Sugar Addiction!

Sugar is pretty easy to substitute if you have a conversion chart. I usually  use liquid sweeteners like honey or agave nectar. Don’t try to substitute a teaspoon of honey for a teaspoon of sugar as they are NOT equal.  My favorite sugar substitute chart comes from the  gracious pantry. Here is her free downloadable chart (http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/free-docs/sugar-substitution-chart.pdf) for substituting different types of sugars.

Why is sugar so bad for you?

It provides you with no nutritional value. It adds a ton of extra calories without any nutrients. Your body y craves it. So the more sugar you eat the more your body will crave it! You actually go through withdrawal when you cut out sugar from your body. This is why many will have a headache if they cut soda out of their diets cold turkey.

 

What will cutting out sugar do for you?

Most report that by cutting sugar out of their diet they have more energy. This is because you are not spiking your sugar when you eat it and then hitting a sugar low later in the day. Your body isn’t demanding more sugar to stay energized quickly after you eat the first round of sugar in the morning.

Why isn’t Stevia good?

Stevia is recognized as safe by the FDA but has some side effects. IT has been shown to induce dizziness, muscle pains, nausea, vomiting, gas and bloating when used in large quantities. IT also has been found that some preparations of the stevia leaf aren't valid for human consumption. Some preparations lead to lower blood pressure which can cause problems. Pregnant and nursing women are advised not to ingest it. Stevia also lowers blood sugar so if you are a diabetic this isn't a great option at all. It is also known to break down into a carcinogenic compound which is unknown at the time if it would cause cancer with long term ingestion.

What has cutting sugar out done for me?

When I first started this clean eating journey six months ago I didn’t think we ate that much sugar. I don’t like to drink soda. I drank my coffee and tea black or with a little honey. I didn’t eat ice cream often or have cake every day. What I was surprised to find was how much sugar was hidden in everyday items.  Breads had sugar in them. Yogurt, Milk, and even hot dogs had sugar in them. It was eye opening how much sugar we were ingesting in processed foods.

Now six month later we don’t use the white stuff. We always use a sugar substitute. I make my own bread so I know exactly how much is in it. I make my own pizza crust, tortillas and sauce. I now know that we don’t consume lots of sugar!

How do you start?

If you drink soda cut it out today. It doesn’t matter if it is diet or regular. Just get rid of it! If you add sugar to your coffee or tea use one of the substitutes instead of sugar. Just doing these two things will help tremendously. Then start looking for hidden sugars in your foods.  Start dissecting your pantry.

I hope this gives you some good ideas how to get rid of hidden sugar in your diet. Have a blessed day!