by Rowan O’Malley
Like most prepper-types, I love my stuff. I own countless gadgets and items that may be useful during an apocalypse. One of my favorites is my Leatherman Wave Plus multitool, which offers a plethora of mini emergency tools and yet folds up so small it will fit in the palm of my hand. You betcha, should the apocalypse roll through in my lifetime, I will have a lot of stuff to throw in my BOB on the run.
However, this slow-burning SHTF that we’re in today (frogs in a pot of water, anyone?) has had me questioning my prepper priorities. What if I have to flee and leave everything behind? My hero, Selco, whose writings I first encountered here on The OP has often identified his top SHTF priorities to not be things.
My Most Valuable Prep and Why
I now consider my brain to be my most valuable prep. It is, after all, where I store my most important stuff: my knowledge about herbs and medicines and my Irish “get up and go” that has got me through my life thus far. Now, you know what we preppers say, “One is none!” We all only have one brain, my friends! A recent bit of learning completely changed my relationship with my brain and how I treat it.
I thought I was eating a pretty decently healthy diet…Heck! I’m a homesteader, for goodness sake! I grow and eat a LOT of kale. What I learned was that eating sugar doesn’t just affect my body in the ways that I was familiar with….risk of diabetes, obesity, and inflammation, to name a few. I learned about new research regarding a potential connection between eating too much sugar and dementia.
Oh no, not my brain! As someone who lives a deeply thinking and reflective life as a writer, this flipped a switch for me. Suddenly, my weakness for chocolate and excessive sugar treats on runs into town looked different. What was I doing to myself? What risks was I exposing my precious brain to?
Our Brain and Sugar and Insulin and Alzheimer’s Disease
This new research about the relationship between dementia and sugar is in its early stages, and everything is not clear. The term “Type 3 Diabetes” is controversial and not recognized today as a formal diagnosis. However, what we do know is that there is one gene, the APOE4, which appears to be related to around 50% of Alzheimer’s cases.
According to the Mayo Clinic, “a variant of the so-called Alzheimer’s gene, APOE4, seems to interfere with brain cells’ ability to use insulin, which may eventually cause the cells to starve and die.” When someone has this gene variation, their chances of having Alzheimer’s are 10 to 15 times higher. In addition, it is also widely accepted that having type II diabetes also increases someone’s risk of getting Alzheimer’s.
The Mayo Clinic article also details the results of a research project in which they confirmed that a new insulin nasal spray not only slowed the decline of Alzheimer’s patients but sometimes even improved their symptoms. You’d think that this would be front-page news. I’m not sure why it’s not out there too much in the MSM.
My New Brain Maintenance Plan
In my own family history, I have a grandmother who lost a leg to diabetes and died shortly thereafter. I also have a great-uncle who had dementia and had to live in a secure facility. It was heartbreaking to visit him. The O’Malley women are of big-boned farm stock, and we tend to put on weight as we age. Several members of my immediate and extended family are pre-diabetic or diabetic, and one of these cousins recently had a stroke.
I don’t know if I carry the gene mentioned in the research, but I decided that I would take some serious steps to manage my risk and protect my most important prep: my brain. I reasoned that, whatever the relationship between dementia and diabetes and genes, it would help if I did not expose my body and my brain to large spikes in sugar.
I decided to give up all processed sugar entirely. I already ate a pretty healthy diet daily, but I decided to give up my often stress-induced chocolate and sweet binges for good. Now that I know that sugar spikes in my brain may be laying the groundwork for dementia, I would not enjoy them quite as much.
So, no white flour, no added sugar in anything, no fruit juices, no honey, no maple syrup. Basically, I only eat sugar when it is encased in fiber in fruit. I make Irish soda bread every week with whole wheat and spelt flour, and my crackers are multi-grain rye. Many people might be reading this thinking, what a pathetic doldrum my life must be without sweet treats. I disagree! In fact, I have adapted my favorite treat, Mexican Hot Chocolate, by adding two chopped-up dates to it instead of maple syrup. I find that now I taste the cocoa flavor more and enjoy the fact that it is delicious AND good for me at the same time. Another side benefit has been increased morning energy and a substantial loss of belly fat. Woo hoo!
