When we think of sugar the first image that comes to mind is the sweet, white granules we put in our tea or on top of our cereal. Few people think of it as an addictive drug and perhaps even fewer think of it as the underlying cause of their weight gain. The truth is that sugar addiction is rife and if you have a weight problem the chances are it is sugar in your diet - not fat - that is the real cause.Research carried out by Nicole Avena, a behavioral neuroscientist, has gone a long way to proving that sugar affects certain chemicals in the brain (opioids and dopamine) in the same way that other addictive substances do. In short, her research suggests that a diet high in sugar results in cravings, withdrawal and bingeing - the classic symptoms of addiction. Add to this the fact that high levels of sugar in the blood trigger the fat storing hormone insulin and you've got yourself a binge eating, weight gain nightmare.[]
This helps to explain why anything that is pleasurable can potentially also be addictive. If you want to break your sugar addiction, I therefore recommend a two-pronged strategy. On the one hand you need to deal with the psychological side of your addiction, but you also need to think about how to reduce your cravings physiologically, by doing things that will help to make healthy alterations to your brain chemistry.One of the most pernicious aspects of sugar addiction is that it can easily foster binge eating in general. Repeatedly consuming large amounts of sugar can cause your insulin system to become somewhat reactive and unstable. Dips in blood sugar bring about general food cravings, and tend to push your appetite to get out of control. The presence or absence of an addiction to sugar can well make the difference between being able to control your eating habits, and being completely out of control
David Kessler, former head of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), claims that manufacturers seek to trigger a 'bliss point' when people eat certain products.It is time to stop blaming individuals for being overweight or obese. The real problem is we have created a world where food is always available and where that food is designed to make you want to eat more of it. For millions of people, modern food is simply impossible to resist - Junk food triggers our 'bliss point', The Sunday Times, June 28th 2009.
There are two very important things you can do that will biochemically reduce your craving for sugar. If you have a severe and uncontrollable addiction to sugar (you feel you have to eat it every day and cannot seem to voluntarily stop), I advise doing both of these things for at least two weeks before attempting to cut out sugar.Those two things are:Eat fruit every day,Get the right type of exercise,Although both of these things may sound difficult in themselves, they are not as hard as they sound.Firstly fruit: eating a good-sized bowl of fruit salad every day for several weeks will really help reduce your desire for sugar. Fruits contain fructose, a form of sugar that is metabolised more slowly than ordinary table sugar (fructose) and therefore tends to lead to a more even blood sugar level. Refined fructose in itself seems to be worse for health than ordinary sugar, so don't be tempted to buy bags of it and add it to your coffee. But fresh fruit is overwhelmingly good for your health, and will definitely help you to beat your addiction.
If you find it hard to eat fruit, as I used to (partly because if you eat a lot of artificially-sweet things like chocolate and ice-cream, fruit will not taste very sweet to you), try making fruit salads. Chop up your favorite fruits, mix them together and enjoy a generously-sized bowl every day.Be aware that fruit varies in quality, so you may need to hunt around to find fruit that's to your taste. Not all apples are created equal! Also make sure your fruit is ripe before you consume it. You may need to leave fruit in your kitchen to ripen for a few days after buying.
Sugar has no nutritional value but lots of calories and it goes straight to the bloodstream where it raises blood glucose levels, stimulates the release of insulin and contributes to weight gain. Overtime, it can lead to more serious health problems like heart disease, Type II diabetes and some forms of cancer.Sugar Is Hidden Everywhere.The goal in managing your addiction is to put an end to sugar cravings and eliminate hidden sources which are lurking almost everywhere. Sugar is relatively cheap and widely available which means it is added to almost everything we eat these days. Since the 1970's, the sugar content in processed food has nearly doubled. It is found in condiments like barbecue sauce, catsup, salad dressings and pasta sauce. Unless you read the labels, you may never realize how much sugar you are consuming each day.
