Your Body Makes You Do It
Do you find you particularly crave candy midday?
If so, it might be because your bodys biologically wired to crave simple carbohydrates when its feeling low on energy.
Yep, your insightful, intuitive body recognizes that sugar will quickly turn into glucose in your bloodstream and energize you.
Happily you can still eat something sweet without experiencing that blood sugar level spike. Simple carbs are also found in fruits, veggies, and dairy products. Unlike candy, syrup, soda, table sugar these simple carbs have fiber and protein that slow the process of release so you dont spike and crash!
How I Quit Sugar
One of the things I quickly noticed when I began to address my unhealthy relationship with high carb foods, was that I had deprived my brain of healthy fats.
Sadly, I was a victim of the low-fat trend where we swapped out fat in all its forms for a diet that was very high in carbs. I truly believe that this was the beginning of my unnatural love of foods that were loaded with sugar.
I remember how I trashed all my high-fat foods and began only eating low-fat options. As long as the label said low-fat I thought I was good. It was after all that we heard over and over back in the eighties and nineties.
What Happens When We Eat Sugar
When we consume sugar, it stimulates dopamine and travels into our stomach. Once there, the digestive enzymes begin to break the sugar down into glucose, which is shuttled into your pancreas, or fructose, which ends up in your liver.
Too much glucose in your pancreas gives us what is commonly referred to as a sugar rush. This inevitably ends in a sugar crash because as Newton discoveredwhat comes up, must always come down.
This sugar crash is due to your brain reacting to too much glucose by producing serotonin, which makes you sleepy. Your pancreas, on the other hand, reacts by producing insulin, which blocks leptin , thereby making you feel hungry or perhaps crave more sugar, regardless of whether or not you have already eaten.
You see, sugar is not only dangerous to consume due to the fear of cavities or excess weight gain, but it can wreak havoc on your gut health. Studies indicate sugar delays the digestion of foods in your stomach, which creates discomfort by drawing water from your fecal matter. This can result in symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, and bloating.
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Know What Sugar Is Called
There are SO many names that sugar falls under, says Eich. Common ones include brown sugar, corn syrup, dextrin, dextrose, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, high-fructose corn syrup, galactose, glucose, honey, hydrogenated starch, invert sugar maltose, lactose, mannitol, maple syrup, molasses, polyols, raw sugar, sorghum, sucrose, sorbitol, turbinado sugar, and xylitol. The higher up these words are on the list, the more added sugar is in the product, notes the United States Department of Agriculture.
Health Experts Reveal Reasons You Crave Sugar
Unlike other unhealthy habits that people try to avoid, like smoking, excessive drinking or drugs, eating sugar is very common in people’s diets, both adults and children, and many of them aren’t aware of the side effects they face.
For this article, we wanted to do something different and we reach out to 25 experts in nutrition and healthy eating and asked them to express their opinions to the following questions:
If you are used to eating dessert daily and in one day you won’t have anything sweet around you will have to deal with sugar cravings. Eliminating sugar from your diet isn’t as easy as you may think. But thankfully, there is actually more things you can do about it.
At times, even if you aren’t hungry you will feel the urge of eating something sweet like chocolate, donuts, ice cream or something similar. Eating a lot of refined sugar impacts your health in many negative ways. You gain weight, your blood sugar level gets higher, and your diabetes risk also increases. But you already know this, right? Keep reading to learn the actual reasons why you might crave sugar and how you can actully fix it.
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What Are You Craving
Lastly, dont ignore why you are craving something. Its a sign that our brain is starving and our biochemistry is out of balance. Overconsumption of carbs can lead to a brain that is not properly nourished.
We have a and a Private Free FB Group you can join for added support. Randy and I want you to know that you are not alone in this battle, that there are people who want to stand beside you and encourage you on your decision.
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Is A Sugar Addiction As Powerful As Cocaine Addiction
I think wed all agree that cocaine is a very addictive substance. So how does sugar addication compare?
Consuming sugar sparks your nucleus accumbens , the area of the brain often referred to as the reward centre. When your nucleus accumbens is stimulated, it releases dopamine, and you begin to feel very good very quickly.
The more sugar your food contains, the more dopamine is released, and the bigger high you experience. But…
Just like cocaine and other addictive drugs, over time your brain requires more sugar in order to generate the same high. Your dopamine receptors become less sensitive to the presence of sugar, and your addiction to sugar grows stronger.
Some people even experience physiological changes within the brain when they eat sugary or highly refined foods . Their brains change and the sugar addiction gets stronger.
