Our life can be full of paradoxes, sometimes representing our collective way of turning our back on problems, and our approach to sugar addiction is one such area. We invest a great deal of time, work and resources (and with good reason) into the ongoing war on illegal drugs, and in an effort to try and get our population to stop smoking. Smoking is surely the biggest single addiction in our society, we are told and is directly linked, quite vocally so, to many serious illnesses. Quite surprisingly however, when it comes to sugar, almost nothing is discussed in the mainstream media about its ability to cause a powerful addiction, ticking away in the background of our lives – day by day, causing debilitating health issues in people everywhere.
Professionals in the field of holistic nutrition say that our diets should be balanced, and that we should cut out any ingredients which are commonly known to be counter-productive or potentially dangerous. Government nutrition experts however do little to point out the significant problems caused by our over reliance on sugar and how this rather simple and unassuming product can cause an addiction as bad as some of the items listed within restricted schedules.
Just as with every other addictive substance, refined sugar has next to no value at all for your body. Quite the opposite actually, as ingestion of this substance tends to leach away vitamins and minerals from your bloodstream to be metabolized. We can see quite an analogy between some of the most addictive and dangerous banned substances and our innocent act of eating or drinking sugar. Each has the consequence of creating an unnatural “high” and each can cause long-term organ damage over time.
When we choose to add sugar to foods or drinks or elect to consume processed items which are packed with simple sugars, then we’re choosing a quick boost energy and a feeling of satisfaction because of our “sweet tooth,” regardless of the subsequent crash we’re well aware of, and the conversion of the by-products into stored fat. While most of the illegal, scheduled drugs might be widely known to cause significant problems for our major organs, excessive use of simple sugar can lead to a pattern of repeated highs and lows of insulin production, which over a period of time, can lead to the onset of diabetes. All that stored fat will invariably lead to obesity and all the problems that condition brings with it.
When sugar was first introduced to our diet it was touted as the purest form of food and one which required very little in the way of preparation. It is this very simplicity that has undoubtedly caused simple and refined sugars to become one of the scourges of our modern diet. Drugs often represent the easy way out within any situation and sugar represents an easy, every day, “acceptable” fix.
In most instances, holistic health solutions focus our attention on eating a balanced, natural diet, leading a healthy lifestyle, exercising and avoiding any kind of excess. Moderating our sugar intake ranks very highly on a list of concerns and requires us to realize that our sugar addiction can be very damaging indeed.
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It can be really difficult to focus on holistic nutrition when you suffer from cravings for those sweet, sugary products. When we actually see those temptations around us, it can be even more difficult to stay in control. We only have to travel to the gas station or the corner store for something totally unrelated and right before our eyes we see those enticing donuts in the checkout line or candy bars right next to the cash register. Cravings can be incredibly challenging to handle, particularly if you haven’t eaten anything for a few hours. The combination of feeling really hungry and that intense desire for something sweet can be hard to resist, and most of the time – before you know it, you’ve given in to your sugar addiction once again.
There are a variety of factors within the body that can be responsible for making sugar cravings happen, particularly when it comes to insulin production and long term habits. If, for instance, you’ve accustomed yourself to drinking sugary drinks regularly throughout the day, your body might have become accustomed to large spikes in glucose – and the resulting insulin production, which thereby leads to a continuous level of anticipation in your system.
It’s important to take a really balanced look at holistic health solutions in your life if you find that you are constantly having to fight off those sugar cravings. At this point, an essential area for you to give your attention to should be the balance of your overall diet. Sometimes you may not be getting as much protein as you should and you may need to realize that what your body is really asking you for is protein and not sugar.
As we’ve said before, temptations are virtually everywhere, and most of the time you can’t do much about their location. However, you can certainly clean your house of these temptations, where you have overall control and this means not stocking up on those tempting “after dinner” treats, or that carton of “Ben and Jerry’s,” sitting in its special place in your freezer!
You should know that there is a difference between simple processed sugar and sugar that is already contained within foods. Processed foods and candy bars, processed juices and soda drinks all contain sugars that contain zero calories or nutritional value and these are responsible for that “high” and subsequent low. Fruits, on the other hand, contain naturally occurring sugars which interact with your body in an entirely different way. We know that nutritional experts are always preaching at us to eat more fruits and vegetables and if you can get into the habit of eating an item of fruit every day, you will get beneficial fibers, vitamins and minerals as well.
Do not underestimate the power that this sugar addiction can have over you. You will need to make significant dietary changes and have a lot of willpower to be able to get through the early stages. Pay attention to everything that you buy in the grocery store from now on and read the labels to reveal your best buying choices. A sensible approach to holistic nutrition along with a few other holistic health solutions will soon help you to overcome your sugar addiction.
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