Sugar Cravings

We all crave sugar. If you live in the US, it's what gets most of you through your day. On average, Americans eat 100 lbs of sugar per year. That's a lot of sugar. Most of us don't sleep well at night, and by the time our morning latte fix wears off, we're feeling sluggish. Of course, the easiest fix is to pop some chocolate. This takes us til lunch until we finally reach our afternoon slump. Around 3-5 is when most of us start getting tired, cranky, irritated. We eat more sugar to make it home and finish it up with some wine to go to sleep. Then we do it all over again. Americans are caught in a sugar fix cycle. A huge part of it is our American 'do it all' mentality. Most of us are just tired because we never take time to be still. Breaking the sugar cycle is tough but it is doable and will enhance your mental clarity, help you lose weight, and you'll feel less like you're on an emotional roller coaster.

It's amazing how much added sugar is in everything we eat from "healthy" cereals to granola bars to bread. Every 4.2 grams of sugar in one item equates to 1 tsp.
One example which I'm sure you've heard before...

One 12 oz can of Coke has 39 grams of sugar. Yep, you've just basically slugged back almost 10 tsp. of sugar. Who drinks soda anymore anyway? Just kidding. : ) How are you supposed to feel after drinking that?
Upon eating a bunch of sugar, our body has a sharp rise in glucose levels - the body sees the high amount of sugar and panics - it goes into emergency mode and works hard to burn it up. Then you have the crash.
Thus begins the vicious sugar cycle.
Sugar is hiding in most of your foods including baby food, tomato sauce, canned vegetables and peanut butter. Get into a habit of reading labels.

It's a bigger issue. It's easy enough to just say, stop eating sugar. If it were that simple, people would just do it. Sugar is addictive. Sadly, this is why many Americans are hypoglycemic and diabetic.

It's addictive for two reasons:

1. It will always leave you wanting more. You will always crave it if you are eating it.
2. Suddenly quitting causes withdrawal symptoms like headaches, mood swings, cravings and fatigue.

A note about cravings: Cravings are normal. Your body is always seeking to be in homeostasis. It works hard to keep you at 98.6. Your body always wants to keep you balanced. If you are tired, sad, irritated, depressed, your body will say, "wait, I want to feel good. I'm off balance." The Western, quick fix is to go to sugar. It works, for a minute. It will always leave you feeling worse. It does not solve the problem of, "why am I tired, sad, irritated, depressed?" It's also easier to avoid dealing with that question.
It's important if you are wanting to overcome your sugar craving to work with someone who can help you understand why you are feeling this way. There usually is an emotional feeling before you binge or eat sugar. Figure it out. You will feel more in control. Even if you eat the sugar anyway, give it a try.

Self awareness is always the first step in improving yourself.

SIGNS YOU MAY BE ADDICTED TO SUGAR
1. You crave it
2. You experience a crash after eating it
3. You experience mood swings and often feel irritated, annoyed, and/or sad.
4. You are tired for a good portion of the day.

TIPS FOR BEATING SUGAR CRAVINGS
1. Use a sugar alternative

Avoid fake sugar substitutes like Aspartame and Splenda found in diet sodas and other low fat, low sugar processed foods. Studies show that these have been linked to cancer.

Good alternatives:

Agave Nectar - made from the juice of the agave cactus. It's sweeter than sugar so you need less. It does not create a "sugar rush" like white sugar does. Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Raw Blue Agave is one of my favorites. Madhava also makes a really good one.You can usually find Agave Nectar at most grocery stores.

Honey - Also sweeter than sugar. Raw honey even contains a small amount of enzymes, minerals and vitamins. My husband was not so thrilled when I started buying Unfrosted mini wheats cereal. He now adds a little bit of honey on top and now he's happy. : )

Maple syrup - make sure its 100%. I use a little maple syrup in my oatmeal for breakfast instead of sugar

Molasses - very nutritious! It's derived from sugar cane or sugar beet. Contains potassium, calcium, iron and magnesium.

Stevia - Stevia is getting some attention and seems to be a trendy sugar subsitute. The taste is one you may have to get used to, but it's derived from a plant so it's natural.

2. Find ways to eat more sweet vegetables. Gradually, you will find that your refined sugar cravings are subsiding. Sweet potatoes, beets, squash are all examples.

Try one of the tips this week and challenge yourself to reduce your sugar intake!