As consumers of roughly 160 pounds of sugar per person annually, according to recent reports, we need to be asking what the cost of our consumption is on our bodies and our health. Whether it's the sugar in what we eat or drink, and this includes the lattes, juices, sodas, and some alcoholic beverages-we owe it to ourselves to understand that sugar is making us fat and disrupting our body organs. Another more subtle but equally detrimental effect is sugar's action on the brain.[]
For many of us, sugar has an addictive pull that rivals cigarette smoking or heroin addiction. It may seem a bit outrageous to compare our sugar love affair to these drug addictions-I mean, doesn't just about everyone on the planet eat the stuff? Hasn't it been around-well, practically forever? If that's your brain talking, read on even if you don't have a weight challenge, because you'll add years to your life by becoming educated on the topic. And while it takes more than knowledge to change one's habits, the tragic truth is that most people never learn the facts or the solutions to food challenges they could otherwise overcome.The first step to getting a handle on your sugar habit is to take a look at the science of sugar and its effect inside your body. But before we take a look at what happens when we eat this non-food called processed sugar, let's talk about the law of sugar, which many of you have experienced first hand.
So how do you know if you're addicted to sugar? Do you crave sweets? Would you like to avoid sweets but find that you can't? Have you made a decision to avoid foods with sugar in the past but found yourself unable to follow through? Do you ever over-indulge in a sweet item to the point of embarrassment or nausea? Do you hide evidence of your "crime"? Does your mood or energy level change if you consume sugar? Does your mood or energy level change when sugar wears off? Do you find yourself obsessing about a food item? If you answered 'yes' to even a few of these questions, you probably are indeed addicted to sugar.
When this addiction is not discovered and diagnosed at the right time, the consequences are severe: hyperglycemia, type 2 diabetes, pancreatic problems, high cholesterol levels, hypertension obesity, anxiety and arthritis. There are behavioral consequences as well: hyperactivity, aggression, anti-social behavior. Overcoming sugar addiction is not so difficult, but you need determination. Firstly, you have to accept that you are suffering from sugar addiction. Recognizing the problem means having won half the battle. Then you need to break the addiction. Eliminate sugar from your diet. Here are some tips you need to know when you discover sugar addiction symptoms in your life:
We'll talk more about sugar addiction next time. Until then, you have two assignments,Consume absolutely no sugar-containing foods for one day,Keep a journal of how you feel and what you struggle with throughout that day and the next two days.The solution to any problem begins with the identification of the problem! Let's determine for sure that sugar addiction is a problem for you...and then, let's deal with it.This isn't (really) a rant about sugar because let's face it you've heard it all before. You are well aware that too much sugar makes you fat and has ominous links to type 2 diabetes. You know the facts, so I'm not going to patronise you with a concoction of sensationalist stats. There is one question I need to ask though, it's nothing special, but it is important 'are you addicted to sugar?' Take a minute, think about it. Addiction is when you cannot control a behaviour or action, can you control how much sugar you eat?
This is nice but where to seek help when you discover sugar addiction symptoms in your life? Where to find help?There are different levels of help. Some need just a helping hand from their friends. Others may need treatment in a sugar issues center. You may join an online support group. This may help some people. A new idea is hypnosis. Suggestions and sugar related hypnosis sessions work for a lot of people. Carefully devised exercises that stimulate metabolism offer another, more natural alternative. The will is extremely important. Be determined to win the battle. When there's a will, there's always a way. When things don't go as planned and the sugar addiction symptoms don't go away, don't hesitate to seek professional treatment.
While some manufacturers claim there is no such thing as sugar addiction and continue flooding the marketplace with foods that raise our blood sugar to dangerous levels, the fact is that addiction to sugar is a true epidemic in America and other nations where food is in ample supply. By educating yourself about sugar addiction and making a few simple changes, you can stop sugar from damaging your health and shortening your life. While this does not happen overnight, it is certainly not impossible.
The truth is that most of us avoid thinking about the harm sugar or similarly damaging high-carbohydrate diets are causing to our bodies. We do this because of the pleasure it gives us. It's even more pronounced when we use it as a reward or as a release from our busy, stressed-out lives. Sugar does make us feel better for a brief while, perhaps. But nearly all of us have at one time or another experienced the downside that comes with the crash, even if we didn't know what was going on exactly inside of us to make us crash. The ultimate tragedy is that while we might acknowledge that we have a sugar challenge-some of us might even be self-proclaimed addicts-we also tend to feel powerless to do anything about it.
But we're not entirely powerless. If more people looked at sugar's opiate triggering power and treated it like an addiction, doesn't it stand to reason that they'd have a better chance at overcoming their sugar habit? Yes, ignorance is bliss. But this kind of ignorance is literally destroying our health and the health of our children.Commit to yourself now that you will continue to educate yourself on both the problem and the solution. Books on sugar abound, so the good news is that there is an in-depth solution you can read up on further if you're serious about overcoming sugar addiction. If you're serious about kicking the habit, consider working with a naturopath or health coach. A great way to kick off your new resolve is to embark on a low-glycemic diet, especially if you can join a group that is doing it together.
