Did you know that being “addicted” to/sensitive to sugar can be the root of multiple health conditions including
- Weight gain
- Brain fog
- Lightheadedness
- Anxiety, Depression
- Irritability, “Hangry” Sensations
- Sleep disturbances
- Fatigue
- Hormone imbalances (thyroid, insulin, progesterone, cortisol)
Getting your sugar addiction in check can help address 3 key imbalances:
· Carbohydrate Sensitivity: by regulating eating patterns and avoiding foods that convert to sugar quickly (high glycemic index foods)
· Low Serotonin: by including protein and healthy carbohydrates at each meal to optimize tryptophan uptake in the brain (Serotonin is derived from the amino acid Tryptophan)
· Low (Beta) Endorphin: by avoid patterns and foods that stimulate excessive beta-endorphin release (which leave you feeling even more depleted)
Simple Steps you can take in recovering from your sugar addiction:
· Try these steps, IN ORDER, only moving on to the next step once the previous is mastered. The purpose of these steps is to address the imbalances in the body and to better understand your relationship with sweets.
· Once you grasp the role sugar plays in your life, it will become easier to moderate. Increased awareness, along with a healthy, optimally functioning body compensates for any predisposed weaknesses, making it less likely to succumb to sugar cravings and the addictive cycle that inevitably ensues.
1) Eat breakfast with protein: avoids beta-endorphin release that occurs when you skip breakfast, and also prevents the subsequent blood sugar crash and intense carb/sugar craving later on