The History of Our Brains: Why is sugar hard to quit?
I thought some background would provide context as to what we’re up against here in America regarding sugar. We are literally programmed to eat sweets to survive. Back in our hunter-gatherer days, a rare taste of honey was the sweetest thing a human might enjoy. The rest of our food was not sweet and was hard to acquire. When we found sweet fruit, our brains told us to eat it and not to stop because it helped us survive the lean times.
That worked until sugar became too easy to get.
Back around 200 years ago, in the 1820s, Americans ate around 9 grams of sugar per day (just over two teaspoons). Fast forward to the fast food revolution of today, and Americans are estimated to be eating 151 grams of sugar per day. (An increase of 7500%!!!!) Are you certain that’s not you? One 25-ounce bottle of soda has over 80 grams of sugar, which is more than 20 teaspoons, and that is not a large serving by today’s standards. Or would you like a large chocolate shake (32 oz.) from a major fast food chain, which has 168 grams or 42 teaspoons of sugar? Imagine sitting down to eat those 42 teaspoons of sugar in a row. Yikes!
We know that this unnatural increase in our sugar consumption is hard to resist due to our brain’s evolutionary programming. However, the new research I have shared shows that the effect on the long-term health of our brain can be devastating. I hope that by sharing my journey regarding sugar and my most important prep, my brain, I have given you some valuable food for thought.
Hey Sugar, How About Takin’ a Hike?
To sugar or not to sugar? How’s your own brain maintenance plan when it comes to sugar? Do you have any concerns about its long-term effects? What are you willing to give up, and what’s non-negotiable? Please tell us in the comments section.
About Rowan
Rowan O’Malley is a fourth-generation Irish American who loves all things green: plants (especially shamrocks), trees, herbs, and weeds! She challenges herself daily to live her best life and to be as fit, healthy, and prepared as possible!
From one Irish American to another – this is a great, and timely, article. Welcome to OP, hope to see more from you in the future! I’ve struggled with my weight all my life, especially starting in my 40s as it went way too high. I’m in my late 60s now and it’s really creating issues. Not diabetic, but have been prediabetic for 10 years. A knee replacement 3.5 years ago when I lost 47 pounds. Gained most back and am struggling to lose again. Was doing great all of October and November until Thanksgiving. I made pumpkin pies from pumpkins we grew and mmm sooo good! Way too good. We had extra and hubby and I finished that off in 2 days. So after being without sugar, the addiction is really getting to me again. My dad died 8 years ago from Alzheimer’s, and every time I forget something (too often) I’m worried it’s starting. I did read about the sugar connection only recently but you elaborated more on it. So far this morning, I’ve eaten right. White flour will be my problem. Hubby doesn’t like whole wheat or any other flour. I bake our own bread, and when I have it, not every day, I have it sliced very thin for my peanut butter or turkey or my egg sandwiches. Trying to eat more eggs and other lean protein. I do make Greek yogurt fruit and veggie smoothies and add spinach to make them delightfully green! I don’t like kale but have done the same with it and never taste it.
Sugar is addictive, it’s not just me. I’ve always said it’s my cocaine, as I once had a niece who was so addicted to drugs. Her total addiction to it really reminded me (in a larger way) of my sugar addiction. I think I’d crawl a mile on my poor knees over glass shards if there was a candy bar waiting for me some days. My niece is no longer with us because of a fentanyl OD laced into her drug of choice last year – another fentanyl murder of a young person in this country. I know sugar also kills but more slowly. I’m happy for your article and am copying it to read often. God bless!
i found your article to be inspiring. Can you please share your irish soda bread recipe?
Thank you, Susan! Check out this authentic Irish Soda Bread website for the real thing….lots of recipes there and history, too!
https://sodabread.info/menu
Thanks for your article & for sharing this link! I make a traditional brown and white cheddar dill soda bread and have been looking for a recipe using no white flour. I’m currently experimenting with freshly-ground sprouted oat flour combined with sprouted whole wheat flour. Not there yet so maybe the article will spark my creativity🤗 Welcome to the OP!
The human brain is ~60% fat. Cholesterol and saturated fats are the most important things for a healthy brain.
