Diabetes Truths and Control: high sugar

Are You Addicted to Sugar?

Eating diets rich in carbohydrates reduces stress and produces feelings of gratification and pleasure. Carbohydrate consumption increases brain serotonin, inhibits corticotrophin-releasing factor, and affects opioid- and dopamine-mediated responses.

Sucrose in particular appears to be connected to the opioidergic system. Indeed, opioid receptor antagonists reduced sucrose intake by decreasing the pleasantness of sucrose consumption in humans and in binge eaters.

Euphoric endorphins and dopamine are released within the nucleus accumbens, a hedonic region of the brain. If poorly regulated, this can lead to “sugar addiction".

if you are a diabetic person or pre-diabetic, this sugar addictions can be very costly to you

Here are some common behaviors that predict sugar addition

You Eat Too Much

If there are some foods that you just can’t stop eating, assume they’re likely high in sugar. Sugar doesn’t really make you satiated, so it’s hard to stop. This is made worse if sugar is combined with sodium and fat. For example, you may be eating donuts which are also high in salt and fat, but would you really eat them without the sugar? Doubtful.

You Crave Processed Carbohydrates

If you’re often craving refined carbs like chips, crackers, and bread, then you may just have a problem with sugar. Often, eliminating added sugars can reduce cravings that you’re having for high processed carbs over time.

You Crave Salty Foods

With processed foods, salt and sugar go together very well. If you feel like you could lick a salt lick and be happy, you may be addicted to sugar. Look at the amount of sugar in the snacks you normally eat. If they’re highly processed, you can bet they have too much added sugar.

You Crave Meat

This might seem strange, but if you crave meat when you really don’t need it and aren’t really that hungry, you may really be craving the spices that are often on meat such as wing sauce which is very high in sugar.

Use Natural Sugar - in your daily meals

Is your typical meal higher in sugar than it should be? Keep in mind that a maximum of 90 grams is a maximum. It doesn’t mean you need to eat that much sugar. If you feel bad and aren’t healthy, you can always cut that amount down. The best way to do that is to avoid added sugars and only eat sugar that is naturally in plants.

You Get Moody without Sugar

If you find that you are often feeling grumpy and moody, the problem might sugar. If you often suffer dips and rises in blood sugar, when you have a dip you will suffer from grumpy moods. This can be exacerbated by eating sugary things like candy which will provide a fast jump and a quick fall.

You Feel Powerless Over Sugar

Do you ever feel like you don’t even want to eat that sugary snack but you do it anyway because you know it’ll make you feel better? This is common in people who work long days; students especially. It’s true that eating a sugary snack will help temporarily, but you’d do far better eating a fruit snack with only natural sugars and fiber to help slow down the sugar absorption.

You Start and End Your Day with Sugar

Look at your entire day. What do you eat in the morning? What do you eat before bed? What is the first and last thing you eat each day? If you’re eating sugar in the morning and at night, especially added processed sugar and not sugar in whole plants, then that is a sign that you may have an addiction to sugar.

You Suffer a 3 PM Slump

If you work in an office, you’ll notice this a lot more than if you are retired or work from home. But pay attention if somewhere after lunch you start falling asleep while you’re working or feel as if you need a nap. Look at your diet. Are you giving yourself energy for lunch or are you setting yourself up for a sugar crash?

If you are going through any of these issues,

YOU ARE A SUGAR ADDICTIVE

it is wise to calculate how much sugar you’re eating in any given day. Most people eat double the sugar maximum of 90 grams a day due to added and processed sugars, including hidden sugars.

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IN THE NEXT BLOG POST WE WILL SEE HOW YOU CAN COME OUT OF THE SUGAR ADDICTION

Check out this VIDEO presentation how you can be FREE from the problem named -- "SUGAR"

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