Most of us recognize that as a society, we take in a lot of sugar. Maybe even too much. When we attempt to talk about cutting down, however, we can find ourselves in a sticky situation. In my practice I’ve heard responses from “How will I ever give up my 16 oz. flavored latte and my morning pastry?” to “My kids will throw a fit to end the world” and “I’m already overwhelmed and changing one more thing is just too much.” If this sounds like you, read on.
First of all, how much sugar do we eat? Since food serves as a natural reward to keep us alive individually and as a species, it is innately pleasurable so our brains will want us to keep eating.
The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines recommend no more than 25 grams a day, the equivalent of about 12 teaspoons, and preferably half that amount for a majority of the time.
I bet some of you are asking “I don’t put sugar in my coffee, rarely drink sodas or have dessert, and eat everything else that says ‘healthy.’ I’m OK, right?”
Five decades ago, the answer would have been yes! Since that time, the trillion-dollar industry of pre-packaged foods has become so ubiquitous that we don’t even know what foods have sugar tucked into them. Prepared foods such as soups, dressings, bread, sauces, crackers and bean dips all have added sugar, with few brand exceptions.
Foods that label and taut themselves as “healthy” often have as much sugar as a can of soda or a dessert. Flavored yogurts, energy drinks, cereal and snack bars are some examples.
This wouldn’t be such problem if 1) Sugar didn’t cause a cascade of feelings for a few minutes, strong enough to rival some of the most addictive drugs making you want bite after bite, and 2) Excess sugar didn’t cause a Who’s Who list of life-shortening diseases. Unfortunately, both of these are true and excess and hidden sugar can cause problems.
When we smell or even think about sweets, our brain floods us with memories of the immediate sensations we experienced the last time we imbibed, blocking out the delayed fatigue, brain fog, irritability and digestive distress we experienced. This positive feedback loop makes the brain think we want more sweets, or foods with added sweetener in them, so that we feel good. Over time, this craving for sweets can become stronger than cravings for foods with life-giving nutrients. This tips the scale, sometimes literally, to a brain trained for sweets rather than for survival.
If this trend continues for another couple of decades, 1 person in 3 will have type 2 diabetes.
We can slow or even stop this epidemic right now with a few painless actions. Be picky about what foods you purchase to bring into your home. The simple act of weeding out the products with added sugar can knock 12-20 grams of sugar off your daily intake. When you do have a treat, choose something in its natural form such as fresh fruit in your yogurt, or a special savory snack like dried fish. Know that sugar cravings are real, and that they will subside over time, generally from 1-4 weeks for most people.
Nobody will tell you that cutting down sugar is easy, but it is possible, even during the holiday season. Employ the steps above or create your own plan with your health care provider. You can have more stable energy, clearer thinking, better mood, fewer cravings, less risk of chronic disease and even improvement in current conditions. These can be your sweet reward.