Are you addicted to sugar? You may just be and not even know it. It seems that we are eating more sugar than ever these days. According to a recent article in Rodale News, Americans consume on average 20 – 30 teaspoons of sugar (that’s ½ cup) on a daily basis! Eating too much sugar can lead to poor health and can be one the contributing factors to obesity, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, hyperactivity, anxiety and depression.
Studies have shown that sugar can be just as addicting as alcohol, cocaine and other drugs, and that when people try to go off so much sugar, they actually have withdrawal symptoms. This is because consuming sugar releases neurotransmitters in the brain including dopamine and serotonin in a manner similar to what happens when consuming alcohol and drugs. People who consume a lot of sugar have trouble functioning without it at first.
It can be hard to cut back on sugar because it is addictive and also because it is in so many of the foods we eat and beverages that we drink. Sugar is in the foods you would expect like cakes, cookies and candy. It’s also in other foods that you might not think of like ketchup, sauces, some yogurts, and cereals (even oatmeal!) Sugar makes up a big part of the simple carbs that we eat including bread, pasta and rice. We also consume a lot of sugar in soft drinks, fruit drinks and sports drinks.
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The American Heart Association recommends that we limit our sugar to 7% of our daily intake. For women that means 6 teaspoons a day and for men it is 9 teaspoons. Here are some straightforward tips to help you reduce your sugar intake and get your addiction to sugar under control. It may be harder to do at first, but will soon become a habit (a really good one!) and you will feel much better for having done it.
Get the sugar out of your house: Go through your pantry and get rid of the super sugary foods like cookies, candies and other sweets. Also go through your cereals, sauces and other foods that you might not first think of as having a lot of sugar. Read the labels and if the sugar content is high, get rid of it.
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Have healthy snacks on hand: Replace the high in sugar foods that you got rid of with healthier snacks. These include foods like fresh fruits and veggies, hummus, cheeses, certain yogurts and more.
Drink lots of water: Reach for a glass of water instead of the fruit juice, the soda or sports drinks. Water is a much healthier alternative. Your taste buds will soon become used to drinking less sugary drinks and the natural foods and drinks will taste better.
Exercise: This can be as simple as taking a walk outside (and that is easy to do this time of year.) Getting adequate exercise will help to reduce your sugar cravings.
Eat three healthy meals a day: Eat healthy meals throughout the day with foods high in lean protein, healthy fats and whole grains, and this will help you to maintain a steady blood glucose level throughout the day which will in turn keep sugar cravings at bay. Try for example a fruit or veggie smoothie or Greek yogurt for breakfast instead of a muffin, bagel or cereal.
Avoid adding extras: Stop before you add the extra salad dressing, soy sauce or ketchup to whatever you are eating. All of these added sauces add up in sugar intake. Also do not add sugar to your drinks or if you do, try one of these natural sugar substitutes.
Start cutting back the sugar now and let me know how it goes!
Stay Healthy!….DocMatthew
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