Sugar addiction, what exactly is it and how do you know if you suffer from it. More importantly, how do you get rid of it?
Sugar addiction can have several causes and one of them can be insulin resistance. When we eat carbohydrates this is converted into glucose in your body. Glucose we need, this is an important fuel for the body and especially for your brain. For the absorption of glucose into your cells is released the hormone insulin. You can think of insulin as a kind of key that can open the "door" of the cell to let glucose in. Insulin resistance can occur when you eat frequent or too many sugars, live unhealthy, or when your hormones are out of balance, a lot of insulin is produced causing an imbalance and the "key" no longer works. The insulin keeps circulating in your blood and then you become 'resistant'. The glucose created does have to go somewhere, so it is stored as fat.
Characteristics of sugar addiction
- Stored fat around the abdomen and hips
- stem warts
- dark spots around hairline and armpits
- tired and lifeless
- sugar cravings
- emotion eating
The sugar cravings are a demand for energy from your body. Which makes you eat more sugar and keeps the whole circle going. Often you also notice that you get hangry faster, you can't skip meals and are constantly thinking about when you can eat something (sweet) again.
What can you do about sugar addiction (insulin resistance)?
Have 3 healthy meals a day to keep blood sugar levels balanced. Here it is important to have a balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Take the slow carbs like fruits and vegetables, healthy fats like avocado, fatty fish, olive oil, nuts kernels and seeds and enough protein.
Sober exercise can also give you a hand. Exercise before you've eaten anything so your body learns to burn fat instead of just burning sugars from food.
Cinnamon increases sensitivity to insulin (this can lower blood sugar levels). If you add cinnamon to your diet, for example, through yogurt. But cinnamon can also go very well with savory dishes such as dinner.
Eat a variety of foods so that you get enough nutrients. You can do this by varying vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, grains etc. If you would like to support this with supplements, Blood Sugar Support may be a good one for you. This contains chromium that helps to (maintain) normal/natural blood sugar levels. Also in this supplement is Thiamine (vitamin B1), which contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
