Let’s talk about sugar!
Did you know sugar activates the same parts of the brain as heroin and cocaine? Yup, it’s that addictive. And the food industry knows it! They put just enough sugar in “non-sweet” things just to get your addictive receptors activated so you will buy that product again. That cracker you just ate is not far from being a cookie! Wonder why you like a certain brand of something over the next? Check the sugar content, I bet it’s higher than the other brand. The food industry does not care about you. They want your money. So, please read labels for sugar content. Added sugar is a no-no but you also want to be careful with total sugar as well, it all adds up. Does your ketchup have sugar? Does your salad dressing have sugar? Does your bread have sugar?
Manufacturers will mislead you by naming sugar different things on the label. Each of those types of sugar is listed separately, but when added together, the sugars may make up most of the product.
Words that equal sugar in products: anything with the word syrup (corn syrup, etc), dextrose, dulcin, agave or agave nectar, cane crystals, cane juice, corn sweetener, corn syrup solids, glucose, dates, honey, juice, liquid fructose, lactose, maltose, maple syrup, molasses, sucrose.
Other artificial sweeteners include: Equal, erythritol, Nutrasweet, saccharin, Splenda, sucralose, neotame, Sweet N’ Low, Sweetmyx, Truvia, Twinsweet, xylitol. The only artificial sweeteners I am comfortable with is Stevia, monk fruit and xylitol, but in moderation.
So why worry about the amount of sugar you consume? It’s toxic for the brain, it feeds cancer (of all kinds), it contributes to insulin resistance and diabetes, gout, obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, asthma, tooth decay, depression and early death!
So, try to look at sugary treats as if they are a dangerous drug. Play that kind of mind game with yourself to try to resist them. When functional MRI’s are obtained on people “on” sugar, the same part of the brain lights up as people who are using heroin or cocaine. So, it won’t be easy, but the longer you resist the urge to consume sugar the less you want it. Then when you eat something that is naturally sweet, like a peach or other fruit, you truly appreciate that level of sweetness. Your tastebuds will be more sensitive to the lower sugar level and you will appreciate the sugar the way nature intended it!
With love,
Laura