Sugar Cookie Nightmares

Bedroom, 2:30 a.m.

Me: (shouting) “Grant!”
Grant: (shocked awake) “What is it!?”
Me: “I can’t move!”
Grant: “You are having a dream, wake up.”
Me: “I’m awake! Get the covers off!”
Grant: (yanks off the covers)
Me: (now awake) “Oh, I was having a dream.”
Grant: (giant moan)

Usually one to have pleasant or oddly interesting dreams, this was the third night in a row of yelling myself, and everyone else, awake. Time to put on my Sherlock cap and investigate.

First line of inquiry: What in my routine has changed?

Obvious answer: sugar!

Can I blame Valentine’s Day or Grant for requesting sugar cookies? Nope. I ate the cookies, but my body didn’t like them as much as my head did!

Sugar may be delicious, but it is also destructive. Weight gain is only the beginning. Here is a short list of sugar’s negative impact:

• heart and other organ diseases
• high blood pressure and stroke risk
• chronic inflammation
• joint pain
• muscle stiffness and spasms
• cravings and mood disorders
• kills leptin, the chemical that lets you know when to stop eating
• immune system suppression
• skin aging and outbreaks
• sleep disruptions, nightmares, apnea (read more here)
• messes up hormones
• brain fog and cognitive disorders
• chronic health issues

Sugar cookie nightmares are real.

We only get one body. Taking care of it now is way easier than fixing what we mess up later. Life is too short to spend it sick and tired. Don’t give in to the lie that sweets make life more fun. Our physical and mental health are worth more than a plate of cookies! When we have a craving for something sweet? We can do our bodies a favor and eat a piece of whole fruit!

Full disclosure: does this mean I will never eat sugar again? Of course not. But I have the power to choose, and it is within my circle of control* to make choices that benefit me. *(note: this link will take you to Teawater’s Journal page at Mindful Caravan. Scroll down to view the Circle of Control slideshow.)

[Jesus said] “For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.” Luke 12:23

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2