For those of us who have struggled with an addiction, we know the drill: abstain to change your brain, fight through withdrawal, then maintain sobriety with healthy alternatives and the help of others.
Local family doctors as well as renown television doctors are speaking out about a devastating a common American addiction: sugar.
Dr Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon and host of his own medical television show, recently discussed sugar the way a recovery center would talk about drugs and alcohol saying, “Sugary and fatty foods affect the pathways to the brain in the same way as heroin or cocaine. Sugar acts directly in the brain to inhibit the effect of leptin and increased appetite so you never feel full.
What can you do to break the sugar habit?
Be strategic. Keep a food journal for one week. Write down EVERYTHING you eat AND drink. Highlight all foods that contain sugar.
Read labels. Do you know the variety of words that have the same meaning as sugar such as dextrose, sucrose, glucose, sucrose, fructose, maltodextrin, maltose, brown sugar, maple sugar, or molasses?
Stop drinking calories. 2 Coffee drinks, or sweet teas or sodas can add 500 calories a day to your diet, primarily from sugar! And 3500 calories a week from drinking calories equals one pound of weight on the scale! Is it worth it?
Start simple. Clean out your car, purse/brief case, desk top, or kitchen counter. Get rid of all sugary snacks, candy, and soda pop in your immediate sight. Replace with healthy substitutes such as 100-calorie almond packs, tea bags with spunk and flavor (but no sugar or calories), and bottles of spring (not sparkling or sugar loaded) water.
Dr. Oz also suggested a way to help reduce withdrawal and carb cravings. He said, “you can take supplements such as Chromium picolinate -- 1,000 mg daily -- to help with sugar withdrawal.” He added, “Vitamin B complex, 100 percent daily allowance, helps with carbohydrate cravings.”
As a life coach, the majority of people I coach are struggling to remove sugar from their diets. Making little changes, such as (1) completely eliminating soda is a powerful first step that can produce immediate weight loss (FYI: one of my gals lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks), or (2) asking the entire family to join you in eliminating excessive sugar can be an immediate source of accountability--and is especially helpful to children, and (3) replacing sugar with spices (such as cinnamon) or using natural, calorie free substitutes (such as stevia) will have big results: weight loss, lowering the risks of obesity and diabetes, and a healthier lifestyle.
As an addict with 33 years of sobriety, I know how difficult it is to remove something from your life that has a hold on you. But I am living proof that when you become aware that you have a problem, the best thing you can do is to admit to another person that you need help, follow a detailed action plan to remove the addictive substance from your life, and be accountable to as many people as possible to stay sober!
Be encouraged,
Becky
thank you becky! this is just the encouragement i needed to eliminate sugar from my life. a friend of mine once said, "sugar is not my friend". she was so right...what has sugar done for me?!
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