Sunday, 27 October 2013

Breaking The Sugar Addiction

By John W. Barker


It seems as though sugar is in everything these days, from ketchup to salsa to soup. It's in everything, I suppose, because we have come to expect it to be.And it's not just the white stuff we need to worry about. "Refined carbohydrates," such as white bread and white flour products, produce the same reaction in our bodies.Researchers have linked sugar consumption to everything from cavities to wrinkly skin, as well as wide range of much more serious health problems.[
[How To Break A Sugar Addiction]
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Some research has been cited that says sugar has not been proven to be a direct cause to these health problems and may not even be directly linked to them, but when you consider that added sugar is basically non-nutritional calories, the lack of nutrition and obesity can cause health problems in themselves.Sugar, some researchers say, can lead to the damage of healthy cells, and can lessen the effectiveness of white blood cells, leading to a weakening of the immune system. Too much sugar means lots of empty calories, too, which can lead to obesity. As any parent knows, when you fill up on sugar, you simply aren't hungry for nutritious meals. And sugar can make you hyperactive and irritable, too, as it knocks your body out of whack.When you eat sugar, your blood sugar spikes. So your body secretes insulin, which sends your blood sugar crashing. The result? Irritability and fatigue. Plus, you're hungry again and probably craving another hit of sugar, and so the cycle repeats itself anew.One of the nicest things you can do for your body (and your mood) is to reduce your intake of added sugars and refined carbohydrates.What is the Daily Recommended Sugar Intake?

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!

But it is. Dramatically. There have been oodles of studies done and the overall message is that diet soda can and does contribute to sugar cravings and to weight gain. As much as if you drank a regular soda! Why you ask? The studies are showing that it will trigger you to eat more calories when you have a diet soda. Here is a typical scenario of what happens:When I use to go through Burger King I would buy a Whopper, french fries, and to cut back on calories, a diet soda. Pretty typical of how we all start to drink the diet rather than the regular. Your body becomes conditioned to look for calories when it gets that sweet taste ( as it does when it gets regular soda or a sweet). So now it triggers you to crave additional calories ( energy) when it has a diet beverage. And thus the vicious cycle begins.Put another way: Your body needs energy to burn, so now it is suddenly not getting it when you drink the diet soda. So your body starts to crave more food, more energy and more calories. And that 0 calorie beverage is creating cravings that cost you more calories in the long run. It's like a furniture store that charges you no interest for the first year but get you big time on the back end and you wind up paying more.

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.

Sugar dependency is along the same lines as addiction to smoking, gambling or alcohol. Anxiety, depression and phobias are some emotional imbalances that can be connected to sugar addiction. Sugar causes an immediate gratification making the person that's addicted feel like they can't live without it. The down part is that the good feeling doesn't last long. In a short, you go from being energetic to feeling tired. You may have tried to give up sugar because you wanted to lose weight or avoid illnesses. This might trigger the same withdrawal symptoms as some drug addicts experience. Some symptoms are sweating, trembling, weakness and dizziness.

If you need to lose weight, consider a diet plan that focuses on reducing sugar intake. The Sugar Busters Diet Plan is probably the most well known. The idea of this diet is to reduce your intake of sugar and high starch carbohydrates, focusing instead on lean protein, low starch veggies, and whole grain carbs, in order to lose weight. Many of the low GI diets out there use this method, as well.

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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