There is an incredibly scary science that reveals the reasons we can’t simply stop eating sugar.
When it comes to fighting sugar cravings, the odds are definitely stacked against you. But don’t worry - we’re on your side.
This blog is going to address the key issues sugar presents and introduce you to our solution to these troubles.
Photo by tripleMdesignz on Unsplash
The American Heart Association states that the average American should limit their sugar consumption to roughly 22 lbs of sugar per year.
So, knowing how much the average American should consume, take a guess at how much we actually do.
Got your guess? According to the American Heart Association, in a year, the average American consumes…
142 lbs of sugar.
No, your eyes do not deceive you.
This means that even if you only consume HALF of what the average American consumes in sugar… you are still consuming more than 300% of what you should!
There are so many questions, we know. Let’s start with the broadest.
How on earth has this happened?
Sugar isn’t just in candy bars and donuts... It’s absolutely EVERYWHERE.
Photo by Hobi industri on Unsplash
Recent studies have shown that as much as 80% of all packaged foods contain ‘added sugar.’ It may sound surprising, but the next time you’re at your local supermarket, pick up a can of vegetables. Beans, peas, tomatoes, any will do. Look at the ingredients. It will be there. Even in some of the ‘organic’ ones!
Other unusual hidden sugar sources include: sushi rice, granola bars, salad dressing, and even pasta sauce!
That’s right. Your favorite store-bought marinara sauce can hold as much as 12 grams of sugar… in a serving! If you’re unsure of how much that actually is - imagine that every time you had a bowl of pasta, you took a teaspoon and scooped 3 spoons of sugar into your mouth. Ridiculous!
So, why?
Why stuff sugar into seemingly everything?
There are a couple of obvious answers, such as :
But these reasons are actually relatively minor. To understand why we put so much sugar in our food, we have to start by looking at our economy.
The U.S. operates with a market, or capitalist, economy.
This economy is competitive by its very nature, especially when it comes to an industry like food. With so many different companies vying for a share of the profits, they’ll use whatever means necessary to make sure it is their product that people keep coming back for.
So what does this have to do with sugar? After all, taste is subjective. Just because something is sweeter doesn’t necessarily mean that more people will LIKE it. Plenty of people prefer a more dry or bitter flavor profile.
Because it’s not the taste of sugar the manufacturers are after.
They’re after how it makes us feel.
When we are feeling stressed, sad, or upset, we may turn to our favorite bakery or candy shop for a treat.
A candy bar, a donut… these “pick-me-ups” have been scientifically shown to make you feel better.
When we consume sugar, dopamine is released in the area of our brain known as the nucleus accumbens. This is the region associated with ‘novelty’ and ‘reward.’
Sugar triggers the pleasure center of our brain, and we start to feel good.
Photo by Alora Griffiths on Unsplash
It’s not a stretch to call this a drug-like response. This is the same pattern that occurs for people taking substances such as cocaine and heroin.
This is why manufacturers stuff foods with sugar. It’s not so it necessarily tastes better. It’s so it makes us feel better.
This way we subconsciously start to associate feeling good with a company’s product, and we quickly become repeat customers.
In the ideal world of the AHA, on a low-glycemic diet, our body’s reaction to sugar would be very different.
When we consume sugar, our blood sugar rises. In order to counteract this, our body produces insulin - the hormone that lowers blood sugar.
If we are consuming the reasonable amount of sugar discussed above, the insulin created is slowly released over time - leading to a steady decline of blood sugar until we are resting once again at a healthy, balanced level known as our fasting glucose level.
But as we know, we’re not consuming a healthy amount - we’re consuming an incredibly dangerous amount.
In consuming the excessive amount of sugar that we do - our blood sugar doesn’t just rise - it violently spikes.
But still, shouldn’t our body create insulin to null the effects?
It does. The problem is that with such a quick influx of sugar, the body panics and starts creating an absurd amount of insulin.
Once this happens, our blood sugar drops to the fasting glucose level very quickly… but then keeps dropping, until we are well below our ideal state.
I’m sure you’ve heard of a “sugar-crash.” That’s what this refers to. All of a sudden, our body needs sugar again. We must restore our blood sugar - even though we consumed quite a bit of sugar just awhile ago!
This is what happens when you experience a“sugar craving.” It’s not a “sweet tooth.” It’s your body in survival mode! Because the body now feels that it’s under threat, it nulls the brain’s prefrontal cortex. This is the part of our brain that we associate with inhibitions and judgments - the same part that is dulled by alcohol. So, we just start eating to restore those levels - and we don’t even care! We’ll gorge on whatever sugary products are nearby.
As the blood sugar rises again, the prefrontal cortex kicks back in, along with that self-judgment - and we start to feel miserable because we know we’ve eaten a load of food we shouldn’t have.
And while that is happening, the blood sugar still rockets up… until the insulin kicks in again… drops us far too low… and the cycle continues.
Clearly something has to change - this can’t go on and is dangerous.
That’s why our Master Herbalist has formulated the all-natural, award-winning Crave Stop™ to help you manage your sugar cravings and support healthy food choices!
And before you ask: Don’t worry. This is NOT some diet pill! This revelatory formula:
Fighting sugar cravings isn’t easy, but it can be done! It’s time to close the door on sugar and starches with this potent blend of herbs and minerals!
* Featured Image by Myriam Zilles from Pixabay
