Alzheimer’s Feeds on Sugar

How we cut 60 pounds of hidden sugar—and started feeding the brain instead.

If you asked us whether our mom has a sweet tooth, we’d say absolutely, yes.

If you asked whether she has a 60-pound-per-year sweet tooth—about 1.2 pounds of added sugar every week—we’d laugh and say,
“Absolutely not!”

And yet… that’s exactly what we learned.

The average American eats about 60 pounds of added sugar each year—and a quick Google search shows similar numbers for Canadians and Europeans.

That’s roughly 20 teaspoons a day.
Not from desserts, but from the sugar hiding in “healthy” foods—yogurt, cereal, pasta sauce, bread, and even salad dressing.

📖 Harvard Health calls it “the bitter truth about added sugar.”

When we realized our mom could be consuming half her body weight in sugar every year—without even knowing it—we were stunned.

And that’s when everything changed.

The Question That Changed Everything

I still remember sitting in our neurologist’s office asking the question every family asks:
“How quickly does Alzheimer’s progress?” 

She didn’t rush her answer.
“It depends,” she said. 

“On what?”
“Lifestyle interventions.”

At the time, I didn’t realize how much those two words—lifestyle interventions—would change everything. Because the truth is, the meds (Aricept and Namenda) can manage symptoms, but they don’t slow the disease. 

What we didn’t realize then was that one of the biggest “lifestyle factors” driving Alzheimer’s sits quietly in our pantry.

The Hidden Sugar Problem No One Talks About

No one thinks they’re eating that much sugar. But it’s not just dessert.
It’s in your “healthy” cereal, your granola bar, your pasta sauce, your yogurt, your juice.
Sugar isn’t dessert anymore—it’s everywhere. 

When we started tracking our mom’s meals, we were shocked by how much sugar hid in “normal” foods.
Once we swapped them out, everything—from her focus to her energy—began to shift.

🧠 We didn’t cut sweet. We cut added sugar.
Our goal: reduce from 60 pounds to 6.
Not zero sugar—just a massive cut in the kind that’s quietly overwhelming the brain.

Why Sugar Matters for Alzheimer’s

Think of sugar as fuel—and Alzheimer’s as an engine that’s breaking down.

When too much sugar builds up in the bloodstream, the body becomes insulin-resistant.

The “fuel trucks” can’t deliver energy to brain cells, so the brain starts running on empty.

That’s what drives Alzheimer’s forward.

🧠 Every meal is a message to the brain: I’m helping you, or I’m not.

Find Out If Sugar Is Hurting Your Alzie’s Brain

A simple test called the TyG Index shows how well your body uses sugar for fuel.

When our mom’s score climbed to 4.64, we realized she’d slipped back into insulin resistance—and her brain was running low on energy.

🔗 Learn more about how to calculate the TyG Index and what it means

Step 1: Starve the Disease, Feed the Brain

You don’t have to live in a world without sweetness.
You just have to stop flooding the system.

Here’s what worked for us:

🍳 Start with a high-protein, high-fiber breakfast.

An empty stomach absorbs sugar fast—and that first spike of the day sets the tone for the brain.

Protein and fiber slow the entry of sugar into the bloodstream, keeping energy steady and focus sharp for hours.

Think Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or a veggie omelet—something real before any toast or fruit.

🥗 Eat real food.

Eggs, fish, chicken, olive oil, avocado, nuts, and vegetables give the brain clean, steady fuel. In most U.S. supermarkets, that means shopping the outer aisles—the ones stocked with fresh food.

🚶‍♀️ Walk after meals.

A short 10–15 minute walk helps muscles use the sugar that’s already in the bloodstream—so insulin doesn’t have to work as hard.

It’s one of the simplest ways to keep blood sugar steady, support insulin function, and protect your Alzie’s brain.

⏱️ Let the body rest between meals.

When breakfast and lunch include enough protein and fiber, your body stays satisfied longer—you won’t feel the constant urge to snack.

If hunger does creep in, reach for steady, brain-friendly snacks: a handful of nuts, unsweetened dried fruit, or an apple with nut butter (without added sugar).

These choices keep energy even, give insulin time to reset, and help your Alzie’s brain stay clear and calm.

🚫 Cut sugar in disguise.

Skip “healthy” cereals, protein bars, flavored yogurt, and sauces that are high in added sugar and spike blood sugar levels.

Every step helps the brain reconnect and function better.


🧠 Even cutting from 60 pounds to 30 pounds of added sugar a year can make a measurable difference.

The Revolt Always Starts at Home

It never starts with your Alzie.
It starts with you—the people who love them most.

We’ve heard it all:

  • “It’s just a little sugar.”
  • “We all have to die of something.”
  • “She’s dying—why not let her have some joy?”

We get it. Sugar feels like joy.
But for Alzheimer’s, too much sugar is comfort that comes wrapped in poison.
It feeds inflammation, clouds thinking, and slowly starves the brain of the energy it needs to stay alive.

You don’t have to take away joy—you just have to help joy last longer.
Cut the poison. Keep the sweetness.

Quick Recap: How to Starve Alzheimer’s (Not the Sweetness)

  • Start with a high-protein, high-fiber breakfast
  • Cut added sugar from 60 lbs → 6 lbs a year
  • Feed real food and walk after meals
  • Check your Alzie’s TyG Index biomarker

You can’t change the diagnosis.
But you can control the fuel supply.
Every bite either feeds their brain—or fuels the disease. 
So if you ever find yourself in another family debate about dessert, remember:
You’re not arguing over sugar.
You’re protecting their mind.
And that fight?
It’s worth every spoonful you skip.

Signos

Signos

Kevin and our mom started using Signos in 2024, around the same time Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) became available over-the-counter in the U.S. We chose Signos because it provides real-time data and personalized insights—it helped us see exactly how food and movement affected their blood sugar levels.

We went with the 3-month plan since the price difference wasn’t huge, and we wanted time to learn. However, now that we’ve gone through it, the one-month plan is a great starting point if you want to test the waters.

If you’re considering a 3- or 6-month plan, we have a $100 discount code you can use!

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