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3 Sugar
Craving Killers You Need to Know
“Let
food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” ― Hippocrates
Jenna,
a mother of four, has struggled with a sweet tooth her whole life.
“When I
was a kid, I’d have a bowl of cereal in the morning. It came in an attractive
box with the cartoon character on front, and I’d eat it without a second
thought.”
She had
Oreos and Twinkies at school, but the apple and sandwich her mom made for her would
go uneaten in her lunch box. Dinner of course, wouldn’t be complete without
dessert, like a big helping of chocolate cake or apple pie.
“This
went on for years and years. Although my parents always encouraged me to eat
healthy, I’d always look for some form of sweets every time we ate.”
It
wasn’t until Jenna had kids of her own when she finally realized how damaging sugar
addiction is.
She
went on: “I’d try to kick my dependence on it and fail every time, so I kind of
gave up at some point in my adult life. But what really woke me up was seeing
my own children go through the same problems I had at their age. They were
gaining weight, had a hard time focusing on their school work, and they’d get
lethargic after their sugar rush. Plus, it was wreaking havoc on their teeth
too.”
So,
Jenna knew she needed an intervention not just for herself, but also for her
family.
With
the support of her husband and health professionals, Jenna managed to overcome
her addiction to sugar. Not only that, she also spared her kids from
growing up with an out-of-control sweet tooth.
“Our
family doctor referred us to a nutritionist and a fitness coach. It’s only been
a couple of months now, but I think that we’re on the right track,” she shared.
Why is
sugar so seductive?
Like
Jenna, millions of people worldwide are dealing with the dangers of consuming
excessive amounts of sugar.
In the
book “Sweet Poison: Why Sugar Makes Us Fat”, David Gillespie states that a
century and a half ago, humans didn’t used to consume added sugar (the kind
that’s found in food and drinks).
Today,
we’re consuming well over one kilogram in just one week!
Gillespie
further cites that twenty years ago, 1 out of 14 adults in Australia had
problems with obesity. And that number
has gone up to 1 out of 5 people.
We
all know how sugar feeds into the obesity epidemic – along with its
life-threatening effects – but why do we crave this sweet substance so
much?
For
one thing, the term “stress eating” exists for a good reason.
For
a lot of folks, it’s a normal reaction to grab something on the go for a quick
hit of relief when they’re frazzled from a busy day. And their food
of choice is usually processed and laced with sugar.
Another
reason behind this craving is a resistance to leptin, which is known as the
“starvation hormone.”
This
is to regulate the body’s energy reserves. So, if someone’s leptin levels go
below their personal threshold, it kicks into starvation mode, telling them to
eat more.
And
being resistant to leptin means you’re likely to binge, which of
course, includes sweet treats.
Other
factors behind sugar cravings include low serotonin levels, not
getting enough sleep and hormonal
fluctuations.
And
the biggest one of all is the slick
packaging and shrewd marketing tactics by companies that flood the
market with sugar-laden products.
Put
that all together, and you’ve got a recipe for a health disaster.
But
there is hope – by taking the right steps today, you can start turning the
tide.
Here
are 3 ways to finally break free from the sweet trap of sugar addiction:
#1: Purge ALL
sources of temptation
This
is the first step that most people skip when they’re trying to eliminate sugar
from their life.
Willpower
is an effective weapon against temptation, but it’s a limited one.
How
much ammunition do you have against killing the urge to tear into that
chocolate cake waiting for you in your fridge?
Chances
are, not much – especially when you come home from a long day and you’re
running on empty.
If
you want to beat your cravings at its own game, you need to play it smart. Take
sugar out of the equation, so you only have yourself left to deal with.
Search
your entire house and round up all the food with sugar. Go through your fridge,
pantry and every nook and cranny, and throw it out.
I
know that right now, it seems like a waste of money doing this.
But
if you think about the cost of seeing a doctor, or going to the hospital from
being sick…
…not
to mention the medicine you’ll need…
…then
it’s not such as bad trade-off, all things considered.
Grit
your teeth and absorb the cost of ditching that toxic junk from your
life.
Then
take it one step further and redo your grocery list from the ground up.
Sit
down and do an audit of the kinds of food you throw in your shopping cart as an
afterthought. Start replacing the unhealthy items from your old list and
substitute it with other food (more on that later).
From
now on, you’ll be doing a conscientious kind of shopping. You need to make sure
you don’t let any sugar back into your home.
After
all, this is the battle for your health, so you’ll have to resist the
“barbarians at the gate”, as the famous phrase goes.
#2: Deal with the
calorie deficit
After
you’ve eliminated sugar-rich food from your house, you’ll need to fill in that
void with something to sustain you throughout the day.
Certain
elements can be a good source of fuel, which includes chromium, magnesium and
zinc. When you stock up on these in your body, you’ll be able to interact
better with naturally occurring sugars (such as in fruits) and burn them more
efficiently.
