Sugar Cravings

In light of the season’s marathon of sugary holiday goodies and my post yesterday about Waking Up to Wellness, it seems like we should have a little sit-down discussion about sugar cravings. Specifically, how to shake them before they get the better of us, leaving us tired, stressed, achy, overweight, and at risk for a slew of serious health problems down the road.

Some people seem to glide through life heedless of sugar’s temptation, while others—lots of others—really have to work at keeping their cravings in check. Sugar has a way of making a body feel powerless to its siren call. But it’s not a matter of mere weakness, and it’s not as simple as the proverbial “sweet tooth.”

Research is mounting that proves a critical connection between sugar and brain chemistry. As explained in the book, The End of Overeating, sugar can trigger the same effects in the brain as highly addictive drugs like amphetamines and cocaine—and, sadly, countless people in this country are hooked on daily, if not hourly, sugar intake. According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the average American’s yearly sugar intake has skyrocketed from 26 pounds to more than 135 pounds in the past 20 years. Not surprisingly, most of that sugar is coming from processed product additives like bleached white cane or beet sugar and corn syrup, which are far more addictive and health-harming than any sort of sweetness found in nature. The bottom line: sugar can lure you into seemingly unbeatable cycles of craving, overeating, and suffering. You feel helpless to stop once you get hooked on sugar’s instant pick-me-up, even though it ultimately leaves you down in the dumps again.

Research is great for validating what we often know instinctively, but gut-level gumption is the key to putting positive change in motion. So if you’re ready to shake the sugar habit, then it’s time to tap in to your inner strength, take up the reins, and begin retraining your body to resist the constant need for sugar.

Break the Cycle There is an honest-to-goodness quick fix for breaking the sugar cycle: stop eating sugar, period. Note, I said “quick” fix, but I didn’t say it was easy. The thing is, once your body is out-of-whack in terms of sugar cravings, moderation doesn’t work anymore. One bite inevitably leads to 20, and you’re back in the trenches. The only surefire solution is stopping cold turkey. The silver lining? Overall deprivation is neither required nor recommended by the experts. Don’t stop eating; just stop eating sugar. One of the best ways to avoid sugar (and a host of other unhealthy additives) is by avoiding processed and packaged foods, soda pop, and committing to coffee and tea without sweetener or maybe a bit of honey or stevia. Again, not easy, but it’s a new year and a new you. Grab a pencil and paper and get ready to make a plan.

Plan and Prepare
Planning is crucial to eating “outside the package.” You can drastically increase your shot at success by planning specific meals and snacks throughout the day. Too much flexibility can lead to serious moments of weakness, spurring you to choose a quickie snack that contains sugar. So instead of winging it, write up a little meal plan of “safe” foods, then make sure they’re handy all the time so you never get too hungry. I keep walnuts and bananas handy (chilled in the fridge)—banana bread substitute! Almonds wrapped like a burrito in a slice of unsweetened dried mango—a naturally sweet snack. Yesterday, my grandgirls were out. After several rounds of hopscotch (I gave them chalk to “decorate” my painted concrete floors), it was time for snacks. I put out bowls of frozen blueberries (great ice cream replacement) and then I grabbed a hammer and cracked some walnuts, handing them off to the girls to fish out the walnuts (checking their piles before I let them eat any to make sure they’d discarded all the shells). Sugar-free but fun and festive eating.

For snacks, think crunchy raw veggies, apples and peanut butter, plain yogurt with unsweetened berries, toasted almonds, cheese, jerky, and hard-boiled eggs. A fantastic bread to have on hand for toast and sandwiches is Food For Life’s Ezekial sprouted grain bread (www.foodforlife.com). It’s sugarless and made entirely from sprouted whole grains, so it won’t spike your blood sugar like flour-based breads.

When a craving strikes, quell it with a quick glass of water. Or try the old trick of brushing your teeth. Sounds silly, but it works!

Avoid Artificial Sweeteners
One word of caution: don’t try to break your sugar habit by relying on sugar-free foods that contain artificial sweeteners like sucralose, aspartame, and neotame (a new synthetic sweetener that is being used in food products, often blended with other sweeteners). These chemicals are associated with multiple health risks, and they seem to interfere with your body’s metabolism, making it so you end up gaining even more weight!

Focus On the Future
It can be excruciating to break your ties with a continual intake of sugar. Many people have grown up associating high-sugar foods with comfort, happiness, even love. But, like all relationships that compromise happiness, it can be equally exhilarating to let go and liberate yourself. Before you know it, your palate will become sensitized again to the delicious array of flavors, including subtle sweetnesses, within foods that truly nourish your body and spirit.