SOME EXPERTS BELIEVE KICKING SUGAR IS HARDER THAN KICKING CIGARETTES OR EVEN HEROINE!
I read this and found this fascinating and all too true for myself. I am a sugar addict for definite, even so far as having to have soda every day. As they say, it was my comfort food and I used it to self medicate, and without it my moods became worse (and dealing with anxiety every day, this became a dangerous cycle). I not only want to get back into shape but most importantly I dont want to be teaching my children bad habits or developing diabetes. I am being tested for PCOS right now and its directly related to insulin levels in the body and reactions…if I do have it, its extremely mild and I can prevent any development of it but still, sugar isnt good for anybody.
Here is what I read: (I knew this before but as most people do when they arent ready to change or give up what they love, it put it to the furthest regions of my mind)
Human researchers are fascinated by the behavior of lab rats in response to food rewards, but few humans are willing to closely examine their own behavior in relationship to sugar. Most people living in western societies (the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, etc.) are truly addicted to sugar, and they use it as a form of self-medication to temporarily boost their mood and energy. The frequency and context in which these people press a button on a soda machine is eerily similar to the way lab rats press a lever to produce a food reward.
This CounterThink cartoon attempts to ask, "What would an outside observer think of modern human behavior in relation to sugar?" The answer is not difficult to predict: They would think humans were strange animals to be so utterly controlled by a crystalline white substance. Refined white sugar is like dietary crack, and it rots out your teeth just like meth, only slower. To get the real story on white sugar, read the pioneering book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
by Weston Price, or check out the Price-Pottenger Foundation.
Of course, most people reading this cartoon will insist, “I’m not addicted to sugar. I can quit eating sugar anytime I want.” Really? Prove it! See if you can go sugar-free for just ten days. That’s a real eye-opener for most people, because even if they have the determination to attempt such an experiment, most soon find themselves crawling back to the pantry, desperately seeking a soda beverage loaded with high-fructose corn syrup (liquid sugar) to end their withdrawal symptoms.
The truth is, most American consumers are so addicted to sugar that they will deny their addictions in the same way that a crack or heroin addict might. And yet, when it comes down to it, sugar controls their behavior. If they don’t have their sugar in the morning (in their coffee, pancakes and cereals), sugar at lunch (in the salad dressing, pasta sauce, soda and restaurant food) and sugar at dinner (there’s sugar in pizza, ketchup and BBQ sauce, plus virtually all restaurant foods), then they suffer serious withdrawal symptoms and go crazy with moodiness and irritability. They start blaming everyone around them for silly things, and they may even become sweaty and light-headed.
Curious, isn’t it? That’s what happens when you take a substance out of nature and refine it to maximize its chemical surface area and biological activity. Cocaine is a drug that’s refined from coca leaves. Opium is a drug that’s refined from poppies. And sugar is a drug that’s refined from sugarcane. And while we have a “war on drugs” against cocaine and heroin, our taxpayer dollars actually subsidize the sugar industry, making refined white sugar cheap and widely available to the entire population so that everyone can be equally hooked.
Refined white sugar is a pleasure drug. If you don’t believe me, just put a spoonful on your tongue and observe the instantaneous effects. You’ll experience a warming, comfortable feeling that makes you feel safe and happy. They’re not called “comfort foods” by accident.
Sugar is, essentially, a legalized recreational drug that’s socially acceptable to consume. And yet, just like other drugs, it destroys a person’s health over time, rotting out their teeth, disrupting normal brain function, promoting heart disease and directly causing diabetes and obesity. The argument that “street drugs are outlawed because they’re dangerous to a person’s health” falls flat on its face when you consider what sugar does to the human body. It’s a lot more dangerous than marijuana, for example, and yet marijuana is illegal to possess or consume.
Isn’t it curious how, in modern society, we fight a war against certain drugs (like cocaine), yet subsidize others? (Like sugar.) The difference, of course, is that the sugar industry has a powerful political lobby and is universally abused by virtually the entire population. Drugs that are abused by only a few (such as heroin) get outlawed, while drugs that are abused by everyone (such as caffeine and sugar) receive legal immunity. It’s mob rule. And the mob is addicted to sugar.
GOOD NEWS, IF YOU’RE LIKE ME, HAVING SUGAR CRAVINGS AND ADDICTION LIKE MOST OF OUR POPULATION, HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO OVERCOME IT!
- Know all the sneaky names for sugar. Read food labels and get rid of condiments, sauces, and dressings with sugar in them. Learn to make condiments and dressings with out the sugar.
- Eat fruit. Fruit is a great way to eat something sweet, and control calories. Just stay away from dried fruit or sweetened fruit.
- Avoid artificial sweeteners. These are just a crutch. They keep you from learning to enjoy the natural sweetness of real food. There are also studies that show that they can make you crave sugar, not to mention the studies that show other dangerous health effects like cancer.
- Eliminate the white stuff. White flour, white rice, and white potatoes. These have the same affect on blood sugar as sugar, and this will make sugar harder to kick. These foods keep you on the insulin- low blood sugar cycle.
- Avoid juice. Even 100% juice is sugar water in disguise. Drink water, and if you must, only a splash of juice for flavor.
- Try stevia. Stevia is an herb that is very sweet and has a slight licorice flavor. While it is a stretch to make a whole dessert with stevia, it is great in coffee and on cereal. It may take some getting used to, but it is way better than loading your food with sugar or known toxic chemicals.Tip: Look for stevia in the dietary supplement section. It will not be with the sweeteners.
- Learn to use honey. If you really need a sugar fix, eat some honey. Learn to cook with it. Learn how to drizzle it in thin steams. It is very high in sugar but, has other benefits that sugar does not and it is all natural.Tip: Buy honey local to your area. The local pollens the bees use to make the honey could help prevent some seasonal allergies.
- Limit alcohol. Alcohol is made from sugar. It acts like sugar in the body. Especially when you first are trying to kick sugar stay away from any alcoholic beverages.
- Bring a low sugar dessert to share. Temptations are everywhere. Show others how delicious a low sugar life style can be.
- Keep it out of the house. Do not temp yourself with your child’s pop tarts or your husband’s ice cream. Tell your family what you are doing and then put your foot down. It is hard enough with out sweets calling your name all day long.
- Eat sweet potatoes, red potatoes, and brown rice with meals. These are the foods to replace the white foods with. Sweet potatoes make a yummy dessert with a little yogurt. Steam small red potatoes or some brown rice to eat with dinner. If time is an issue, cook these items ahead of time.
- If you must eat sweets, eat them after meals. After meals sugar has less of an effect on blood sugar. You will be less likely to crash and crave more later
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