It’s that feeling - that craving that something’s not satisfied. After it’s found…and consumed, most want more, some feel better, some feel worse, some are guilty and some are determined to overcome its clutches next time. Most feel all of the described.
How many of us are trying to resist an addiction to sugar? How many have the courage (or know the pathway) to overcome it?
Refined sugars have entered almost all of our prepared foods to some degree. Even the famous fast food kings put sugar in their chicken tenders and fries. The home delivered pizza has it in the crust AND the sauce. It’s even showing up in microwave popcorn. That delicious juice your children love is often laced with refined sugars and corn syrups.
How do we deal with this when addictive sugars are everywhere – either hidden or not? Ignoring it only prolongs the issues and sets us up for outright D-E-N-I-A-L. Sugar addiction is a North American epidemic and hardly anyone talks about how to truly get over it. What is refined sugar really doing to our body chemistry and brain function?
What is the definition of an addiction?
A habitual psychological & physiological dependence
on a substance or practice beyond one's voluntary
control.
Addicted or not, sugar consumed even in small doses has the potential to damage our bodies. Sugar has been called a silent but deadly killer. Why has it been described as “crystalline acid” and compared to heroin addiction? Refined sugar can be lethal because it drains the body of precious vitamins & minerals through the demand on its digestion, detoxification and elimination. When sugar is consumed every day it creates a continuously acidic condition and it can cause –
• accelerated aging
• a lack of mental clarity (and/or dementia)
• Candida – which creates a multitude of other health problems
• low self esteem
• a fatty liver which inhibits the fat metabolism and fat burning capabilities of the organ
• depletion of many amino acids
• leaching of B, C, and D vitamins and numerous minerals
• our cholesterol levels to rise
• a drop in our metabolic rate
• fats to burn more slowly
• gall stones to crystallize in our liver
• obesity & diabetes
• the acid environment to erode the tooth surface and create decay
• a weakened immune system
Why would parents plan sugar binging for school events and other parties? Why do corporate celebrations often revolve around doughnuts, sheet cakes and soda? White sugar consumption has become so commonplace in our society that the issue is viewed as a normal part of daily life.
Is aspartame a healthy alternative? The aspartame advocates say yes, but there is growing awareness that aspartame is another type of addictive poison that’s extremely toxic and responsible for many serious and often debilitating health problems. What about Splenda? There’s no true evidence that this chemically made sugar derivative is safe either; it’s a form of chlorine in disguise. Why don’t we hear more about the herbal sweetener called Stevia?
What are the alternatives and how can we start to overcome this addiction? One of the first steps is to acknowledge your obsession with the white stuff, to consciously set an intention to overcome it…and to commit to your intention even when you fail occasionally. The next thing you can do is be prepared for the inevitable cravings and have naturally sweet snacks (like fruit or dried fruit) available when the “sweet tooth” dominates your thoughts. Be sure to check for any hidden added sugars. Some snacking suggestions are frozen sliced bananas, frozen grapes, all kinds of fresh and dried fruit and certain snacks sweetened with fruit juice found in the health food store. This is the beginning phase of disconnecting.
Julia Ross, author of The Diet Cure, writes that nutritional therapy, is a long-ignored healing modality for helping addicts and eating-disorder patients. She says sugar addicts are low in certain brain chemicals, not weak willed. Ross writes that these brain chemicals are thousands of times stronger than street drugs like heroin. And your body has to have them. If not, it sends out a command that is stronger than anyone's willpower: "Find a drug-like food or a drug, or some alcohol, to substitute for our missing brain chemicals. We cannot function without them!" Your depression, tension, irritability, anxiety, and cravings are all symptoms of a brain that is deficient in its essential calming, stimulating, and mood-enhancing chemicals.
For more information about SugarDisconnect (sm) workshops and personal support for overcoming this massive and pesky problem, please call Melissa H English, Lifestyle and Wellness Coach with Hayes English International in Atlanta, Georgia USA at 770-241-4577 EST.
Or Google Melissa H English and find the Sponsored QAlias link at the top of the 1st Google page. This link brings up email contact information.
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