Living the Sweet Life....Without Sugar???!!!

We all need a little sweetness in our life...something to treat our weary souls from the long days at the computer, the stressful test studying, the screaming kids. What do you treat yourself with? How often? Think about it. When was the last time you did something that nourished you to complete satisfaction?

These are questions I ask my clients when we begin working together and frequently the answer is that there really is no time in their day to treat themselves to much. This is probably true for most of us and then we wonder why we crave sweetness in our food....candy, chocolate, cake, sodas. We need treats! We need sweetness!

So, is our daily trip to the candy bowl at work really satisfying these cravings? Is our afternoon soda or sugary coffee drink really giving us the energy our body is looking for? Or are we left feeling tired, spaced out, and unsatisfied with headaches, stomachaches, aches and pains, indigestion, frequent colds, weight gain or other unexplained health issues? Nancy Appleton, Ph.D documents the many health effects of sugar in her book 146 Reasons Why Sugar Is Ruining Your Health. Here is a short adapted summary:

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.
2. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
3. Sugar can weaken eyesight.
4. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
5. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.
6. Sugar contributes to obesity.
7. Sugar can cause arthritis.
8. Sugar can cause heart disease and emphysema.
9. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
10. Sugar can increase cholesterol.
11. Sugar can lead to both prostrate cancer and ovarian cancer.
12. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
13. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
14. Sugar can make our skin age by changing the structure of collagen.
15. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
16. Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.
17. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.
18. Sugar can cause depression.
19. Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
20. In intensive care units, limiting sugar saves lives.

As a health coach, my mission is to help my clients and YOU search for "the sweet life", one in which you feel truly satisfied, content, and peaceful with the food you eat and the life you live. The list of negative health effects above demonstrates that sugar is just a quick sweet fix that in the end does the opposite of finding "the sweet life". So how do you beat those sugar cravings? How do you find satisfaction and sweetness in your diet and in your life? Below are 10 tips for reducing sugar cravings (Note: Sugar free products with artificial sweeteners and splenda in our coffee is not the answer as these artificial sweeteners are equally, if not more, unhealthy for our bodies!). To get support in implementing these and other strategies to reduce sugar in your diet so your body can feel great join the upcoming "Living the Sweet Life" Health Coaching Support Group!

You might be saying right now, "But I will never stop craving sugar! I can't live without it!" But after a supported sugar cleanse and exploration of your relationship to sugar like we will do in the "Living the Sweet Life" group, your cravings will reduce, your body will feel better, and your self will feel satisfied so it will seem surprisingly easy to maintain a lower sugar way of life. Give it a try!

10 Tips to Reduce Sugar Cravings

1.     Reduce or eliminate caffeine. The ups and downs of caffeine include dehydration and blood sugar swings, causing sugar cravings to be more frequent.

2.     Drink water. Sometimes sweet cravings are a sign of dehydration. Before you go for the sugar, have a glass of water and then wait a few minutes to see what happens. Caution: soft drinks are now America’s number one source of added sugar.

3.     Eat sweet vegetables and fruit. They are sweet, healthy and delicious. The more you eat, the less you’ll crave sugar.

4.     Use gentle sweets. Avoid chemicalized, artificial sweeteners and foods with added sugar. Use gentle sweeteners like maple syrup, brown rice syrup, dried fruit, stevia, barley malt and agave nectar.

5.     Get physically active. Start with simple activities, like walking or yoga. Start with 10 minutes a day and gradually increase. It will help balance your blood sugar levels, boost your energy, and reduce tension without medicating yourself with sugar!

6.     Get more sleep, rest and relaxation. When you are tired or stressed, your body will crave energy—in the form of sugar. These cravings are often a result of being sleep-deprived, going to bed late or waking up early, sometimes for months and years on end.

7.     Evaluate the amount of animal food you eat. Eating too much can lead to cravings for sweets. So can eating too little! A good health coach will help you sort this out. Experiment. Respect your body’s individuality.

8.     Eliminate fat-free or low-fat packaged snack-foods. These foods contain high quantities of sugar to compensate for lack of flavor and fat, which will send you on the roller-coaster ride of sugar highs and lows. 

9.     Experiment with spices. Coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom will naturally sweeten your foods and reduce cravings.

10.  Slow down and find sweetness in non-food ways! You body does not biologically need sugar, but it does long for hugs, time with friends, outside time, workouts, massages, etc. When life becomes sweet enough itself, no additives are needed!

From Get the Sugar Out: 501 Simple Ways to Cut the Sugar Out of Any Diet by Ann Louise Gittleman.