IT’S BITTER SWEET: THE TRUTH BEHIND SUGAR ADDICTION

July 28, 2014

It’s Bitter Sweet: The Truth Behind Sugar Addiction

sugar addiction Almost every day in our diets we include sugary foods. Sugar is a source of sweetness that everyone will always want to get. Under normal circumstances, we take sugar in the form of food additive though some people will sometimes take it directly due to its natural sweetness. It is almost a common knowledge that sugar has been attributed to obesity and diabetes when taken in excess. This has neither made people all over the globe to reduce the intake of sugar.

Why bitter sweet?

Obviously sugar is very sweet. Its sweetness remains unquestionable, but the facts about the effects that the sugar has in our bodies makes it bitter. How? One of the negative facts about sugar is that it has been in the frontline contributor of obesity and diabetes. Due to its natural sweetness makes it a very rewarding food substance and hence leading many people to overeating and consequently obese.

Apart from these bitter facts about sugar, research has now shown that sugar is a “new tobacco”, worse than many addictive drugs we know and a secrete killer! You will not believe it, According to the research done by Dr. Mark Hyman et al, shows that sugar is over eight times more addictive than cocaine.

What makes sugar a very common source of addiction?

Unlike many other addictive drugs, which are illegal in many countries, sugar is a legal food substance all over the world. This makes sugar readily available and it is also cheap to acquire. The nature of its sweetness cannot also be underestimated as this is what actually makes a sugar a highly rewarding substance in the human brain.

How does sugar addiction occur?

Among the known foodstuffs which have capability to stimulate the pleasure centers in the brain, sugar is one of them. This center of pleasure which sugar stimulates is known as dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that controls the brain’s pleasure and reward centers. Research has shown that sugar acts on human brain in the same way as cocaine.

When sugar is taken, just like any other dopamine producing substance it enters the brain system and activates the neurotransmitters responsible for pleasure. High amounts of dopamine are released to the system and hence the rewarding effects occur. This rewarding occurs in a form of pleasure that the person taking the sugar feels. With time, the number of dopamines which are released when the sugar is taken reduces and this results to the condition known as resistance. This eventually means in order to produce the pleasurable feeling, you have to consume more that you used to consume before. This launches a viscous cycle of increased consumption of sugar leading to further desensitization and end up with an insatiable appetite for sugar.

Another qualifier factor of sugar as a silent killer substance is that apart from the increase in consumption of sugar, the dopamine receptor decrease and there is a marked decrease also in their activity. This makes the part of human brain which is responsible for execution of functions such as planning, organizing and rational decision making paralyzed.

sugar addiction

What danger does this pose? This is a double cutting sword for the sugar addict. Apart from the fact that the addict will be required to consume more and more sugar to achieve the required pleasure effect, the addiction also makes it more difficult for the addict’s brain to plan ahead and makes wise decisions on foods to take. This makes the addict to keep on dangerously eating sugary foods. This poses more danger to the addict.

What does sugar have to do with obesity?

The understanding of the relationship between sugar and obesity may look hidden unlike its direct relationship with diabetes. The main reason behind obesity is overeating. So, does it mean sugar addicts eat more than normal people? Let’s find out by asking another related question, “How do we know that we have eaten enough food and hence stop eating?”

The reason why we will always know when we have had enough of food is that our brains have a hormone known as Leptin. This hormone sends a signal when one has had enough of a food and hence the person stops eating. This hormone is naturally produces in the fat cells and it functions well under normal healthy dieting. However, this hormone is easily interrupted by things such as ingesting too much artificial sweeteners, high levels of insulin and not forgetting excess sugar. When a sugar addict consumes excess sugar, this disrupts the hormone and hence it fails to function.

When Leptin hormones fail, the hunger homes begin to run rampantly and unopposed. This makes the addict feel hungry and hence want to eat every now and then. Every time such a person eats, there will be obviously overeating since there are no regulatory signals in the brain and this is why sugar addiction is highly associated with obesity.

