Showing posts with label Sugar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sugar. Show all posts

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Sugar Effects

Most people agree that sugar and starches are the most satisfying "treats" of all foods in a menu. However, these elements actually are the most prevalent cause if obesity. Fats may play somewhat of a role, but sugar "addiction" is the most insidious problem we have that undermines our good resolve toward overall health. Sugars are of course available in many forms indulging high fructose corn syrup, honey, and at least fifteen other forms which can be added to foods. It is widely known that an over abundance of sugar in the bodies system wreaks havoc upon the insulin levels, thereby often becoming the main cause of diabetes. It is also widely known that a large amount of sugar in the body causes chemistry upset leading to nearly all human systemic ailments.A person becomes aware and dependent upon sugars and starches as they experience the syndrome of high and low mood swings. These "swings" are directly associated with the levels of serotonin in the brain. Low serotonin can become an acquired condition but sometimes genetics are an original cause often going hand in hand with obesity. The body will use most anything edible, and break it down into sugars which the body uses for energy. However, it is the additional sugar in desserts and snacks which become broken down faster and then sent to the cells. This will happen before longer acting sustaining foods can be broken down. Therefore, because simple sugars are used first by the body, we feel filled up faster and may eat less of the protein, vegetables and fruits, which give a more lasting effect; this effect often leads people to be satisfied with sugared foods, thereby causing more of a craving for these foods. This syndrome can lead to most of our major diseases. This syndrome also leads to dependence upon the sugared food which causes a short rise in blood sugar and elevated mood, then a quick drop in these levels which cause an abrupt decline in mood. People experiencing this syndrome become addicted to sugar.
Proteins, vegetables and fruits take longer to breakdown, therefore eating this menu will have a much longer sustaining power and keeps us from feeling hungry and craving the sugars. Starches such as potato, rice, peas, beans corn and grains (including alcohol) also break down nearly as fast into sugars which are utilized first by the body. Again, this leaves less time and room for the proteins, vegetables and fruits to do their part.
Breaking the sugar starch habit is very difficult for most people. This is why diets don't work. The body never gets "detoxed" from its dependence on sugar. Only a carefully prepared and constant eating program will solve this problem. Thirty days of a proper menu devoid of sugars and starches are necessary to make a permanent change. Happily, it only takes three to four days to begin enjoying the effects. Thirty days of this plan can become permanent. People will soon find that sweet items are overly sweet and starches are unwanted.
It is totally essential to continue the practice of eliminating sugar in order to enjoy permanent weight control and optimum health throughout life. Interference of any type of stress can cause a loss of resolve and lead to breaking the habit of avoiding sugars. This may be due to the sudden loss of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is quickly replaced by sugars; and becomes nearly a biological need. In spite of the cravings caused by this need, it is possible to fend off the cravings with careful adjusted supplements of Tryptophan, an amino acid which bolsters the serotonin and produces stable mood and satisfaction. Tryptophan, found in proteins, will ease the effects of stress by boosting the serotonin without causing a need for sugar to do it. Depression, lack of sleep, irritability and cravings will disappear and the feeling of satisfaction control and general well-being, will happen. Levels of serotonin can also become increased naturally with certain herbs and foods such as amino acid rich proteins in meat, chicken, beef, pork, turkey, and eggs, and soy.
Eating a menu high in proteins, vegetables and fruit is considered the best way to keep chemical balance in the body. This way of eating automatically eliminates our need for sugar. It is interesting to realize that strictly keeping this menu also is satisfying and sustaining.The over indulgence of sugar, will create a chemical imbalance which will cause "sugar shock" and lead to disease, loss of focus and depression.

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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

