It seems as though sugar is in everything these days, from ketchup to salsa to soup. It's in everything, I suppose, because we have come to expect it to be.And it's not just the white stuff we need to worry about. "Refined carbohydrates," such as white bread and white flour products, produce the same reaction in our bodies.Researchers have linked sugar consumption to everything from cavities to wrinkly skin, as well as wide range of much more serious health problems.[]
So far, my search for a sugar-free milk has turned up zilch. Even lactose-free milk still has sugar in it! I may take the advice of those who have an opposition to milk and completely phase it out of my diet during this experiment. I will have to find foods with similar nutritional value with which to replace milk (protein, calcium, vitamins A and D).There are many to choose from. Unfortunately, while the options are plenty, the prices are too expensive for my budget.Most cheeses are usually free of sugar because the sugar has been fermented out of the cheese. There are other forms of sugar-free dairy products available, but it almost certain that sugar-free dairy will contain some form of artificial sweetener. Reading labels will be important. I'm not too fond of artificial sweetners, so I may have to do more research on acceptable kinds of dairy during this experiment.
The World Health Organization recommends reducing your intake of added sugars to less than 10 percent of your total caloric intake. That means, if you eat 2,000 calories, you should eat less than 12 teaspoons of sugar each day. The US Department of Agriculture also recommends limiting your consumption of added sugar to between 6 and 12 teaspoons of sugar each day, depending on your daily average caloric intake. (Six teaspoons a day for people who eat 1,600 calories; 12 teaspoons if you eat 2,200 calories each day.) Keep in mind that a single 12-ounce soft drink contains 10 teaspoons of sugar.To find out how much sugar is in some of the items in your cupboards, look for Sugars (measured in grams) on the Nutrition Label. Then divide the number of grams by 4 to get the number of teaspoons. So, 12 grams of sugar is 3 teaspoons of sugar. Sixteen grams of sugar is 4 teaspoons.
Anything that is canned, jarred, bagged, boxed, or stuffed in plastic tubing is processed and contains an insane amount of sugar. Nothing is sacred anymore! Even a cup of my child's breakfast cereal contains 17g of sugar! One cup! Pour some milk on that cereal and the poor child just ingested about 30g of sugar in one meal! That's assuming that the portion size is correct! Most people double-even triple-portion sizes without knowing it which means the amount of sugar consumption doubles or triples as well.
It may take a good week or two to completely remove every item that contains unnatural sugars and replace them with sugar-free alternatives. Most of the time will be spent "window shopping" at my grocery store to get an idea of what is available along with the estimated costs.Going completely sugar free will actually take much effort and planning seeing as how over 70 percent of popular American foods contain sugar. But I believe the effort is worth the end result of being, looking, and feeling healthier. Stay tuned for updates!
People can become addicted to many things. It is called sugar addiction when an individual craves sweet foods. It is a psychological and physical craving.Sugar increases serotonin production in the brain, something like anti-depressants. One of the ways you can tell if you're addicted to sugar is an extreme need to eat it. Once you consume enough of it your anxiety alleviates.
Avoid replacing added sugar with artificial sweeteners. Your best bet is to gradually reduce your taste for sweet foods, not to replace them with chemical alternatives. On ingredients lists, look for sucralose, saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame K, and neotame.Avoid the center of the supermarket as much as possible. That's where most of the processed foods are shelved. Instead, shop the perimeter for healthy, raw foods. If you have young kids, go to the grocery store by yourself. You may be less apt to come home with sugary treats. Plus, you can take more time to examine the labels for hidden sugar. If your kids are grade school age or older, take them along and enlist their help as Sugar Detectives. Give them each a list of hidden sugars and artificial sweeteners and turn it into a game.
Sugar dependency is along the same lines as addiction to smoking, gambling or alcohol. Anxiety, depression and phobias are some emotional imbalances that can be connected to sugar addiction. Sugar causes an immediate gratification making the person that's addicted feel like they can't live without it. The down part is that the good feeling doesn't last long. In a short, you go from being energetic to feeling tired. You may have tried to give up sugar because you wanted to lose weight or avoid illnesses. This might trigger the same withdrawal symptoms as some drug addicts experience. Some symptoms are sweating, trembling, weakness and dizziness.
If you need to lose weight, consider a diet plan that focuses on reducing sugar intake. The Sugar Busters Diet Plan is probably the most well known. The idea of this diet is to reduce your intake of sugar and high starch carbohydrates, focusing instead on lean protein, low starch veggies, and whole grain carbs, in order to lose weight. Many of the low GI diets out there use this method, as well.
Water is an important factor in total wellness; it contains many minerals and is needed for good nutrition. Water can help in controlling sugar cravings. Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.Begin your day by eating a balanced breakfast. Make sure you have protein and complex carbohydrates. This will keep up your blood sugar level and lessen your cravings later on in the day. Replace your caffeinated drink with juice or herbal tea. Caffeine will cause your blood sugar to go down.Eat small portions of complex carbohydrates during the day. This will keep your stomach satisfied. Fruits, vegetables, wheat, grains and rice are full of nutrients. You will feel fuller longer because they are assimilated at a slower rate.Think of an enjoyable option when you feel a strong craving for sugar coming on. Listen to your favorite music, work on a craft or do some exercise. It's impossible to give up sugar overnight. Take one step at a time and you will reach your goal.
