiving. Indeed, the good news is that you often can reverse or halt damage you case by your sugar or carb habit. Despite the fact many diseases can result from eating too many sweets, many, if not most ailments, can vanish (as was the case with me) or if anything, your symptoms may be greatly reduced just by kicking or cutting back on sugar and culprit carbs.
So, sugar and carb addicts, after reading this, do you still yearn for health-harming sugary foods and simple carbs?
I hope that instead t healthy, organic vegetables, fruits, whole grains, grass-fed meat, legumes, nuts and seeds entice you more? After all, as considerable research reveals, foods like these are your powerful allies in an anti-aging regimen.
Whenever I look back on my former sugar addict, I'm filled with gratitude that I got smart in the nick of time. In fact, at the rate my health was declining because of my sugar and carb habit, I might even not be here to help you now.
Connie Bennett is author of the book, Sugar Shock!, which has been praised by Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Marilu Henner and many others. She is now writing her next book, Beyond Sugar Shock, for Hay House. Connie is a certified life coach, certified health coach, experienced journalist and former sugar addict, who is now dedicated to helping people around the world to Break Free of their Sugar Addiction and Other Bad Habits (what she calls Babits™). Learn "10 Reasons You're Hooked on Sweets & Carbs" during Connie's free End-of-Summer Tele-Party on Tues., Aug. 31 at 8 pm EST. During this free conference, you'll also get a chance to get your questions answered. Sign up here nowhttp://bit.ly/bx8Bkf to attend Connie's End-of-Summer Tele-Party.