SWEET, SWEET SUGAR

IS IT ADDICTIVE?

 Well to be honest after lots of reading and research it seems the jury is still out - at least when it comes to sugar being physically addictive and in terms of meeting the scientific criteria for ‘addiction’.  

 However we do know that eating sugar releases dopamine - a wonderful chemical that makes us feel good and when we do something that makes us feel good, we do it again!  As we know over time and with regular consumption we tend to need more and more to get the same effect - before we know it we are eating a bag of lollies not just the one, or a packet of biscuits and not the one or two we promised ourselves.

Then we beat ourselves up and feel awful for doing it…and then because we remember feeling good when we ate it ….we eat it again…then we beat ourselves up….and like a hamster on a wheel, we feel stuck in the loop.

 We know deep down that the sugar feel good fix is temporary - no sooner have we eaten the last crumb and licked our fingers than the feeling good feeling is gone!

 Sounds like addiction to me! But I’m no scientist so I’m just going to say - when it comes to processed foods and sugars ‘EAT WITH CARE”

 Lets have a quick look then (not too in-depth I promise) at what sugar does to us physically…

SUGARS ARE NOT ALL Created EQUAL…

 We all know that there are natural sugars, like those in vegetables, fruits and milk and refined sugars like those that are  found in regular table sugar, soft drinks and processed foods. And if you’ve heard that they all break down in the body and burn as a fuel called glucose to be used as immediate energy or to be stored away for later - then YEP you’re right! 

 BUT (you knew this was coming!) your body doesn’t just require fuel (calories) to run efficiently - it also requires nutrients in the form of vitamins and minerals, and this is where the ‘all sugars are not all equal’ comes in.

 Your processed variety sugars - the chocolate, ice cream, cake, biscuits, lollies etc - they don’t come with the vitamins, minerals and fibre that our body needs to function optimally and to be fair  weight for weight your fruits and veggies are a lot lighter on the sugar.

  •  1 peanut slab (50 grams)  =  4.5 teaspoons sugar

  • 50 grams of grapes =  2 teaspoons of sugar

 

All refined sugars do is add more fuel in our tanks - which if were to be honest may just about full anyway!

 When We Have Too Much …

 After we have eaten and the sugar is broken down into  glucose it is used for energy or stored as an energy reserve in the liver and muscles .If more glucose is consumed than can be stored as glycogen, it's converted to fat for long-term storage and if we don’t use that energy storage up then it keeps getting added to, resulting in:

  • Tighter fitting clothes

  • Increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes

  •  Increase Blood Pressure

  •  Chronic Inflammation

  •  Risk of Heart Disease

 Food is our fuel it is what we use to rebuild our cells and our organs - it is our source of energy, healing and vitality.  It is not meant to be used as an escape or a way to avoid feelings or emotions - it was never meant to be designed to be taken in excess or abused. When we take processed foods and sugars in excess it can have such a negative impact on our health.

 When we go back to eating whole and natural foods we find it harder to binge eat or eat in a way that is harmful  Think about it, you may be able to eat a bar of chocolate or  binge eat a bag of lollies but it is a whole lot tougher to down a bag of carrots!

 Sugar in its natural form - fruit, veggies, milk and honey provides more than just fuel (calories) - in contrast sugar from processed foods and sugary drinks offers us nothing nutritionally, it is as they say empty calories.

 Your body has to last the distance - that distance is in part determined by the fuel you put in.  Choose your fuel with care!

 Tracey B

Making Changes That Last