Sugar; Addiction & Alternatives

The Addiction

According to the official World Health Organisation, sugar is the most popular dietary topic in the world.

It is also, scarily, on the same level of addiction as drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, coffee and other addictive substances.

With this said, I must let you know that India tops the list with the highest number of diabetics.

I wanted to keep this post very easy and simple for you to understand because I also want you to live a healthy, happy long life.

I also want you to be able to really taste and enjoy food again! What do I mean by that?

I mean that sugar overpowers all other flavours in your meal, so the actual flavour of the food is taken over. Your taste buds don’t understand anything but sugar, so when it’s not there your body needs it even more.

I have personally studied a lot about sugar because women with PCOS are usually much more prone to type 2 diabetes, so as a result, keeping my insulin and sugar intake under control is crucial for me to live a healthy lifestyle.

Sugar is related to a lot of problems as it causes inflammation in the body which can give rise to serious diseases like obesity, different types of diabetes and cancer. It can also play around with your stress hormone cortisol causing mood swings, anxiety and that terrible jittery feeling.

If like me, you love taking care of your skin, the effects of sugar on its appearance is one which is almost toxic. From acne, to inflammation – ageing to that dreaded puffy look…The bad guy is sugar!

So, I’m not saying give it up completely – we all have to be realistic here, but hundreds of studies and decades of research have shown that it is the most addictive substance we consume in as part of our diet!

Many nutritionists also say that sugar is the reason that our diets fail. One cookie becomes two, then three…before you know it the entire pack is nothing but crumbs…and guilt.

Sugar also has the same effects on the body when you go cold turkey with it; you get headaches, you feel weak, you crave it. The same way a drug-addict craves his hit, we crave sugar.

It’s a serious problem in our modern-day diet and many brands take advantage of our addictions by slowly adding more and more sugar to their products to get us even more hooked. It is hidden in almost everything we eat and also give our children to eat.

The Cure

The cure to eating well is keeping tabs on your sugar intake.

It is a mixture of discipline and balance. Our body does in fact, need a natural, healthy form of sugar to function.
I would suggest that you are kind to yourself and begin by eating in moderation to help cure and kick the sugar craze.

Please don’t deprive yourself fully…Eat that slice of chocolate cake if you’re dying to (I do too!) but just don’t make it a regular habit. Refined sugar should be part of your cheat meal only!

At home, I try and avoid refined foods as much as possible and have switched to healthy alternatives for the family and myself. This is what keeps my body happy and full but never lethargic.

Cutting sugar down is not that easy and it should be done gradually.

I wanted to share some of my favourite (and super tasty!) substitutes to refined sugar, all of which I keep in my pantry cabinet:

• COCONUT PALM SUGAR
• AGAVE SYRUP (ORGANIC)
• ORGANIC MAYPLE SYRUP
• BROWN SUGAR
• ORGANIC HONEY
• JAGGERY

The above are super natural and amazing alternatives to sugar. Honey for example, has been used for hundreds of years!

Please also note however, that you must not over-do it with the above, healthier options. Some of these are still high in calories, so should be added for taste – not as an ingredient!

Let me know how your sugar journey is going, I’m always here to help.

Love,

SK