Fact: the average American consumes about 152 pounds of sugar a year. That’s roughly 22 teaspoons every day.
Our kids consume about 34 teaspoons every day — that’s more than two 20-ounce sodas — making nearly one in four teenagers pre-diabetic or diabetic.
Here’s another shocking fact: Sugar is eight times as addictive as cocaine.
And that is because sugar causes a spike in dopamine (one of the happy hormones), that unfortunately lasts only 2 minutes, followed by a spike in cortisol, which makes us feel stressed and unwell.
One can also feel irritable, grouchy, lethargic, have blurry vision, brain fog, difficulty concentrating and even hot flushes. It takes a tremendous amount of willpower and discipline to give up sugar.
It can be an uphill battle. How many times do we realize that is just a matter of time before we start caving in and going back to sugar? There are so many oportunities in a given day to just find an excuse
and take another sweet bite.
Here are some of the ways we can be successful at stopping sugar:
1. Make the decision right now. Don’t wait, don’t postpone, don’t find excuses. If it has to be done, do it today.
2. Do it fast, not gradually. It’s much easier and less painful. To be satieted and avoid hunger, eat more healthy fats and lots of fiber. People who eat a high fat, high fiber, low sugar diet are less hungry.
Their body and brain uses ketones, not sugar, as a source of energy. Sugar level is normal and steady, therefore none of the above symptoms happen. Aim for not more than 30 grams of sugar a day.
That is not easy to do, but it’s doable.
3. Ride the sugar or food cravings by drinking plenty of filtered water (in which electrolytes should be added) and/or eating a protein or a healthy fat.
4. Be ready for emergencies. You never want to be in a situation, when your blood sugar is dropping and you are at the mercy of what is readily available like fast food joints and vending machines.
You need an Emergency Life Pak filled with protein, good fats, nuts and seeds, nut butters, meat jerky.
5. Get your zzzs. Getting less sleep drives sugar cravings by affecting your appetite hormones: a rise in hunger hormones, a decrease in appetite-suppressing hormones and big cravings for sugar and refined carbs.
Sleep is one of the best ways to fight against the drive to overeat. You literally can sleep your cravings and your weight away.
6. Find a podcast or YouTube channel of an expert that you look up to and listen to it often, to help you stay motivated. Learn ways to cope with this addiction, like tips on buying healthy foods (local and in season),
trying new recipes and addressing other parts of your life like stress, relationships, physical activities, finances.
7. Use technology in your favor. Tracking your blood sugars can transform your health. Continuous blood sugar monitors are available, with a prescription from your doctor. This way you can find out how various foods
affect your blood sugar and this way, you may discover what is at the root of your difficult to explain symptoms or simply why you don’t feel in optimal health.
Please give us a call if you wantand need help to start your sugarless journey.
