Addicted to Sugar??
Break Free Forever!
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November 3, 2020 - Episode #36 - Addicted to Sugar?? Break Free Forever!
Oh yeah, it has started! Everywhere we look, we see candy and sugary treats. Halloween kicks off our holiday season. Did you know that most people gain 5-10 pounds during the holidays? Add that to the pandemic pounds that we are already struggling with and do we have a problem! All of the sweet treats surrounding us; do you find it impossible to resist? Feel like you are addicted to sugar? Want to break free from those sugar cravings? If this is you, then this podcast is JUST FOR YOU! Listen in as I unpack WHY sugar cravings are so common. Blood sugar instability, mineral deficiency, poor gut health and the fact that sugar has very addicting properties provide some insight on why you are addicted to sugar. But I don't stop there! No! Then I outline 7 specific ways that you can break free from those sugar cravings! I don't want you living in captivity any more, susceptible to the next sweet treat in front of you. I want you to live with freedom, good health and great energy! If you are ready for empowerment, it starts right here! As you listen to today's topic on sugar addiction, I want to remind you that you can schedule a 10-minute Wellness Warrior Chat with me. I want to give you two specific strategies that will help with weight loss, energy and yes, even those pesky sugar cravings! Click the Calendly link to schedule now! I'll talk to you soon! https://calendly.com/coachjennpickett/10-minute-warrior-chats Read Full Transcript below Where else to listen: (note: Google is only available on android devices)
FULL TRANSCRIPT November 3, 2020 - Episode #36 - Addicted to Sugar?? Break Free Forever! Oh, it has started. Everywhere we look, we see candy and sugary treats. Halloween kicks off our holiday season. Did you know that most people gain 5-10 pounds during the holidays? Add that to the pandemic pounds that we are already struggling with and man, we have a problem!! All of the sweet treats surrounding us, do you find it impossible to resist? Feel like you are addicted to sugar? Want to break free from those sugar cravings? This is the hot topic today on Healthy Harmony Hey, Hey, welcome to the Healthy Harmony podcast. If you're ready to be empowered, to tap into the healthiest version of you so you can live life with confidence and intentional harmony then my friend you're in the right place. I’m Jennifer. As a dietician turned functional medicine, health coach I'm here to walk beside you and show you how to take control of your complete health. So you can live a life you not only love, but a life where you're truly thriving. Empowerment is right around the corner where we can dive into physical health, mental, emotional health, and spiritual health because addressing these areas equals intentional harmony, AKA happiness, fulfillment, and confidence. Let's do this! Before we jump into todays topic on sugar addiction, I want to remind you that you can schedule a 10 minute warrior chat with me. I want to give you two specific strategies that will help with weight loss, energy and yes, even those pesky sugar cravings! Click the Calendly link in the description of this podcast! Doesn’t it feel impossible? Every where we turn it seems that there is something tempting us and trying to sabotage our healthy efforts. And no time is this more true than during the holidays! We just finished Halloween. There is candy everywhere. Now mind you, my kids are 13 and 15 and they still had their fun. My son and his friends. A group of 9 of them all dressed like inflatable dinosaurs. It was hysterical! As a mom, I’m learning that even though they are growing up, they still want to have fun like little kids! You know, I’ve now spent 24 years in the healthcare and health and wellness space. And I will tell you that there is more to this than just sheer willpower. Than just trying to white knuckle it and choose a healthier option. This is why I chose to go into Functional Medicine. Functional Medicine asks the question why? And seeks to get to the root of the problem. What’s really happening here? So let’s do that today! Instead of me just warning you not to eat sugar and trying to force up this willpower to resist. Let’s look at WHY we have sugar cravings in the first place. There are a few different reasons for sugar addiction. 1). Blood Sugar - Blood sugar, or glucose, is the main sugar found in your blood. It comes from the food you eat, and is your body's main source of energy. Your blood carries glucose to all of your body's cells to use for energy. For our body to work efficiently our blood sugar must be maintained in a fairly narrow range. For most of you, your blood work is doing a roller coaster ride. Up and down and up and down. This affects how you feel, how efficiently your body loses weight, your mental clarity, your mood, your metabolism, your energy level and yes, even your cravings. Here is an example for you. In the late afternoon, there is a natural dip in our blood sugar level. How you respond to that matters a great deal. Reaching for that leftover Halloween candy. It feels great temporarily, then the bottom drops out. Literally. Your blood sugar rises after you satisfy that sweet tooth. And then what comes up must come down. How do you feel when you blood sugar bottoms out. You feel awful. You are tired and sluggish and you are craving something. What are you craving? Sugar! You blood sugar dropped so the body is saying I need something, I need something. It is hard to resist that strong biochemical response. So sugar cravings can certainly stem from blood sugar issues. 2). Gut Health - You have heard me discuss gut health on a few podcasts now. Are you starting to figure out this is a pretty important topic that you need to know about. For your gut to be healthy, you need 80% good healthy bacteria and 20% bad organisms. Here’s the problem, in most everybody, that ratio is reversed! We have an overabundance of the bad guys and not enough of the good guys. Why is this?? Well, its the antibiotics that we have taken, oh and the ones in our food, it's the stress in our lives, the fact that we aren’t getting enough sleep and the junky foods that we eat. These are just a few of the reasons that we have this overabundance of the bad guys that are destroying our health. One of the worst offenders when it comes to the bad guys is Candida yeast. And guest what, yeast loves sugar, it feeds off of sugar. Poor gut health can be a big reason why you are struggling with those sugar cravings!! 