Can sugar addiction be treated?

Sugar addiction is curable. The main problem is that sugar has high craving levels and when you will be recovering from sugar addiction you will need to be very much determined lest you will have relapse. If you have a sugar addiction, all you need to do is to visit a specialist, a doctor of psychologist and a recovery method that best suits you will be devised based on mediation or therapy.

IT’S BITTER SWEET: THE TRUTH BEHIND SUGAR ADDICTION

Addictiveness of Sugar

July 28, 2014

Addictiveness of Sugar – The White Addictive Poison

Addictiveness of Sugar. It is not funny sugar is a legally accepted poison to your health. You can get help from the experts

A part from those committing suicide no one would want to poison themselves for fear of the consequences and love of life. But did you know that on a daily basis you are willingly adding poison in your body system? This sounds strange to your ears but it is the truth. I am talking about the sweet things and food staff you love and a day cannot go without having a bit. It may sound unbelievable to you that the normal sugar you add to your coffee, tea or milk is more addictive than cocaine, in fact it is not just addictive but it is eight time more addictive. How would you feel if you are told that researchers and medical professionals the world over are now saying that if they knew the effects and destruction that this substance has on people they would have banned it and placed it on the same list as cocaine. This substance is the cause of a pandemic of health issues, diabetes, obesity, disease and death. And what if you are told that you and your children are probably already addicts?

It is not my intention to scare you this drug is consumable and in fact, it’s not only legal to push, pedal, distribute and sell, it is also commercially promoted and advertised openly as one of the world’s most traded commodities. It is one of America’s top exported products of mass destruction alongside with weapons of war, alcohol, tobacco and entertainment. It is omnipresent in almost every food type and major American food brand. This addictive drug is one of the world’s most valuable agricultural commodities and is traded in the world market in the tune of billions of dollars by more than 123 countries. The secret of its deadliness is out in most developed countries and its use however has increased in spite of this knowledge and has more than doubled in developing countries. So what is this addictive, omnipresent, legal drug of choice? You have probably guessed it by now its C12H22O11 and I am almost sure that you are a user on some level of sugar.

Addictiveness of Sugar – Sugar

Research has established that almost everything, delicious and very addictive stuff, called sugar or sucrose or fructose or many other names it now goes by to hide its presence. Ever since laws have been implemented to specifically state the amount of sugar in their products, manufacturers have been using various other names to hide the actual amount of sugar contained in them. For instance look out for these sly labels – barley malt, beet sugar, brown sugar, buttered syrup, caramel, corn syrup, confectioners’ sugar, carob syrup, caster name them, whatever their new nouns may be the all have a common denominator and that is sugar.

Addictiveness of Sugar – Yes we need Sugar

Yes we do need sugar (glucose) and our bodies cannot function without it. We can however get our required amount from healthy fruits and foods and we need not add the extra 4kg of refined sugar every month, over and above what we require. It is important to note that sugar is found in most of our food but the adding of extra sugar and the creation of sugary products has grown exponentially. Researchers tell us that the most efficient way to deliver a sugar fix is via the soft drink industry. Apart from the effects on your health, a sugar researcher tells us that drinking one sugary soft drink a day will increase your weight by 6kg per year. A bottle of Coke a day will increase your weight by 11kg per year. And don’t get me started on sugar substitutes and “diet” cold drinks. According to medical professionals they are nothing more than poisons. Medically most, if not all sugar substitutes are referred to as neurotoxins.

Addictiveness of Sugar – Behavior Change

So it will be important that you make a decision to limit your consumption of sugar and realize the benefits. For instance listen to this confession my mother became a diabetic (no surprise) she then stopped eating sugar and lost about 20kg in 6 months with no much physical activities and no change at all in her diet. After several hardest days (40) of my life I lost 5kg and now on day 71, am down 8kg. I have to add that I have been weight training and not eating bread.

