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Are you a sugar addict?

1/5/2015

12 Comments

 
Take this test:

1. Can you walk past a sugary treat without taking one?
2. Do you have routines like always having pudding, or needing a piece of chocolate to relax in front of the television?
3. Are there times when you cannot go on without a sugar hit?
4. If you are forced to go without sugar for 24 hours, do you develop headaches and mood swings?

If you answered 'yes’ to one of the questions above, you are addicted. See full Telegraph article.

Picturepixabay.com
You might ask why you should give up your normal sugar intake, be it hidden in foods, in fruit juice, in honey and in syrup.

Sugar is one of the key causes of obesity, associated with cardiovascular risk and with cancer, disability during old age, decreased life expectancy and serious chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis and hypertension.

Some scientists believe that fructose fools our brains into thinking we are not full, so we overeat.

The latest advice is to swap just one snack a day for a healthier alternative to cut your sugar intake by almost half.

Pictureen.wikipedia.org
A heavy reliance on fizzy and soft drinks means children are overindulging. Families were urged to choose from simple alternatives such as replacing sugary cereal with a plain wholewheat biscuit, eating yoghurt instead of ice cream for dessert, and swapping sweet drinks to those with no sugar in them.

Fruit juice should be limited to one glass a day. Analysis of children's diets during a one month pilot study found those following the advice reduced their sugar intake by 40 per cent.

Here's a shock. In a paper published in 2007, French scientists reported that in animal trials, rats chose sugar over cocaine (which they were addicted to), and speculated that no mammals’ sweet receptors are naturally adapted to the high concentrations of sweet tastes on offer in modern times.  

So if you long for a chocolatey treat, that craving is more than just a figure of speech. You may be one of the world’s most common dependents: a sugar addict.

Pictureflickr.com
Okay, this is going to sound weird, but in the past, I read some spiritual advice, reportedly from an angel. 'Salt is not as bad for the body as sugar.' Take from that what you will, but I agree.

I've not voluntarily eaten sugar for about ten years, apart from one dessertspoon of honey on my morning porridge. I don't need extra calories, in fact my stomach is expanding despite cutting back on food, much to my horror. My husband loves sweet treats and pesters me every night to join him in eating a dessert after the meal. Not only am I full, but I don't like the taste of sweet things. He needs to eat as much as he can to gain the weight he's lost due to illness, so I wouldn't turn him away from indulging.

Reminds me of the old nursery rhyme: 'Jack sprat could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean', but, in our case, the reverse.


12 Comments
Fashion-Mommy.com link
1/4/2015 07:08:38 pm

Must admit that I have a sweet tooth, love nothing more than a cake and coffee!

#UKBloggers

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Amita Gulia Sehrawat link
1/4/2015 07:27:21 pm

Well... considering the questions, i came out to be a sugar addict...
Thanks for the tips...

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Kim link
1/4/2015 07:34:34 pm

Definitely an addict. But not horrible. I blew my young son's mind a few weeks back when he was going on and on about how bad drugs are (when they were doing anti-drug campaign at school) and I told him how I hear that sugar should be classified as a drug. He did not think that was a very good idea. ha. But I think it probably would be.

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vidsps link
1/4/2015 07:55:54 pm

I have a sweet tooth but seems I'm not an addict, yay! Useful write up :)

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Janelle link
1/4/2015 08:19:42 pm

Well I can agree! And I guess I am addicted to sugar. After reading what you shared with tips, yup.. I'm an addict. But it's hard with stuff now these days. Aren't we or majority of us addicts now though?

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Kristen from The Road to Domestication link
1/4/2015 09:10:52 pm

I'm not sure, I'll have to test the mood swings theory. I know I consume a lot less than I used to, but I may still have a bit of a sweet tooth!

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Amy link
1/4/2015 10:10:42 pm

Francene, several of my family members have problems with sugar (migraines and diabetes) so I try to avoid it, too. Although it's very hard to during the Christmas holidays, since I love to make Christmas cookies! I believe that bit about the rats preferring sugar to cocaine! That should scare us a bit, I think.

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Mary Burris link
1/4/2015 11:36:11 pm

I do have a strong sweet tooth, but have learned recently that I can go days without having anything sweet.

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Joan Harrington link
1/5/2015 12:29:45 am

Hi Francene,

Loving the new look, much cleaner and awesome post!

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Sharon Martin link
1/5/2015 12:57:58 am

My hubbie certainly is, he 'must' have four sugars in his drinks which is a disgrace, but will he listen!!

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Laurel Regan link
1/5/2015 04:35:20 am

I like sweet things, but can't say I crave them. I drink my coffee black and prefer water over soft drinks or juice. My cravings tend more towards salty/fatty foods like potato chips and French fries, which are definitely not good for you either if you overindulge! Moderation in all things, I suppose.

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Carol Cassara link
1/5/2015 10:33:21 pm

My justification is that it's raw sugar but that doesn't count the sugar in sweet things. You're right, not a good habit.

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    Francene Stanley
    From England, I use news items in my novels which you can see below, all linked to an Amazon near you.

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