Sugar Addiction or Just a Sweet Tooth?

Sugar addition or just a sweet tooth?
  If you have ever thought about how much sugar you are eating and tried to cut back, you have most likely been subject to some pretty intense cravings. I recall what it was like when I decided to kick my caffiene habit... ugh! It sucked! I recently started looking into sugar addictions and the side effects of too much sugar. I have 3 children, ages 16, 13 and 12. They are junk food junkies any chance they get. Mostly because they think I am depriving them of a normal childhood because our home is almost all "health" food. I know I can not have much more than 3 grams of sugar per 100 calories otherwise I suffer from some ill effects. But, if you take a look at the average American consumptions of sugar filled foods and soft drinks.... the quantities are out of control!
   According to ShareCare.com, they quoted Cardiologist Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD, as saying "The average person consumes 150 pounds of sugar per year–compared to just 7 ½ pounds consumed on average in the year 1700. That's 20 times as much! When typical slightly overweight people eat sugar, they on average store 5 percent as ready energy to use later, metabolize 60 percent and store a whopping 35 percent as fat that can be converted to energy later.Interestingly, 50 percent of the sugar we consume today comes from high-fructose corn syrup in fat-free foods like salad dressings and regular soft drinks." 
  "The World Health Organization is dropping its sugar intake recommendations from 10 percent of your daily calorie intake to 5 percent. For an adult of a normal body mass index (BMI), that works out to about 6 teaspoons -- or 25 grams -- of sugar per day.Many people don't realize much of the sugar they take in are "hidden" in processed foods, according to WHO. A can of soda may contain up to 10 teaspoons or 40 grams of sugar. A tablespoon of ketchup has 1 teaspoon of sugar." Per the cbsnews.com article titled World Health Organization lowers sugar intake recommendations from March 5th 2014.
  So, do you have any idea how many grams or teaspoons you are actually getting everyday? It can be tricky to calculate the actual amounts but honestly most people just don't care. They really don't! They make excuses like "I drank only 3 diet sodas today, so eating this will be okay" SparkPeople pose the quesion "Why Should You Care? Is Sugar Actually Bad for You? Well, aside from the increased bulge around the waistline, diets high in sugar are strongly linked to an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, elevated triglycerides, low HDL (good) cholesterol levels, and heart disease. Sugar intake has also been linked to depression, migraines, poor eyesight, autoimmune diseases (such as arthritis, and multiple sclerosis), gout and osteoporosis. Recent research has shown that a high intake of carbohydrates, including sugar, releases a feel good chemical in the brain called serotonin. Think of how you feel after indulging in a high sugar meal or treat—almost euphoric, right? The high of a sugar rush is temporary though. After a few hours—or even a few minutes—you start to crash and you become tired, fatigued and lethargic.Although sweet foods are tempting and delicious to most people (blame Mother Nature for that!), the more sugar you eat, the higher your tolerance becomes. So if you have a strong sweet tooth or intense cravings for sugar, chances are not that you were born that way, but that your dietary habits and food choices created the sugar monster you may have become."
  I have even found websites that compare Sugar to cocaine! There was even a interesting video on HuffingtonPost.com called "What's Worse For Your Brain: Sugar Or Cocaine?" By Abigail Wise from May 7th 2014. I included the link so you can watch it if you want. But the articles I found state sugar is 8 times more addictive then cocaine! That thought is scary to me!
  I have excellent self control when I comes to sweets (not bragging, just stating a fact) I don't frantically search through cupboards in a desperate attempt to fill my face with something sweet when i am stressed. However, I do still enjoysweets but, I have learned that I honestly enjoy a juicy pear or strawberries over a chocolate bar. Yet, I do keep sugar free candies on hand as a tiny reward or when my children have polished off all the fruit in my home.  I have done a good job of educating my children on healthy choices and for the most part it has stuck. LOL! But, I will admit school lunches are undermining my attempts.... my kids are so ravenous by the time 3:10 rolls around that they often take their money to the gas station around the corner from the school and load up their pockets with candy because they know that they will not find any of it in our cabinets at home. No candy. No soda and only sugar free koolaid for my bunch. I have protein bars I will share but they seem less enthused about eating one.hehehe.
  Do worry about trying to break your addiction cold turkey. Lord knows it is one of those things you developed a taste for over time. It's going to take time to end the hold sugar has on you as well. I did look up some pointers for you.... one such article is called "How To Break Your Sugar Addiction -Understanding sugar's power over you can help to set you free.Published on March 31, 2014 by Susan Biali, M.D.  I will let you click the link and ready it instead of copying it all down on here.
  Basically, I am saying it is something hard to break but very much possible. Just takes time to make your plan and execute it. You can't just jump into it blind. You will need to have a back-up plan as well, being educated and prepared is going to be your best weapon. How many people do you know can stop drugs cold turkey? Without support? Without a plan to be successful? EXACTLY!!! And if what is being said is true about sugar being more addictive than coke.... don't feel defeated if it takes several attempts to finally get the beastly cravings under control! 
  You got this! I have faith in you!!!! I will keep reading up on sugar addiction and how to combat it and post more if you want to hear more on it. So, just let me know! :)

Control and Cravings!