I never started my sugar stoppage for weight loss. I really did it because I got to a stage when my health started to suffer and I was out of control. I needed an intervention and the opportunity to kick my own ass. My waist had gotten so big I was asked to participate in a commercial audition for an organization and believe it I was literally struggling to tie my shoelaces in the morning without a respirator. I was on thyroid medication and Nexium for gastro oesophageal reflux, I fought hard to sleep, I had no energy and by 3 o’clock in the afternoon wanted to take a nap, I always got colds and flu, I got muscle cramps and injuries and I felt all round crappy.

Today because a decision to change my behaviors I feel 100% healthier, I have stopped all of my medications, I sleep well, have more energy than ever before and I have lost 8 kg in fat. Not bad for just stopping and looking out for sugar. The most important and significant change is the fact that I have taken back control of my life from my drug of choice, beautiful, deadly, Florida icing – sugar.

Relapse

Unfortunately I have found that one of the only ways to beat an addiction is to be placed in situations of temptation again and again and having to say no. Every time you are tempted and you say no, you take back the power. You take the power away from the addiction one temptation at a time. You will find, like I did, that the universe will, with love and kindness, put you into situations of mass temptation the exact day and week you decide to take back your power. It is perfectly designed because you cannot take back your power unless you are tempted. Taking yourself out of a situation does not allow you to exercise personal control. It’s the hardest most satisfying ride you will ever take. I challenge you to be and obtain your superpower of self-control and you will have the best of your like I did.

What is your feeling of that confession? As you reflect about it, you will not find it to be smooth all the way and so you will need to seek for help from the experts like talking to Dr. Akoury of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center will help you achieve optimal weight loss if sugar brings obesity to your life. At this facility we focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE. Doctor Akoury is also an addiction professional of over two decades and you will be able to get all inclusive professional attention on both addiction and Obesity.

Addictiveness of Sugar – The White Addictive Poison

Understanding Food Addiction

July 25, 2014

Food Addiction: Is it True?

Food Addiction Addiction has been known to emerge as a result of a prolonged habit. This means that addiction doesn’t always have to result from drugs, but it can as well come as a result of behaviors such as shopping, internet, gambling and not forgetting eating. Eating to many of us is an activity that we normally do when it is time for eating or simply when we have to eat. This is sometimes not the case. Especially with fast foods which by nature are palatable and mouth wetting. If a person has access to such foods, he/she may develop a behavior of every time wanting to eat these foods. This is despite the fact that some of these foods may have negative health effects, such as body being overweight. At this point, the person taking the food is considered addicted.

How do you know you are a food addict?

There are common habits which can suggest whether or not you may be suffering from emotional eating and food addiction. You should examine yourself based on these habits and if you identify yourself with one or several of them, you should consider visiting a professional to discuss your eating habit. The following are some of such habits:-

The addict may develop fear of food – the person may seem to avoid some foods. These people suffer the views that such foods are harmful and thus avoid them. They will always give excuses for not being able to take the food and sometimes will try to avoid events in which the food is to be eaten.
Emotional eating – the people with food addiction will seem to un-necessarily eat a lot of food. This is especially the case when they are stressed, anxious or worried. This habit of overeating leads one to feeling guilty and hence the anxiety about their eating habit makes them to eat even more. This habit of overeating can easily become a viscid downward spiral.
Abrupt weight loss or gain – many addicts of food will suffer poor body image and a feeling that they want to lose weight. This weight loss is normally not easy when someone is eating un-healthily. For a food addict to maintain the required diet it is almost impossible and thus an intervention is required for such a person to be helped to recover. This problem can be solved by many of nutritionists and doctors. If you are suffering from food addiction, you should consider visiting a doctor or a nutritionist to get you problem solved.
Food addicts may engage in substance abuse – the food addicts frequently engage in abuse of dangerous substances such as laxatives. They also engage in harmful activities such as self-induced vomiting, frequent fasting and excessing exercise.
The food addicts may be food possessed – the addicts of food who are food obsessed are normally very easy to be observed. These people will always want to talk about food. They are ever thinking about food, the amount of food they can eat every day, the amount they previously ate and they possess anticipation to eat.

