How Does Sugar Affect You?
This fit chick doesn’t smoke. I don’t drink (well…hardly ever). I don’t do drugs. I eat well and train often. So, from the looks of things you may think I don’t have any vices (other than my cats). But, that’s not quite true. There is one sweet substance that at times can take over my thoughts and grab hold of my ability to say no. What is this powerful product? Sugar. Yep! This girl loves her candy!
What is it about sugar that alters your mind and can have such negative effects on the results you’re trying hard to achieve? Annette Nay, Ph. D. explains: Processed sugars and carbohydrates, which turn into sugar, cause a rise in the insulin level of the blood. This also raises the endorphins level, a natural mood upper in the brain. These sugars cause the body to have a chemical high, mentally, which results in a lift in mood.
Continuous large doses of sugar and/or carbohydrates, overtime, usually cause the brain’s endorphin sites to slow production or close sites to regulate the amount of endorphins in the brain. When the body cuts back on endorphin production it reduces the amount of endorphins available in the body at any given time. The lack of enough endorphin in the brain causes a slip into deep depression.
To maintain a normal level of endorphins in the brain the individual must eat more sugar and/or carbohydrates to get out of depression and maintain a normal mood level. This causes a vicious cycle of addiction, physiologically (Nay, 1996). This is also directly comparable to the cycle that is developed after excessive endorphins are released into the body from the use of alcohol. Excessive alcohol usage causes many of the endorphin sites to shut down. To get the natural high given by endorphins the alcoholic must drink more alcohol to get the same effect.
And now let’s further complicate the situation! Females tend to battle an even stronger urge to consume sugary products while PMSing or during their menstrual cycle. The combination of hormonal fluctuations and the sugar cravings can be overwhelming at times. I’m sure we’ve all been there. Hiding food in the house, sneaking food in your car when no one else is around, looking back and forth at the store to see if anyone notices what you’re putting in your cart – the types of behaviors that can feel like you’re committing a crime. It leaves us wondering why we have great intentions and yet we can’t resist a piece of cake, cookies, candy or a chocolate bar. If we do give in, we’ll have a taste and it’s like the rest of the world doesn’t exist…just you and that blissful bite of something you know shouldn’t be putting in your mouth.
How do we win the battle against sugar? Different things work for different people. Drink more water, have a piece of fruit, distract yourself with a mindless task and most importantly, remove yourself from the environment that may allow you to cheat on your diet. What seems to work for me is to not have any treat at all. The more I say no the easier it gets. And, the less sugar I consume, the less I crave it. As an added bonus, I also end up feeling better.
Any short term satisfaction that comes from eating your favorite sweet treat is not worth all of the hard work you put in to keep your body and your mind healthy. YOU are stronger than sugar!
It all comes down to YOU. Take ownership of what you’re doing or not doing.
Your life. Your results. 1 degree of separation.
~Jamie
Email: talk2us@212fitness.ca