I have them, you have them. Especially this time of year with all the sweet treats tempting us those sugar cravings and addiction take full force!
You feel like its impossible to resist the temptation to eat your favorite treats and often it is impossible! As a self proclaimed chocaholic I'm no stranger to sugar cravings (mostly chocolate cravings) and my favorite part of any meal is always dessert!
However, we also know how bad sugar can be not only for our waistline but our health in general. Sugar can cause health problems including weight gain, liver disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cancer, obesity, high cholesterol, trouble sleeping and heart disease (just to name a few).
It today's world, it can be tough to completely avoid sugar since its so readily available. Unfortunately, that doesn't reduce the effects it has on our bodies...
Its not a surprise that with sugar lurking in everything we eat that we can become addicted to it! In fact, there's many similarities between sugar addiction and cocaine addiction (kinda scary huh?) Here's why:
“Dr. David Reuben, author of Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Nutrition says, “white refined sugar-is not a food. It is a pure chemical extracted from plant sources, purer in fact than cocaine, which it resembles in many ways. Its true name is sucrose and its chemical formula is C12H22O11. It has 12 carbon atoms, 22 hydrogen atoms, 11 oxygen atoms, and absolutely nothing else to offer.” …The chemical formula for cocaine is C17H21NO4. Sugar’s formula again is C12H22O11. For all practical purposes, the difference is that sugar is missing the “N”, or nitrogen atom.”
If you're addiction to sugar is strong, don't feel bad. I promise you're not alone but for the good of your family and your long term health its important to overcome! But how?
I chatted with my friend, Ali Damron, on this topic where she gave me some practical tips for overcoming sugar addiction. Ali is a wife, mother of 2, personal trainer and licensed acupuncturist from CO. She focuses on teaching women how to be healthy in the right ways and she's worked with many women to overcome sugar addiction! Here's a rundown of my Q& A session with Ali.
Let’s start with WHY we might be craving sugar from a physiological standpoint.
Its possible that you may have a medical reason for why your body is craving sugar more than normal including:
1. Adrenal fatigue or hypothyroidism: With these conditions cravings for sugar are common as they give you a short term energy boost.
2. Poor gut health: This is extremely common, in fact, its estimated that about 80% of the U.S. population has poor gut health! Certain bacteria and yeasts in your gut can feed and thrive off sugar. If you are having intense sugar cravings after every meal, chances are your gut health may be out of whack. If you have any autoimmune issues, this is the basis for what we call "leaky gut" so you will most likely need some gut support. Other medical issues such as IBS, IBD, bloating, gas, heartburn, constipation can all be signs your gut health needs some attention.
3. Hormonal issues: frequent colds/flus, frequent sinus infections, strep, etc can be signs of hormonal imbalance because 80% of your immune system lies in your gut . A hormonal imbalance could also cause you to crave sugar more.
*** These things are so closely tied into each other that it’s important to identify them and know that they can be responsible for a lot of the sugar cravings/emotional eating
you may be experiencing. It is NOT always just a ‘lack of willpower’***
So where do we start to heal and overcome if you have one of these issues?
1. Get onto a good high dose probiotic. Look for one with 50 billion CFU and multiple strains of bacteria (check the ingredients for a long list of bacteria strains).
This will ensure you are getting support for gut health,
immune health, vaginal health and all sorts of different systems.
2. Pay attention to your food. Eat as much non processed, non-sugary foods as possible to help rid your system of those bad bacteria.
3. Adding a good bone broth with extra collagen is beneficial, or just taking collagen peptides can be helpful.
*** Seeing improvements can be a slow process but one day
you may wake up and notice your symptoms have
diminished and your sugar cravings are not going crazy anymore.
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| Get the recipe inside my Fit Mama Community HERE! |
But what if I don't have gut issues? Why am I still struggling with sugar cravings?
There's many of reasons you may be struggling with sugar cravings including:
2. If you’re tired, your body will crave a ‘quick fuel’ usually from caffeine or sugar.
3. Eating a lot of artificial sweeteners can trigger your brain to crave more sweet things.
4. Eating too much starch/complex carbohydrates can also trigger more sugar.
5. Bad Habits… sometimes eating too much sugar has just become a habit and they are hard to break (ie office candy jar or break room, after-dinner habit of reaching for sweets, common rewards may also be rooted in sugar.) To form better habits for future generations its important to start good habits early with our kids! As a society these things are everywhere so it’s not easy, doing our best as parents to set them up for success is vital! It’s important to remember not to pressure them too much about food, instead letting them know that sugar isn’t always something they need to turn to
What are some practical tips to overcome sugar cravings?
As you can see there are many reasons WHY we can be having sugar cravings, from gut health to bad habits, so it’s vital to FIRST identify why you are experiencing them.
- Get more sleep if possible so you're body isn't searching for quick energy.
- Try to ditch artificial sweeteners, limit excess carbohydrates and grains (the more you eliminate these hidden sources the less you will crave sugar)
- Fill up on protein/good healthy fats that leave you satiated.
- Get rid of temptations if they are an issue in your home.
- Decide when its worth it or when its not. For example, I would prefer my glass of wine on Friday night than a donut Saturday morning, so it’s a pretty easy choice for me! Then I still eat with the family on Saturday morning (just my regular healthy option) even if they want donuts. I don’t feel deprived because I enjoyed my treat the night before.
- Tea is super helpful. Experiment with a variety of different flavors. That can help you give your mouth those exciting new tastes!
- Substitute your sugar filled treats for healthier sweet alternatives. In fact, my daughter and I just made sugar free Christmas cookies, you can get the recipe (and more) inside my Fit Mama #bodsquad community group HERE! Another AMAZING resource is Chocolatecoveredkatie.com Her blog offers yummy recipes that cater to a variety of dietary preferences.
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| Click here to get my sugar free Christmas cookie recipe inside the community! |
*Do not give up on yourself if you find this to be a real struggle area for you. You are not alone and there are certainly things you can do to help… just take it one step and one day at a time. :)
xoxo
Jackie
Are you a mom looking for more healthy recipes, sweet alternatives and tips? Join my free FIT MAMA #BODSQUAD Community! Its filled with other mamas just like you who are working towards better health and will give you the support you need to be successful on your journey!
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© Jackie Peterson Fitness 2017. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from the author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
IMPORTANT WARNING: I’m not a doctor, and I don’t know your personal health history. The information in my blog and in this program is only a suggestion. Please consult your physician and use your own judgment before trying any exercise or diet program.
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