Does your life revolve around the next moment you get that mouthful of sweet goodness? Ahhhhh the taste, then you smile as you feel the warmth through your body, the uplifted mood as the feeling runs through you. You feel energized, happy.
This is the same result that happens when a narcotic is used.
Then what? Then comes the crash. Many of us feel tried, angry depressed. Others may experience headaches or joint pain. Oh to have that good feeling again, besides your hungry again, right? So, most of us reach for another highly chemicalized and processed sugary snack, perhaps with or without a cup of coffee or other synthetic energy drink. The cycle begins again. Sadly our bodies were given no real nutrients in the process.
Sugar cravings are natural. What is meant by this? Our bodies want to be in balance. We are naturally perfect running machines, and we use food as energy for basic things including movement and thought, but also the things that are not conscious like our heart beating, regulation of body temperature, and breathing for the most part without telling ourselves to do it. In order to keep the machine running our bodies ask for energy, but often we provide our bodies energy in the form of chemicalized and processed foods that may provide a short term fix, but don’t truly reward us in the end.
Excess sugar consumption can be detrimental to our health as many of us already know. Kicking the habit is often as hard as overcoming a narcotic addiction, so its ok if you need to ask for help. First, what are some of the negative health effects of over consumption? Most of us see examples of these issues in each other daily including obesity, depression, mood swings. Health issues include diabetes, hypertension, and anything related to inflammation including skin disorders, irritable bowel disease, arthritis and joint pain.
So what can be done? Educate yourself. How much sugar should I be eating? Where is sugar hidden in my food? What are healthy alternatives for me? Why am I craving the sugar?
To begin, the average American consumes 100-150lbs of sugar a year. That’s a human size solid chocolate bunny! The recommended daily allowance is about 10 tablespoons. There are 4 grams of sugar in a tablespoon. So if you like to eat a package of Blueberry Poptarts® for breakfast, then understand that you are having about 80grams of sugar to kick start your day. A regular Starbucks Frappacino® has over 40 grams of sugar or your total recommended daily allowance.
How do we find the processed sugar hidden our food? Label read. Sometimes sugar isn’t listed as sugar in the ingredient list. It may be listed as sucrose or your standard white table sugar, dextrose, maltose, corn syrup, or high fructose corn syrup. If it ends in an “ose” it’s a form of sugar. There are also sugar alcohols like xylotol, which is a sweetener, derived from the fibers of various fruits and vegetables as well as Birch tree bark. Anything ending in “ol” is a sugar alcohol. Careful here, because sugar alcohols are not easily digested and may cause stomach upset. Fructose is derived from fruit, but both fructose and sugar alcohols can be synthesized in a lab. As many of us know lactose is in milk and dairy products. On a personal account, I decided to make an Italian pasta dish that calls for sausage. Normally I head to the local deli where they make there own sausage that has pork and fennel and possibly cayenne pepper if you like spice. However, this particular day I was at my local grocer and I decided to see what options were available. I looked at the label on some Italian sausage and the second ingredient was high fructose corn syrup. ADDED SUGAR IN MY MEAT! Wow. Of course I put it back on the shelf and waited to make the dish until I had the preservative and sugar free ingredient.
So what are some examples of healthy alternative sweeteners? Honey, brown rice syrup, pure maple syrup, molasses, and agave nectar. Next time you have coffee or oatmeal, try sweetening with honey or one of the alternatives listed, rather than sugar or an alternative sweetener like aspartame. Why choose a natural sweetener? Well, this satisfies the sweet tooth, but also provides some vitamins and minerals, thereby actually giving your body what it needs when it asks for energy.
Some of us crave sugar all the time. One way to gradually curb sugar cravings is to eat foods that are naturally sweet on a daily basis. These include whole grains, fruits and naturally sweet vegetables like carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash. Your body will be given the energy and nutrition it is asking for.
What if you crave sweets at a certain time every day or just crave a sweet that you used to have as a child? Try feeding your craving by substituting with a healthier modified form of the original.
Did you know that one of the first signs of dehydration can be mild hunger? Oh so is that why all the diet programs tell you to drink all that water?
Also, sometimes our emotions get the best of us and we crave sugar because of hormones or sadness, or depression. Next time you get a craving ask yourself “what am I really hungry for? Is it really chocolate ice cream or am I really in need of a nourishing conversation or a hug. Perhaps all that is needed is a break from sitting at my desk, and a quick walk and breath of fresh air would satisfy me.
Your world no longer has to revolve around sugar. Now you have some basic tools to make the choice of what energy source you want and how to actually nourish your body.
References:
Integrative Nutrition, Feed Your Hunger for Health and Happiness. By Joshua Rosenthal. Greenleaf Book Group LLC, 2014
141 Reasons Why Sugar Is Ruining Your Health. By Nancy Appleton, PhD. www.Nancya
This is the same result that happens when a narcotic is used.
