Many of you come to me for that special way of staying healthy and losing weight. Many of you are disappointed to hear that there is no special diet or workout, I just eat whole foods. Yes, I go to the gym daily as many others do and have so for years. That doesn't mean you’re healthy and that you will lose weight. In fact, there are many people that have not changed or dropped an ounce even though they head to the gym every day. It's all in your diet. You can't out train a poor diet.
So where do you start? How about with artificial sugar. There have been many studies stating that artificial sweeteners increase cravings for sugar! Fake sugar activates the brain's pleasure center, without ever satisfying it. This will trigger an increased craving for sweets. For example, let's look at soda vs the diet kind. A two can a day diet soda drinker had a 55% chance of being overweight compared to 38% for those who drank the same amount of regular soda. Personally, I don't believe it's healthy to drink any kind of soda, but if you must drink the real stuff and stay away from the diet kind. I know some of you are having a hard time giving up the artificial sweeteners. I understand. Those chemicals have distorted your brain and have taken over your cravings. It's just like being hooked on drugs. But where there is a will there is a way.
If you have a mindset like mine where it's all or none, you can try going cold turkey. This requires a lot of mental strength and time. You need to read all your labels and understand that sugar has 56 other names that we are unaware of. These artificial sugars lurk in you gum, sauces, ketchup, yogurt, flavored water, protein shakes, cereal, and all packaged foods to name a few. Some names you may be familiar with are aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium and saccharin. Many ask me about "natural stevia”. I personally avoid this additive as well. Anything that is 100x more sweet than sugar itself will actually drive your desire for sweets, and besides, how natural is that? This would be my obvious choice to quit. You will suffer a couple of days with headaches, fatigue and irritability but then it will be over.
If putting yourself through misery doesn't sound like fun, you can try to satisfy your sweet cravings with fruit. Fruit can satisfy your cravings and is always a better option than the artificial sugar. Fruit is truly natural and has many vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber than can nourish the body. Potion control is important to remember for too much of a good thing can be bad. Fruit can be eaten alone or added to any baking dish.
You can try to figure out what triggers the want for the sweeteners. You can journal what the physical or feelings you get are prior to the cravings. Once you realize the emotional state you’re in you can actually work on the problem instead of eating your way through it. Some of my patients find this way of stopping the crave very rewarding. They realize that it stopped setting off a cascade of cravings and non-stop sugar attack.
Another way of cutting out the sweeteners is to use spice. Yes, I know spices aren't usually sweet, but isn't that what we are trying to cut down? Spices like ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and nutmeg enhance natural sweetness and can take the place of some if not all the sugar in many recipes. I put a dash of cinnamon in my coffee instead of sugar and it's great. You can put spices in Greek yogurt, sweet potatoes and in oatmeal. Spices are a great source of antioxidants which help bodyguard and protect against premature aging and diseases.
Lastly you can always use real sugar. Women should never exceed 6 teaspoons and for men 9 per day. If you are eating clean, (no processed foods or hidden added sugar) then by all means use the real stuff. For example, you can have a cup of real milk ice cream totaling 12 grams of sugar (4 grams equal 1 teaspoon) or a two-inch brownie containing 10 grams of sugar and still be ok. Portion control is key and giving yourself a treat occasionally (1-2x a week) will help you control your cravings. Dark chocolate will give you the most bang for your buck here.
My years of eating artificial sugar has caused me more disease than I will ever admit. In my experience avoiding artificial sweeteners will help you curb your sweet cravings overall. And when you do want a sweet treat, eat the real stuff with portion control.
No goal is easy if it's truly a real goal. Eat real food, stay healthy and LIVLIFE.
Dr. Livia Valle, Mom/Chiropractor/Health and Wellness Coach