Sugar…oh that sweetness that often beckons me in the form of cookies, cakes and chocolate.  Have you ever struggled with sugar cravings?  I certainly have.  There was a time that I would make a huge bowl of cookie dough and proceed to eat dough while I “made” the cookies.  The few cookies that actually got baked, well, they never lasted long either.

Sugar and I had a love-hate relationship.  At times, we still do.  Today I have fewer sugar cravings and a couple of squares of dark chocolate is all I need to be satisfied.

World Health Organization suggests only 6 teaspoons of sugar per day — less than one can of pop!

While checking out the new titles at my favourite Chapter bookstore, I came across a number of new books on this very topic.  For instance, JJ Virgin’s Sugar Impact Diet, Sarah Wilson’s I Quit Sugar, Diane Sanfilippo’s 21-Day Sugar Detox, Robert Lustig’s Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity and Disease or Dr Mark Hyman’s The Blood Sugar Solution.  The book shelves are filled with more books and cookbooks from how to reduce the sugar impact, how to remove refined sugar, where sugar is hiding to how to run the other way from the seducing nature of sugar.

Are you wondering why sugar is the new four-letter word?  Well, sugar is the leading cause of obesity, especially in our young people. Not to mention that sugar is linked to many diseases like hypertension, diabetes and inflammatory conditions.  Truthfully if you would consume a “little sugar” such as the natural sugars found in fruit, you would be fine.  Unfortunately, added sugar is found in most processed and refined foods, thus more sugar is consumed than your body can handle or metabolize.

Sugar comes in natural and refined forms.  Natural forms of sugar include fruit, honey, maple syrup, molasses, coconut sugar, cane sugar or fruit puree.  Refined or artificial sugar include aspartame, sucralose, Splenda, white sugar, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), fructose, glucose, sucrose, dextrose, maltodextrin, sorbitol, sorghum or xylitol.

Check out the label ingredients of your favourite sweet.  What did you find?  Share your findings in the comments below.

Refined table sugar, also called sucrose, is extracted from either sugar cane or beets and then refined. During the process, it is striped of its vitamins, minerals and fiber. It actually requires extra effort from the body to digest and assimilate. The body must deplete its own store of minerals and enzymes to absorb sucrose properly. Therefore, instead of providing the body with nutrition, refined sugar creates deficiencies.

Sugar has a lot of negative health impacts: it can suppress the immune system, weaken eyesight, cause hypoglycemia, cause weight gain, exacerbate arthritis, contribute to the development of osteoporosis, increase cholesterol, lead to prostate and ovarian cancer, contribute to development of diabetes, speed up skin aging, increase fluid retention, cause poor concentration, and lead to mood swings and depression. Sugar is also related to ADD and ADHD, in both adults and children.

If sugar causes us so much trouble, why are we still hooked? The reason is, sugar is an addictive substance, because

• Eating even a small amount creates a desire for more
• Sudden quitting causes withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, mood swings, cravings and fatigue.

It is important to realize that sugar is an addictive substance.  In fact, the food manufacturers know that.  They have tested food to have optimal “bliss factor” to make sure you keep coming back for more (read Michael Moss’s book, Sugar Fat Salt).  It’s not just about willpower – your sugar cravings have a physical cause and I am going to share with you some tools, so that you can get to the root cause of your cravings, and wean off your sugar intake gradually and painlessly.

Wanting to know more?  Check out the links below for more information.

Dangers of Sugar by Dr Mercola

Dangers of Sugar: Is It Really That Bad?

Harmful Effects of Sugar by Wellness Mama

Limit Sugar Consumption by Helen Branswell, Canadian Press

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be exploring cravings and how you can kick them to the curb for good.

Share a comment about how sugar is affecting you or what you do to kick those sugar cravings to the curb.  I love to hear from you.