Good combinations to try for fruit salads are:apple, banana, orange,melon, grapes, banana,Peach, orange, melon Don't be tempted to use canned fruit. For reasons that I don't understand, it just doesn't seem to curb sugar cravings in the same way. And as for dried fruit -- stay off it! It is so high in sugar that it may make your cravings worse.You also have to be careful of fruit smoothies, which can be high calorie if mixed with cream. However, sometimes when I find myself back in the grip of a strong addiction, I like to use the 'nuclear option' of banana milkshakes to help get myself off sugar. Use a kitchen blender to blend ripe bananas with semi-skimmed milk. You can also freeze ripe bananas and blend them while still semi-frozen for a deliciously-sweet drink that tastes so good you won't believe it's good for you.Alongside consuming fruit daily, also consider getting aerobic exercise. Aerobic, or cardiovascular exercise ("cardio") has powerful appetite-suppressing and craving-suppressing effects. Amazingly, recent studies show that this type of exercise even causes parts of your brain to grow in size, leading to higher mental acuity.
The type of exercise you need to reduce sugar cravings is the type that makes you breathe harder to a degree that feels taxing but comfortable, and your heart beat faster. Preferably you should be sweating. You don't have to go to the gym or run around the block; you can buy an exercise bike or cross-trainer and use it in the privacy of your own house. Even a skipping rope will do the trick. While very cheap exercise equipment may be unusable and put you off exercise, a good exercise bike or cross-trainer can be had for as little as around a hundred dollars online, and you can often rent out equipment locally.Try to get at half an hour's exercise every other day. Start your exercise with a five minute gentle warm-up. Listen to music while you exercise; find the most upbeat, up-tempo song you can that you like, and listen to them on an mp3 player while you exercise. Once your warm-up period is done, allow the music to entice you to exercise harder.
If you have a physical addiction to sugar, the best thing to do is to first start reading labels. Anything that lists dextrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, or sucrose must be thrown out or at least removed from your reach. Also keep a look out for any ingredient lists with the word "syrup" in it. Those are all sugar.You must get your mind prepared, because your body may experience some symptoms of withdrawal. If your mind is set, then you will overcome your addiction to sugar. The length of time it takes to fully detox depends on each individual person. Most experts say that a body will lose its cravings for sugar after having been without sugar for 4 full days. Here are some tips to get you through this temporary rough patch:
Tips to End Your Sugar Addiction.The best way to end cravings is to break the cycle completely. Start by avoiding all sugar including sugar substitutes. Read nutrition labels carefully. You may be surprised at how much sugar is found in processed foods.Consider 5-HTP to help curb cravings for sugar and carbs. The body uses 5-HTP to produce the mood boosting brain chemicals - serotonin and dopamine. Low levels of these chemicals can lead to intense cravings for sugar and carbs.Fight sugar cravings all day by drinking dark roast coffee in the morning. Studies show that a dark brew coffee helps keep blood sugar levels steady which lowers the urge to eat sweets.
This helps to explain why anything that is pleasurable can potentially also be addictive. If you want to break your sugar addiction, I therefore recommend a two-pronged strategy. On the one hand you need to deal with the psychological side of your addiction, but you also need to think about how to reduce your cravings physiologically, by doing things that will help to make healthy alterations to your brain chemistry.One of the most pernicious aspects of sugar addiction is that it can easily foster binge eating in general. Repeatedly consuming large amounts of sugar can cause your insulin system to become somewhat reactive and unstable. Dips in blood sugar bring about general food cravings, and tend to push your appetite to get out of control. The presence or absence of an addiction to sugar can well make the difference between being able to control your eating habits, and being completely out of control
David Kessler, former head of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), claims that manufacturers seek to trigger a 'bliss point' when people eat certain products.It is time to stop blaming individuals for being overweight or obese. The real problem is we have created a world where food is always available and where that food is designed to make you want to eat more of it. For millions of people, modern food is simply impossible to resist - Junk food triggers our 'bliss point', The Sunday Times, June 28th 2009.
There are two very important things you can do that will biochemically reduce your craving for sugar. If you have a severe and uncontrollable addiction to sugar (you feel you have to eat it every day and cannot seem to voluntarily stop), I advise doing both of these things for at least two weeks before attempting to cut out sugar.Those two things are:Eat fruit every day,Get the right type of exercise,Although both of these things may sound difficult in themselves, they are not as hard as they sound.Firstly fruit: eating a good-sized bowl of fruit salad every day for several weeks will really help reduce your desire for sugar. Fruits contain fructose, a form of sugar that is metabolised more slowly than ordinary table sugar (fructose) and therefore tends to lead to a more even blood sugar level. Refined fructose in itself seems to be worse for health than ordinary sugar, so don't be tempted to buy bags of it and add it to your coffee. But fresh fruit is overwhelmingly good for your health, and will definitely help you to beat your addiction.