So far, my search for a sugar-free milk has turned up zilch. Even lactose-free milk still has sugar in it! I may take the advice of those who have an opposition to milk and completely phase it out of my diet during this experiment. I will have to find foods with similar nutritional value with which to replace milk (protein, calcium, vitamins A and D).There are many to choose from. Unfortunately, while the options are plenty, the prices are too expensive for my budget.Most cheeses are usually free of sugar because the sugar has been fermented out of the cheese. There are other forms of sugar-free dairy products available, but it almost certain that sugar-free dairy will contain some form of artificial sweetener. Reading labels will be important. I'm not too fond of artificial sweetners, so I may have to do more research on acceptable kinds of dairy during this experiment.
The World Health Organization recommends reducing your intake of added sugars to less than 10 percent of your total caloric intake. That means, if you eat 2,000 calories, you should eat less than 12 teaspoons of sugar each day. The US Department of Agriculture also recommends limiting your consumption of added sugar to between 6 and 12 teaspoons of sugar each day, depending on your daily average caloric intake. (Six teaspoons a day for people who eat 1,600 calories; 12 teaspoons if you eat 2,200 calories each day.) Keep in mind that a single 12-ounce soft drink contains 10 teaspoons of sugar.To find out how much sugar is in some of the items in your cupboards, look for Sugars (measured in grams) on the Nutrition Label. Then divide the number of grams by 4 to get the number of teaspoons. So, 12 grams of sugar is 3 teaspoons of sugar. Sixteen grams of sugar is 4 teaspoons.
Anything that is canned, jarred, bagged, boxed, or stuffed in plastic tubing is processed and contains an insane amount of sugar. Nothing is sacred anymore! Even a cup of my child's breakfast cereal contains 17g of sugar! One cup! Pour some milk on that cereal and the poor child just ingested about 30g of sugar in one meal! That's assuming that the portion size is correct! Most people double-even triple-portion sizes without knowing it which means the amount of sugar consumption doubles or triples as well.
It may take a good week or two to completely remove every item that contains unnatural sugars and replace them with sugar-free alternatives. Most of the time will be spent "window shopping" at my grocery store to get an idea of what is available along with the estimated costs.Going completely sugar free will actually take much effort and planning seeing as how over 70 percent of popular American foods contain sugar. But I believe the effort is worth the end result of being, looking, and feeling healthier. Stay tuned for updates!
People can become addicted to many things. It is called sugar addiction when an individual craves sweet foods. It is a psychological and physical craving.Sugar increases serotonin production in the brain, something like anti-depressants. One of the ways you can tell if you're addicted to sugar is an extreme need to eat it. Once you consume enough of it your anxiety alleviates.
Avoid replacing added sugar with artificial sweeteners. Your best bet is to gradually reduce your taste for sweet foods, not to replace them with chemical alternatives. On ingredients lists, look for sucralose, saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame K, and neotame.Avoid the center of the supermarket as much as possible. That's where most of the processed foods are shelved. Instead, shop the perimeter for healthy, raw foods. If you have young kids, go to the grocery store by yourself. You may be less apt to come home with sugary treats. Plus, you can take more time to examine the labels for hidden sugar. If your kids are grade school age or older, take them along and enlist their help as Sugar Detectives. Give them each a list of hidden sugars and artificial sweeteners and turn it into a game.
Sugar dependency is along the same lines as addiction to smoking, gambling or alcohol. Anxiety, depression and phobias are some emotional imbalances that can be connected to sugar addiction. Sugar causes an immediate gratification making the person that's addicted feel like they can't live without it. The down part is that the good feeling doesn't last long. In a short, you go from being energetic to feeling tired. You may have tried to give up sugar because you wanted to lose weight or avoid illnesses. This might trigger the same withdrawal symptoms as some drug addicts experience. Some symptoms are sweating, trembling, weakness and dizziness.
If you need to lose weight, consider a diet plan that focuses on reducing sugar intake. The Sugar Busters Diet Plan is probably the most well known. The idea of this diet is to reduce your intake of sugar and high starch carbohydrates, focusing instead on lean protein, low starch veggies, and whole grain carbs, in order to lose weight. Many of the low GI diets out there use this method, as well.
Water is an important factor in total wellness; it contains many minerals and is needed for good nutrition. Water can help in controlling sugar cravings. Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.Begin your day by eating a balanced breakfast. Make sure you have protein and complex carbohydrates. This will keep up your blood sugar level and lessen your cravings later on in the day. Replace your caffeinated drink with juice or herbal tea. Caffeine will cause your blood sugar to go down.Eat small portions of complex carbohydrates during the day. This will keep your stomach satisfied. Fruits, vegetables, wheat, grains and rice are full of nutrients. You will feel fuller longer because they are assimilated at a slower rate.Think of an enjoyable option when you feel a strong craving for sugar coming on. Listen to your favorite music, work on a craft or do some exercise. It's impossible to give up sugar overnight. Take one step at a time and you will reach your goal.
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