It is my belief that sugar, in all its various forms, is at the root of every junk food craving. Every kind of junk food has some form of sugar in it: corn syrup, high fructose syrup, glucose, fructose, lactose, maltose, dextrose, etc. When most people say they are going to cut sugar out of their diets, they overlook the hidden sugars; so their addiction to sugar remains.I am going to strategically cut sugar-in every manufactured form-completely out of my daily diet for seven full days. This experiment will either prove or disprove my belief that sugar is the root of all junk food addictions. I will also document any physical, mental, and emotional changes that may happen as a result of completely cutting sugar out of my diet. This will take much planning and research, as many staples in my daily diet contain sugar.[]
So far, my search for a sugar-free milk has turned up zilch. Even lactose-free milk still has sugar in it! I may take the advice of those who have an opposition to milk and completely phase it out of my diet during this experiment. I will have to find foods with similar nutritional value with which to replace milk (protein, calcium, vitamins A and D).There are many to choose from. Unfortunately, while the options are plenty, the prices are too expensive for my budget.Most cheeses are usually free of sugar because the sugar has been fermented out of the cheese. There are other forms of sugar-free dairy products available, but it almost certain that sugar-free dairy will contain some form of artificial sweetener. Reading labels will be important. I'm not too fond of artificial sweetners, so I may have to do more research on acceptable kinds of dairy during this experiment.
The World Health Organization recommends reducing your intake of added sugars to less than 10 percent of your total caloric intake. That means, if you eat 2,000 calories, you should eat less than 12 teaspoons of sugar each day. The US Department of Agriculture also recommends limiting your consumption of added sugar to between 6 and 12 teaspoons of sugar each day, depending on your daily average caloric intake. (Six teaspoons a day for people who eat 1,600 calories; 12 teaspoons if you eat 2,200 calories each day.) Keep in mind that a single 12-ounce soft drink contains 10 teaspoons of sugar.To find out how much sugar is in some of the items in your cupboards, look for Sugars (measured in grams) on the Nutrition Label. Then divide the number of grams by 4 to get the number of teaspoons. So, 12 grams of sugar is 3 teaspoons of sugar. Sixteen grams of sugar is 4 teaspoons.
How to Break Your Sugar Addiction.So how do you start to reduce your sugar intake? Here are some tips.Try decreasing your intake of added sugar gradually. It can be difficult to suddenly cut all added sugar and refined carbohydrates. Try taking a week-by-week approach. One week, add less sugar to your morning coffee. Next week, replace your afternoon soda with bottled water. The following week, replace white bread with a whole grain alternative. Before long, you will find that the foods (and drinks) you used to love now taste sickeningly sweet. And you will likely find it easier to keep your moods on an even keel, too.
Keep notes on your sugar intake in your journal or Daytimer. How does decreasing your sugar levels impact your energy levels? Your mood during the day? Your ability to fall asleep at night? When do sugar cravings hit? It might be helpful to start with a Sugar Fast for a day or two. See how one day without added sugars affects you.Make easy substitutions. Buy brown rice instead of white rice, for example. Brown rice has a nice, nutty flavor, and takes just a bit longer to cook. The next time you go to the store, experiment with all kinds of whole grain alternatives. You might find some new family favorites.Keep healthy snacks readily available, and rely on a bit of protein in your snacks to keep your energy levels high. Keep a small bowl of nuts on the table, along with fresh fruits. When you are hungry for a mid afternoon snack, opt for lean protein and complex carbs.
Indulge in moderation. If you are a chocoholic, treat yourself to a square of fine chocolate at the end of a long day. When the chocolate is quality, you won't feel the need to have more and you'll be more apt to take your time and savor it. When you do indulge in a sugary snack, keep it small, eat it slowly, and eat a bit of protein, too, to help moderate those blood sugar spikes and dips.Dilute the fruit juice. If you or kids love fruit juice, try diluting it gradually to the point where you are just adding a splash to the top of water.Become a sugar detective. You can start by knowing the alternate names for added sugars, often found in ingredients lists. These include any ingredient that ends in the suffix "-ose," including sucrose, dextrose, fructose, lactose, polydextrose, maltose, and galactose. Also, look for the following: corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, molasses, carob syrup, turbinado sugar, fruit juice concentrate, brown sugar, cane juice, cane sugar, evaporated cane juice, beet sugar, and sorbitol.
Eating sweets such as cakes, cookies and candy aren't the only way to add a large amount of sugar to your diet. Breads, pastas and snacks made with white flour are processed carbs that turn to sugar in your body. This type of diet can lead to all kinds of illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, digestive problems and even certain cancers. There is also evidence that memory, concentration and focus may be affected.
Sugar dependency is along the same lines as addiction to smoking, gambling or alcohol. Anxiety, depression and phobias are some emotional imbalances that can be connected to sugar addiction. Sugar causes an immediate gratification making the person that's addicted feel like they can't live without it. The down part is that the good feeling doesn't last long. In a short, you go from being energetic to feeling tired. You may have tried to give up sugar because you wanted to lose weight or avoid illnesses. This might trigger the same withdrawal symptoms as some drug addicts experience. Some symptoms are sweating, trembling, weakness and dizziness.
If you need to lose weight, consider a diet plan that focuses on reducing sugar intake. The Sugar Busters Diet Plan is probably the most well known. The idea of this diet is to reduce your intake of sugar and high starch carbohydrates, focusing instead on lean protein, low starch veggies, and whole grain carbs, in order to lose weight. Many of the low GI diets out there use this method, as well.