Cravings are those pesky feelings telling us to put food into our mouths we know we should not. Cravings are driven by the need for nutrients or minerals we are missing or emotional issues we are trying to cover. I know people crave salty as well as sweet foods. However, for today I will focus on that Sweet Tooth.
  According to WebMD, "We love sweets because they not only taste good, but make us feel good. Consuming simple carbohydrates (like sweets) boosts the brain chemical serotonin, which can help improve mood. Stress reduces serotonin levels, which may help explain why some people reach for sweets when they're feeling stressed."  From birth we are programmed to desire sweets above all other tastes. So, while completely natural to prefer sugary sweet treats, Americans tend to do everything in excess and it is where we make eating the right thing more difficult on ourselves. On average Americans have 16 tablespoons more sugar in our DAILY diet then recommended! 16!
  While quitting cold turkey is ideal, I do know some people who get SO grumpy when their blood sugar drops that you want to stuff a candybar down their throats. Not everyone can quit cold turkey and I hear all the time how "it's just too hard!" And the most irritating "but it tastes good so I am going to eat it"
Really? Then I really don't want to hear you whine that you just can't lose weight! SELF CONTROL. Such a hard concept for some people, but, is absolutely possible! There are some skills you can work on that will help with achieving your goals. Everyone slips from time to time but knowing how to recover before giving up is the key to success.

Got Skills?
  You had to take a few shaky steps before you could run, unless you were that rare phenom among us. We have to start with the basics and build from there. Diet changes, excersize and curbing cravings are the same. If you did not have issues then you would not be searching for help right now..... right? I went through 3 months of classes ran by Via Christi hospital before I had surgery because they know how people tick. We say "yeah, yeah, yeah, I know" but, really we don't. We decide we want to make a change and go on these crazy crash diets and fads that we just can not stick with. What we do is give up something and then psych  ourselves out because we obsess over that thing we are missing and fixate on how much we miss it. How much we need it. We sabotage ourselves and end up eating the entire bag of chocolates, shoveling it in instead of using our brains and relying on skills to overcome the craving.

Give a Little
  If you just can't say "no more" then give yourself a little. Avoid high calorie and high fat options. Give yourself a 100 calorie limit and stick to it.

Go for Quality instead of Quantity
  You probably know what your favorite fix is. Chocolate? Try a small piece of dark chocolate you can savor instead of a whole milk chocolate one.

Cold Turkey
  I quit soda on August 24th 2012. I had been consuming over 64 ounces of Mt. Dew everyday for over 20 years! But after reading studies and feeling like I had been run over every morning  before getting my caffeine surge, I knew cold turkey was the only thing that would work to me. I know I can not have it at all since having surgery but months before my procedure I made the choice and have stuck to it. The experts say the first 48-72 hours after giving up something is the worst has apparently never quit caffeine! It was a week of hell! But,  I feel so much better and lost 20 pounds right away!

Substitutions
  Okay, if you want to still have your sugar fix, you can still cut out the extra calories. Try looking for sweets made with natural substitutes like Stevia. When making treats at home you can substitute ingredients yourself. You can prepackage the treats and know you are making a difference and you are in control.

Chewing Gum and Eating Regularly
  When you are busy and you feel that nagging feeling building up to pull into the dirve through to stuff your face with greasy french fries try popping a piece of gum into your mouth. It helps curb your appetite and those cravings. Another way to help control the monster is to not let yourself get too hungry. We live very busy lives and chewing gum can only hold us over for so long. Try to keep a healthy snack at hand or do not skip meals!  When we go too long between meals our blood sugar levels drop causing us to reach for a quick fix and most of those fixes are very poor choices. The poor choices are only a temporary fix. We need complex carbohydrates that level out our blood sugars. Sweets only provide a quick spike then the levels drop just as quick.

Slumps and Afternoon Crash
  We all have faced that slump in energy when trying different diets that deprive us of certain foods. We are left tired, worn out and cravings drive us crazy.  The afternoon crash is blamed a lot for giving in and eating junk. Try increasing your fiber with fruits and vegetables.  This will give you sustained energy through out the day and will satisfy your need for something sweet. 

A few other little tips that have helped me along the way:
Portion Control
  Do not eat from the bag! Take out a serving and limit it to that serving.
  Eat from a small plate - do not eat from the serving bowl or container
  No nibbling in front of the TV! Absent minded eating has no purpose! You eat larger quantities and don't have the satisfaction of what you consumed.
  Eat slowly and chew thoroughly. Savor every bite and enjoy your food by chewing 20-30 times before swallowing.
 
Avoid triggers to prevent temptation
Get active - before indulging in a cupcake, take a walk, play with your pet, just move.
Drink water. We don't get enough water anyway. So, drink up.
Read. Educate yourself. Experts are always changing their minds so try and keep up.

I think this is good for now..... I will do some more reading myself and let you know what else I come up with.