I went from an only just ok diet to full carnivore. Then stepped down to keto. Then stepped down to what I should have been doing before I started this year long cleanse. A diet I’m genetically predisposed to being of Hungarian descent. Something kind of like Mediterranean, but instead of all the oils I’m now using rendered lard, leaf fat and tallow for all my frying and baking needs.
I can now after a year use sugar and consume carbs as they were meant to, just enough and not in excess. When I use sugar it’s only pure unrefined turbinando, maple sugar or syrup. And lately that’s almost never. I simply don’t crave it anymore.
I gave up all desserts about ten or so years ago. I was going to stop eating them for a month or so since I wanted to lose a few pounds (which I did). But when I was going to return to my nightly dessert ritual, I found I really didn’t want dessert anymore. So with just a few exceptions (two specific occasions) I haven’t had anything dessert-like in about a decade. That being said, I do use honey, one teaspoon of sugar in my coffee, flour, pure maple sugar one morning a week (Sunday) and I do enjoy my red wine. As for soda, I haven’t had any in about three decades and don’t miss it at all. I am glad to see I might be a little more on positive side of the brain health equation.
What a great article! And welcome to this platform!
Years ago I became concerned about sugar, and changed my eating habits drastically. Just like you have. Kale and zucchini are my main staples in summer, and now it’s carrots and celery at every meal ( which is only once a day) but my morning smoothie does have frozen blueberries and strawberries for that sweet treat. These changes in diet have changed all my metabolic levels to the normal zone. And best of all- I will live longer, and my brain is sharp!!
Thanks for opening this topic!! ( It could be life or death for many people)
Interesting subject. I think that far too often preppers are focused on the “stuff “ part and fail to consider that their bodies and brains need to be in as good a shape possible.
I strongly suggest that people focus on carbs; reducing them. It’s not just the intake of obvious sugar such as white or brown sugar, honey etc but also what happens after carbs are consumed; even so called healthy ones like whole wheat flour. I no longer eat pasta or bread made from flour. I bake with almond or coconut flour. I urge people to check out paleo and similar diets, especially if you’ve gained weight or are having any sort of pre diabetes or diabetes related issues.
In America, the big jump in sugar consumption came with the large-scale production of maple syrup, believe it or not. It was also the precursor to the large-scale incidence of tooth decay! At least maple syrup comes from a tree and not a test tube!!!
I remember watching a “nature show” a while back wherein it was said “Sugar is rare in nature” as the video showed monkeys gorging on fruit. My take is that sugar should be rare in our diets as well. Unfortunately, it’s hard to get away from it with “modern” food choices. Still, we can try. Do your best to stay away from ANY processed foods. Reading their ingredient lists should be enough to put you off of them! Also, an interesting side effect of eating “farm to fork” is that your “trash footprint” will fall to almost ZERO. I’ve got three adults living in my house and a 96-gallon trashcan. What gets wheeled out to the road every week usually doesn’t even cover the bottom of the can!
I experienced a blood pressure episode a few weeks ago, even though I eat a mostly healthy diet. AND am on -2- blood pressure meds. Well, I put the salt shaker away (hello Mrs. Dash), gave up coffee, and sugar. I have zero problems with fat in my diet but sugar and salt seem to be my downfalls. So, my coffee is decaf now, I gave up salt, and my “sugars” are all encased in a fruit or they are occasionally Splenda. No pre-made products, no crispy coatings, no processed anything, and canned vegetables are rinsed before use. The result is 8 pounds lost so far, and a blood pressure that I haven’t seen since my 20’s. Good health is your most important prep!! Great article.
Just curious: those who have commented (or not commented yet) who’ve given up sugar and flour…..do you drink alcohol in any form?
Yep. I do. I’ve disciplined to moderate and enjoy beer, mead (homemade), and home distilled brandy (plum). I bought a cider mill at an auction this past fall. Next fall I plan on doing my own cider (hard and soft) and vinegar.
@ Carla
No, I don’t drink alcohol.