The Banting Cure: How to Lose Three Pounds a Week by Eating Less Sugar

Everyone agrees that something must be done to tackle the obesity plague. High on the list of planned government interventions is the imposition of a hefty tax on sweetened foods and drinks. In America, a powerful medical lobby is pressing for a 40 per cent tax on all shop-sold cola drinks. It's believed that this single act would reduce the average per capita energy consumption by 1,200 calories a day, which is equivalent to a loss of just over three pounds of surplus body fat a week. This is a tempting move for politicians to make, for the tax would raise tax revenues by an estimated $2.5 billion (£1.6 billion) a year. The development of refined sugar has been one of the most destructive revolutions in human culinary history. Today a sixth of our calorie consumption is provided by sugar, which when it was first imported from the West Indies was as expensive as caviar, and so was kept like tea in locked caddies. Now we eat as much sugar in a fortnight as our forebears ate in a year two hundred years ago. Today it's among the cheapest, and most appealing, forms of quickly absorbed energy. Most animals are tempted to overindulge if they're given sugary foods. If rats are supplied with food which is bland but highly nutritious they'll eat just enough to balance their energy requirements; but they'll overeat and put on weight if they're given chocolates and biscuits. Horses, bears and ants show the same predilection, and likewise human babies, who from the moment they enter the world can be made to smile by giving them something sweet to eat.Food manufacturers take advantage of this inherent passion and make sure that their junk foods are loaded with sugars and fat. One frequently recommended way of losing weight is to stop eating all foods that are advertised on television, since these are invariably heavily laden with sugar. Researchers claim that anyone who limited themselves to eating only foods which were advertised in the media would consume more than 25 times the recommended daily allowance of sugar. By doing so, today's jam doughnut becomes tomorrow's middle aged spread. Instead of eating hyper-palatable cookies, candies and cakes we should stick to eating natural foods. These provide a wide range of essential nutrients and are slower to digest, which makes it far easier for the body to decide when it's had enough.
This was the discovery of William Banting, the nineteenth century undertaker, who made a fortune selling elaborate coffins to the Duke of Wellington and other members of the London gentry. In 1862, at the age of 65, Banting weighed 202lb, which was clearly excessive for a man who was only 5ft. 5inches tall. Over the years he'd tried a wide variety of slimming regimes, ranging from fasting to spa treatments, dieting and strict exercise regimes. All failed. When his health finally plummeted, probably because he'd developed Type 2 diabetes, he consulted Dr William Harvey who was then one of Europe's most eminent physicians. Harvey put him on a low sugar diet, and a year later he was 46 pounds lighter, and was losing at a rate of roughly a pound a month. He'd lost twelve inches around his waist, was sleeping better, and could go up and down stairs with ease. Such was his miraculous transformation that he wrote Letter on Corpulence (1863), which was the world's first diet book. In it he said: 'I can confidently state that the quantity of diet may be safely left to the natural appetite, it is quality only which is essential to abate corpulence.' Reduce your intake of sugar as much as possible, and you too can gain the same results.
© http://www.donaldnorfolk.co.uk

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Sunday, February 5, 2012

Pure White and Deadly: A Simple Way to Slim Is to Reduce the Consumption of Refined Sugar

Obesity was once a rich man's disease. Now its devastating impact is far greater on the poor than on their wealthier neighbours. During this time our life styles have undergone a dramatic change. Two centuries ago, the ruling classes got little exercise and consumed far more rich foodstuffs than the peasantry. Now the positions are reversed. At one time, when sugar was first brought to Europe from the New World, it was as expensive as caviar is today and stored like tea in locked caddies. Only the rich could enjoy its luxurious taste, and even they ate only as much in a year as the average Briton eats in a fortnight today. This is one of the greatest dietary revolutions in man's history, a change which had a disastrous on men like William Banting, the nineteenth century businessman who is the leading character in this slimming tip. Banting, who'd made a fortune selling upmarket coffins to the gentry, had a passion for sugary foods. As a result, by the time he reached the age of 65, he tipped the scales at what for a relatively short man was a gargantuan 202 lb.This atavistic craving he shared with most other animals, including horses, bears and ants, who are all tempted to overindulge if they're offered sweet foods. Research has shown that if rats are given food which is bland but highly nutritious, they eat just enough to balance their energy requirements. But if they're given sugary foods, like biscuits, chocolates and sweets, they overeat and put on weight. Even infants show a preference for sweet drinks, a tendency which is so strong that you can get a new born baby to smile simply by giving it something sweet to eat. The sweet tooth habit starts in the cradle, although it should more properly be called a sweet tongue craving, since the receptors which distinguish between sweet and sour are located on the tongue.
Sugar now provides about a sixth of the total calorie intake in Western countries. This is a particular hazard for Britons, who are Europe's heaviest sweet eaters. The people in the south or Europe have always shown a lesser risk of obesity and heart disease than those in the north, which we attribute to the 'Mediterranean diet' rich in vegetables, fruit and wine. We overlook the fact that they eat fewer sweets, and less sugar laden junk foods. Surveys reveal that compared with the British, the French eat 39 percent fewer sweets and the Italians 60 per cent less. For us, today's jam doughnut is tomorrow's middle aged spread. Most of the heavily advertised foods on television are laden with salt, fats and sugar, which is how their sales are boosted. Researchers reckon that if people only ate food which was advertised on TV they would consume 25 times more than the recommended daily allowance of sugar.
One simple way of keeping slim, and improving one's general health, is to avoid eating any foods which are heavily featured in media advertisements. The other is to reduce one's overall intake of sugar. This brings us back to William Banting, who over the years had tried a variety of ways of reducing his bulk, including fasting, spa treatments, diets and exercise regimes. Relief only came when he visited his doctor, the eminent Dr William Harvey, who advised him to adopt the low sugar diet he recommended for his diabetic patients. On this regime his fat disappeared at a rate of about one pound a month. He was so delighted than he published his experience in what became the first world's first recorded diet book, Letter on Corpulence (1863). In it he tells how by reducing his sugar intake he lost over twelve inches around his waist, slept better, moved more freely and could go up and down stairs with ease. These benefits can be achieved by any chubby person who reduces their sugar intake.

