Are you battling sugar?  Here’s how to beat it!

When was the last time you ate sugar.  

What was it?  It doesn’t matter if it was good or bad. Just think about what it was for a second. Was it a doughnut? A candy bar? A cupcake? How about a cookie or a piece of birthday cake? 

When you were eating it, what was your emotional response? How did you feel after eating it? Did it give you a rush of happiness or was it a feeling of guilt? Did you regret giving in to the temptation or was it pure bliss? 

We have all heard the expression “Ignorance is Bliss”, right? Well in the case of sugar, that may well be true until it catches up with your health. 

I know that when I was living on diet Mountain Dew and Hostess cupcakes in my twenties, I had zero concern for my health and how I reacted to sugar, caffeine or anything else I stuck in my mouth until I became aware of the correlation it had with how I felt. In my twenties, I was blessed to be thin for most of them (look out for when I turned 30), but I was constantly dealing with colds, felt run down to the point I needed a nap, had bad mood swings and felt stressed out all the time. 

I had no idea the impact the sugar was having on me. Once I had done a sugar detox and got it all out of my system, my energy went through the roof, my mood swings leveled out, and my stress dramatically decreased. I actually started craving healthy foods; vegetables even. This is not unusual.  It is typical for anyone who has chosen to eliminate sugar from their daily routine.

Sugar is very much an addictive substance. Think about it. 

How many times have you heard the tale of a drug addict in desperate search of their next high. Have you ever felt this way?

I know I most definitely have! You eat the white stuff (hidden in anything from bread to pasta sauce to baked goods). Then your blood sugar soars, giving you that feel-good rush, only to have it leave 30-45 minutes later, feeling worse than before you consumed it because your blood sugar is once again at rock bottom. This is common for the body when sugar is in play.

Think of it like a roller coaster, what goes up must come down, but it is not a gradual up and down. It slams in both directions. It is a completely natural response for your body.  It is in a constant fight/slight state. It releases insulin to counteract the high blood sugar, but will typically overcompensate. This leaves your blood sugar plummeting southward and bottoming out. Then your body signals you need more sugar for energy since it is the quickest energy source (and it tastes so good.) So you eat more sugar and there is another spike and crash. And so on, and so on.

This roller coaster makes it feel impossible to get out from underneath the sugar addiction. But here are a couple of things you can do.

Next time you feel that urge…

Consider why you are eating sugar. Many times consume sugar, not because of the physical addiction, but more the emotional addiction.

Is it because you feel stressed out? Because you haven’t eaten and your blood sugar has dropped? Are you PMSing? Is it just because it is there? Are you bored? Be honest with yourself.

1.     Once you understand why you are thinking of eating the sugar, ask: What else could I do instead?

Here are some other options:

• Go for a quick brisk walk and get your body pumping.

• Call a friend and chat.

• Hug someone. (You’ll get one in return)

• Eat something with protein in it.

• Walk away from the dessert table.

There are many, many things that we can do at the moment to help break the sugar addiction. Just remember, it is like a muscle. The first few times are going to be difficult, but the more you exercise that choice, the easier it gets!

It can be also easier when you know what you are eating, why you are eating it and how to rebalance your system to eliminate the grip of sugar cravings!

What will be your first action to break the addiction?

Note: If you feel you cannot eliminate sugar and its hold on you by yourself, you are not alone. Don’t feel like you have to suffer or you just don’t have the willpower. There may be more to it than just a love of sweets. Respond to this email in confidence and I will provide you with a complimentary assessment to determine if there is a bigger issue at stake. No obligation, just learn the truth for yourself.