Holistic Nutrition Tips For Handling A Sugar Rush Addiction
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010 Subscribe To Our Feed
As a fundamental aspect of sugar addiction, many individuals commonly refer to a sugar high or a sugar rush in the “same light” as if it were a psychological reaction to an illegal drug, causing intense feelings of euphoria, satisfaction and pleasure. The actual sensation is less like a chemical reaction, but more like a reaction to elevated levels of energy provided by the ingredient. However, the initial burst of energy might fade fairly quickly, and will invariably lead to a “crash,” leaving behind headaches and a variety of other unwelcome side effects, which we disregard at our own 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. Insulin is released from your pancreas which in turn aims to convert this extra 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.