3). Sugar is Addicting - That appetite may be hardwired. We know that sweet is the first taste that humans prefer from birth. Think about a baby eating baby food, they love the sweeter fruit ones. And there are certain things that happen in the brain when we consume sugary foods and processed carbohydrates. This stimulates the release serotonin that feel-good brain chemical. The taste of sugar also releases endorphins that calm and relax us, and offer a natural “high," That’s some of the science, but you and I both know the cold hard truth. We eat it because it taste good!!! It’s delicious. And then the more you eat the more you crave. And let me tell you…food companies know of the addicting properties of sugar! So they keep adding more and more so you keep buying more and more because you are hooked! So many food items have hidden sugar. In fact, did you know there are 56 different names for hidden sugar?!? 56!! Studies show we are consuming more and more sugar. Us adults, we are consuming a whooping 22 teaspoons of sugar daily! And our kids? Well, our kids have us beat! They consume 34 tsp of sugar a day. 34 teaspoons ya’ll. That’s a ton of sugar! Especially considering the recommendation for adults is 5 tsp a day for women and 9 tsp a day for men. And our kids should consume no more than 4 tsp of sugar a day! Holy cow!! That is a big difference! To put it in perspective, a 12 ounce can of soda is 10 teaspoons of sugar. Thats 10 teaspoons being dumped into your system in liquid form meaning it is quickly and rapidly absorbed. I just talked to you about your blood sugar. You have a dramatic rise in your glucose and then you crash and crave more sugar. What a disastrous cycle! And for my sweet friends out there who say, “I’m good, that’s why I switched to Diet sodas! I hate to be the bearer of bad news but the body responds the same to the artificial sweetener junk! Your blood sugar, the insulin that is secreted from the pancreas. It is still a disaster and then you are just adding in more chemicals. Many, many of my clients were completely addicted to sodas. It was part of their daily routine. For Kristi, Brandi, Vanessa, Rachel, Amber to name just a few. But they started with recognizing, being mindful of how they felt after drinking that soda or diet soda and then they decided to make a change. And guess what, it wasn’t necessarily easy but it was worth it!! All of these ladies and so many more were able to feel better and feel more energized quickly!! So yes, sugar is addicting. The food companies know this and they do not care about your health, only your money. The great news? This addiction can be broken!! Stop living in captivity girl! Let’s live in freedom. 4). Vitamin and Mineral deficiency - Here’s our reality nowadays. We are overfed and undernourished. Big time! Wrap your head around that one. You are malnourished. Doesn’t really make sense, right? Because you look down and see extra weight. The problem is we are getting so much of what destroys our body and makes us toxic and sluggish and burdened and overwhelmed. And not enough of amazing nutrients that energize us and make us feel AH-Mazing!!! Craving sugar can meany our body needs certain minerals. Like the minerals and vitamins that are involved in the metabolism of glucose or the production of insulin. Certain trace minerals, such as zinc, magnesium, vanadium and chromium are important for your body and various metabolic processes. When your daily intake does not include foods that contain enough of these minerals, you will naturally have a deficiency in them. For example…magnesium helps regulate blood sugar levels and is involved in the regulation of dopamine levels. That very important neurotransmitter. Chromium is also very important in blood sugar regulation. And you have heard more about Zinc lately right with our Covid pandemic. Zinc not only boosts the immune system and helps your body fight. Zinc is needed for proper insulin and glucose utilization; a deficiency can also lead to sugar cravings. Tapping into your overall health and looking at the fact that most of us are malnourished and vitamin and mineral deficient can really explain WHY we are struggling with food cravings! All of that! Blood sugar, gut health, mineral deficiency and the fact that sugar is just plain addicting. Isn’t that eye opening?? Doesn’t that make sense? Which of those do you think applies to you? Now that I have given you insight on why sugar cravings can happen. I know you are thinking, for the love woman. Tell me what I can do about it!! How to beat sugar cravings
Well that’s it folks. You heard the WHY about why you are craving sweets and why you could very well be addicted to sugar! But you also heard the 7 tips of how you can break free!! I don’t want you to be living in captivity and most importantly, I want you feeling good! Now, if you are listening to this and you are thinking; that’s it, it’s time. I cannot do this anymore on my own. I have to take control of my health and I need help! Why don’t you consider scheduling a one hour virtual session with me? This is a personalized approach for your health and your life. Don’t worry. No funky unrealistic diets and no guilt and shame. Just empowerment and encouragement. I have a few openings in the month of November and one has your name on it. Go to inspirehealthyharmony.com and click on the coaching tab. If you are hanging out on social media, check out @inspirehealthyharmony on Instagram and you will see some of my fav healthier options when it comes to sweet treats! Until we meet again, have a sweet day full of health and happiness! Bye ya’ll!! As you listen to today's topic on sugar addiction, I want to remind you that you can schedule a 10-minute Wellness Warrior Chat with me. I want to give you two specific strategies that will help with weight loss, energy and yes, even those pesky sugar cravings! Click the Calendly link to schedule now! I'll talk to you soon! https://calendly.com/coachjennpickett/10-minute-warrior-chats |
