How to Curb YOUR Sweet Tooth
How to Curb YOUR Sweet
Tooth
Happy
Holidays!
Sugar,
sugar, sugar everywhere, especially during the holidays. It can be challenging
to stay away. “Come on, it’s only one more piece of cake. It’s the holidays
enjoy yourself.” The problem with that mentality is that you make the behavior
ok, and you teach yourself to settle for mediocrity.
Now I
know you’re much better than that. My coaches teach me to always strive for
excellence. And whatever we struggle with, we can learn from and grow to make
better choices. Practice helps. So today in this blog I will explain why we
crave sugar, but more importantly what we can do about it to be successful with
determination and practice.
Processed
Sugar is a drug. Research shows it can be more addictive than even some illegal
drugs. To boot, it tastes good and when you succumb, you may consume much more
than you bargain for… mainly because we may not even realize how much is in the
food (or beverage) we are eating or drinking, or we go unconscious when we’re
eating or drinking. Have you ever wondered how the heck did I finish all that
ice cream or bag of cookies or chips, donuts, cake, pie etc.? How the heck did
I eat all that food on Thanksgiving? How did I even make room for dessert when
I wasn’t even hungry, and I was so stuffed?
It’s
the narrative we play in our heads. For me I’ve practiced over and over seeing
myself feeling full and stepping away from the dessert table; seeing myself
either not eating dessert or if I do want some, take a bite rather than eating
or consuming the whole thing. I usually share my dessert with my husband.
Another
option is not stuffing your face, going for a nice walk in the morning and
mindfully planning a nice healthy dessert or eating something you want, but
just not eating it in large quantities, to make you sick. It’s honestly
planning mindfully, eating mindfully, and having a plan for afterwards, if you
want to go back (how do you stop yourself?) I do ask my husband to keep tabs on
me. It may surprise some of you who know me, but I do love sugar too.
If you
know yourself, that once you take a bite and can’t stop, become mindful and
smart enough not to even start. Get professional help if you need it. Just like
anyone with any addiction, we know that the first drink or first cigarette can
trigger the whole unsavory process, the same with one sugary taste. As sugar is
a drug, it stimulates the feel-good pleasure sites in the brain which release dopamine
and serotonin, They can act like natural antidepressants, making you feel good
and wanting more.
Check out, “wow I didn’t know how much sugar was in that”
ketchup, salad dressings, pasta sauce, barbecue sauce, gummy vitamins etc https://www.infogrades.com/health-infographics/sugar-content-of-foods-chart/
What
to do
First,
take 3 slow deep breaths while sitting up straight or stand tall (gazing
towards the horizon). Smile and say with conviction and belief, “I can do this!
I’m in control of what I eat and drink. I’m in control of what I eat and drink.
It’s up to me. I get to choose what I DO, NOT someone else. I am in control of
my own body and mind. No matter what anyone else says, I can do this. I believe
in myself, and I am worthy and deserving of this. I WANT to do this. I NEED to
do this for BETTER HEALTH AND I CAN DO THIS!!!
Now
the real work begins. You must PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Like anything we
learn in black belt leadership training (and in life) you must practice to get
better.
Create
your vision board. See yourself achieving your goal. If sugar is an addiction
for you, see yourself eating less of it. A good way to practice is go out with
a friend for a meal or coffee (you can keep it short) and not eat anything,
just drink some water or just spend time with them.
Realizing
that you can still have a good time and enjoy yourself without eating. Also recognizing
food’s primary role is for nourishment. Prior to this event, plan ahead and make
sure to eat something, so you’re not hungry. Don’t make a big deal about it, practice
just enjoying the time spent with your friend or family member. You don’t even
need to explain yourself (they may not even notice). You can say “I ate earlier.
I want to spend time with you.” I did this, and it taught me I am in control,
and there’s no need to eat out of obligation, boredom or pass time. And I can
still have a good time without food.
Since
sugar as I mentioned earlier is everywhere, having healthy substitutions also
helps. Again, I’m not suggesting you deny yourself of all sugary foods. I’m
merely saying that you have a choice, and that you can choose better foods that
are healthy for your body and give you the same pleasure, without suffering for
it, or having major problems down the road. Can most of the time you eat
more nourishing food?
Healthier sugar substitutions:
Whole fruit
Monk fruit
Dates/figs/raisins
Raw local honey (small amounts, can help soothe a cough, not for children under 1 years old)
I also
like to carry Larabars (only 2 ingredients dates and cashews.)
***A
good rule of thumb: Less is Best***
Nuts
and seeds are a nice choice for snacks. The protein and fiber help maintain
blood sugar. In addition, when added to food, it helps slow the rise in blood
sugar. One of my favorite flavors of ice cream is pistachio, because of the
nuts.
Nutritious
Desserts:
Frozen
bananas and grapes
For
ice cream I like coconut bliss and make my version of ice cream from only
frozen bananas (choose your favorite fruit).
For
popsicles I use whole fruit.
**For
ice cream and popsicles, you can sneak in some vegetables. I use cabbage and
spinach.
There
is a supplement called GYMNEMA, which helps with sugar cravings. It makes
processed sweets taste bad.
What
sugar does
*Impairs
the immune system
*Contributes
to joint pain and stiffness
*Associated
with an increased risk of certain cancers
*Linked
to dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease), heart disease, high blood
pressure, diabetes, obesity, chronic inflammation
*Advances
aging (including premature wrinkles, sagging of skin and acne)
*Damages
blood vessels
Unhealthy sugar
(coming from processed sources)
*Candy/pies/cookies/cakes/ice
cream, donuts, gummies
*Sodas
*Mac-n-cheese
*Bread
*Pasta/noodles/rice
Reducing
sugar is a challenge, But I do believe knowledge is power, when it’s combined
with action. Just like what we learn in life from our great leaders, to “never
give up” and keep practicing, doing this repeatedly many times over, WE WILL
GET BETTER.
Now repeat after me “STEP AWAY FROM THE DESSERT TABLE”. 😉Again “STEP AWAY FROM THE DESSERT
TABLE”. It gets easier with practice! Now of course “JUST DO IT!!” I believe in
YOU! Believe in YOURSELF!
With warmest wishes, Dr.
Gold
Bibliography:
https://www.vtfc.com/insights/blog/this-just-in-over-consumption-of-sugar-contributes-to-muscle-joint-pain/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-sweet-danger-of-sugar
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20620757/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/18-surprising-foods-high-in-sugar#3.-Ketchup
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ik=c871755df9&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-f%3A1717699151747123446&simpl=msg-f%3A17176991517
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