Free Advice

As part of a sugar addiction, some people refer to a sugar rush or a sugar high as if it were a psychological reaction to a drug and one linked to exhibited feelings of euphoria and pleasure. The actual sensation seems to have less to do with the chemical reaction, and more to do with the increased levels of energy supplied by the ingredient. The energy may be short-lived, however, and will lead to an opposite reaction and can also leave behind headaches and other significant side effects, which we ignore over time at our peril.

When people are looking for something sugary, they’re likely anticipating – consciously or unconsciously, that extra burst of energy and the feeling of “getting it together,” so they can better deal with the tasks ahead. What most people just don’t seem to realize is that the consumption of sugar triggers a complex series of events within our bodies. The concentration of glucose in the bloodstream rapidly increases from the sugars, which our bodies then work toward regulating as quickly as possible. At this point, insulin flows out from your pancreas which then works on converting all of this surplus energy into fat reserves. In all likelihood, this probably comes from a time long ago when our bodies didn’t have consistent forms of energy available, and therefore fats are now – just as then, reserved for times of scarcity.

You do not have to be a medical doctor to know that an illness such as diabetes must be avoided at all costs. Most nutrition professionals say that hypoglycemia is a precursor to diabetes, and it’s caused – at least partially, due to an ongoing cycle of intense sugar intake and insulin release, causing your body to establish a resistance to insulin, which is absolutely crucial for such regulation.

With sensible holistic health solutions, it’s essential for all of us to carefully watch the amount of simple sugars that we regularly consume. Most of us genuinely believe that we’re eating a fairly balanced diet, but in order to ensure that sugars aren’t masquerading within what may otherwise be thought of as a “healthy” approach, we should always be reading the food labels carefully. It is recommended that you only absorb a maximum of 40g of simple sugar per day. This can be found within one can of soda!

Few seem to follow a holistic nutrition approach to their diets, constrained as we are by our hectic lifestyles, schedules and what appears to be an inability to prepare wholesome meals creatively. We are constantly opting for the easy solution and loading our bodies up with excess fats, too many calories and those ever so sweet sugars. We know that the sugar rush will be followed by a sugar crash, but we do it anyway.

Many of us are proud of the fact that we do not resort to alcohol, drug abuse or cigarettes to get us through life and consider that our diets are sensible and realistic. However, while we may not have any of the more traditional addictions or vices, we may well have a sugar addiction without really realizing it.