I’ll still eat sugar in its natural form; fruit and the like. I rarely eat processed sweets such as candy or cake anymore. Soda? HELL, NO! I backed off on the alcohol a long time back and lost a bunch of weight as a result. Funny thing is, I really wasn’t drinking much to start with; maybe a beer a day. I’m on a blood thinner now, so alcohol is a Bozo no-no, as it’s a blood thinner as well. I really don’t miss it. Truthfully, there’s NOTHING good about alcohol. There’s a reason the bartender says “What’s your POISON?”
I agree with you, having lived with the effects of alcohol on a family. Once in Sunday School, I asked if anyone could name anything good that alcohol does. One man said that wine is good for the heart, but I’ve read research that said a really good quality grape juice has the same anti-oxidants as wine. If that’s true, then the honest answer about why drink wine would be “because I want to drink alcohol and I like the effect it has on me”.
I grew jup a sugarholic without knowing it, until I was 19. Then I read that sugar is addictive, didn’t believe it, but decided to live without sugar just to prove the article wrong. Within a week I was crawling the walls for sugar. Yep, it’s addictive. I have avoided it ever since. Don’t miss it.
However, our bodies were originally designed to eat fruits, nuts and apparently grains. But apparently something changed with the world wide flood that Noah survived, so that we no longer can get the proteins and other nutrients we need without eating meat. We still need carbohydrates, enough so that those of us who have adopted the carnivore diet have our bodies take some of the meat and change it into the carbohydrates, even sugars, that we need.
So, on a normal day, I try to eat a balanced diet—some meat, some fruits, some grains, once a day a little honey, whole milk and usually some cheese, and get outside for some exercise in the sun. Some carbohydrates are good, when they come with the proteins, vitamins and minerals contained in the bran. And wheat get cultivars that were grown before 1950.
Still I avoid sugar and white flour and white rice. I recommend everyone else do the same.
Hey Rowan, this is right in my wheelhouse. On my journey of healing leaky gut (due most likely to childhood trauma, overuse of dairy, sugar, flour, and a myriad of other food I was apparently allergic to unbeknownst to me). Luckily I like healthy foods, like to exercise so weight hasn’t been an issue but arthritis became an issue with a little brain fog early in my 50s.
Sugar can be my downfall (and very quickly) even though I eat very cleanly & healthy. Food in it’s purest form is my mantra. BUT after a gut biome test I found out I had candida (not the gross woman kind 😉 but the intestinal kind that wreaks havoc with the immune system). It’s a hard one to get rid of without COMPLETELY getting rid of sugar in all forms.
So I did that, healed the candida (which grows bacteria very easily that creates illness & parasites wreaking havoc throughout the body). What’s crucial is SUGAR IS INFLAMMATORY! And is the precursor to ALL dis-ease. When the body is on fire (inflammation) it attacks itself creating autoimmune issues (arthritis, lupus, Crohn’s, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, etc.
We switched to stevia. It can be found in healthier stores & should never be mixed with any other blend (Splenda, Truvia, etc.) It’s great for diabetics because it doesn’t spike blood sugar. We get Zevia ‘soda’ for our drinks & it helped me curb my sugar desire after dinner.
Remember, pay now or pay later with health. Wish I’d become this knowledgeable earlier in my life. I could’ve saved my gut issues.
Hi Rowan, thanks for your article. The white death aka white sugar is quite possibly linked to numerous health problems, including blocked arteries by hardened cholesterol. Of course these are all opportunities for ‘big pharma’ to provide a magic cure which poisons your body in different way. Now Ozempic is the new fad for people with diabetes and some of my friends are reporting weight loss, but at what extra cost to their health. Whilst I love them to bits there is a common theme in their daily lives. The sit in their rear ends too much and avoid physical exercise/work. This practice becomes a loop. The more they avoid physical activity the more they lack the energy to do it so they sit on their bottoms to rest etc… To be fair to my truck driver friend, sitting for hours with no exercise type activity is contributing but as your article alludes to, we need to take responsibility and take action. Sometimes in this busy lunatic asylum we call society, it takes a determined effort to jump off the hamster wheel and search for the escape ladder. For things that are important in our daily life we schedule them, maybe even write a plan or list, whether that be a healthy shopping list, a meal plan, daily exercise schedule or listing physical tasks around home that contribute to good health like cutting the grass, digging a garden or looking for opportunities to ditch the convenience of technology/mechanical and take the ‘sweat’ option.