Kicking Your Sugar Habit

Simple Tips to Beat Your Sugar Addiction

By definition, sugar addiction is a term for the situation where individuals crave sweet foods and find it difficult to give it up. There is clearly an aspect of psychological addiction (mother’s milk representing love and nurturing is naturally sweet) but recent research has also identified elements of physical dependence. Addictive drugs stimulate receptors in the brain to release natural opiods and dopamine, neurochemicals that trigger feelings of pleasure or well-being.

It’s important to understand what sugar is and how it affects your health before learning how to give up the white stuff.

The term sugar refers to sucrose, also called table sugar, a white crystalline solid disaccharide. Commercially produced table sugar comes from either sugar cane or sugar beets. The sweetener High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS,) found in many processed foods has replaced regular sugar in a considerable number of products. It is six times sweeter than sugar and does not act the same way as sugar in the body.

HFCS does not stimulate insulin production; it is processed more like fat. Some experts believe that it actually converts to fat faster and easier than regular sugar. Its super sweet flavor could contribute to sugar cravings.

Alcohol consumption also contributes to sugar cravings. Many former alcoholics have intense sugar cravings because sugar acts very similar to alcohol in the body. Moreover, for many, alcohol acts like a gateway drug to the over consumption of food. White flour, white potatoes, and white rice all convert to sugar in the body. These will all cause the high rise of insulin and the drop in blood sugar that leads to sugar cravings. Eat whole grains and whole-grain breads.

The average American consumes almost 150 pounds of sugar a year and much of it is hidden. Become a label reader; anything that ends with “ose” is a form of sugar and that includes fructose, sucrose and maltose. “Ols” such as mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol and maltitol, are sugar alcohols and are common in breath mints and gum.

What does sugar do in your body?

There is the obvious disease – type 2 diabetes – that is closely linked to the over consumption of sugar and the consequence, obesity. Sugar causes inflammation in the body and inflammation is associated with everything from acne and wrinkles, to arthritis, heart disease and depression. Sugar suppresses your immune system, can cause chromium and copper deficiencies and interferes with the absorption of calcium and magnesium, which can lead to osteoporosis. Sugar leads to tooth decay, can lower your vitamin E levels, and even weakens eyesight.

How does one begin to kick the sugar addiction?

For some it’s better to go cold turkey and give it up completely. For most, however, this would lead to failure and a slow and easy approach is better. Here are some tips:

1. Change to natural sweeteners. Raw honey, maple syrup and agave nectar are less processed than sugar and still have their nutrients intact. They burn more slowly in the body and do not cause weight gain as quickly. Remember they are still sugars, so limit the amount you eat. Try stevia, an herbal supplement that is very sweet and can be found in your local health food store. You can also grow your own plant if you have a yard or a patio.

2. Keep sugar and all sugar products out of the house, so you won’t be tempted and give in during times of stress and hunger.

3. Reduce the amount of sugar you consume - the less you eat, the less you crave. Don’t forget: soda and juice are high in sugar.

4. Eat root vegetables like yams, sweet potato, carrots and beets. They provide a sweet flavor that satisfies the palate and helps to reduce your cravings.

5. Eat your vegetables! Leafy green vegetables replenish the vitamins and minerals you have been losing to sugar.

6. Drink more water; 8 glasses a day. We often mistake thirst for hunger. The next time craving strikes, drink some water and see how you feel.

7. Stay away from artificial sweeteners! They are a chemical and not a food. Don’t eat any fake foods!

8. A little bit of protein is much better for you in the morning because it will create satiety holding you over until your next snack or meal. Eat some form of protein at every meal to help cravings.

9. For a healthy and satisfying snack, try whole-grain crackers and natural peanut butter, with no added sugar. Fiber in the crackers helps you feel full and peanut butter adds healthy fat and protein.

10. Start each meal with a salad with vinaigrette dressing. The greens and added vegetables provide important fiber and nutrients and the fat in the dressing makes you feel full. When you feel full and have given your body the fuel it needs, you are less likely to crave sugar.

11. Eat whole food snacks such as fruit, dates and whole grain crackers in place of sweets.

12. Exercising will reduce cravings.

13. The supplement L-glutamine has been shown to reduce cravings.

14. A chromium supplement may be helpful. Chromium is a mineral that helps to eliminate sugar cravings by improving your blood glucose balance.

15. Get emotional support.

Generally speaking slow and steady changes are more likely to offer life long success. Good luck!

Patty James is passionate about the art and science of cooking and Natural Health. She operates a West Coast Cooking School and Nutrition Center where she teaches about nutrition in plain language. For more information, check out her website, www.PattyJames.com.

Source: diet.com

6 Best Summer Foods for Weight Loss

Lighten up your diet this summer with these refreshing foods and drinks.

