In a previous post entitled ‘Your cravings might be killing you!! I spoke about the things in your life which might set off or be responsible for cravings.
The single most profound ‘food-drug’ is SUGAR!! I describe it as ‘white death’ and compare it to the effects of drugs heroine and crack, in terms of the effects it has on the body, mind and soul of the being.
It is estimated by independent US based researchers that SUGAR costs America in the order of $100 to $400 billion a year in related health care costs.
The most concise appreciation of the effects of white and brown sugar are summarised beautifully by Ann Louise Gittleman in her book entitled Get the Sugar Out: 501 Simple Ways to Cut the Sugar Out of Any Diet. But Nancy Appleton, Ph.D. author of Lick the Sugar Habit and Lick the Sugar Habit Counter throws real light on the reasons why sugar is literally destroying humanity.
Just to refresh your memory on the total downside of sugar here is what Nancy has found out. I’ve listed just 11 of her 146 devastating effects. Do by all means check out her website for more info.
1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.
2. Sugar raises the level of neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.
3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
4. Sugar can weaken eyesight
5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases).
6. Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract.
7. Sugar leads to cancer of the ovaries.
8. Sugar can cause premature aging.
9. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
10. Sugar can cause tooth decay.
11. Sugar contributes to obesity
Sugar is known to provide a breeding ground for fungus associated with all forms of cancer.
Here’s what Louise has to offer on ridding yourself of the sugar addiction and instantly live a healthy and pain free life.
Reduce or eliminate caffeine. The ups and downs of caffeine include dehydration and blood sugar swings, causing sugar cravings to be more frequent.
Drink water. Sometimes sweet cravings are a sign of dehydration. Before you go for the sugar, have a glass of water and then wait a few minutes to see what happens. Caution: soft drinks are now America’s number one source of added sugar.
Eat sweet vegetables and fruit. They are sweet, healthy and delicious. The more you eat, the less you’ll crave sugar.
Use gentle sweets. Avoid chemicalised, artificial sweeteners and foods with added sugar. Use gentle sweeteners like maple syrup, coconut palm sugar, brown rice syrup, dried fruit, stevia, barley malt and agave nectar.
Get physically active. Start with simple activities, like walking or yoga. Start with 10 minutes a day and gradually increase. It will help balance your blood sugar levels, boost your energy, and reduce tension without medicating yourself with sugar!
Get more sleep, rest and relaxation. When you are tired or stressed, your body will crave energy—in the form of sugar. These cravings are often a result of being sleep-deprived, going to bed late or waking up early, sometimes for months and years on end.
Evaluate the amount of animal food you eat. Eating too much can lead to cravings for sweets. So can eating too little! A good health coach will help you sort this out. Experiment. Respect your body’s individuality.
Eliminate fat-free or low-fat packaged snack-foods. These foods contain high quantities of sugar to compensate for lack of flavor and fat, which will send you on the roller-coaster ride of sugar highs and lows.
Experiment with spices. Coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom will naturally sweeten your foods and reduce cravings.
Slow down and find sweetness in non-food ways! You body does not biologically need sugar, but it does long for hugs, time with friends, outside time, workouts, massages, etc. When life becomes sweet enough itself, no additives are needed!
Start NOW and SAVE your LIFE by removing high GI white cane sugar or corn syrup (sugar processed from corn) from your diet. Check the contents of anything you buy. If it says SUGAR in the ingredients – don’t buy it.
Remember to recall that every time you open your mouth to put food inside it, ask yourself ‘ Is what I am about to eat going to help heal my body?’. If you just don’t know then don’t eat it.
Scott Mathias is a Certified Integrative Nutritionist and Professional Health Coach. Based in Noosa, Queensland he consults to clients around Australia including conducting seminars, public speaking engagements and corporate health groups. His special area of interest is the digestive function and eating food which promotes LIFE!! He is also the creator of an all Australian range of 100% PURE Superfoods from www.ilifefoods.com.
What is it you are really needing in your life to satisfy an ‘physio-emotional’ need.
Look at the foods, deficits and behaviors in your life that are the underlying causes of your cravings. Many people view cravings as weakness, but really they are important messages meant to assist you in maintaining balance. When you experience a craving, deconstruct it. Ask yourself, what does my body want and why?
The eight primary causes of cravings are:
1. Lack of primary food. Being dissatisfied with a relationship or having an inappropriate exercise routine (too much, too little or the wrong type), being bored, stressed, uninspired by a job, or lacking a spiritual practice may all cause emotional eating.
2. Water. Lack of water can send the message that you are thirsty and on the verge of dehydration. Dehydration can manifest as a mild hunger, so the first thing to do when you get a craving is drink a full glass of water.
3.Yin/yang imbalance. Certain foods have more yin qualities (expansive) while other foods have more yang qualities (contractive).
4. Inside coming out. Often times, cravings come from foods that we have recently eaten, foods eaten by our ancestors, or foods from our childhood.
5. Seasons. Often the body craves foods that balance the elements of the season.
6. Lack of nutrients. If the body has inadequate nutrients, it will produce odd cravings.
7. Hormones. When women experience menstruation, pregnancy or menopause, fluctuating testosterone and estrogen levels may cause unique cravings.