Then what? Then comes the crash. Many of us feel tried, angry depressed. Others may experience headaches or joint pain. Oh to have that good feeling again, besides your hungry again, right? So, most of us reach for another highly chemicalized and processed sugary snack, perhaps with or without a cup of coffee or other synthetic energy drink. The cycle begins again. Sadly our bodies were given no real nutrients in the process.
Sugar cravings are natural. What is meant by this? Our bodies want to be in balance. We are naturally perfect running machines, and we use food as energy for basic things including movement and thought, but also the things that are not conscious like our heart beating, regulation of body temperature, and breathing for the most part without telling ourselves to do it. In order to keep the machine running our bodies ask for energy, but often we provide our bodies energy in the form of chemicalized and processed foods that may provide a short term fix, but don’t truly reward us in the end.
Excess sugar consumption can be detrimental to our health as many of us already know. Kicking the habit is often as hard as overcoming a narcotic addiction, so its ok if you need to ask for help. First, what are some of the negative health effects of over consumption? Most of us see examples of these issues in each other daily including obesity, depression, mood swings. Health issues include diabetes, hypertension, and anything related to inflammation including skin disorders, irritable bowel disease, arthritis and joint pain.
So what can be done? Educate yourself. How much sugar should I be eating? Where is sugar hidden in my food? What are healthy alternatives for me? Why am I craving the sugar?
To begin, the average American consumes 100-150lbs of sugar a year. That’s a human size solid chocolate bunny! The recommended daily allowance is about 10 tablespoons. There are 4 grams of sugar in a tablespoon. So if you like to eat a package of Blueberry Poptarts® for breakfast, then understand that you are having about 80grams of sugar to kick start your day. A regular Starbucks Frappacino® has over 40 grams of sugar or your total recommended daily allowance.
How do we find the processed sugar hidden our food? Label read. Sometimes sugar isn’t listed as sugar in the ingredient list. It may be listed as sucrose or your standard white table sugar, dextrose, maltose, corn syrup, or high fructose corn syrup. If it ends in an “ose” it’s a form of sugar. There are also sugar alcohols like xylotol, which is a sweetener, derived from the fibers of various fruits and vegetables as well as Birch tree bark. Anything ending in “ol” is a sugar alcohol. Careful here, because sugar alcohols are not easily digested and may cause stomach upset. Fructose is derived from fruit, but both fructose and sugar alcohols can be synthesized in a lab. As many of us know lactose is in milk and dairy products. On a personal account, I decided to make an Italian pasta dish that calls for sausage. Normally I head to the local deli where they make there own sausage that has pork and fennel and possibly cayenne pepper if you like spice. However, this particular day I was at my local grocer and I decided to see what options were available. I looked at the label on some Italian sausage and the second ingredient was high fructose corn syrup. ADDED SUGAR IN MY MEAT! Wow. Of course I put it back on the shelf and waited to make the dish until I had the preservative and sugar free ingredient.
So what are some examples of healthy alternative sweeteners? Honey, brown rice syrup, pure maple syrup, molasses, and agave nectar. Next time you have coffee or oatmeal, try sweetening with honey or one of the alternatives listed, rather than sugar or an alternative sweetener like aspartame. Why choose a natural sweetener? Well, this satisfies the sweet tooth, but also provides some vitamins and minerals, thereby actually giving your body what it needs when it asks for energy.
Some of us crave sugar all the time. One way to gradually curb sugar cravings is to eat foods that are naturally sweet on a daily basis. These include whole grains, fruits and naturally sweet vegetables like carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash. Your body will be given the energy and nutrition it is asking for.
What if you crave sweets at a certain time every day or just crave a sweet that you used to have as a child? Try feeding your craving by substituting with a healthier modified form of the original.
Did you know that one of the first signs of dehydration can be mild hunger? Oh so is that why all the diet programs tell you to drink all that water?
Also, sometimes our emotions get the best of us and we crave sugar because of hormones or sadness, or depression. Next time you get a craving ask yourself “what am I really hungry for? Is it really chocolate ice cream or am I really in need of a nourishing conversation or a hug. Perhaps all that is needed is a break from sitting at my desk, and a quick walk and breath of fresh air would satisfy me.
Your world no longer has to revolve around sugar. Now you have some basic tools to make the choice of what energy source you want and how to actually nourish your body.
References:
Integrative Nutrition, Feed Your Hunger for Health and Happiness. By Joshua Rosenthal. Greenleaf Book Group LLC, 2014
141 Reasons Why Sugar Is Ruining Your Health. By Nancy Appleton, PhD. www.Nancya