Day : Make Over Your Grains
Consider refined grains basically just sugar in the form of simple carbohydrates. In fact, you might not think you have a sweet tooth, but if youre eating bagels and pasta on a regular basis, youre probably fooling yourself, according to Brooke Albert, M.S., R.D., C.D.N., founder of B Nutritious. Foods like pizza can have a lot of hidden added sugars from the sauce and crust, she says
The fix: Eat carbs, but make them whole-grain. Brown rice, sprouted-grain bread, and quinoa are all your friends. Try eating up to three servings a day of 100% whole grains. People who do so are 76 times more likely to get the most fiberwhich has been linked with weight loss.
Why We Crave Sugar
If you crave sugary foods, you’re not alone. Studies estimate that up to 90% of the adult population may experience food cravings. These cravings are often for sugary foods.
Scientists have long believed that cravings for carbohydrates and other sugary foods are driven by a desire to improve mood due to the fact that consuming sweet treats increases serotonin levels in your brain.
Serotonin, also known as a feel-good hormone, is a brain neurotransmitter that boosts your sense of well-being.
Although serotonin may be the cause of your food cravings, there are a variety of other potential causes that can also play a factor:
Use Artificial Sweeteners Cautiously
Replacing sugar with low- or no-calorie sweeteners can help cut calories, but the safety of regularly consuming these artificial sweeteners is often questioned.
It has also been suggested that weight gain is a possible side effect, despite the reduced calorie count. This is due to the fact that artificial sweeteners may encourage eating behaviors that increase cravings not only for sweets but for food in general.
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Death From All Causes
It may sound quite extreme to hear that sugar can kill you, but technically it is true.
The consumption of sugar has been well documented over the past several decades, and many sources have outlined how it can be detrimental to your health.
And sugar addiction caused by the overconsumption of sugar can lead to premature death.
A recent study outlined the negative effects of sugar on your health: eating too much sugar is clearly harmful.
This study, which looked at subjects over the course of 15 years, found that individuals who consumed 25% or more of their calories each day from sugar were twice as likely to die from heart disease as those who got less than 10% of their calories from sugar.
The takeaway here is that sugar can have a harmful effect on your health, and while it may not directly cause a heart attack, it is linked to heart disease and other conditions.
S To Fewer Sugar Cravings
Are you someone who cant stop eating sugar, once you start? Are you plagued with constant food cravings, especially for sweets or refined carbohydrates, such as pasta, bread or potato chips?
I understand! I was a compulsive sugar addict for over 20 years, as well as having 20 years of eating disorders My journey with sugar was a profound wrestling match. Today, it is a wrestling match that I value for how it helped me grow, face the holes in my being, and discover myself.
If youre looking for help with sugar, here are some tips to begin your journey. You may also want to explore this free video course on finding healing with sugar. For more help, please read on for a beginners ten steps:
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Buy Foods With No Added Sugar
Switch from pre-sugared brands of foods to those that allow you to add the sugar or sweetener yourself. This way youll have more control over the sugar youre consuming and will be clear on just how much you are having too. Cereals are a common culprit when it comes to high sugar intake. Completely cut out readymade sweet foods from stores and restaurants like cake, ice cream, biscuits, or chocolate. For most people, limiting intake and knowing when to have how much prove to be challenging. And if you stock these foods at home or allow yourself the occasional indulgence, you could easily fall off the wagon on a bad day and binge.6
Nutmeg Raisin And Coconut Cookies
This is an easy recipe that makes use of the natural sweetness of numerous delicious ingredients.
Ingredients
1/4 cup of hot water
1 cup of raisins
1 cup of oats OR almonds you choose!
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
2 teaspoons of honey OR 1 teaspoon of Stevia sweetener
½ cup of butter
400g of natural peanut butter
2 eggs
Method
Add your raisins, nutmeg and cinnamon into hot water and leave to soak for around five minutes.
Meanwhile, mix your oats/almonds, coconut, butter, peanut butter, eggs, baking powder and honey/sweetener in a bowl.
Add your raisin, nutmeg and cinnamon mixture to the bowl and work into a dough.
You may need to add a little more water as you work the mixture. It needs to be smooth and supple enough to shape into separate cookies.
Use a cookie cutter to create 15-20 separate biscuits on a greased tray.
Bake in the oven at 160C for 10 to 15 minutes.
Of course, your diet is only one part of your overall fitness journey you need to be exercising too! Why not take advantage of our free guest pass offer and head down to your local Fitness First Club?