It is important to realize that sugar addiction is NOT just an emotional reliance on sweets and refined foods. If you cant resist sugar, dont be too hard on yourself. It has nothing to do with your willpower, or your desire to change your body has adapted to depend on sugar and, just like a cocaine addict experiences tremendous withdrawal symptoms if she were to cut out cocaine, removing sugar from your diet can feel impossible.
This can sound very depressing, but dont worry because there IS hope.There is a sugar addiction cure!
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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.
Sugar Hidden In Carbohydrates
I had to ask myself if there was something I had allowed in my diet that was sabotaging my desire to be healthy?
I began to really try to decipher all the different names and forms of sugar. This meant I had to face the fact that even so-called healthy forms of sugar could be a trigger for me.
In order for me to be able to get a handle on my over-consumption of sugar, I had to understand that besides cutting out simple carbs like bread, pasta, and sweet treats, I would also have to take a look at the complex carbs I was overly consuming.
Although complex carbs in the form of certain vegetables and fruits are a better choice because they have a higher amount of fiber. It didnt mean I could have an unlimited amount of these either.
Its not just about eating so-called healthy foods. For example, people will have a sugar-laden granola bar and think they are making a good choice. After all, weve been indoctrinated to believe that white sugar is bad but that other forms of sugar are ok.
In reality, some of these granola bars have more carbohydrates and sugar than a regular cookie or piece of cake. Its our responsibility to read the labels and know what we are consuming.
As someone who has struggled with a love of sugar, I had been fierce in limiting all forms of it. This was particularly hard for me since most of my diet was made up of foods that were high in carbs.
You see I was the person who would say not to protein in an effort to save her calories for dessert.
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Some Facts About Sugar:
- an average American consumes 126 pounds of sugar per year. This number increased from 26 pounds just in the last 50 years. No wonder we are all struggling to lose weight, sugar is hidden in everything.
- micro nutrient depleter and blocker. Sugar molecules do not let our cells absorb nutrients properly.
- upsets mineral relationships in the body. Basically, does not let the minerals get absorbed properly.
- creates chromium and copper deficiency
- blocks calcium and magnesium absorption
- depletes vitamin C
- and, of course, all of the above weaken the immune system!
Increased sugar consumption + decreased daily activities = insulin resistance and chronic disease.
Set A Daily Sugar Quota Where It Matters Most
Eating and drinking too much sugar can lead to weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease, note the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So focus on eating sweets when you enjoy them most. For many people, that means desserts. Dont waste it on hidden sugars in dressings, spreads, peanut butter, breakfast cereals, and soda, or added sugars in coffee or tea.
Once you reduce your sugar intake for the day, it will help you lose your sweet tooth. Again, sugar is incredibly addictive: The more you eat, the more addictive it becomes and the more it takes to satisfy you. The opposite is also true. As we eat less sugar, our tastebuds adapt and can be satisfied with less sweet options, says Eich.
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Getting Help For Your Sugar Addiction
If you think that you may have an issue with sugar addiction then take our sugar addiction quiz today. Admitting you are addicted to a substance is difficult. However, in order to move on with your life and become healthier and happier, it is an important step to take. The most important thing to understand is that you are not alone in your struggles. The resources that we offer are a means to help you overcome your sugar addiction once and for all, and finally, regain control of your eating habits and your life.
Sugar Is Super Addictive
A study was conducted with rats and it proved that they felt a stronger addiction towards sugar than they did towards something as addictive as cocaine.
Same goes for humans. People just dont like to admit it, but most of todays society is addicted to sugar. We eat it like crazy. Most people couldnt even imagine their lives without sugar, just like I did before I changed my lifestyle.
But its time we all start to break free of this sugar addiction! And I believe it is possible for each and every one of us to sugar cleanse!
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Make Sleep A Priority
Getting enough sleep is a vital key to success for good health. Not only will it help you stop your sugar cravings, but it will also keep you energized throughout the day.
Set a regular bedtime and decrease the number of distractions in your bedroom. Try moving your TV out of the bedroom and charging your phone in another room.
Sugar Addiction And Mental Health Issues
Sugar addiction is linked to anxiety and depression. Excessive intake of sugar has been shown to potentially contribute to depression, whether it is a pre-existing condition or one that is actually created by the excessive sugar itself. Part of the reason for this is because foods that are rich in sugars and carbohydrates actually interfere with the neurotransmitters that help stabilize an individuals mood.