If you find it hard to eat fruit, as I used to (partly because if you eat a lot of artificially-sweet things like chocolate and ice-cream, fruit will not taste very sweet to you), try making fruit salads. Chop up your favorite fruits, mix them together and enjoy a generously-sized bowl every day.Be aware that fruit varies in quality, so you may need to hunt around to find fruit that's to your taste. Not all apples are created equal! Also make sure your fruit is ripe before you consume it. You may need to leave fruit in your kitchen to ripen for a few days after buying.
Sugar has no nutritional value but lots of calories and it goes straight to the bloodstream where it raises blood glucose levels, stimulates the release of insulin and contributes to weight gain. Overtime, it can lead to more serious health problems like heart disease, Type II diabetes and some forms of cancer.Sugar Is Hidden Everywhere.The goal in managing your addiction is to put an end to sugar cravings and eliminate hidden sources which are lurking almost everywhere. Sugar is relatively cheap and widely available which means it is added to almost everything we eat these days. Since the 1970's, the sugar content in processed food has nearly doubled. It is found in condiments like barbecue sauce, catsup, salad dressings and pasta sauce. Unless you read the labels, you may never realize how much sugar you are consuming each day.
Good combinations to try for fruit salads are:apple, banana, orange,melon, grapes, banana,Peach, orange, melon Don't be tempted to use canned fruit. For reasons that I don't understand, it just doesn't seem to curb sugar cravings in the same way. And as for dried fruit -- stay off it! It is so high in sugar that it may make your cravings worse.You also have to be careful of fruit smoothies, which can be high calorie if mixed with cream. However, sometimes when I find myself back in the grip of a strong addiction, I like to use the 'nuclear option' of banana milkshakes to help get myself off sugar. Use a kitchen blender to blend ripe bananas with semi-skimmed milk. You can also freeze ripe bananas and blend them while still semi-frozen for a deliciously-sweet drink that tastes so good you won't believe it's good for you.Alongside consuming fruit daily, also consider getting aerobic exercise. Aerobic, or cardiovascular exercise ("cardio") has powerful appetite-suppressing and craving-suppressing effects. Amazingly, recent studies show that this type of exercise even causes parts of your brain to grow in size, leading to higher mental acuity.
The type of exercise you need to reduce sugar cravings is the type that makes you breathe harder to a degree that feels taxing but comfortable, and your heart beat faster. Preferably you should be sweating. You don't have to go to the gym or run around the block; you can buy an exercise bike or cross-trainer and use it in the privacy of your own house. Even a skipping rope will do the trick. While very cheap exercise equipment may be unusable and put you off exercise, a good exercise bike or cross-trainer can be had for as little as around a hundred dollars online, and you can often rent out equipment locally.Try to get at half an hour's exercise every other day. Start your exercise with a five minute gentle warm-up. Listen to music while you exercise; find the most upbeat, up-tempo song you can that you like, and listen to them on an mp3 player while you exercise. Once your warm-up period is done, allow the music to entice you to exercise harder.
If you have a physical addiction to sugar, the best thing to do is to first start reading labels. Anything that lists dextrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, or sucrose must be thrown out or at least removed from your reach. Also keep a look out for any ingredient lists with the word "syrup" in it. Those are all sugar.You must get your mind prepared, because your body may experience some symptoms of withdrawal. If your mind is set, then you will overcome your addiction to sugar. The length of time it takes to fully detox depends on each individual person. Most experts say that a body will lose its cravings for sugar after having been without sugar for 4 full days. Here are some tips to get you through this temporary rough patch:
Tips to End Your Sugar Addiction.The best way to end cravings is to break the cycle completely. Start by avoiding all sugar including sugar substitutes. Read nutrition labels carefully. You may be surprised at how much sugar is found in processed foods.Consider 5-HTP to help curb cravings for sugar and carbs. The body uses 5-HTP to produce the mood boosting brain chemicals - serotonin and dopamine. Low levels of these chemicals can lead to intense cravings for sugar and carbs.Fight sugar cravings all day by drinking dark roast coffee in the morning. Studies show that a dark brew coffee helps keep blood sugar levels steady which lowers the urge to eat sweets.
