If you have a sweet-tooth like me, it's far too easy to be allured by the promise of palate-pleasing desserts packed with the evil-goodness of white sugar! Ahaha!
For real though, on a more sobering note, I have family members who honestly struggle with their addiction to food and white sugar on a moment-by-moment, day-to-day basis. If you're honest with yourself, you'd see that addiction to white sugar is very common, and not something to judge, or laugh at!
I have seen first-hand how compulsively eating sugar can affect one's happiness: it can limit your mobility, cause chronic joint pain, limit your emotional resilience (a.k.a. your ability to deal with the natural ups and downs of life with a reasonable degree of clarity, keeping the "bigger picture" beyond that moment in mind) cause depression and anger, impact your sex-drive, and drastically reduce your confidence.
With all the research available, and the serious addictive qualities of sugar, it's still a challenge to stay away from that "otha white powda," especially since here in the states, it is deceptively pumped into everything! The best way to keep yourself on track is to come up with a personal strategy that keeps you motivated to make life-energizing choices.
One strategy that I want to share with you all is keeping a list such as the one below. I tend to be motivated by logic and science, because it gives me no wiggle-room to bend the truth of the matter; hence, this list is more fact-based than touchy-feely! ;0)
If you're reading this post because you, too, struggle with consistently remembering why white sugar/fructose/high-fructose corn syrup is a no-go, I encourage you to print this list below and read it aloud once daily. If you'd prefer a list with a different vibe filled with different reasons to motivate you, create your own Top 10 Reasons and share them with us if you're feeling it!
1. We now know — because it has been scientifically proven — that sugar is more powerfully addictive than alcohol, cocaine or even heroin. And if you’re thinking about going for diet soda instead, take note: Artificial sweeteners may be more addictive than regular sugar.
2. Sugar is stressful, and blood sugar spikes can promote inflammation. Sugars trigger the release of inflammatory messengers called cytokine.
3. White flour products are sugar, too (breads, rolls, crackers) white rice, white potatoes (instant mashed potatoes, or french fries) and many cereals are refined carbohydrates. According to Scientific American, processed carbohydrates may trump fats as the main driver of escalating rates of obesity and other chronic conditions. These high-glycemic index foods fuel the production of advanced glycation end (AGE) products that stimulate inflammation.
4. Because sugar causes a large release of dopamine in the brain, it can cause addiction in a lot of people.
5. The problem with sugar and many junk foods is that they can cause massive dopamine release…much more than we were ever exposed to from foods found in nature.
6. Fructose doesn’t cause satiety in the brain or lower the hunger hormone ghrelin nearly as much as glucose.
7. In addition, the metabolic problems associated with sugar consumption are a known driver of INFLAMMATION, another potential cause of cancer.
8. When repeatedly eating large amounts of sugar, this process can lead to fatty liver and all sorts of serious problems. Keep in mind that all of this does NOT apply to fruit. It is almost impossible to overeat fructose by eating fruit.
9. Indeed, a recent study at the University of Cambridge suggests sugar doesn't help with energy at all - in fact, it makes you sleepy. Scientists found that sugar blocks the action of orexins, a type of brain cell responsible for feelings of wakefulness (orexins are also involved in telling the body to burn calories).
10. Some evidence suggests that continuously high blood sugar levels might lead to aging of the brain that's associated with dementia. In a study published in the journal of Neurology last year, researchers took brain scans of 249 people aged from 60 to 64 with blood sugar levels in the normal range. After four years, those whose blood sugar levels were at the highest end of the normal range were more likely to have shrinkage in the hippocampus and the amygdala - areas of the brain associated with memory and cognitive function.
Related Links
1. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2524962/From-dementia-liver-damage-real-toll-sugar-diet.html
3. http://authoritynutrition.com/9-reasons-to-avoid-sugar/
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