Sugar Part 2
Dr Andrea give you a rundown of exactly how much sugar is okay and easy ways we can implement change when trying to reduce our sugar intake!
How much Sugar is OK?
After learning some of the effects that sugar can have on our bodies, I’m sure you are all thinking “Now what? Does this mean I can’t eat fruit? How do I know how much sugar is ok?”
The World Health Organization has determined that 6 teaspoons (25g) of sugar per day is the upper limit of consumption for an adult before it can start having adverse health effects. In my opinion this is still too much and no amount of processed sugar is healthy for your bodies! Naturally occurring sweetness found in fruit and vegetables is absolutely fine and also contains amazing fibre, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals! Small amounts of honey and maple syrup can be used as alternatives to processed sugar.
8 Signs you are addicted to sugar
You reach for sweet treats even when you’re not hungry
Do you have routines around sugar consumption – always have dessert/biscuit with your cup of tea?
Can’t go without your 3pm sugar fix?
Withdrawals: If you were forced to go without sugar for 24hrs…would you start to have mood swings, cravings and possibly even headaches!
You find yourself constantly looking for desserts after main meals
You hide the candy, muffins or chocolate bars and eat them away from everyone else
You use sugar as a coping mechanism – you’ve had a bad day which results in you devouring a tub of ice cream or stopping for chocolate on your way home!
You get ‘hangry’! You eat a chocolate bar and shortly afterwards you’re starving and grumpy!
These are all signs of addictive behaviour and if you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have a sugar addiction.
We have all answered yes to at least one of those questions at some stage, so we are not judging, we know what it is like! But we are here to help in any way that we can and we definitely could have used a few helpful tips and tricks along the way to beating our sugar addictions, so here are some of ours…we hope they help!
12 Tips for kicking the habit
Identify behaviours that are justifying your sugar consumption. Are you going to the movies just so you can eat ice cream or working out so you can go out with your girlfriends and have coffee and cake afterwards?
Identify what works for you: Are you an all or nothing type of person? Do you need to set yourself a goal to completely avoid processed sugar for the next 100 days and go cold turkey? Or do you do well reducing your intake and slowing making swaps? Everyone is different and what works for someone else may not suit you.
Stop counting your calories (yay!). It is not the amount, but the type of calories that we care putting into our bodies that can make the difference between succeeding in kicking the sugar habit or falling off the wagon! Calories from an ice cream do very different things to our bodies than the same number of calories from an avocado, for example!
Have the right snacks on hand when you need them, a clean protein fix at 3pm like almond butter on celery sticks, or a slice of vegetable frittata will help with those cravings.
Good fats (omega 3 fatty acids) like fish and seafood, avocado, nuts and seeds are much more satiating than processed carbohydrates. Make sure each meal has plenty of good quality omega 3’s. You’ll find that you’re more full and less likely to reach for the chocolate bar after lunch!
Extra dietary fibre will help with curbing those insulin spikes. Fibre (just like protein and good fats) helps you to feel fuller for longer. It also helps our body to detoxify hormones! I encourage my patients to consume a minimum of 35gms of fibre/day which equates to a few cups of veggies with each meal. a
Avoid processed food! If it is packaged, it has preservatives or ingredients you don’t recognise or can’t pronounce then it probably isn’t very good for you!
Start small – adding in real whole foods will help to start the mental shift we need to say no to sugar.
The first few days are the worst, but eventually your taste buds will change and become more sensitive to natural sweetness.
Get plenty of sleep! One of the biggest things that increases sugar cravings and messes with our leptin hormones (satiation hormone that tells our brain we’re full) is sleep deprivation! I encourage all my patients to join the 10pm club, in bed by 9:30 to be asleep by 10.
Improve your insulin sensitivity with weight bearing exercise! This type of exercise helps your body use sugar better, it’s almost like it creates more ‘locks’ for the insulin keys to fit into. It also has the added bonus of releasing endorphins and aids with brain function and sleep quality.
Be prepared and most importantly, get support from your loved ones. Your support network is so important and make sure they’re on board to encourage the changes you’re making, not enable the old behaviours!
Until next time lovely ladies, be well!
