food fight
A Sweet High
BY CHERYL ADES
Do you spend an inordinate amount of time focused on how you will obtain your next
sugary snack, cereal, or sweetener in your coffee?
Do you begin your day or need to finish your meal “craving something sweet?”
Do you find yourself more attracted to or craving sweet, starchy foods than other more
healthful foods?
Do you go out of your way to obtain sweet food or have difficulty stopping after one
cookie or piece of bread?
Does your mood change from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde after you have had sugary foods?
Do you often feel tired, restless, irritable, and have difficulty concentrating before or
after eating?
I am often astounded by the number of people with whom I come in contact who
nonchalantly laugh off the idea that they don’t have a serious addiction to something as
harmful as alcohol, gambling, or cocaine. These same people say if they had an
addiction, it would be to sugar. Although these alternate methods of numbing oneself
often lead to more rapid catastrophic consequences, the insidious slow death that
sugar addiction causes is equally as debilitating emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
Sugar addiction, more aptly touted as “sugar sensitivity” by Katherine DesMaisons,
Ph. D., author of Potatoes not Prozac, runs rampant in America where obesity rates
soar and our children often begin their days at preschools given fruit loops and graham
crackers as early morning snacks.
Rest assured, your preoccupation with sugar isn’t because you are weak-willed, bad or
lazy. There is a physiological, genetic component to sugar sensitivity. The momentary
“high” you experience after ingesting your favorite cookie, flavored cream in your
coffee, or ice cream is due to the fact that sugar increases neurotransmitter emission in
the brain, especially serotonin, the mother of all neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters
equal good feelings. It’s no wonder we get addicted to the feelings that sugar-laden
foods yield.
Sugar sensitivity ranges in severity from person to person, yet just like any other
addiction, it is progressive. Excessive sugar ingestion can suppress the immune
system, lead to obesity, prevent you from feeling salient emotions, and create erratic
moods. Here are a few tips for getting off the merry-go-round of sugar addiction.
1) Detoxify yourself of all white and simple carbohydrates. This includes obvious sweets
like candy, potatoes, pasta, and bread. The first five days will be the most difficult and
you may experience headaches, fatigue, or flu-like symptoms. After two to three weeks,
you will notice detox symptoms have left.
2) Drink lots of water to flush out your system.
3) Eat at least four times daily and include adequate proteins and fats each meal to
stabilize blood sugar levels with complex carbohydrates like oat bran or black beans
with plenty of fiber to ensure slower digestion.
4) Be gentle with yourself. Your body and your psyche will be going through major
shifts. Discover healthier methods of nurturing yourself, especially during this initial
detox period.
5) Keep a food diary. Write down your food intake daily as well as the feelings you
notice after each meal. This will help you take stock of how your physiology feels after
ingesting certain food combinations as well as your emotional health.
6) Get outside support. Get the help of a trained food addiction therapist or support
group to help you through this vital lifestyle change.
7) Celebrate and congratulate yourself for being willing to change!
— Cheryl Ades
A Sweet High
BY CHERYL ADES
Do you spend an inordinate amount of time focused on how you will obtain your next
sugary snack, cereal, or sweetener in your coffee?
Do you begin your day or need to finish your meal “craving something sweet?”
Do you find yourself more attracted to or craving sweet, starchy foods than other more
healthful foods?
Do you go out of your way to obtain sweet food or have difficulty stopping after one
cookie or piece of bread?
Does your mood change from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde after you have had sugary foods?
Do you often feel tired, restless, irritable, and have difficulty concentrating before or
after eating?
I am often astounded by the number of people with whom I come in contact who
nonchalantly laugh off the idea that they don’t have a serious addiction to something as
harmful as alcohol, gambling, or cocaine. These same people say if they had an
addiction, it would be to sugar. Although these alternate methods of numbing oneself
often lead to more rapid catastrophic consequences, the insidious slow death that
sugar addiction causes is equally as debilitating emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
Sugar addiction, more aptly touted as “sugar sensitivity” by Katherine DesMaisons,
Ph. D., author of Potatoes not Prozac, runs rampant in America where obesity rates
soar and our children often begin their days at preschools given fruit loops and graham
crackers as early morning snacks.
Rest assured, your preoccupation with sugar isn’t because you are weak-willed, bad or
lazy. There is a physiological, genetic component to sugar sensitivity. The momentary
“high” you experience after ingesting your favorite cookie, flavored cream in your
coffee, or ice cream is due to the fact that sugar increases neurotransmitter emission in
the brain, especially serotonin, the mother of all neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters
equal good feelings. It’s no wonder we get addicted to the feelings that sugar-laden
foods yield.
Sugar sensitivity ranges in severity from person to person, yet just like any other
addiction, it is progressive. Excessive sugar ingestion can suppress the immune
system, lead to obesity, prevent you from feeling salient emotions, and create erratic
moods. Here are a few tips for getting off the merry-go-round of sugar addiction.
1) Detoxify yourself of all white and simple carbohydrates. This includes obvious sweets
like candy, potatoes, pasta, and bread. The first five days will be the most difficult and
you may experience headaches, fatigue, or flu-like symptoms. After two to three weeks,
you will notice detox symptoms have left.
2) Drink lots of water to flush out your system.
3) Eat at least four times daily and include adequate proteins and fats each meal to
stabilize blood sugar levels with complex carbohydrates like oat bran or black beans
with plenty of fiber to ensure slower digestion.
4) Be gentle with yourself. Your body and your psyche will be going through major
shifts. Discover healthier methods of nurturing yourself, especially during this initial
detox period.
5) Keep a food diary. Write down your food intake daily as well as the feelings you
notice after each meal. This will help you take stock of how your physiology feels after
ingesting certain food combinations as well as your emotional health.
6) Get outside support. Get the help of a trained food addiction therapist or support
group to help you through this vital lifestyle change.
7) Celebrate and congratulate yourself for being willing to change!
— Cheryl Ades