Are You Hooked on That White Stuff?

Sugar! Sugar! Sugar! Boy can our bodies' devour some sugar. Many people liken sugar to a drug and compare its dependency to an addiction. Could it really be that bad? Our body requires sugar to preform all the tasks it needs to do in one day. Well, it can burn fat or protein, but glucose is its most efficient fuel. So why then would such a substance that our body requires be considered a drug or it’s need a dependency?

Lets first breakdown the chemical reactions that sugar creates in our brain. Check the video below.

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-sugar-affects-the-brain-nicole-avena When you eat something loaded with sugar, your taste buds, your gut and your brain all take notice. This activation of your reward system is not unlike how bodies process addictive substances such as alcohol or nicotine -- an overload of sugar spikes dopamine levels and leaves you craving more.

Ok so there you have it, a little is ok, but too much can be very detrimental. It is important to note that all sugars are not created equal when determining what to cut out of a healthy diet. Our body prefers complex carbs and sugars that it receives from fruits, veggies, and whole grains. The fiber found in these foods allow for the slower and more even absorption of sugar into the body, which prevents the up and down spikes of blood sugar. While other sugars such as pure can sugar, artificial sweeteners, and processed sugars such as high fructose corn syrup; cause uproar in the body. This then leads to obesity and chronic diseases.

For women such as us, I’d error on the side to have as little as possible. It is a know fact that cancerous tumors love sugars just as much, if not more then our brains. In fact glucose is the only energy cancerous tumors can use for fuel. Tumors have an unusually large number of insulin receptors compared to our normal cells. Because of this cancer can more readily uptake glucose. But not only this, it is more susceptible to the effects of insulin that promote growth in all cells, but more so in cancer cells due to their larger number of receptors.

When trying to kick your sugar addiction the most important thing you can do is become informed. Simple sugars are found in many foods such as bread, cereals, condiments, and “healthy” snack foods. Discovering the many aliases of sugar can allow you to kick butt when cutting sugar from your life.