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Breaking the Sugar Addiction: 16 Tips
by Jamie Jefferson
Article Description: It seems as though added sugar is in everything these
days. Learn why too much sugar is bad, how much is too much, and what you can do
about it.
It seems as though added sugar is in everything these days, from ketchup to
salsa to soup. It’s everywhere, I suppose, because we have come to expect it to
be.
And it’s not just the white stuff we need to worry about. “Refined
carbohydrates,” such as white bread and white flour products, produce the same
reaction in our bodies.
Researchers have linked sugar consumption to everything from cavities to wrinkly
skin, as well as wide range of much more serious health problems.;
Some research has been cited that says sugar has not been proven to be a direct
cause to these health problems and may not even be directly linked to them, but
when you consider that added sugar is basically non-nutritional calories, the
lack of nutrition and obesity can cause health problems in themselves.
Sugar, some researchers say, can lead to the damage of healthy cells, and can
lessen the effectiveness of white blood cells, leading to a weakening of the
immune system. Too much sugar means lots of empty calories, too, which can lead
to obesity. As any parent knows, when you fill up on sugar, you simply aren’t
hungry for nutritious meals. And sugar can make you hyperactive and irritable,
too, as it knocks your body out of whack.
When you eat sugar, your blood sugar spikes. So your body secretes insulin,
which sends your blood sugar crashing. The result? Irritability and fatigue.
Plus, you’re hungry again and probably craving another hit of sugar, and so the
cycle repeats itself anew.
One of the nicest things you can do for your body (and your mood) is to reduce
your intake of added sugars and refined carbohydrates.
What is the Daily Recommended Sugar Intake?
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.
Avoid replacing added sugar with artificial sweeteners. Your
best bet is to gradually reduce your taste for sweet foods, not to replace them
with chemical alternatives. On ingredients lists, look for sucralose, saccharin,
aspartame, acesulfame K, and neotame.
Avoid the center of the supermarket as much as possible. That’s
where most of the processed foods are shelved. Instead, shop the perimeter for
healthy, raw foods.
If you have young kids, go to the grocery store by yourself.
You may be less apt to come home with sugary treats. Plus, you can take more
time to examine the labels for hidden sugar. If your kids are grade school age
or older, take them along and enlist their help as Sugar Detectives. Give them
each a list of hidden sugars and artificial sweeteners and turn it into a game.
Carefully measure how much honey you put in your tea and how much sugar
you put in your coffee. Aim to put in a bit less each day or each week
until you are drinking it either unsweetened or with just a bit of sugar.
Buy items that are not sweetened, and add sugar only if you find that
you need to. This will help you wean off the sugar gradually.
Steer clear of added sugars for breakfast. When you start your
day with a sugar blast and crash, you may find yourself in a vicious cycle for
the remainder of the day. Start your day with healthy lean protein and complex
carbs. Try natural whole-grain breads and cereals for breakfast, along with a
lowfat protein, such as skim milk, cottage cheese, or yogurt.
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.
(Note: This article is for informational purposes only. Please discuss any
dietary changes with your doctor. )
About the Author
Jamie Jefferson is a frequent contributor to
Momscape.com, where you can find
diet reviews and special
promotional coupons on
the most popular weight loss programs.
Permission is granted to reprint this article, provided the About the Author
link above follows the article intact.
Post your tips
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