Sugar is probably one of the most talked-about subjects by nutritionists, bloggers, and other similar healthy lifestyle professionals. We’ve seen all the red signposts about sugar and heard all the negative health impacts they have on us yet we are also told how almost inevitable they are.
That’s probably why I started with a question about whether or not you’re addicted to it so that we can get right into it. I know sugar is not your best health or nutrition topic, maybe you’re even disappointed that I had to bring it up here too, you may even be wondering; “why do we talk about sugar this much”, but since you’re already here, I think you should stick around to find out what my thoughts are about sugar.
Did you know that being addicted to sugar triggers the same chemical response as getting high on drugs? Yes, that’s true and it is important that we continually stop to educate ourselves on the health effects of excessive intake of sugar so that we’re reminded to stay away from them as much as we can. Sugar is also known to be responsible for weight gain and type 2 diabetes.
However, before we dive into all that, let us each pause for a minute and take the following self-help test to help us find out our degree of dependence on sugar.
YOU PROMISE YOURSELF “JUST A BITE’’ OF A NEARBY BROWNIE, AND YOU:
A) Take one bite, maybe two, Yum! That was good.
B) Finish the whole thing. Oops.
C) Finish it and reach for another, plus a cookie. (Why stop now?)
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT?
A) Great; what’s the big deal?
B) Ok, but I’ll try to eat a healthy dinner tonight.
C) Embarrassed and guilty. Did anyone see me?
HAVE YOU TRIED CUTTING BACK ON SWEETS?
A) Not in a big way; I don’t eat that many.
B) Yes, but it’s tough.
C) Yes, but it made me irritable and I wanted to binge on more of them.
YOU ATE A BIG DINNER, DESSERT?
A) No, thanks,
B) Yes, but let’s share.
C) Yes, and now I’m stuffed and my stomach aches. I couldn’t resist.
IS YOUR SUGAR INTAKE CONTRIBUTING TO WEIGHT OR HEALTH PROBLEMS?
A) My weight is in a healthy range.
B) I could stand to lose a few pounds.
C) Yes, my blood sugar is on the high side or I am carrying extra weight (or both)
Now that we have asked these five critical questions, let us leave that for a second and talk about a few things I just learned about sugar addiction.
All my life I’ve never really had a sweet tooth so I normally do not pay much attention to the subject of sugar because for me it’s not really a problem. However, since I have become like a “Food FBI” I now need to pay attention to the labels on every food I buy.
All this time, I didn’t even know that I was addicted to sugar because for some reason I noticed that I was always craving the “Matcha” green tea from Starbucks instead of making my own like I used to. In order to make myself feel like I wasn’t drinking Match green tea with sugar, I ordered Unsweetened and coconut milk to add to it, only for me to later find out that my precious “Matcha” green tea was sugar added; No wonder I have been craving more and more of it every day. I’ve even had to drop a comment on their app about why they had to add sugar to their green tea since the whole purpose of the “Matcha” green tea is about the “Tea”, who knew that a healthy herb-like “Matcha” needed sugar.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love the tea, it’s just that I was becoming worried since I was becoming addicted to it. One of the first things I learned when I started out on my fitness journey was to learn to cut back on my daily intake of sugar and fried foods
The American Heart Association recommends that women take in only about 26 grams of sugar per day while men take in about 36 grams of sugar per day. This is one number I try to keep in mind to help me control my sugar intake. I also tend to pay attention to food labels so that I know the various types of sugar, what products contain them, and in what quantities.
I am also aware that controlling sugar intake may not be as easy for someone else as it was for me, so I have gone ahead to create a checklist of some of the things to look out for if you also want to begin to pay attention to your sugar intake.
I’m glad you got to this point. Now that we have the names of the foods that contain the most sugar, let us go back to our five questions and see what your answers are and what they mean.
MOSTLY As: It means you’re smart about sugar. You understand that moderation is key. However, you need to keep reminding yourself that most processed foods have hidden sugars.
MOSTLY Bs: Sounds more like a sweet tooth. Having occasional dessert is fine, but remember that Women should eat no more than 6 tsp (26 g) of added sugar daily; men should do no more than 9 tsp (36 g).
MOSTLY Cs: You probably need to take a break from sugar. Start monitoring every gram of sugar you eat (make use of apps like Fatsecret or MyFitnessPal to help you out). I bet you’ll be shocked by how much sugar you’re already taking in. Then slowly but steadily, reduce the amount of sugar you eat daily rather than to go cold turkey.
Now that you’re aware of your answers and you’ve taken the time to finish reading, please make sure to let me know your thoughts by dropping your comments below or you can also share your answers.
BONUS TIPS
- ALSO, FIND OUT IF YOU’RE NOT EATING ENOUGH HEALTHY FATS IN A DAY. IT HELPS KEEP YOU BODY HAPPY AND SATIATED WITH THE GOOD KIND OF FATS. LIKE AVOCADO, OLIVE OIL, AND AVOCADO OIL
- IF YOU CRAVE ICE-CREAM EAT FRESH FRUITS.
- CRAVING CHOCOLATE? TRY THREE SQUARES OF DARK CHOCOLATE AND ENJOY EVERY BITE YOU TAKE.
- CRAVING FRUITY CANDY? FREEZE BANANAS, THEN DRIZZLE MELT DARK CHOCOLATE ON TOP.
- CRAVING COOKIES? EAT 3-4 DATES OR WHOLE APPLE, CHOPPED UP WITH ALMOND BUTTER AND CINNAMON.
- BEEN WORKING ALL DAY AND WANT TO PRICE YOURSELF? TAKE SOME REST OR DO A 5 MINUTE MEDITATION.
- DO AN ONLINE COURSE ON HOW TO DO HEALTHY DESSERTS.
- GO ONE WEEK SUGAR DETOXING. You can check out the following article to guide you
After all of this writing, I feel like I should pour myself a cup of Matcha Green Tea with Unsweetened coconut milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I never said I was going to stop taking it, I’m only saying that now that I am aware of its sugar content, I am going to be more mindful about the way I take it..
HAPPY READING AND MUCH LOVE!