Control Sugar Cravings
Many people struggle with sugar cravings that are out of control. Sugar is addicting. Giving into these cravings and overeating high sugar foods causes great distress to our bodies and pollutes our minds. The result is weight gain, loss of energy, depression, low self-esteem, susceptibility to numerous chronic diseases, and ultimately cravings for even more and more sugar. It is a vicious cycle. The more you eat, the more you want. How do you get off the sugar rollercoaster and end cravings for good? By eating the proper foods in the proper balance. It is really that simple. Let’s take a look at how the body responds to sugar and other foods. It will change your life and how you feel forever!
There is a reason why you crave sugary foods; it is not simply a lack of self-control. The body possesses powerful hormones and brain chemicals that can take control of your willpower. The good news is you can take charge of these powerful hormones and brain chemicals to have them work for and not against you. It all begins with carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates All Turn Into Sugar
First, let’s talk about what carbohydrates are. Vegetables, fruits, grains, breads, pasta, sweets, juices, sodas, beer, wine, potato chips and most other snack foods are all classified as carbohydrates. They all break down into simple sugars in the body once we consume them. But all carbohydrates are not created equally. Carbohydrate foods such as soda and candy are devoid of fiber and nutrients, and they contain a lot more sugar than vegetables or whole grains, causing our blood sugar to rise rapidly once eaten. High blood sugar puts the body into red alert and our body sends a team to deal with it immediately.
The Power of Insulin
The most powerful member of that team is the hormone insulin. Insulin has the very important job of regulating and transporting sugar in our blood. We need a constant supply of sugar in our blood, but it is also dangerous to have too much. Insulin protects our blood sugar levels by delivering sugar to areas of the body where it is needed for energy, or in excess, stores the sugar as fat.
It is very important for our brain to have a constant supply of sugar in order to function properly, so the body satisfies the brain’s need for sugar first. Next, insulin takes sugar to our muscles to be burned for our physical needs of movement. Our muscles also have the ability to store carbohydrates as glycogen for energy needs in the immediate future, so next, sugar goes into these glycogen stores. If there is still sugar leftover, insulin puts it into fat storage, which typically goes to our waistline, or stores it as triglycerides (a “bad” type of cholesterol).
If we continually eat too many carbohydrates and the wrong kind of carbohydrates, our blood sugar is always spiking too high and then dropping too low instead of staying in a balanced state. High blood sugar means high insulin levels. High insulin levels mean intense sugar cravings. Intense sugar cravings lead to an addiction to sugar and poor quality carbohydrate foods. That addiction leads to hypoglycemia, diabetes, adrenal exhaustion, mental instability and weight gain, to name a few. High insulin levels also mean that another powerful hormone, glucagon, cannot do its work in burning fat.
Protein Creates Glucagon and Burns Fat
Glucagon’s job is to release stored carbohydrates from fat to be used as energy. Eating protein rich foods triggers glucagon into action, but if insulin is too high, glucagon is blocked and cannot work. If we choose high sugar carbohydrate meals and snacks without properly balancing protein, glucagon can’t work to break down fat stores because insulin levels are always high. High insulin levels block glucagon. Balanced insulin levels, hence balanced blood sugar, allow glucagon to work at burning fat.
Some Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar
- Craving for sweets
- Hunger
- Nervousness and irritability
- Exhaustion and drowsiness
- Depression
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Forgetfulness, confusion, and indecisiveness
- Anxiety
- Heart palpitations and rapid pulse
Some Symptoms of High Blood Sugar
- Frequent urination
- Thirst
- Feeling weak or tired
- Blurred vision
- Dry mouth
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Weight gain
- Inflammation
- Fluid retention
Balancing Our Blood Sugar
Keeping your blood sugar balanced will keep insulin in check, glucagon working to burn fat, and will eliminate your sugar cravings once and for all. In order to balance your blood sugar, you will need to eat healthy carbohydrates along with protein and fat with every meal and snack. Healthy carbohydrate choices are vegetables, low sugar fruits and whole grains that are not refined. Pair your choice of a healthy carbohydrate with a high quality protein such as chicken, turkey, or an egg, and a fat such as butter or avocado, every time you eat. By doing this, you will avoid the blood sugar rollercoaster and avoid your body’s willpower being overrun by powerful hormones such as insulin. You will lose weight because the hormone glucagon is able to do its work, and your sugar cravings will go away. Freeing yourself from the addiction of sugar frees your mind so that you are relaxed, happy, confident and content; and frees your body to become energetic, strong, and on the road to optimal health.
