AVOID THE HOLIDAY SUGAR SABOTAGE

Research has shown that the brain treats sugar much like it does other addictive drugs. You start off with the ability to eat just a little, but soon you end up craving more and more to get the same effect.

Once you eat something with sugar in it, your taste buds are activated to send signals to your brain that set off this entire cascade of stimulation. In particular, the dopamine pathway is activated, which is part of our pleasure and reward centers. So, when we eat the simple sugar glucose, we stimulate this reward pathway in our brains, making us feel happy and euphoric.

What eventually ends up happening is that when we keep eating sugar, our reward pathway continually becomes bombarded and stimulated until, finally, the dopamine receptors become desensitized. It now requires more dopamine to get the same feeling or satisfaction we used to get from just a little sugar.

That whole process actually changes your genetic expression, which creates a motivation cycle of consumption, dopamine release, reward, and pleasure. That cycle then gets increasingly difficult to break because of the pleasure it provides.

What’s worse is that attempts at trying to break this addictive cycle can lead to mood swings and irritability.

So, when you see all those delicious-looking desserts and holiday treats everywhere you go this Christmas season and entertain the idea that just one dessert won’t hurt, you may want to think twice. A lot more will be going on inside your body than you realize – your body chemistry will be kicking in! You’re better off to bring a Genesis special dessert yourself to share, so you can have something. That’s strategic planning!

But if you have entertained sugar and now find yourself struggling with cravings again, don’t skip meals or cut back on how much you are supposed to eat. Rather, focus on these four main things to get rid of them.

1. Eat plenty of protein. The protein will help balance out your blood sugar, so it naturally helps with cravings.

2. Make sure to get healthy fat at each meal. Eating healthy fat, especially Kerry Gold butter, centrifuged or extra virgin coconut oil or MCT oil, causes your body to burn fat for fuel, which not only helps with weight loss, but also stops sugar cravings as you are not feeding into the sugar burning cycle that keeps demanding more.

3. Increase your fiber. High fiber will help you stay fuller longer, and it is helpful in detoxifying the gut and reducing the candida overgrowth that takes off with sugar for fuel. High fiber foods from vegetables, nuts and seeds are great sources.

4. Include sour foods into your diet. Probiotic-rich and fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi, Bragg’s apple cider vinegar or even lemon squeezed in your water throughout the day can decrease sugar cravings. The good bacteria in the fermented products help to reduce candida, which reduces your craving for sugar, and the lemon juice slows down digestion, keeping blood sugar from spiking and crashing. Plus, it also improves nutrient absorption.

Being armed with this kind of information helps when you find yourself standing there looking at sweets and treats during the holidays.