8. De-evolution. When things are going extremely well, sometimes a self-sabotage syndrome happens. We crave foods that throw us off, thus creating more cravings to balance ourselves.
From an integrative nutrition stand point the emotional relationship we have with food can either allow us to be fully rounded and satisfied human beings or ‘ humans going no-where’.
Sometimes too we might need to replace lost minerals from our biosystem too. For-instance a need for magnesium might be a craving for chocolate but rather than going down that slippery slope why not go after raw nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits which will not only meet the need for mag but also satisfy any sugar craving as well.
Phosphorous, sulfur, iron and salt (NaCl) needs might send you off to coffee and tea yet a good and regular diet of chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, legumes along with seaweed, greens, black cherries might just be the answer. Without doubt food and emotions are linked.
Scott Mathias is a Certified Integrative Nutritionist and Professional Health Coach. Based in Noosa, Queensland he consults to clients around Australia including conducting seminars, public speaking engagements and corporate health groups. His special area of interest is the digestive function and eating food which promotes LIFE!! He is also the creator of an all Australian range of 100% PURE Superfoods from www.ilifefoods.com.
Tastes like chocolate milk but there is no dairy anywhere to be seen. There is also NO sugar anywhere to be seen!!!
OK... Here is the recipe. Its so simple you might even fall off your chair reading this yet the goodness is amazing.
Chocolate
Milk: 750 ml of filtered/spring (but not tap please) water, 1 1/2 tbsp
tahini, 5-6 mejool dates (or ordinary dates soaked overnight) and 3-4
tbsp raw cacao!! Blend ingredients together.
OK..here
are the benefits: Filtered or spring water speaks for itself. Tahini (
available in a jar from your healthfood shop or supermarket). Tahini is a
paste that is made by finely grinding sesame seeds in order to release
their oil content. It is very easy to include in the diet and is best
known as one of the main ingredients in hummus.
Tahini is a
nutritional powerhouse, being high in vitamins E, F and T, as well as
vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B15, biotin, and choline. It is also a
source of vitamin A. Tahini is also 20 percent complete protein –
making it a richer protein source than milk, soya beans, sunflower
seeds, and most nuts.
Tahini is one of the highest sources
of methionine, an essential amino acid, and also contains lecithin,
which reduces the levels of fat in the blood and also protects against
environmental toxins such as nicotine. Tahini is also high in minerals
such as magnesium, potassium, iron, and phosphorus, and is an
excellent source of calcium. In fact tahini is claimed to be the best
source of calcium there is and, unlike the dairy products that supply
calcium in the western diet, it is not mucus forming.
Health
benefits of dates are uncountable, as this fruit is affluent in natural
fibres. Dates are even rich in several vitamins and minerals. These
natural products contain oil, calcium, sulphur, iron, potassium,
phosphorous, manganese, copper and magnesium which are advantageous for
health. It is said that consumption of one date daily is necessary for
a balanced and healthy diet. Dates help in fighting constipation,
intestinal disorders, weight gain, heart problems, sexual weakness,
diarrhoea and abdominal cancer. dates are one of the planets most
complete foods.
Raw cocao powder contains many rare key
nutrients that enhance physical and mental well-being. It also contains
more ANTIOXIDANT flavanoids than most other food including Red Wine,
Green Tea and Blueberries. Other essential minerals present in Cacao
are Calcium, Zinc, Iron, Copper, Sulfur, and Potassium. Cacao also
contains many chemicals that enhance physical and mental well-being,
including alkaloids, proteins, magnesium, beta-carotene, leucine,
linoleic acid, lipase, lysine, and some neurotransmitters such as
dopamine and anandamine.
This is nothing more than a 100%
healthy shake jam packed full of nutrients. Get the ingredients and
have a go with your Vitamiser.
This is one of the many
healthy recipes I share during a health coaching session. If you'd like a
FREE initial Health Consultation then email me right now and I will
respond immediately.
Scott Mathias is a Certified Integrative Nutritionist and Professional Health Coach. Based in Noosa, Queensland he consults to clients around Australia
including conducting seminars, public speaking engagements and
corporate health groups. His special area of interest is the digestive
function and eating food which promotes LIFE!! He is also the creator of an all Australian range of 100% PURE Superfoods from www.ilifefoods.com. Scott’s Health Coaching website is : http://scott-mathias.healthcoach.integrativenutrition.com/
The most concise appreciation of the effects of white and brown sugar are summarised beautifully by Ann Louise Gittleman in her book entitled Get the Sugar Out: 501 Simple Ways to Cut the Sugar Out of Any Diet. But Nancy Appleton, Ph.D. author of Lick the Sugar Habit and Lick the Sugar Habit Counter throws real light on the reasons why sugar is literally destroying humanity.
Reduce or eliminate caffeine. The ups and downs of caffeine include dehydration and blood sugar swings, causing sugar cravings to be more frequent.
The eight primary causes of cravings are:
6. Lack of nutrients.
