The average American consumes 300 - 400 calories of sugar per day. This is 100 - 200% more sugar than we should have. Our diets can be killed by sugar not just because of all the extra sweets that we eat but because of all the sugar that gets added to everyday foods. Sugar is also known as....

Dextrose                                     Corn syrup                                   Galactose
Sugarcane                                   Glucose                                       Corn Sweetener
Lactose                                       Maltose                                       Brown sugar
Cane                                           Raw sugar                                   Invert sugar
Powdered sugar                           Fructose                                     Honey
Sucrose                                       Molasses                                    Levulose

It’s important to know that everyone’s sensitivity to sugar is different. Some people are not affected by it while others are heavily drawn to it, impacted by it and their body reacts to it. People react to sugar in different ways and most don’t know how sensitive they are until they cut it out of their diet for a period of time. Studies do show that the more stressed you are, the more sugar can react with your body.

The best way to approach sugar:

• Eat sugar and refined carbohydrate sparingly

• Cut them out of your diet completely for 3 weeks

  • Note how you change going off sugar and coming back on it

  • Cutting 100% of sugar may be impractical but 95% can be cut out

  • Eating out greatly increases sugar intake through normal foods

• Decrease stress

• Replace a sugar craving with a vegetable or protein snack

  • Especially if emotions are driving you to eat

  • Snack examples: protein drink, nuts, yogurt, soy nuts, low-fat cottage cheese, peanut butter with celery, hard boiled egg, carrots or string cheese

• If you have a relapse where you intake lots of sugar, talk to a friend about it

  • Try to understand why you could not stay off sugar, and what the trigger might be

  • Implement a plan for what you will do next time in the same situation

• Don’t get too hungry

  • Be aware right before and after dinner

  • Grehlin (hormone) is highest at these times and promotes a strong signal to eat

  • Counter Grehlin with a high protein snack mid-afternoon then don’t eat again until dinner

  • Tell yourself you don’t have to eat before bed after dinner, there are many other wonderful activities to do

Artificial sweeteners can stimulate hunger, just like sugar.  Just a sweet taste on the tongue can increase insulin levels without calories coming into the stomach. This mismatch of sweet without calories drives our bodies to find food, particularly refined carbohydrates, and sugar, leading to the bad carbohydrate cycle.