Determining which approach to ending sugar addiction to take is a largely personal choice. Although it might seem as though the gradual, easy does it type of approach might not be as challenging as quitting sugar cold turkey, stopping bad habits right away is less detrimental to your health and will put you on the road to recovery much more quickly.Whichever method you choose, you can be certain that you'll reap rewards: not only will you feel better, you will likely lose excess fat and look better than ever.
For many of us, sugar has an addictive pull that rivals cigarette smoking or heroin addiction. It may seem a bit outrageous to compare our sugar love affair to these drug addictions-I mean, doesn't just about everyone on the planet eat the stuff? Hasn't it been around-well, practically forever? If that's your brain talking, read on even if you don't have a weight challenge, because you'll add years to your life by becoming educated on the topic. And while it takes more than knowledge to change one's habits, the tragic truth is that most people never learn the facts or the solutions to food challenges they could otherwise overcome.The first step to getting a handle on your sugar habit is to take a look at the science of sugar and its effect inside your body. But before we take a look at what happens when we eat this non-food called processed sugar, let's talk about the law of sugar, which many of you have experienced first hand.
So how do you know if you're addicted to sugar? Do you crave sweets? Would you like to avoid sweets but find that you can't? Have you made a decision to avoid foods with sugar in the past but found yourself unable to follow through? Do you ever over-indulge in a sweet item to the point of embarrassment or nausea? Do you hide evidence of your "crime"? Does your mood or energy level change if you consume sugar? Does your mood or energy level change when sugar wears off? Do you find yourself obsessing about a food item? If you answered 'yes' to even a few of these questions, you probably are indeed addicted to sugar.
When this addiction is not discovered and diagnosed at the right time, the consequences are severe: hyperglycemia, type 2 diabetes, pancreatic problems, high cholesterol levels, hypertension obesity, anxiety and arthritis. There are behavioral consequences as well: hyperactivity, aggression, anti-social behavior. Overcoming sugar addiction is not so difficult, but you need determination. Firstly, you have to accept that you are suffering from sugar addiction. Recognizing the problem means having won half the battle. Then you need to break the addiction. Eliminate sugar from your diet. Here are some tips you need to know when you discover sugar addiction symptoms in your life:
We'll talk more about sugar addiction next time. Until then, you have two assignments,Consume absolutely no sugar-containing foods for one day,Keep a journal of how you feel and what you struggle with throughout that day and the next two days.The solution to any problem begins with the identification of the problem! Let's determine for sure that sugar addiction is a problem for you...and then, let's deal with it.This isn't (really) a rant about sugar because let's face it you've heard it all before. You are well aware that too much sugar makes you fat and has ominous links to type 2 diabetes. You know the facts, so I'm not going to patronise you with a concoction of sensationalist stats. There is one question I need to ask though, it's nothing special, but it is important 'are you addicted to sugar?' Take a minute, think about it. Addiction is when you cannot control a behaviour or action, can you control how much sugar you eat?
This is nice but where to seek help when you discover sugar addiction symptoms in your life? Where to find help?There are different levels of help. Some need just a helping hand from their friends. Others may need treatment in a sugar issues center. You may join an online support group. This may help some people. A new idea is hypnosis. Suggestions and sugar related hypnosis sessions work for a lot of people. Carefully devised exercises that stimulate metabolism offer another, more natural alternative. The will is extremely important. Be determined to win the battle. When there's a will, there's always a way. When things don't go as planned and the sugar addiction symptoms don't go away, don't hesitate to seek professional treatment.
While some manufacturers claim there is no such thing as sugar addiction and continue flooding the marketplace with foods that raise our blood sugar to dangerous levels, the fact is that addiction to sugar is a true epidemic in America and other nations where food is in ample supply. By educating yourself about sugar addiction and making a few simple changes, you can stop sugar from damaging your health and shortening your life. While this does not happen overnight, it is certainly not impossible.
The truth is that most of us avoid thinking about the harm sugar or similarly damaging high-carbohydrate diets are causing to our bodies. We do this because of the pleasure it gives us. It's even more pronounced when we use it as a reward or as a release from our busy, stressed-out lives. Sugar does make us feel better for a brief while, perhaps. But nearly all of us have at one time or another experienced the downside that comes with the crash, even if we didn't know what was going on exactly inside of us to make us crash. The ultimate tragedy is that while we might acknowledge that we have a sugar challenge-some of us might even be self-proclaimed addicts-we also tend to feel powerless to do anything about it.
But we're not entirely powerless. If more people looked at sugar's opiate triggering power and treated it like an addiction, doesn't it stand to reason that they'd have a better chance at overcoming their sugar habit? Yes, ignorance is bliss. But this kind of ignorance is literally destroying our health and the health of our children.Commit to yourself now that you will continue to educate yourself on both the problem and the solution. Books on sugar abound, so the good news is that there is an in-depth solution you can read up on further if you're serious about overcoming sugar addiction. If you're serious about kicking the habit, consider working with a naturopath or health coach. A great way to kick off your new resolve is to embark on a low-glycemic diet, especially if you can join a group that is doing it together.
Determining which approach to ending sugar addiction to take is a largely personal choice. Although it might seem as though the gradual, easy does it type of approach might not be as challenging as quitting sugar cold turkey, stopping bad habits right away is less detrimental to your health and will put you on the road to recovery much more quickly.Whichever method you choose, you can be certain that you'll reap rewards: not only will you feel better, you will likely lose excess fat and look better than ever.
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