decrease your sugar intake

Many nutritionists liken sugar to heroin and claim that the former white stuff contributes to more deaths than the latter. Sugar and the taste of sweet stimulate the brain by activating beta endorphin receptor sites. These are the same chemicals activated by heroin and morphine.

"Recent behavioral tests in rats further back the idea of an overlap between sweets and drugs. Drug addiction often includes three steps. A person will increase his intake of the drug, experience withdrawal symptoms when access to the drug is cut off and then face an urge to relapse back into drug use. Rats on sugar have similar experiences. Researchers withheld food for 12 hours and then gave rats food plus sugar water. This created a cycle of binging where the animals increased their daily sugar intake until it doubled. When researchers either stopped the diet or administered an opioid blocker the rats showed signs common to drug withdrawal, such as teeth-chattering and the shakes. Early findings also indicate signs of relapse. Rats weaned off sugar repeatedly pressed a lever that previously dispensed the sweet solution." (Leah Ariniello, Brain Briefings, October 2003)

The sugar industry claims that similar effects have been reported for rats given solutions that tasted sweet, but contained no calories.*

oy vey

Is it impossible to say no to sweet foods?

Have you ever gone out of your way to get a sweet treat?

Have you ever lied about how much sweet food you eat?

Have you ever tried to cut down or control your consumption of sweets?

Have you ever binged on sweets?

Do you get upset when you have to share or when someone eats your sweets?

Have you ever had a sugar hangover?

Sound familiar? For me- check! check! check! all of the above...

Than you may want to:

Eat more greens.

Eat more protein.

Drink 'sweet' teas (milk thistle, licorice...)

Eat 'sweet' foods (fresh fruit, sweet potatoes, roasted vegetables...)

*But no sugar substitutes. It perpetuates cravings.

My birthday is November 21st. I'm thinking no sugar until then.