Those wonderfully sweet foods that most people love may be more dangerous than you think. In fact, sugar acts like a drug in your body, and many people are of the opinion that sugar might be as addictive as cocaine or heroin. At first this idea may seem a bit farfetched, but when you look at how sugar affects the body, you might change your mind. So is sugar addictive? Do you want to get off sugar for good? Read on…
What happens when you eat sugar
Once you eat sugar, it does not take long for the brain’s pleasure centres to be activated. Your brain gets a rush of “feel good” hormone called dopamine (and the same thing happens with recreational drugs). This brings about euphoria or a feeling of well-being.
Sugary foods contain a large amount of glucose that hits your bloodstream all at once like a rush. In response, the pancreas must produce a lot of insulin to make glucose usable by the liver. Whatever goes up must come down, and after blood sugar levels spike, they bottom out. This can make you hungry again even though your stomach is not empty. It’s also said by some medics to contribute to a depressed mood.
Too much sugar puts a strain on the liver and pancreas. Over time, both the liver and pancreas may stop working properly. That is why the incidence of Type 2 diabetes and liver disease has increased greatly around the world among people that regularly consume large amounts of sugar. In other words, excessive sugar consumption is playing a big role in the obesity epidemic
Sugar is produced like drugs
Sugar in most foods and beverages today is highly concentrated. In fact, it is taken from sugar cane, sugar beets, or another popular source, high fructose corn syrup. To make sugar, plant material is broken down and refined to produce a concentrated substance. This is similar to opium poppies or coca leaves that are processed for heroin or cocaine.
Sugar withdrawal is real
Going without sugar can cause withdrawal, even though many people know that quitting sugar is what they need to do. You may feel grouchy and out of sorts and have terrible cravings for sweets. In fact, the cravings can be so intense that you give in to them. You want to quit sugar but you cannot, and even though you try very hard, you end up going back to sugar because you need it in order to feel normal. Does this not remind you of everything we see, read and know about drug and substance abuse?
Do you still think sugar is not addictive? Think about this:
As you celebrate your birthday you might enjoy ice cream and a beautiful sweet birthday cake. You get together with family and friends, and have a good time while consuming something that makes you feel good.
As you eat sweet treats you feel good, but after consuming them you may regret it. Then, you eat something sweet again and feel better, only to descend into remorse again, and the cycle repeats itself over and over. Isn’t that essentially what drug addicts and alcoholics go through, that same cycle?
So, how do you get off sugar for good without tearing your hair out in the process? By using a 100% natural sugar alternative like xylitol or Monk Fruit.
Xylitol can be found naturally in many fruit and vegetable fibres and is frequently an extract taken from birch trees like maple syrup. It has a long and well documented usage in the Soviet Union, Germany and China.
Monk Fruit comes naturally from a small green fruit much like a melon. It has been used in the for centuries in Eastern medicine as a digestive aid. The monk fruit extract is 100-200 times sweeter than sugar, with no aftertaste.
With Australia’s leading #1 brand, Perfect Sweet™ xylitol, you can have wonderfully sweet things and not have to suffer all the effects that sugar has on your body.
© 2014 SweetLife Australia Pty Ltd