Be careful not to make sugar taboo in your household. With children, especially, when you swear off something completely, you run the risk of creating a mystique around the forbidden food. Instead of running a completely sugar free household, make sure your children understand the effects that sugar can have on their bodies and their moods, and then help them understand the beauty of moderation. Encourage them to eat low fat protein and help them develop a taste for healthy whole grain carbs. Focus on well balanced, nutritious diet, instead of simply swearing off all sugar. Your cravings will slowly and naturally fade once you gain a better understanding of why they are cropping up in the first place.
[How To Break A Sugar Addiction]
So far, my search for a sugar-free milk has turned up zilch. Even lactose-free milk still has sugar in it! I may take the advice of those who have an opposition to milk and completely phase it out of my diet during this experiment. I will have to find foods with similar nutritional value with which to replace milk (protein, calcium, vitamins A and D).There are many to choose from. Unfortunately, while the options are plenty, the prices are too expensive for my budget.Most cheeses are usually free of sugar because the sugar has been fermented out of the cheese. There are other forms of sugar-free dairy products available, but it almost certain that sugar-free dairy will contain some form of artificial sweetener. Reading labels will be important. I'm not too fond of artificial sweetners, so I may have to do more research on acceptable kinds of dairy during this experiment.
The World Health Organization recommends reducing your intake of added sugars to less than 10 percent of your total caloric intake. That means, if you eat 2,000 calories, you should eat less than 12 teaspoons of sugar each day. The US Department of Agriculture also recommends limiting your consumption of added sugar to between 6 and 12 teaspoons of sugar each day, depending on your daily average caloric intake. (Six teaspoons a day for people who eat 1,600 calories; 12 teaspoons if you eat 2,200 calories each day.) Keep in mind that a single 12-ounce soft drink contains 10 teaspoons of sugar.To find out how much sugar is in some of the items in your cupboards, look for Sugars (measured in grams) on the Nutrition Label. Then divide the number of grams by 4 to get the number of teaspoons. So, 12 grams of sugar is 3 teaspoons of sugar. Sixteen grams of sugar is 4 teaspoons.
How to Break Your Sugar Addiction.So how do you start to reduce your sugar intake? Here are some tips.Try decreasing your intake of added sugar gradually. It can be difficult to suddenly cut all added sugar and refined carbohydrates. Try taking a week-by-week approach. One week, add less sugar to your morning coffee. Next week, replace your afternoon soda with bottled water. The following week, replace white bread with a whole grain alternative. Before long, you will find that the foods (and drinks) you used to love now taste sickeningly sweet. And you will likely find it easier to keep your moods on an even keel, too.
Keep notes on your sugar intake in your journal or Daytimer. How does decreasing your sugar levels impact your energy levels? Your mood during the day? Your ability to fall asleep at night? When do sugar cravings hit? It might be helpful to start with a Sugar Fast for a day or two. See how one day without added sugars affects you.Make easy substitutions. Buy brown rice instead of white rice, for example. Brown rice has a nice, nutty flavor, and takes just a bit longer to cook. The next time you go to the store, experiment with all kinds of whole grain alternatives. You might find some new family favorites.Keep healthy snacks readily available, and rely on a bit of protein in your snacks to keep your energy levels high. Keep a small bowl of nuts on the table, along with fresh fruits. When you are hungry for a mid afternoon snack, opt for lean protein and complex carbs.
Indulge in moderation. If you are a chocoholic, treat yourself to a square of fine chocolate at the end of a long day. When the chocolate is quality, you won't feel the need to have more and you'll be more apt to take your time and savor it. When you do indulge in a sugary snack, keep it small, eat it slowly, and eat a bit of protein, too, to help moderate those blood sugar spikes and dips.Dilute the fruit juice. If you or kids love fruit juice, try diluting it gradually to the point where you are just adding a splash to the top of water.Become a sugar detective. You can start by knowing the alternate names for added sugars, often found in ingredients lists. These include any ingredient that ends in the suffix "-ose," including sucrose, dextrose, fructose, lactose, polydextrose, maltose, and galactose. Also, look for the following: corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, molasses, carob syrup, turbinado sugar, fruit juice concentrate, brown sugar, cane juice, cane sugar, evaporated cane juice, beet sugar, and sorbitol.
Eating sweets such as cakes, cookies and candy aren't the only way to add a large amount of sugar to your diet. Breads, pastas and snacks made with white flour are processed carbs that turn to sugar in your body. This type of diet can lead to all kinds of illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, digestive problems and even certain cancers. There is also evidence that memory, concentration and focus may be affected.
Sugar dependency is along the same lines as addiction to smoking, gambling or alcohol. Anxiety, depression and phobias are some emotional imbalances that can be connected to sugar addiction. Sugar causes an immediate gratification making the person that's addicted feel like they can't live without it. The down part is that the good feeling doesn't last long. In a short, you go from being energetic to feeling tired. You may have tried to give up sugar because you wanted to lose weight or avoid illnesses. This might trigger the same withdrawal symptoms as some drug addicts experience. Some symptoms are sweating, trembling, weakness and dizziness.
If you need to lose weight, consider a diet plan that focuses on reducing sugar intake. The Sugar Busters Diet Plan is probably the most well known. The idea of this diet is to reduce your intake of sugar and high starch carbohydrates, focusing instead on lean protein, low starch veggies, and whole grain carbs, in order to lose weight. Many of the low GI diets out there use this method, as well.
Be careful not to make sugar taboo in your household. With children, especially, when you swear off something completely, you run the risk of creating a mystique around the forbidden food. Instead of running a completely sugar free household, make sure your children understand the effects that sugar can have on their bodies and their moods, and then help them understand the beauty of moderation. Encourage them to eat low fat protein and help them develop a taste for healthy whole grain carbs. Focus on well balanced, nutritious diet, instead of simply swearing off all sugar. Your cravings will slowly and naturally fade once you gain a better understanding of why they are cropping up in the first place.
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