It is my belief that sugar, in all its various forms, is at the root of every junk food craving. Every kind of junk food has some form of sugar in it: corn syrup, high fructose syrup, glucose, fructose, lactose, maltose, dextrose, etc. When most people say they are going to cut sugar out of their diets, they overlook the hidden sugars; so their addiction to sugar remains.I am going to strategically cut sugar-in every manufactured form-completely out of my daily diet for seven full days. This experiment will either prove or disprove my belief that sugar is the root of all junk food addictions. I will also document any physical, mental, and emotional changes that may happen as a result of completely cutting sugar out of my diet. This will take much planning and research, as many staples in my daily diet contain sugar.[]
So where exactly is this unneeded sugar found in? Milk, bread, rice, chips, candy bars, soda, fast food, processed foods and the list goes on and on.Milk contains lactose, a sugar that will be stored in your body as fat if you consume too much of it. Cereals, cookies, fast food, processed foods and soda contain high fructose corn syrup, which can be addictive. The more you eat, the harder it is to stop, and when you do stop, prepare to undergo a sugar withdrawal.
Condiments and Dressings.This is the "Sugar Free" age! There are plenty of alternatives to choose from! The only hiccup? Paying five dollars (or more!) for each bottle of sugar-free ketchup or sugar-free mustard! Again, I may resort to making ketchup and mustard myself if I think it's worth the effort.Checking my cupboards, it seems that my favorite instant oatmeal even has sugar already in it-12g to be exact! I cringe when I think of those unsuspecting people who add a little more sugar for added sweetness! In fact, just about everything in my cupboard contains sugar!
Anything that is canned, jarred, bagged, boxed, or stuffed in plastic tubing is processed and contains an insane amount of sugar. Nothing is sacred anymore! Even a cup of my child's breakfast cereal contains 17g of sugar! One cup! Pour some milk on that cereal and the poor child just ingested about 30g of sugar in one meal! That's assuming that the portion size is correct! Most people double-even triple-portion sizes without knowing it which means the amount of sugar consumption doubles or triples as well.
It may take a good week or two to completely remove every item that contains unnatural sugars and replace them with sugar-free alternatives. Most of the time will be spent "window shopping" at my grocery store to get an idea of what is available along with the estimated costs.Going completely sugar free will actually take much effort and planning seeing as how over 70 percent of popular American foods contain sugar. But I believe the effort is worth the end result of being, looking, and feeling healthier. Stay tuned for updates!
People can become addicted to many things. It is called sugar addiction when an individual craves sweet foods. It is a psychological and physical craving.Sugar increases serotonin production in the brain, something like anti-depressants. One of the ways you can tell if you're addicted to sugar is an extreme need to eat it. Once you consume enough of it your anxiety alleviates.
Eating sweets such as cakes, cookies and candy aren't the only way to add a large amount of sugar to your diet. Breads, pastas and snacks made with white flour are processed carbs that turn to sugar in your body. This type of diet can lead to all kinds of illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, digestive problems and even certain cancers. There is also evidence that memory, concentration and focus may be affected.
Eat as much fruit as you can. Eat fresh fruit and dried fruit; drink fruit juices and smoothies. Just make sure that all are 100% fruit and have no added sugar or sugar substitutes. Read the label for this information. The natural sugars in fruit are healthful, and have been consumed by healthy people for thousands of years. Refined sugar, in contrast, is created in an industrial process and is inherently unhealthful.Also, fruit contains the vitamins, minerals, and enzymes necessary for health, while refined sugar has none. Thus, fruit increases your energy, while refined sugar ultimately drains it.Fruit and natural fruit juices do not have the addictive quality of refined sugar.
There is hope for stopping your sugar addiction. First, you need to admit to yourself that you have a problem. Something that tastes so good and makes you feel better will make it hard to for you to think there is anything wrong. Don't try to fool yourself into thinking brown sugar or raw sugar is fine to eat. Brown sugar is only made brown because molasses are added to it. It is still regular sugar. Raw sugar is crystalized and refined white sugar. It has a tiny amount of molasses added to it. These kinds of sugars are also unhealthy for your body.
Water is an important factor in total wellness; it contains many minerals and is needed for good nutrition. Water can help in controlling sugar cravings. Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.Begin your day by eating a balanced breakfast. Make sure you have protein and complex carbohydrates. This will keep up your blood sugar level and lessen your cravings later on in the day. Replace your caffeinated drink with juice or herbal tea. Caffeine will cause your blood sugar to go down.Eat small portions of complex carbohydrates during the day. This will keep your stomach satisfied. Fruits, vegetables, wheat, grains and rice are full of nutrients. You will feel fuller longer because they are assimilated at a slower rate.Think of an enjoyable option when you feel a strong craving for sugar coming on. Listen to your favorite music, work on a craft or do some exercise. It's impossible to give up sugar overnight. Take one step at a time and you will reach your goal.