How can food addiction be overcome?

Are you a food addict? Or do you know a person who is a food addict? The knowledge of how addiction can be treated is vital. Unlike the other types of addiction, overcoming the food addiction is not easy. For example when dealing with drug addiction, you will be encouraged to stop taking the drug, but it is impossible to stop taking food. So how can a food addict overcome?

You need to reprogram your taste buds – if you are addicted of sugary foods, you need to start reducing the rate at which you take these sugary foods. Try to also avoid adding sugar to the foods that are not supposed to be sweet. Try to slowly reduce taking of sugary foods in the favor of fruits and vegetables. This will restore your sensitivity in the taste buds and reduce craving for the addictive food.

Food Addiction

Have a good planning of your meals – avoid just eating what your mind thinks about. It is important to plan your health eating and ensure you eat responsibly, by avoiding overeating. An addict will always rave for a given food, so try to avoid being drawn to taking the unplanned foods.
Hunger moderation – another factor that causes people to overeat is hunger. You should learn to moderate your hunger and eat the food amount that is healthy to your body.
Understand your weaknesses – as a matter of fact, each person has a given food that he/she cannot turn down. For example, there are some people who cannot go past a place selling ice cream without having to buy. The best way to do away with what you cannot resist is to avoid it. Avoid the places which will tempt you with these foods.
Get yourself healthy ways of cope – when you stop taking some foods, there will be left a void, for example the time used to walk looking for cookies. Ensure you do a healthy activity during this time, for instance hiking or going out with friends.
If the therapeutic treatment methods do not work to help you out of the food addiction, opt the medical treatment. Visit your doctor and be open to discuss the problem with him/her.

Food Addiction: Is it True?

Best Addiction Treatment

July 23, 2014

Best Addiction Treatment – Food Addiction

Best addiction treatment. Food addiction is real and the earliest we acknowledge this the better for recovery

It is common knowledge that on a daily basis we have to eat to get the energy we need for the day’s activities. The fact that we eat periodically may not look like being addicted to food but before I get to solutions of food addiction, I want to help you understand how food becomes addictive. How do you begin your day? Probably when you wake up you purpose to do your work and eat responsibly and healthy food and you start with one healthy breakfast at home and on your way you navigate through mouthwatering bakery goodies which are tempting and you finally make it to work ready for the day’s assignment only to be received by your stressful boss laying on your table a new project deadline that is practically impossible. Minutes later yourself holding meat pie in your hand consuming down sugary anesthetics and desiring for more. By the time you leave our moment of eating and the truth of what you’ve done begins to sink in, the subsequent feelings of shame and guilt fuel your stress levels more and you’re already plotting your next food fix then you wonder. Why do I keep yielding to these cravings? Where’s my self-control and willpower? My friend this is just your brain being addicted to food.

The feeling of denial will follow and encourage yourself that you are not and that you only love sweet food once in a while but the bottom line is that food addiction is factual and realistic. It affects so many people and this is what the food processors ride on when producing their products for the market. Production of addictive food is a marketing tool for these organizations and that is why their ingredients is a perfect combination of salty, sweet, and savory to ensure you keep reaching for more. The moment you find yourself losing your willpower and desiring for more and more then you are not just in love with these food stuff but you are now addicted to them and that is what we want to address. To start us off let’s look at some of the ways of beating food addiction:

Best Addiction Treatment – Take the test

Taking the test would mean that you make a self-evaluation of your relationship with food with an aim of ascertaining whether you’re eating habit is a healthy one. Experts are in agreement that the many overweight or obese have some level of food addiction even though anyone of any age bracket or size can have this issue of food addiction.