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How To Fix A Sugar Addiction
- Eat regularly. Eat three meals and two snacks or five small meals a day. For many people, if they dont eat regularly, their blood sugar levels drop, they feel hungry, and are more likely to crave sweet sugary snacks.
- Choose whole foods. The closer a food is to its original form, the less processed sugar it will contain. Food in its natural form, including fruits and vegetables, usually presents no metabolic problems for a normal body, especially when consumed in variety.
- Have a breakfast of protein, fat and phytonutrients to start your day off right.Breakfast smoothies are ideal for this. The typical breakfast full of carbs and sugary or starchy foods is the worst option since youll have cravings all day. Eating a good breakfast is essential to prevent sugar cravings.
- Try to incorporate protein and/or fat with each meal. This helps control blood sugar levels. Make sure they are healthy sources of each.
- Add spices. Coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom will naturally sweeten your foods and reduce cravings.
Be Aware Of Sugar Substitutes And Alternative Names
Cutting sugar addiction is a challenge, and the first thing people cling to is sugar-free products.
However, be aware of marketing ploys such as no sugar added, or sugar-free because they artificial sweeteners in them.
The best example of this is a sugar-free dessert. If you see this in a grocery store, chances are that cupcake is not sugar-free, but rather made with a sugar substitute.
The rule of thumb is to read all food labels and take extra care when you see foods labeled as sugar-free.
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Sugar Withdrawal And Detox Symptoms
When people quit this substance, physiological changes occur. Within hours the hormonal levels change. The levels of insulin will start to decrease, allowing the body to access stored fats to burn for energy. After a few days, lipid levels start to drop, especially triglycerides. Over a prolonged period, palate changes, and things that used to taste normal later taste unpleasantly sweet, and palate adjust to require a lot less of it to feel satisfied. These are some of the benefits one will experience after quitting this substance but not before going through a withdrawal phase.
A Fluctuation In Blood Sugar
If youre craving sweets all of a sudden, most likely you are experiencing blood sugar fluctuations, Goodman explains. When your blood sugar drops, your body may be trying to get you to give it more fuel to keep your blood sugar levels stable.” To keep your blood sugar balanced, she recommends eating a healthy amount of protein and adding more high-fiber foods, like beans and legumes, to your diet, along with complex carbs. This will give you the fuel you need without the blood sugar spikes, she promises.
When your blood sugar drops, your body may be trying to get you to give it more fuel to keep your blood sugar levels stable.
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Other Things That May Work
I am pretty sure the three steps above would work for most people to shut down a sugar craving.
But of course, the best option by far is to prevent these cravings in the first place.
To do that, toss all out of your house. If you keep them within close reach, youre asking for trouble. Instead, keep healthy foods within easy reach.
Also, if you eat healthy and exercise several times per week, chances are you wont get cravings nearly as often.
Here are 11 more useful tips to stop sugar cravings:
Summary
Numerous other methods may help you overcome a craving for sugar. These include drinking a glass of water, getting good sleep and eating high-protein foods.
Enjoy A Piece Of Fruit
“I don’t know if it’s possible to eradicate sugar cravings because they’re part of being human. But I do think that nature gave us fruit for a reason,” Largeman-Roth says. “It’s naturally sweet and loaded with fiber to help us feel full. It also delivers a host of benefits, including antioxidants that help our bodies and skin stay young and healthy.” Training your body to crave fruit instead of processed sugar will be greatly beneficial to your overall health.
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Strategies To Cut Your Addiction To Sugar
Dec 9, 2014Carly FraserSave For Later
If you cant seem to kick the sugar habit, you might want to start. There are many strategies to cut your addiction to sugar, but these 15 tips are some of the best methods!
Refined sugar contributes to a variety of negative side effects like tooth decay, a weakened immune system, cancer, mineral deprivation, liver damage, insulin resistance, weight gain, premature aging, depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue, mood swings and hyperactivity .
Of course, not all sugar is created equal. When I talk about sugar, I mean highly-processed, refined sugar you buy in a grocery store. I am not talking about fruit sugar, which is processed by the body in a hugely different respect, and helps prevent all of the above mentioned rather than encourage it. Please, keep the fruit in your life! I have been raw vegan for 5 years, and much of my diet consists of fruit and leafy greens, and I feel younger and more vibrant every morning!
How To Stop Sugar Cravings: 8 Tips To Use Right Now
If you’re craving sugar, here are some ways to tame those cravings.
