Sugar Blues - Part 4 Deconstructing Cravings

The important thing is to understand why you crave what you crave. 

Cravings are critical pieces of information that help you understand what your body needs. 

So what is it your body is REALLY missing? 

What are you doing in your life that might trigger such an extreme craving?

Is there an emotion, a habit pattern… that is causing you to crave?  

Lack of sleep, increased stress, or is it simply what you are putting into your body that is causing the cravings?

 Sugar is in most every processed food.  So be wary of what you eat.  Be on the look out for what you are eating that contain refined sugars, unneeded sugars.  

As I go along in this Sugar Blues postings we will have more information on how to deconstruct those cravings.  

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My 6 month (12 sessions) will change your life to help you get to the health goals you have wanted to reach and maintain. 

Sugar Blues - pt 3 - Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners, also called sugar substitutes, are substances that are used instead of sucrose (table sugar) to sweeten foods and beverages.

In the United States, artificial sweeteners are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Food Additives Amendment to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which was passed by Congress in 1958, requires the FDA to approve food additives, including artificial sweeteners, before they can be made available for sale in the United States.  So my question is WHY are they approving these additives? 

On the market today are currently five artificial sweeteners that are FDA approved:

Aspartame, sold under the brand names NutraSweet® and Equal®

Saccharin, sold under the brand name Sweet’N Low®

Sucralose, sold under the brand name Splenda®

Acesulfame K (or acesulfame potassium), produced by Hoechst, a German chemical company; widely used in foods, beverages and pharmaceutical products around the world.

Neotame, produced by the NutraSweet Company; the most recent addition to FDA’s list of approved artificial sweeteners, neotame is used in diet soft drinks and low-calorie foods.

The National Cancer Institute says there is no clear evidence that the artificial sweeteners on the market in the United States are related to cancer risk in humans.

However, numerous studies performed on laboratory rats link aspartame and saccharin to cancer.  In fact there is a recent seven-year study conducted by a major nonprofit oncology lab in Italy who came up with the same cancer relation.

AND the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) cautions everyone to avoid aspartame, saccharin and acesulfame K because they are unsafe when consumed in large amounts or are very poorly tested and not worth the risk. They do lists neotame and sucralose as safe. 

Though I would still caution you to stay away from any artificial sweeteners.  They are synthetic in nature and our bodies don’t work well with synthetics.  Our bodies thrive on whole REAL foods.

Aspartame is of particular concern because it contains phenylalanine (50%), aspartic acid (40%) and methanol (10%), three well-recognized neurotoxins. There are many symptoms that have been associated with the consumption of aspartame, some of which I have experienced (the symptoms I have experienced are bolded):

Migraines

headaches

nausea

dizziness

hearing loss

tinnitus

insomnia

blurred vision

eye problems

hallucinations

memory loss

slurred speech

mild to suicidal depression

personality changes

violent episodes

mood changes

anxiety attacks

hyperactivity

heart arrhythmia

edema or swelling

gastrointestinal disorders

skin lesions

muscle cramps

joint pains

fatigue

PMS

menstrual irregularities

chest pain

increased appetite

numbness and tingling of extremities

Fortunately, once you have cleared your body of these toxins, most of the above symptoms are alleviated.  It is truly about getting your body back to nature, back to eating REAL food.

If you have to sweeten, I recommend you use a real sweetener, for example, a RAW local Honey.  The RAW means that it is still alive with good stuff in it that helps your body.  And if you purchase local to where you live, you actually will help your body fight allergies. 

Sugar Blues - The Many Different Names of Sugar pt 2

THE MANY DIFFERENT NAMES OF SUGAR

Brown sugar consists of sugar crystals contained in molasses syrup with natural flavor and color. Some refiners make brown sugar by adding syrup to refined white sugar. It is 91% to 96% sucrose.

Confectioner’s sugar, or powdered sugar, consists of finely ground sucrose crystals and mixed with a small amount of cornstarch.

Corn syrups, produced by the action of enzymes and/or acids on cornstarch, are the result of splitting starch. Three major producers’ contain 42%, 55% and 90% fructose. Dextrose comprises most of the remainder.

Dextrose, or glucose, is also known as corn sugar. It’s commercially made from starch by the action of heat and acids, or enzymes. It is sold blended with regular sugar.

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a sweetener made from cornstarch. The amounts of fructose vary with the manufacturer. An enzyme-linked process increases the fructose content, thus making HFCS sweeter than regular corn syrup. Known to have mercury in the processing of HFCS.

Honey is an invert sugar formed by an enzyme from nectar gathered by bees. Honey contains fructose, glucose, maltose and sucrose.

Invert sugar is a mixture of glucose and fructose. Invert sugar is formed by splitting sucrose in a process called inversion. This sugar prevents crystallization of cane sugar in candy making.

Lactose, or milk sugar, is made from whey and skim milk for commercial purposes. It occurs in the milk of mammals. The pharmaceutical industry is a primary user of prepared lactose.

Levulose, or fructose, is a commercial sugar much sweeter than sucrose. Its sweetness actually depends on its physical form and how it’s used in cooking. Fructose, known as a fruit sugar, occurs naturally in many fruits.

Raw sugar consists of coarse, granulated crystals formed from the evaporation of sugar cane juice. Raw sugar contains impurities and cannot be sold in grocery stores due to FDA regulations.

Sorbitol, mannitol, malitol and xylitol are sugar alcohols or polyols. They occur naturally in fruits and are produced commercially from such sources as dextrose. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol made from a part of birch trees. Sorbitol, mannitol and malitol are about half as sweet as sucrose. Xylitol has a sweetness equal to sucrose.

Sucrose, or table sugar, from sugar cane or sugar beets consists of two simple sugars, glucose and fructose. It is about 99.9% pure and sold in either granulated or powdered form.

Turbinado sugar is raw sugar that goes through a refining process to remove impurities and most of the molasses. It is edible if processed under proper conditions; however, some samples in the past contained trace contaminants.

to be continued... Next week.