Best Addiction Treatment – Know your staples from your treats

Our brains are rigged to seek out the delicious reward of natural carbs like berries from a bush or veggies from the ground. We savor healthy fats from avocados, olive oil, and fish and lean meats. Our brains drive us to forage around to find these foods so that we have quick energy (from carbs) and long-lasting fuel (from fat). These natural whole foods have sustained us since the dawn of time. Our brains were acclimated to the taste of these rewards. Every now and again, we’d savor a treat that contained more natural sugar (grapes) or fat (dairy or meat). This mix of staples and treats became our natural balance of healthy nutrients. Flash-forward, and now we have manufacturers creating hyper-palatable foods full of sugar, fat, and salt. And because they are ubiquitous, cheap, and easily accessible, fewer people cook. Grab and go is now the way to go.

Best Addiction Treatment – Rein in your reward center

When hyper-palatable race with natural foods your brain’s reward center, which secretes the pleasure chemical dopamine, gets hijacked. Insulin levels increases and drive you to desire for more and more. Suddenly, that bowl of fresh berries can’t compete with the über rewards of a Pop-Tart or a chocolate-coated breakfast bar. Occasional treat like birthday dessert, also leads to a dopamine rush, but then your brain settles down to more normal levels of dopamine. But when you can get your hands on hyper-palatable foods daily seven days a week and you start the day with that sugary, fatty, salty pastry and Grande sugary coffee drink, you end up with an endless appetite for more.

Best Addiction Treatment – Recognize the False Fix

After constant exposure and consumption of these hyper-palatables and let us call them False Fixes in The Hunger Fix, your brain essentially changes. The brain cannot stand this level of hyper-stimulation. It then reduces the number of dopamine receptors so that you no longer experience it as overstimulation and that is what is good about it however the bad news is that by doing this, your typical serving of food is no longer as rewarding. You find yourself not feeling as pleased and satisfied. The end result of this is that you end up with second and third and fourth portions, packing on weight along the way.

Besides this your reward center is being hijacked that is the brain’s CEO which is the prefrontal cortex (tap your forehead and that’s where the PFC is located), is becoming spoiled and impaired. The PFC can no longer help you rein in impulses or stay focused and vigilant which is why when one is in fully in addictive mode, moderation is a moot point.

Best Addiction Treatment – Know your enemy (False fix food)

Make a list all of your False Fix foods that you know will lead you to feel out of control and overeat. As you prepare to detox, look around you and take stock of all persons, places, and things that trigger your food addiction. This isn’t just about substituting False Fix foods for Healthy Fixes it’s also about scrutinizing your entire lifestyle so that you can make fresh healthier choices to support your recovery. It is important to note that you will not be able to change everything in one go and so you will gradually start with small but powerful steps to ensure sustainability of long-term success.

While doing all these you must appreciate that food addiction is real and the faster you make this acknowledgement the better because it is only when you do so is when you will have the ability to reverse the damage and reclaim your healthy, natural relationship with food. Remember I did not promise you that the journey will be easy and therefore careful selection of professionals to help you overcome will be necessary. For instance at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury’s care ware addiction treatment is focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE will be very ideal for all your addiction related problems.

Best Addiction Treatment – Food Addiction

High Dose Vitamin C Therapy and Addiction Treatment

July 18, 2014

High Dose Vitamin C Therapy

This is a technique of addiction treatment, which is based on nutritional therapy. Vitamin C is a critically important water-soluble antioxidant, since it protects proteins and lipids from free radical damage which is associated with infection, intensive exercise and other stressors that can injure cells. High dose vitamin C has been studied as treatment for patients with varied illnesses especially its ability to help drug addicts in recovery.

What is high-dose vitamin C?

Vitamin c is also referred to as L-ascorbic acid or ascorbate. This is actually a nutrient which human beings should get from food as part of dietary supplement since our bodies cannot manufacture it. It works with enzymes to play a key role in making collagens.