By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic-Feature

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

You don’t need to starve yourself on a wacky fad diet if you want to look look better in your shorts or swimsuit this summer. The secret to weight loss is to choose healthy foods and take in fewer calories than you burn. And it’s just easier to make better food choices in summertime, when heavy, high-calorie dishes seem less appealing. The best foods for weight loss in summer are light, refreshing and, most important, keep you out of the hot kitchen.

The single easiest way to trim calories from your summer diet, experts say, is to load up on nature’s bounty. Produce is at its peak in summer. Delicious fruits and vegetables abound at farmers’ markets and in your local grocery. Besides being low in calories, produce is loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.

“Enjoy fresh produce in season. You will be thrilled at how fresh, delicious, and satisfying it tastes,” says Susan Moores, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

“Save the oranges and apples for fall, and load up on fresh berries, melons, greens, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, beets, pea pods, and all the super-nutritious and low-calorie fruits, greens and vegetables that grow in the garden this time of year.”

As a bonus, you can forget about portion control when it comes to fresh fruit and vegetables, Moores say.

“Go for it, because it is hard to do much damage to your waistline with these super-nutritious edibles,” says Moores

To keep your cool and cut your time in the kitchen, start with prepared produce, such as cut-up fruit and washed greens. Add rotisserie chicken, prepared soups, and pre-threaded kabobs when you need something a bit heartier. Pre-prepped foods may cost a little extra, but they save time in the kitchen.

Here are dietitian’s picks for some of the best foods to help with weight loss during the summer.

Best Summer Weight Loss Food No. 1: Chilled Soups

Moores loves all kind of produce but says cold soups are among her favorite low-calorie dishes. Chilled soups like gazpacho or cucumber-dill that contain lots of chunky vegetables are a great way to start a meal.

“Research shows that a low-calorie, broth-based soup at the beginning of the meal will fill you so you eat less at the meal,” says Moores, a St. Paul-based nutrition consultant.

Best Summer Weight Loss Food No. 2: Watermelon

Who doesn’t love diving into a crisp, juicy slice of watermelon when it’s hot outside?

“Half of the watermelon comes from water. …It’s a wonderful way to satisfy thirst and a yen for something sweet,” says Moores.

Best Summer Weight Loss Food No. 3: Grilled Veggies

For registered dietitian Dawn Jackson, a plate of grilled vegetables is a summertime must-have. She recommends keeping a plate of grilled onions, bell peppers, zucchini, carrots, eggplant, asparagus, and garlic in your fridge. You can use them to make dishes like:

1. Grilled vegetable and goat cheese salads
2. Grilled vegetable pitas
3. Grilled vegetable, ricotta, and fresh herb pasta and frittatas

Best Summer Weight Loss Food No. 4: Salads

Salads make for quick, healthy meals — with no recipes required.

“Just give the produce a quick rinse; slice, dice, toss fruits, vegetables, low-fat cheese, a handful of toasted nuts with some salad greens and a light raspberry or ginger vinaigrette, along with a whole-grain roll, and you have a meal in minutes,” says Moores.

Or try bean or whole-grain salads, such as wheatberry and tabouli.

Moore suggests flavoring your salads with herbs from the garden so you can go light on the dressing. And when adding meats or fish to your salad, she says, “think of them as an accessory to the greens, vegetables, and grains.”

Best Summer Weight Loss Food No. 5: Low- and No-Calorie Beverages

Smoothies, sweetened specialty coffee drinks, sweetened teas and sodas — they all go down so easily, especially when it’s hot outside. But the calories add up just as easily.

“Beverages can be the Achilles heel during summertime because we need to drink lots of liquids to stay cool, but liquids quench thirst and don’t usually impact our hunger,” says Jackson.

Jackson recommends these refreshing drinks and treats to enjoy this summer without blowing your diet:

• Root Beer or Orange Dream Float. 1/2 cup vanilla frozen yogurt in 12 ounces of diet root beer or orange soda (100 calories)
• Tart Lemon Pom Spritzer. 12 ounces of lemon sparkling water mixed with the juice of 1 lemon and 1/4 cup pomegranate juice, served over ice (35 calories)
• Large Ice Skim Latte from Starbucks™ (130 calories)
• White Wine Spritzer. 5 ounces white wine mixed with 3 ounces lemon/lime seltzer water (120 calories)

Best Summer Weight Loss Food No. 6: Fruit-Based Desserts

“Cravings don’t take a summer vacation and your hot-weather sweet tooth can wreak havoc on your weight loss efforts,” says Jackson. “Ditch high-calorie desserts and opt for these naturally sweet treats that can tame the most ferocious sweet tooth.”

She suggests:

• Grilled banana sundaes made with low-fat ice cream
• Grilled pineapple with rum and pecans
• Grilled white peaches with blackberries and honey
• Frozen, dark, sweet cherries
• A chocolate-covered frozen banana (such as Diana’s Banana™, with 130 calories)
• Frozen grapes

Source: webmd.com

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