Paige Harris Are you frequently hungry between meals?
Do you get hangry (hungry/angry) if you have to wait longer than expected to eat?
Do you frequently crave sweet foods?
Have you tried to cut back on your sugary sweets in the past but found yourself unable to follow through?
It’s not your fault.
Well, not entirely.
Throughout history, humans evolved to love sweet tasting foods because they provided our bodies with quick energy — something that was in short supply back in the day.
The problem now is that there are so many sugary foodstuffs available to us. And the food industry markets them to us all the time.
Moreover, research has found that sugar has addictive properties, including a serotonin (happy hormone) rise and crash as well as some nasty withdrawal symptoms like those listed above. You could honestly be addicted to sugar.
And while artificial sweeteners may seem like a good alternative, they’re really just metabolic fakeouts. When you eat something that tastes sweet but doesn’t have calories, your body is expecting energy that it just doesn’t get. Talk about throwing it for a loop.
So how do you fight off being addicted to sugar?
Step One: Be aware. Check your labels. You don’t need to buy beef broth with added sugar. You don’t need to buy fruit juice with added sugar. Switching to no-sugar-added products can cut a huge dent in your overall sugar consumption.
Step Two: Feed your body, don’t deprive it. If you’re feeling a craving for something sweet, try and make it nutrient dense, too. Frozen berries & whipped coconut cream contain TONS of nutrients and taste sweet and delicious, too! Better yet, add some good quality chocolate (like the kinds found over at Evolved Chocolate) to really honor your sweet tooth! Even better yet, add more fats into all of your meals. It’ll help blunt cravings and make you feel truly satiated — because you will be.
Step Three: Remember to love your body in other ways. Sugar cravings will spike when you’re stressed and don’t get enough sleep! If you take steps to reduce your stress and improve your sleep, your cravings will naturally decline. Better yet? Exercise! It produces the same serotonin that a hit of sugar does, and it does even more to benefit your overall health!
All that being said, if you don’t have any known illnesses, allergies, or intolerances, you should not fear whole food carbohydrates. Demonizing an entire category of foods only leads to unnecessary restriction, feelings of guilt over food, and (most likely) some nutritional deficiencies.
Carbohydrates are great because they:
- Provide fuel for your brain
- Give your muscles a quick source of energy
- Help regulate protein and fat digestion
- Provide fiber to feed the microbiome in your gut
- Fight infection
- Promote bone & skin tissue growth
- Lubricate your joints
- Taste DELICIOUS!!!
I hope that you learned a bunch about sugar over this last week, and that I’ve sparked you into wanting to discover more about the foods you eat and the consequences they have on your body and wellbeing.
If you’re interested in getting some personal 1:1 time with me to tackle a problem with your health or fitness, please reach out! I want to help you feel better. That’s why I do this, after all.
You can see a little overview of my coaching offerings through this link, but always feel free to send an email or Instagram DM my way if that’s easier for you.
And if you’re addicted to sugar, have hope! You can reduce those cravings by adding in some real, whole foods to your diet. Contact me to find out how.
