I know two things
for sure about sugar. One is that it is toxic (I'm not being hyperbolic --
that's really the word health experts are using these days), and two is that I
love it and need it after every meal (until recently, anyway). My parents, both
of whom are certified holistic health coaches, just returned from Montpelier,
Vermont, where they conducted what they call a "Sugar Blues"
workshop. The workshop was, as always, a great success, and some of the stuff
they said about sugar was entirely new to me, and has been more helpful than
anything else I've ever learned about how to break a sugar addiction. I want to
share it with my readers, so here goes.
Sugar Is a
Ubiquitous Toxin
I'll get through
this quickly because I feel like we all know that sugar is bad and how it's in
everything. Frankly, it's kind of a downer to hear about just how bad it
is, so here is just a quick reminder of some of the diseases to which refined
sugar contributes: weight gain,
arthritis,
heart disease,
diabetes,
osteoporosis,
Alzheimer's,
cancer,
depression,
and a generally suppressed
immune system.
As for their
ubiquity, refined sugars are found in an amazing number of products. Did you
know that there is sugar in pasta sauce? Bagels? Salsa? Beer? Most foods
marketed for babies and toddlers? Bottom line: Sugar is in everything and it's
really, really bad for you. Moving on.
Sugar Isn't the
Problem
According to the
Sugar Blues talk, sugar isn't really the problem, but rather a short-term
solution to a legitimate need. Humans have evolved to desire the taste of sweet
because natural sugars provide us with energy. We did not evolve, however, in
an environment as abundant with such a wide variety of refined sugars as the
world we now live in.
Grains, beans,
vegetables and fruit all contain sugars, and when we eat these the sugar enters
our bloodstream slowly. Refined
sugars do not work in the same way, and that's why they are so
problematic. So how do I stop myself from drooling over the chocolate
croissants every time I enter Le Pain Quotidien?
How to Preempt Sugar
Cravings
I am so sick of the
"grab an apple when you want chocolate!" advice about sugar cravings.
This obviously doesn't work -- when I want a brownie, a freaking handful of
raisins just simply is not going to cut it. Although my mom definitely advocates
adding in more fruits and sweet veggies (e.g., yams) to your diet, her
reasoning is different and makes a lot more sense to me. I'm totally
oversimplifying, but here is the basic idea: In Chinese health theory, all
foods fall on a spectrum from Yin to Yang, with sugar being on the most extreme
Yin end, and animal foods (meat, eggs) and salty foods on the extreme Yang end
of the spectrum. As our bodies try to maintain equilibrium, if we eat too many
foods on the far end of this seesaw, we then crave foods from the other end.
So, when you are having a sugar craving, your Yin-Yang seesaw is all out of
whack, and you actually probably need to just go ahead and eat sugar to really
feel balanced (if you do this, make the brownie with maple syrup or honey
instead of white sugar). If, however, you consistently eat foods that are
naturally closer to the middle (like grains and vegetables and beans), you
won't have cravings of items from the extremes. The idea is that adding, say,
sweeter veggies (carrots, roasted onions) to your meal will help stave off a
sugar craving to afterwards. Similarly, if you limit the super sweet foods (Yin
stuff), you won't crave as much Yang food (e.g., red meat), which would then
send that side of the seesaw plummeting and make you want more sweets to come
back into balance. Of course, determining which foods fall right in the middle
of the Yin-Yang seesaw isn't totally intuitive, and that's why you need a
health coach! (Shameless plug!). One hint: A meal of kale and quinoa would land
you smack dab in the middle of the seesaw. Shocker.
There are other ways
to approach a sugar addiction that were covered in the Sugar Blues talk.
Sometimes we eat because we are bored or anxious or lonely. Have you ever found
yourself staring into your refrigerator only to realize that you are not even
hungry? The talk stressed the importance of other kinds of nourishment besides
foods. My mom often creates a "Nourishment Menu," which includes no
actual food items, and encourages her clients to nourish themselves with items
from this list (a hot bath, a hug from a spouse, etc.) every day. It sounds
super cheesy, granted, but as a client of hers, I can attest that it actually
works... sometimes. More effective for me, personally, is learning about Yin
and Yang foods and balancing the seesaw before I feel that I must consume a
Starbucks' apple fritter the size of my head.
Stay sane,
Maia
Maia
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