I began researching sugar addiction
about a year ago. My son, who is 13, is
a bright, loving, outgoing child. I
noticed when he turned 11 his behavior began to change. He would have a hard time focusing, sleeping
and his behavior was becoming more and more aggressive. Everyone said it was just his hormones. That did not sit right with me. Of course the next thing was that he had
ADD/ADHD. That did not make sense either
because this behavior came on all of a sudden.
At the time I was attending school
for holistic nutrition and we began looking at sugar and the effects it has on
your body. So I did some further
research on my own and discovered that sugar addiction is a real problem. I then began to look at my son’s eating
habits. As I traced back his eating
habits I realized that the problem started when I lost control of his
breakfast, lunch and snacking. In the
sixth grade he began eating school lunch and breakfast which consisted of
sugary cereals, refined carbohydrates and processed foods. After school he would hit the store for
candy, soda and juices. So the only
balanced meal he would get would be dinner.
All of the sugar in his diet was
causing a lack of focus, making him hyper and causing very bad, sometimes violent,
mood swings. I sat him down and
explained what I believed what was going on with him. I honestly told him that he was addicted to
sugar just has a drug addicts were addicted to their drug of choice. He did not like that and jumped on board with
the new program. I took him completely
off of sugar. I made sure he had whole
grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and got plenty of protein. He replaced soda with flavored seltzer, and I
must say he stuck with it. Within two
weeks time he was a completely different child.
After a few months I allowed him
minimal products with sugar substitutes, but his main diet remained the
same. Now almost a year later I allow
him some sugar products, as close to whole foods as possible. I still keep him very limited on highly
refined sugary products. He is still maintaining
to this day.
Sugar addiction is not a joke or a
fad. Most
people chalk sugar addiction up to lack of willpower or discipline. Sugar
addiction is actually about biochemistry, you were born with a body that is
sugar-sensitive. If you are
sugar-sensitive your body responds to sugar, alcohol and refined carbohydrates
differently than other people. When you are sugar sensitive, sugar acts like a drug in your body. In fact, it affects the very same
brain chemicals that morphine, heroin and amphetamines do. When you have a sugar-sensitive body, you are prone
to be addicted to sugar. You can’t not eat it. Because you are sugar sensitive, the “high”
you get from eating sugar is actually heightened. Life circumstances can also make you reach
for sugar to make you feel better.
Depression and high level of stress will make you reach for that feel good
“fix”.
Being sugar sensitive means you have unstable blood sugar, low serotonin and low endorphin levels, all three are out of balance. If you are sugar sensitive, what and when you
eat has a huge impact on how you feel. Eating a diet high in sugar, refined
flour, alcohol and junk foods affects your moods giving you a “high” and then
an extreme low until your next “fix”.
Some
people develop candida, which is an overgrowth of yeast in their gut, because
of the sugar in their diet. Candida revs
up the body's craving for more sugar.
This condition again is treated with cutting out the sugar in your diet
and strong probiotics.
Because your
sugar sensitivity is part of your biochemistry I do not believe there is an
actual cure. However, there are ways to
control your addiction. The best way to
control this addiction is to control your blood sugar levels.
Eating regularly
plays a huge part in blood sugar levels.
Eat
three meals and two snacks or five small meals a day. Also, include protein and
healthy fats at every meal. This will
keep you satiated and keep your blood levels from dropping. When you don’t eat regularly, your blood
sugar levels drop, you feel hungry and are more likely to crave sweet sugary
snacks.
Whole foods are
key. Choosing foods closer to its
original form means it contains less processed sugar. Whole natural foods:
fruits, vegetables, some whole grains and meat from animals that are fed grass
(not grains and antibiotics). Include
lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Begin to include a good quality multivitamin/mineral supplement and
omega 3 fatty acids. Nutrient deficiencies can make cravings worse. Vitamin B3 and magnesium seem to improve blood
sugar control. Replace sodas with club
soda, seltzer and sparkling water or try tea.
Very important
begin to read your labels looking for hidden and added sugar content. Below is a list of types of “sugar” used in
a variety of products. Try to avoid
products with any of the sugars listed below especially if that sugar shows up
within the first five ingredients. Remember
that most of the “complex” carbohydrates we consume like bread, bagels and
pasta are highly refined and have the same affect as sugar in the body and should
be avoided.
|
Agave nectar
Agave syrup Barley malt Beet sugar Brown rice syrup Brown sugar Buttered syrup Cane sugar Cane juice Cane juice crystals Carob syrup Confectioner’s sugar Corn syrup High fructose corn syrup Corn sugar Corn sweetener |
Corn syrup solids
Crystalized fructose Date sugar Dextran Dextrose Diatase Diastatic malt Evaporated cane juice Fructose Fruit juice Fruit juice concentrate Glucose Glucose solids Golden sugar Golden syrup Grape sugar |
Grape juice concentrate
Honey Invert sugar Lactose Malt Maltodextrain Maltose Maple syrup Molasses Raw sugar Refiner's syrup Sorghum syrup Sucanat Sucrose Sugar Turbinado sugar Yellow sugar |
Clean out your kitchen throw out all of the products that contain hidden or added sugars, including any juice, soda, candy, sweets and seemingly healthy snacks like granola bars, fruit and grain bars, instant oatmeal and sports drinks.
I know that trying
to avoid sugar can be a daunting task.
It is very important remove all sugar in the beginning so that your
blood sugar levels can be controlled.
You will notice that after a few weeks your taste for sugary treats will
diminish drastically. Once you believe
you are ready, you can begin to use “sugar substitutes” to replace regular sugar. I don’t recommend the chemical sugar substitutes,
but you can use sweeteners with a low glycemic index, my favorite is agave
nectar. A lot of people love stevia,
which is an all-natural sweetener, but I find it very bitter.
Begin to look at
what effect sugar is having in your body.
If you believe that you are a sugar sensitive individual start taking
some of the sugar out of your diet.
Remember as you are taking out the sugar replace it with whole natural
foods.
Let me know what
you learn from your body.
Healthy eating…
References:
That cupcake looks good, I guess that's why it's on the sugar list! LOL!
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