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Friday, January 27, 2012

What Causes Sugar Cravings?

Do you have a problem with sugar cravings? Many women and men too find they often have that feeling of wanting something sweet. You can almost taste the sugar in your mouth and you get a great sense of satisfaction while you are consuming sugar. Then, you find you want more of the taste and end up eating more sugary treats than you intended to.In most cases, these food cravings are not true eating disorders, but are signs of an imbalance in your system. Many people say they have a "sweet tooth" or a just a general lack of will power when it comes to resisting sugary treats. Really though food cravings mean that the body is not in balance and is seeking out something to bring it back to equilibrium.
What happens when we consume sugar? When your body notices that the sugar level is elevated, it is a sign that you have more sugar than you need right now. Your body is not using it and therefore it is accumulating in your blood. Insulin is released to take care of the sugar and store it. The sugar is stored in the form of glycogen. Your body does not store much glycogen and the excess sugar is stored as saturated fat. Also, sugar makes us feel good because it stimulates the release of the neurotransmitter serotonin, and probably other mood-elevating substances. Scientists report that eating chocolate initiates a brain response similar to falling in love.
So we know eating sugar makes us feel good for a short period of time and that is certainly one reason we crave it but what are the other causes. Too much yeast in your system is one of the more common causes of sugar cravings. Candida albicans is the most common yeast found in the human body. Yeast is one of the many types of micro-organisms normally found in the human digestive system.
When your body is in balance it usually causes no problems. When the internal environment is out of balance from stress or fatigue, the yeast can overgrow. You can also trigger an overgrowth of yeast by consuming too much sugar. Yeast feeds on sugar so anything that increases your blood sugar will cause yeast to grow out of control. Since the yeast feeds on sugar, it makes your body crave more sugar to feed the yeast growth. The whole thing becomes an out of control cycle. Experts recommend reducing your sugar consumption and adding a probiotic supplement to your daily diet. Probiotics help reduce the growth of yeast and bring the body back in balance.
Many women experience increased sugar cravings right before their monthly cycle. Hormone levels are changing during this time which means they are out of balance. Dieticians recommend getting more exercise and making sure you consume fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates. They caution though you should let yourself have small amounts of treats. Buy your indulgences in small size packages so you are not tempted to consume a large bag of sweets all at once.
Another cause of food cravings is adrenal imbalance. If you are stressed out and not sleeping well, then you are probably fatigued much of the time. So your body signals your adrenal glands for more stress hormones to act as an energizer, but over time, your adrenals become less able to respond appropriately. You may resort to sugar to get your energy level up which exacerbates the problem.
Now that you know what causes sugar cravings, don't see them as a weakness or lack of will power. Attack the cause and not the symptom and you could soon see an end to your "sweet tooth."
Do want to learn more about what causes sugar cravings and how to beat them? See our post what causes sugar cravings at Curepure.com
Curepure.com is devoted to bringing you information about natural cures from a wide variety of sources. We review books, newspapers, magazines and the web to bring you the latest information about alternative medicine. Curepure believes that the best choice is an informed choice so we want to make sure you have good information from reliable sources when you consider natural cures.

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