That
way, you’ll feel less of a need to scarf down a donut for a little pick-me-up.
That’s
why people trying to beat their sugar addiction tend to lean towards food that
has these elements, such as nuts (quite filling between meals), seeds and
freshly-squeezed orange juice (and not the pre-packaged kind of course!).
Throw
in some meat as well, like beef, lamb and chicken, along with seafood such as
salmon and halibut. Other sources include green leafy veggies (like spinach or
kale), broccoli, whole grains, apples, bran and bananas.
Complex
carbohydrates are another ace up your sleeve. They help stabilize glucose
levels in your body so you don’t experience energy fluctuations
that trigger the urge to consume sugar.
So,
try to include complex carbs like sweet potatoes, brown rice, whole wheat pasta
and pumpkin to name a few.
And
here’s another one that’ll surprise you: water.
Some
who’ve successfully dealt with their cravings say that a clear glass of H20
does wonders. It’s their first line of defence because water helps with the
hunger pangs and distracts them long enough to find
something healthy to snack on.
Mineralized
water in particular contains elements like chromium, which can keep
your blood sugar level in the safe zone and dampen the
urge to consume something sweet.
This
is going to be a period of chaos, but always keep in mind that the
cravings do go away, as bad as they are. You just need
to support yourself properly to get through this phase.
Don’t
be afraid to ask for outside help, be it in the form of your family, friends or
a health professional. The more you check in with them, the more accountable
you’ll be.
#3: Get your mind
right
Now
that you’ve gotten this far, you’ve almost won the war against sugar.
There’s
only one more battlefield left to worry about, which is your brain.
Arm
yourself with knowledge. It will give even more reasons to cut
your dependence on an emotionally manipulative substance like sugar.
There
are plenty of resources, both offline and online, that will educate you further
on the extent of sugar addiction and what it does to your body.
You
constantly need to remind yourself WHY you’re doing this in the first place.
Dallas
and Melissa Hartwig, authors of “It starts with food”, point out that sugars
and sweeteners do not pass their standards of good food.
They
said that “it lights up pleasure, reward, and emotional pathways to the brain,
offering super normally stimulating flavors without providing the nutrition
that nature intended.”
That
means you need to rewire your mind and its thought patterns around consuming
sugar – and the psychological attachment to it.
Another
way to cut the umbilical is by starting a diary to list down the
times when those cravings come knocking. They might kick in when you’re feeling
or stressed, or skipped a meal like breakfast or lunch.
With self-awareness,
you’ll have a handle on what’s going on and stay on top of it.
Speaking
of which, there’s an interesting TED talk by Judson Brewer called “A Simple Way
to Break a Bad Habit”.
He
cited a study on how mindfulness can help break the cycle of addiction.
Now,
mindfulness is the practice of focusing on the present moment and sensations
your body is feeling (such as your breathing), often while meditating.
Brewer
asked participants who were trying to quit smoking to actually light up and pay
attention to what was happening to them.
One
said, “It smelled like stinky cheese and tastes like chemicals...YUCK!”
And
so, when you’re disgusted with how you feel after partaking in a bad
habit (like feeling bloated or lethargic after a crash), it breaks the spell.
I’ll
be honest: You will never NOT crave sugar.
But
you can minimize it to manageable levels so it becomes a non-issue.
And
while cutting out sugar from your diet is important…
…it’s
just the beginning.
To
really live a full, healthy life that’s free of diseases that come
with living in the modern world, you need a holistic approach.
You’ll
also need a plan to lose
weight safely,
improve your gut health and give your body what it needs.
This
won’t just help you prevent disease, but also REVERSE it.
For
more ideas to break free from the sweet trap of sugar addiction, watch this
video - How to Break Sugar Addiction: 7
Steps to Help You Stop Eating Sugar
Written
by Dr. Carl Bamlet who is a chiropractor and a certified nutrition specialist.
He creates the Food, Health & You Complete
Implementation System
which is a lifestyle guide primarily focusing on diet and nutrition.
Dr.
Carl Bamlet is a cancer survivor. He was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age
of nineteen, underwent surgeries and chemotherapy, adapted to a lifestyle that
eliminates all processed foods and the various toxins that people routinely get
exposed to due to the modern diet. He has been cancer free for twelve years.
He
is healthy and free from the various common lifestyle diseases. With the help
of this ebook, you can also prevent cancer, autoimmune diseases, irritable
bowel syndrome, metabolic disorders, diabetes, and many other ailments.
This
holistic guide will help you to embark on a lifestyle that is rid of everything
that ails our modern diet. The lifestyle guide does not recommend any
medication or fad diets. There is no expensive proposition or quaint lifestyle
changes. The different plans are easy to follow and they are relevant for
people of all ages and ethnicities, regardless of their history of medical
conditions.
To
find out more, click on Food Health & You
