As part of a sugar addiction, some people refer to a sugar rush or a sugar high as if it were a psychological reaction to a drug and one linked to exhibited feelings of euphoria and pleasure. The actual sensation seems to have less to do with the chemical reaction, and more to do with the increased levels of energy supplied by the ingredient. The energy may be short-lived, however, and will lead to an opposite reaction and can also leave behind headaches and other significant side effects, which we ignore over time at our peril.

When people turn to sugar, they may well be anticipating that additional burst of energy and the ability to “get it together” and face the tasks ahead. What most people just don’t seem to realize is that the consumption of sugar triggers a complex series of events within our bodies. The bloodstream becomes flooded with glucose from the sugars, which our body then realizes it must regulate. At this point, insulin flows out from your pancreas which then works on converting all of this surplus energy into fat reserves. In all likelihood, this probably comes from a time long ago when our bodies didn’t have consistent forms of energy available, and therefore fats are now - just as then, reserved for times of scarcity.

You certainly don’t need to have a degree in medicine to understand that an illness like diabetes should be avoided at all costs. Experts tell us that hypoglycemia is a precursor to diabetes and is caused in part due to constant flows of sugar intake and insulin release, causing your body to become resistant to insulin, which is essential for such balancing.

With sensible holistic health solutions, it’s essential for all of us to carefully watch the amount of simple sugars that we regularly consume. We might think that we are eating a balanced diet, but we should be reading those labels to make sure that sugars are not masquerading within what might otherwise be seen as a “healthy” approach. It is recommended that you only absorb a maximum of 40g of simple sugar per day. This can be found within one can of soda!

Few seem to follow a holistic nutrition approach to their diets, constrained as we are by our hectic lifestyles, schedules and what appears to be an inability to prepare wholesome meals creatively. We are constantly opting for the easy solution and loading our bodies up with excess fats, too many calories and those ever so sweet sugars. We know that the sugar rush will be followed by a sugar crash, but we do it anyway.

Many of us are proud of the fact that we do not resort to alcohol, drug abuse or cigarettes to get us through life and consider that our diets are sensible and realistic. However, while we may not have any of the more traditional addictions or vices, we may well have a sugar addiction without really realizing it.

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Tags: addiction, arthritis, binge eating, cravings, diet, food, Health, holistic, mood swings, natural, nutrition, pms, sugar, wellness

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