The Sugar Coated Truth

Recently I've been fascinated by the issue of sugar addiction, something that has plagued myself and SO many of us. The reality with nutrition is, intuitively many of us have the sense about what is healthy, but often it’s our emotional state that make our food choices for us.

A few weeks ago, while scanning my inbox, one subject-line totally jumped out at me and intrigued me to open and read it. The title was; “What's more addictive, Oreo's or Cocaine?”

This lead me to take a quiz on how susceptible I am as an individual to sugar addiction. The test was based on the  “worst” three-month period in my life. This caused me to reflect on my past struggle with an eating disorder. In this period in my life, many years ago now, I would frequently binge on sugary treats, feeling completely powerless over the hold food seemed to have on me. (I am so grateful that that was almost a decade ago now and I have come such a long way!)

The results fascinated me as I was a 10/10 on the susceptibility scale to sugar addiction, the highest you could possibly be. This helped me understand myself better and why I tend to get such intense cravings for sugar when I choose to “indulge” a little (as I hold the belief that allowing ourselves a treat on special occasions can feed the soul and can be part of a healthy diet.)

But this idea of different levels of “susceptibility to addiction” caused me to get curious about my current philosophy that I held on balance and moderation when it comes to “treats”.

Let’s just think for a moment of someone with an alcohol addiction. It’s well accepted knowledge that it’s not the greatest idea for this individual to have a couple of drinks, even just a couple times a month. This feeds their addiction! Could sugar be viewed the same way for those more susceptible individuals, like myself?

So, who can handle sugar and eat it in moderation and who has a true addiction and shouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole? The individuality of us as humans is so fascinating, especially when it comes to our nutrition! What's good for one may not be good for all…

Fortunately, over the years I have been on my own journey, finding what works for me to keep myself healthy mentally and physically (self-love is key for anyone who has overcome body image issues). I am still learning and growing, but here are some of my tips and tricks that have really helped me manage my sweet tooth.

1. Low Glycemic Eating:

The Glycemic Index (GI) Is a scale that ranks foods according to the rise they cause in blood sugar levels. Highly refined carbohydrates such as candy, baked goods, bread, chips, pop etc. are HIGH on the GI (foods we want to avoid) We want to focus on LOW glycemic eating by incorporating healthy whole unrefined carbohydrates such as fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds and selective whole grains.

A huge part of the glycemic index of a meal is affected by the combination of macro nutrients (fat, protein, carbs and fiber). Healthy fats will slow down the release of blood sugar in the meal along with a moderate amount of protein, fiber and some acids (such as lemon juice or apple cider vinegar)

All meals and snacks should be focused on incorporating all three macro nutrients (fat, protein and carbs)

Here are some examples of the macros you want to combine for optimal blood sugar regulation (protein, carb, fat) for every meal and snack.

• snack: hardboiled egg (protein), apple (carb), almonds (fat & fiber)
  
• tuna salad: tuna (protein) olive oil (fat) & lemon juice (acid to lower GI) & organic gluten free crackers (carb & fiber)
  
• smoothie: high-quality protein powder (I love USANA MySmart® Shake Base, which is so great because it does the hard work for you with the perfect balance of healthy fat from coconut oil, plant or whey protein & added fiber) just add whole fruit like frozen berries (healthy carb) and avocado (healthy fat and added fiber)
  
• dinner: roast chicken (protein), cauliflower mash (carb with added healthy fats from coconut oil and coconut milk) and steamed green beans (more healthy carbs and fiber)

2. Mindset

Some daily practices I have implemented to set myself up for the success include: affirmations & gratitude.

 3. Have a Plan

To me this means getting clear on what I am "allowing” myself to put in my body

Create a commitment to sticking to that plan

Ultimately where you stand with eating sugar is very personal choice. For some, having sugar in "moderation" works just fine, (and I am not here to tell you that's wrong.)

What I encourage you try is going one full day with NO refined sugar. If you have absolutely no problem ding that, then chances are you may not be overly addicted to this "drug of choice" for many. If the thought of that horrifies and scares you then perhaps you may also wish to dig a bit deeper on this topic and use some of the tools I have found successful for me.

Which brings me to sharing with you system that I had great success on completely cutting sugar out of my life through a Program that you participate in as well!

The BE HEALTHY 28 Day Program

• This was incredible to keep me accountable
  
• Doing this challenge with an amazing group of people was exactly what I needed to stay off sugar!
  
• This program is focused on all the above tips to get unhooked from sugar
  
• Eat in a way that promotes consistent blood sugar levels, and so much more!

So, if you feel like you need some more support on your goals to kick your sweet tooth, then we encourage you to check out the next start date on this Incredible Program. Click here to find out more. [Link to the 28 Day Program on the shop page]

Stay healthy!

Kendra Sayers