Vitamin c can reach high levels when taken to the blood vessels via intravenous (IV) the when taken by mouth. These high levels have proven strong to the extent of killing cancer cells. Deficiency in this vitamin when severe causes scurvy.

Oranges are rich in Vitamin C

What is the function of Vitamin C?

The following are some of the important functions of vitamin C;

Vitamin C helps in the protection of cells and keeping them healthy.
Another importance of vitamin c is that it is necessary for the maintenance of healthy connective tissue, which gives support and structure for other tissues and organs.
Another remarkable function of vitamin c is that I help in the healing of wounds.

How is ascorbate administered?

There are usually two ways through which vitamin C can be administered. One of the ways is through intravenous (IV) infusion or alternatively be taken by mouth. Researches have indicated that the levels of vitamins reached when the intravenous method is used are higher than when taken by mouth.

Are there side effects when vitamin C therapy is used?

From the past pool of clinical experiences IV administration does not have any side effects. However, there are some disadvantages. The course of therapy for instance is long.

What makes Vitamin C essential in treatment of addiction?

Vitamin C offers a natural means of treating patients from addiction. Vitamin c is known to be an essential tool in the making of neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters are important to our bodies since they are responsible for carrying thoughts, feelings, and commands all around our bodies. Particularly, we need vitamin c which will produce serotonin, the neurotransmitter that is affected by most commonly used medications for depressions and addictions generally. It is recommended that we include fresh fruits and vegetables in our daily diets.

What are some of sources of natural vitamin C?

Vitamin C and Addiction Treatment The sources of natural vitamin c include fruits and vegetables. These are the main sources of vitamin c in our bodies. It is encouraged that anyone who wants to consume fruits and vegetable should go for the fresh ones. The following are some of the sources of vitamin C;

Strawberries – these are foods rich in vitamin c and on top of vitamin c, they will provide you with fiber and antioxidants.
Citrus fruits – these fruits include oranges, grape fruits lemon and limes.
Acerola Cherry – these are small fruits which are normally red in colour. They are scientifically known as Malipighia punicifolia.
Papayas – papayas are common fruits all over the world and a good source of vitamin C.
Black Currant – this is another rich source of vitamin c, with around 180mg per serving. It is also rich in other nutrients like potassium, iron, vitamin B5 and phytochemical.
Kiwi – it may come as surprise to learn that these small bright green fruit has more that vitamin C than an orange. They have also been proven to be high in flavonoids and have as much potassium as bananas. Recent researches have indicated that children who eat these Vitamin C rich fruits will experience stronger respiratory tract than children who do not eat of it.
Guavas – guavas are good source of vitamin c, with one serving containing over 250mg. this is even over twice your daily needs and they will also provide you with fiber, folic acid, potassium and manganese. This makes guavas one of the best foods to add in your diet. The good thing with guavas also is that they are readily available, with their availability almost in every supermarket.
Melons – melons are also rich in vitamin C, with one cup providing around 67mg of vitamin c. on top of vitamin c, it will provide you with plenty of Vitamin A and Potassium. Water melons are known to give plenty of vitamin c, as one serving will provide around 112% of your daily requirements.
Dark leafy greens – greens are also a good source of vitamin c. these greens include:- kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, watercress, Spinach, and others. They all provide different amounts of this nutrient.
Broccoli – this can be eaten raw or cooked. One serving of it will give you 90mg of vitamin c. it is also one of the known detox foods to add in your daily diet.
Cauliflower – one serving of cauliflower will give you up to 46mg, and also it is rich in vitamin K, folate and dietary fiber.
Tomatoes – another good source of vitamin c that we cannot leave out is tomatoes. This is almost an obvious ingredient in every diet. Try using dried tomatoes as they are rich in many other nutrients on top of vitamin c.

Note that the sources of vitamin c, the list is too long and we cannot exhaust it here. The examples given above should only give you a light of some of the foods rich in vitamin c. Therefore choose your diet wisely today and benefit from this vitamin!

High Dose Vitamin C Therapy

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