But won’t eating more often mean overeating? Not if you follow Neville’s advice to break up your meals. For instance, have part of your breakfast — a slice of toast with peanut butter, perhaps — and save some yogurt for a mid-morning snack. “Break up lunch the same way to help avoid a mid-afternoon slump,” Neville says.
Continued
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What Is Sugar Addiction
Sweet, sugary foods are delicious. Hence, its very common for people to complain about their insatiable sweet tooth. Some of us, however, feel like we find high-sugar foods a little bit too delicious.
No matter what we try, many of us cant seem to stop eating sweets, and its taking a toll on our health.
We feel like were addicted to sugar.
The idea of sugar being addictive, however, is actually somewhat controversial. Some think sugar addiction is a valid concern, due to similarities seen with other abused substances, including neurochemical changes.
Others, on the other hand, dont think theres sufficient evidence for the term sugar addiction to be used in scientific literature and public policy.
Many recognize broader food addiction but point out that processed foods with added sweeteners and fats appear to be the most potentially problematic.
For example, most of us arent spooning sugar straight out of the Domino bag.
The foods we struggle with most are those like chocolate, ice cream, cookies, and cake, which are highly processed, hyper-palatable, and high in both sugar and fat.
That said, you might not find the debate over sugar addiction very helpful.
You see your sugar cravings playing a negative role in your life. Yet, you cant seem to stop eating it. You may or may not feel like thats an addiction.
Fortunately, there are resources available to help you figure that out.
Treat Yourself Like Youre In Detox
The first week of sugar abstinence can be uncomfortable, when the cravings are at their most powerful. Be kind to yourself: this is not the time to tackle a large project, to implement lots of changes, or to work overtime. Why do people go to a spa when theyre detoxing? Because they need extra support. Likewise, give yourself extra support.
Go to bed earlier. Take naps. Cook simple meals Use exercise to support you walking, yoga, and more. Call on others for support and encouragement.
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Why Will Power Is Not The Answer
With the understanding that sugar is an attempt to meet our physical, relational, or emotional needs, we have a different approach to healing – especially in how we relate to cravings.
When we feel overwhelmed and our behavior feels out of control, we often try to gain control. We try to implement structure or use will power to change. We may try to control our cravings, emotions, thoughts, environment, diet, relationships, meal times, and more everything in our inner and outer experience that could potentially trigger a desire for sugar.
When this doesnt work, we often try harder.
But when our attempts to ‘fix’ our sugar habits don’t work, we often feel more and more helpless with sugar as our will power gives in. We can feel discouraged, frustrated, ashamed, and can criticize or attack ourselves.
Theres a way to unwind the drive for sugar. But it’s not through control. To unwind the drive for sugar, we build counterintuitive skills like turning towards our cravings, feeling, caring and supporting them in real time, in the body.
To learn more about understanding the pain that drives our compulsive habits – and why will power is not the answer – watch this video by addiction expert Dr. Gabor Maté.
Have A Chat With Yourself
When it comes to breaking a sweet habit, sometimes having a sit down with yourself helps. Ask yourself, Am I truly craving this bag of candy or is it just a habit? If you have a true craving you may be able to avoid it with a sweet herbal tea , a naturally sweet snack like an apple or you should have a go-to portioned best option, like a square of 70-percent dark chocolate. If there is no real craving at all and it is just a habit, well, then replace that activity with a new one, like reading a book, going for a walk or taking a warm bath.
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Add Chromium To Your Diet
Chromium plays an important role in controlling blood sugar levels, so making sure youve got enough in your diet is thought to help with sugar cravings. However, too much of it is also toxic the best way to get it is naturally through healthy food sources: onions, tomatoes, whole grains, bran cereals and potatoes.
How I Managed To Cut Down On Sugar
I came across an amazing book called The Power of Habit, which made me realize what bad habits I had formed when it came to my diet and helped me become more aware of the causes.
For instance: why do I reach out for that 4 pm Twix- is it because I am hungry or simply because I want a break from work? If you havent read it yet, I highly recommend it, its an eye-opener on how our mind works.
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So by now, I knew why I was eating so much sugar, but that wasnt enough to get me to stop.
Until one day, back in May, when I was browsing through Chole Ting videos on YouTube .
She talked about doing a 30 days sugar challenge and the great benefits that came with it. I thought to myself, its only 30 days. I can give it a try, I can do anything for 30 days.
Note, I had been thinking of cutting down on sweets for months now, but even the thought of a few days/week without any chocolate was absurd and could not be done in my opinion).
So, I decided to give it a try.
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