SUGAR. We know it’s not great for us, but it tempts us and it hooks us. It’s been said to be like a “drug” and honestly, I agree.
Maybe you noticed that over the holidays you had dessert here and there, and then by golly, it was really, really hard to stop yourself from continuing to indulge in the sweet stuff. Thats how it goes.The more you eat it, the more you want it. Stopping it is very hard and takes extreme willpower. Maybe you were even grumpy and irritable. BUT, once you get it out of your system for 3-5 days, it is much easier to pass it by. The cravings do subside, IF, you can get past the terrible few days of withdrawal.
We’ve long known that sugar consumption can lead to obesity & diabetes, and now there is new research showing that the white stuff is linked to heart disease. Plus, it causes inflammation. I’ve noticed more joint pain after I eat sugar, and I’ve heard this anecdote from my clients too.
Ideally, we keep our added sugar low in our diet. But what does that mean? Here are the latest recommendations: an added-sugar limit of no more than 100 calories per day (about 6 teaspoons or 24 grams of sugar) for most women and no more than 150 calories per day (about 9 teaspoons or 36 grams of sugar) for most men. *Added sugar does not include those sugars naturally occurring in dairy products, vegetables, and fruits.
So, watch the labels and be sure that you are staying under these recommendations and shoot for days where you don’t have any added sugar at all. One thing that helps is this: the less you have, the less you crave it.
I encourage you to check out these resources below and definitely read Tapering Off Sugar, the last link. It’ll help you to understand what it’s like to detox from sugar and give you tips in being successful!
Resources:
Here is a recent article linking sugar consumption with fatal heart disease. http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_25055828/sugar-consumption-linked-fatal-heart-problems?IADID=Search-www.dailycamera.com-www.dailycamera.com
Here is a NY Times article on the question Is Sugar Toxic? http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
The Harvard School of Public Health gives recommendations about sugar consumption and how to spot sugar on labels. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/added-sugar-in-the-diet/
This was a recent article in the Daily Camera with an account of what it’s like detoxing from sugar and strategies on how to be successful Tapering off sugar