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Side Effects Of Eating Too Much Sugar
While sugar is satisfying to the taste buds and the soul, the constant spikes in blood sugar and crashes that follow a binge can set off a host of effects, including fatigue, irritability, and anxious thoughts, among others, according to Sanford Health.
Blood sugar highs and lows can also perpetuate sugar cravings. When you’re consuming sugar, then you end up getting onto this whole roller-coaster ride of blood sugar dysregulation and that in and of itself can perpetuate physical stress, which then causes you to have more sugar cravings, says Dana Elia, RDN, an integrative and functional nutrition doctor in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and author of The Sugar Detox Diet for 50+.
Added sugar, which Americans tend to eat too much of, can be particularly insidious for health. According to a November 2016 study in the journal Nutrients, consuming too much can increase the risk for obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, cognitive decline, and certain types of cancer.
The 20152020 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting added sugar intake to a maximum of 10 percent of your daily calories. This is the equivalent of 200 calories, or 12 teaspoons , if youre eating 2,000 calories per day. One can of Coke contains about 9 tsp of sugar, for example.
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Sugar Has Zero Nutritional Value
Thats right. No vitamins, minerals, no NOTHING. Sugar is literally plain calories. And after you have some, youll only want more because it wont make you full.
Thats why people have inadequate amounts of sugar. Because they just dont know when to stop. They think if theyre still hungry, that means they havent had enough. And again, and again, and the circle never ends.
But next time you have sugar, remember how absolutely useless it is and dont give in to the feeling of needing more of it!
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Do You Have A Sugar Addiction
Did you know that sugar addiction, is just as powerful as any drug on the streets these days?
Sugar fuels every cell in the brain. Your brain also sees sugar as a reward, which makes you keep wanting more of it. If you often eat a lot of sugar, youre reinforcing that reward, which can make it tough to break the habit.
Scroll down for a free Best carb low sugar foods printable
Do you have sugar highs? The sugar in it called a simple carbohydrate is quickly turned into glucose in your bloodstream. Your blood sugar levels spike. Simple carbs are also found in fruits, veggies, and dairy products. But these have fiber and protein that slow the process. Syrup, soda, candy, and table sugar dont.
and sugar lowsYour body needs to move glucose out of the bloodstream and into your cells for energy. To do this, your pancreas makes insulin, a hormone. As a result, your blood sugar level may have a sudden drop. This rapid change in blood sugar leaves you feeling wiped out and shaky and searching for more sweets to regain that sugar high. So that midday sugary treat has set you up for more bad eating.
I am going to send you a chart that shows you the best carbs to eat to curb sugar cravings while not depriving yourself. Get it below.
Day 10 Cravings Will Be Gone
Corwin, R. The Journal of Nutrition, March 2009.Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, American Dietetic Association spokeswoman author, Doctors Detox Diet.Princeton University.Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, LD, Cleveland Clinic.Gearhardt, A. Archives of General Psychiatry, August 2011.Mozaffarian, D. New England Journal of Medicine, June 2011.Kidshealth.org.Harvard School of Public Health.CDC.Yang, Q. Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, June 2010.American Academy of Family Physicians.Columbia University.Welsh, J. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, September 2011.Johnson, R. Circulation, September 2009.Ahmed, S. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care, July 2013.
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How Friends Influence Teens’ Long
3. If you want a sweet treat, go for something low-glycemic and healthy that won’t trigger you.
Berries are great. I love eating big, juicy, red strawberries or copious amounts of blueberries . They are low-glycemic, meaning they produce very little sugar in your blood and body. They won’t trigger your addiction to sugar, and even if you ate a lot of them, there are virtually no negative consequences.
4. Be aware of the “just one drink” phenomenon.
Because of my interest in the addictive process, I have read the famous Alcoholics Anonymous “Blue Book,” said to be a good read for anyone with any addictive tendency .
The “just one drink” lie we tell ourselves is so true. People who struggle with alcohol will often tell themselves, after a stint of sobriety, that they can handle “just one drink” since they’ve been doing so well. They have that drink, and the addictive cycle in the brain gets triggered again. Before they know it, they are deeper into their addiction than ever before.
5. Don’t have it in the house.
This is a very simple rule of thumb, and it really works. I don’t fool myself into thinking I can resist having something sweet in my house. It will not last the week. Probably not even 24 hours. If I don’t have anything tempting in my house, and make it hard for myself to out and get it, that’s more than half the battle.
And don’t underestimate the power of sugar. Seriously.
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