So where exactly is this unneeded sugar found in? Milk, bread, rice, chips, candy bars, soda, fast food, processed foods and the list goes on and on.Milk contains lactose, a sugar that will be stored in your body as fat if you consume too much of it. Cereals, cookies, fast food, processed foods and soda contain high fructose corn syrup, which can be addictive. The more you eat, the harder it is to stop, and when you do stop, prepare to undergo a sugar withdrawal.
Condiments and Dressings.This is the "Sugar Free" age! There are plenty of alternatives to choose from! The only hiccup? Paying five dollars (or more!) for each bottle of sugar-free ketchup or sugar-free mustard! Again, I may resort to making ketchup and mustard myself if I think it's worth the effort.Checking my cupboards, it seems that my favorite instant oatmeal even has sugar already in it-12g to be exact! I cringe when I think of those unsuspecting people who add a little more sugar for added sweetness! In fact, just about everything in my cupboard contains sugar!
Anything that is canned, jarred, bagged, boxed, or stuffed in plastic tubing is processed and contains an insane amount of sugar. Nothing is sacred anymore! Even a cup of my child's breakfast cereal contains 17g of sugar! One cup! Pour some milk on that cereal and the poor child just ingested about 30g of sugar in one meal! That's assuming that the portion size is correct! Most people double-even triple-portion sizes without knowing it which means the amount of sugar consumption doubles or triples as well.
It may take a good week or two to completely remove every item that contains unnatural sugars and replace them with sugar-free alternatives. Most of the time will be spent "window shopping" at my grocery store to get an idea of what is available along with the estimated costs.Going completely sugar free will actually take much effort and planning seeing as how over 70 percent of popular American foods contain sugar. But I believe the effort is worth the end result of being, looking, and feeling healthier. Stay tuned for updates!
People can become addicted to many things. It is called sugar addiction when an individual craves sweet foods. It is a psychological and physical craving.Sugar increases serotonin production in the brain, something like anti-depressants. One of the ways you can tell if you're addicted to sugar is an extreme need to eat it. Once you consume enough of it your anxiety alleviates.
Eating sweets such as cakes, cookies and candy aren't the only way to add a large amount of sugar to your diet. Breads, pastas and snacks made with white flour are processed carbs that turn to sugar in your body. This type of diet can lead to all kinds of illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, digestive problems and even certain cancers. There is also evidence that memory, concentration and focus may be affected.
Eat as much fruit as you can. Eat fresh fruit and dried fruit; drink fruit juices and smoothies. Just make sure that all are 100% fruit and have no added sugar or sugar substitutes. Read the label for this information. The natural sugars in fruit are healthful, and have been consumed by healthy people for thousands of years. Refined sugar, in contrast, is created in an industrial process and is inherently unhealthful.Also, fruit contains the vitamins, minerals, and enzymes necessary for health, while refined sugar has none. Thus, fruit increases your energy, while refined sugar ultimately drains it.Fruit and natural fruit juices do not have the addictive quality of refined sugar.
There is hope for stopping your sugar addiction. First, you need to admit to yourself that you have a problem. Something that tastes so good and makes you feel better will make it hard to for you to think there is anything wrong. Don't try to fool yourself into thinking brown sugar or raw sugar is fine to eat. Brown sugar is only made brown because molasses are added to it. It is still regular sugar. Raw sugar is crystalized and refined white sugar. It has a tiny amount of molasses added to it. These kinds of sugars are also unhealthy for your body.
Water is an important factor in total wellness; it contains many minerals and is needed for good nutrition. Water can help in controlling sugar cravings. Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.Begin your day by eating a balanced breakfast. Make sure you have protein and complex carbohydrates. This will keep up your blood sugar level and lessen your cravings later on in the day. Replace your caffeinated drink with juice or herbal tea. Caffeine will cause your blood sugar to go down.Eat small portions of complex carbohydrates during the day. This will keep your stomach satisfied. Fruits, vegetables, wheat, grains and rice are full of nutrients. You will feel fuller longer because they are assimilated at a slower rate.Think of an enjoyable option when you feel a strong craving for sugar coming on. Listen to your favorite music, work on a craft or do some exercise. It's impossible to give up sugar overnight. Take one step at a time and you will reach your goal.
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Great post! I wish a lot more people spoke about sugar addiction.
ReplyDeleteAll my life I have struggled with an addiction to sugar. The more sweet things I ate, the more I wanted. I couldn't eat just one piece of something without wanting more.
Since learning about nutrition and glycemic index, my relationship with food has changed dramatically. I have learned that there are healthy alternatives to sugar, and I can still have delicious desserts and not feel deprived!
When out to dinner with friends and colleagues and they order dessert, I an no longer bothered seeing the dessert, because I know I can go home and have something just as delicious that won't spike my blood sugar and is even good for me!
I'm talking about having Guilt Free Desserts.
I bought the recipe book for $34.95 USD, which does seem a little overpriced at first... but it is totally worth it when you take a look at the amount of content that is in the Book. Probably the best $34.95 I have spent in a long while!
The recipes are so easy to do... And you don't have to feel guilty!
Here's where I bought my copy.
This might be what changes you & your readers relationship to sugar FOREVER.
It did for me...
Best regards,
John