A sugar addiction, what exactly is it and how do you know if you suffer from it? And more importantly, how do you get rid of it?
A sugar addiction can have various causes, and one of them can be insulin resistance. When we eat carbohydrates, they are converted into glucose in your body. We need glucose; it's an important fuel for the body, especially for your brain. The hormone insulin is released to allow glucose to be absorbed into your cells. You can think of insulin as a key that opens the "door" of the cell to let glucose in. Insulin resistance can develop when you frequently eat too much sugar, live unhealthily, or when your hormones are imbalanced, leading to excessive insulin production, which creates an imbalance and causes the "key" to stop working. The insulin continues to circulate in your blood, and then you become "resistant." The produced glucose has to go somewhere, so it is stored as fat.
Characteristics of sugar addiction
- Stored fat around the abdomen and hips
- skin tags
- dark patches around the hairline and armpits
- tired and listless
- sugar cravings
- emotional eating
Sugar cravings are your body's demand for energy. This leads you to eat more sugar and perpetuates the entire cycle. You often notice that you get "hangry" more quickly, you can't skip meals, and you're constantly preoccupied with the thought of when you can eat something (sweet) again.
What can you do about sugar addiction (insulin resistance)?
Eat 3 healthy meals a day to keep your blood sugar balanced. It's important to have a balance of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Opt for slow-release carbohydrates like vegetables and fruits, healthy fats such as avocado, fatty fish, olive oil, nuts, seeds, and sufficient protein.
Exercising on an empty stomach can also help. Exercise before you've eaten anything so your body learns to burn fat instead of just burning sugars from food.
Cinnamon increases insulin sensitivity (which can lead to a reduction in blood sugar levels). You can add cinnamon to your diet, for example, in yogurt. But cinnamon also works very well in savory dishes like dinner.
Eat a varied diet to ensure you get sufficient nutrients. You can do this by varying vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, grains, etc. If you wish to support this with supplements, Blood Sugar Support might be a good option for you. It contains chromium, which contributes to maintaining normal/natural blood sugar levels. This supplement also contains Thiamine (vitamin B1), which contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
