My Sugar Addiction! Part 1

See a theme here?

These are just the top products on Amazon that are targeted to sugar addiction. One of them is even a 'subliminal' CD!

My goal here is to take you on this journey of mine. I will (as usual) be the guinea pig here and show you how I will implement and test my researched solutions for this horrific addiction of mine: SUGAR.

I want to show you what works, in correlation to what 'they' say works. I want to look at all aspects, such as the mind, body, and even the spirit.

Today I will be delving into the body. I think the first step will be to support my physical addiction, so that I can focus on the mindset that is feeding this issue. I don't think that one overshadows the other here. On the contrary, I actually believe that it's a vicious circle. A vicious circle of lies, deceit, laziness and self-indulgence. One that perpetuates itself via the mind, body AND spirit, which are all susceptible to corruption.

Now, to focus on the body.

Let's look at some basic 'stuff' that I dug up on the damages of sugar (on a basic, molecular level), shall we?:

• The sugar molecules (glucose) have the same chemical structure as vitamin C molecule. (Green Herbal Remedies.com). "So when you eat sugar, think of your immune system slowing down to a crawl." (Healing Daily.com)
• Excess sugar is bad for healthy skin. It damages the collagen fiber and hence the skin starts to appear saggy before time. (Green Herbal Remedies.com). 
• Because refined dietary sugars lack minerals and vitamins, they must draw upon the body's micro-nutrient stores in order to be metabolized into the system. When these storehouses are depleted, metabolization of cholesterol and fatty acid is impeded, contributing to higher blood serum triglycerides, cholesterol, promoting obesity due to higher fatty acid storage around organs and in sub-cutaneous tissue folds. (Healing Daily.com)

STOP!

Let's digest this. It lowers my immunity, so I can get sick more often?! It destroys my collagen fiber, making me age, faster than I am supposed to age???!!! It raises cholesterol and makes me fat?!

Well, I can say that this is a huge shocker to me, which it is not, as I watched the video "Sugar: The Bitter Truth" and the way that table sugar (fructose & glucose = Sucrose, aka "Sugar") is digested and processed by your body is nothing short of SCARY! Sugar is Alcohol 'without the buzz', as your liver turns it into Ethanol, which damages your body's cells on a molecular level!

 

Let's press on to some other aspects of what sugar can do to us:

• "Sugar can contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children" (do your children REALLY need a 'treat'? What if you are setting them up for ADD, ADHD, Obesity, Diabetes?!!! Acccckkkkk!)
• "Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children." (Uh oh, did I bring up your children again? Silly me. Sorry. Let's continue). 
• "Sugar contributes to a weakened defense against bacterial infection" (Ever get strep throat? How about a urinary tract infection? How many other 'infections' can YOU think of?)
• "Sugar can cause kidney damage" (Uh, no THANK YOU!)
• "Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium." (Osteoporosis?) 
• "Sugar can promote tooth decay" (Does your dentist send you yearly 'Christmas Cards'?)
• "Sugar can speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and grey hair" (D'oh!) 
• "Sugar causes food allergies" (Any allergic developments happening to you as you age? Eh, eh, eh??)
• "Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy"
• "Sugar can contribute to eczema in children"
• "Sugar can increase the amount of fat in the liver" (Did you know that people who have never had a drink of alcohol in their lives have had 'fatty liver'?!)
• "Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance" (Um, this is a blog topic in itself. Can we say 'Metabolic Syndrome'? Can we say 'Early Menopause'? Depression? Should I continue?!) 
• "Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines." (Yeah, again, No Thank You!)
• "Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter the mind's ability to think clearly" (So I can't blame this one on being a natural blond eh? Dang!)
• Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon (Colon Cancer? Do you know how prevalent this disease has become in this country?
• "Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, accounting for about 20 percent of all cancer deaths. This year alone, more than 131,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer, and 56,000 will die from it." (Colon Cancer Facts).      

ANYWAY, personally, the above bullet points alone are enough to have me running scared! Doctor, doctor! What do I do? I've got a bad case of lovin' ..... sugar?


Let us focus on possible supplementation to start with, so that our bodies are not screaming at us for sugar while we are trying to exercise our will-power alone. Let's face it, if it were only will-power (or the lack there-of) that got me here, then I am stinkin' DOOMED!

1. Chromium Picolinate. "As the active component of glucose tolerance factor(GTF), chromium plays a fundamental role in controlling blood sugar levels. The primary function of GTF is to increase the action of insulin. Insulin is the hormone responsible for carrying sugar (glucose) into the cells where it can be used for energy." (Whole Foods.com) 
2. A Vitamin B Complex. "Scientists have proved that when the need of insulin rises, also the need of vitamin B1, B5 (pantothenic acid) and B8 (biotin) rises" (Groshan Fabiola) 
3. Gymnema Sylvestra. "Increase pancreatic function. Blocks the taste of sugar. Block the passages in the body that usually absorb sugar" (Live Strong.com).
4. Vitamin C. "...since both glucose and Ascorbate are drawn into cells by the same insulin-mediated pathway, that too much sugar can crowd out vitamin C." (Communication Agents.com).
5. Minerals in general (Zinc, Chromium, Niacin). "Researchers found that the Glucose Tolerance Factor (GTF) was a complex molecule composed of niacin, chromium and zinc, all together..." Beverleigh H Piepers.

I'm going to start here.

Daily supplementation, focusing on Chromium, Vitamin C, Vitamin B Complex & Minerals. (Let's face it, I'm kind of broke, so I'll go with what I have available to me for now).

Stay tuned for the results of my supplementation and then, the next will will be the exploration into the mind. Your will-power, determination, psychological reasonings and what-not. Because, let's face it, the mind is a POWERFUL thing! It can either hinder you or become your greatest tool!

Until next time....