Sugar Blues

 Like heroin, cocaine and caffeine, sugar is an addictive, destructive drug, yet we consume it daily in everything from cigarettes to bread.  

–William Dufty, author of Sugar Blues.

The United States is the largest consumer of sweeteners and one of the largest global sugar importers. We started in 1689 when the first sugar refinery was built in New York City. Colonists soon began to sweeten their breakfast porridge with refined sugar, and within 10 years individual consumption had reached 4 pounds a year. The average American now consumes more than 100 pounds of sugar and sweeteners per year. In contrast, Americans consume an average of about 8 pounds of broccoli. The USDA recommends we get nomore than 10 teaspoons per day, yet most Americans eat about 30 teaspoons per day—that’s three times the liberal recommended daily value.

 Humans love sweet things. Even before we started refining sugar, we sought out foods with sweet tastes. Sugar is a simple carbohydrate that occurs naturally in foods such as grains, beans, vegetables and fruit. When unprocessed, sugar contains a variety of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and proteins. When brown rice or other whole grains are cooked, chewed and digested, the natural carbohydrates break down uniformly into separate glucose molecules. These molecules enter the bloodstream, where they are burned smoothly and evenly, allowing your body to absorb all the good stuff.

Refined table sugar, also called sucrose, is very different. Extracted from either sugar cane or beets, it lacks vitamins, minerals and fiber, and thus requires extra effort from the body to digest. The body must deplete its own store of minerals and enzymes to absorb sucrose properly. Therefore, instead of providing the body with nutrition, it creates deficiency. It enters swiftly into the bloodstream and wreaks havoc on the blood sugar level, first pushing it sky-high—causing excitability, nervous tension and hyperactivity—and then dropping it extremely low—causing fatigue, depression, weariness and exhaustion. Health-conscious people are aware that their blood sugar levels fluctuate wildly on a sugar-induced high, but they often don’t realize the emotional roller-coaster ride that accompanies this high. We feel happy and energetic for a while and then suddenly, unexplainably, we find ourselves arguing with a friend or lover.

 Sugar qualifies as an addictive substance for two reasons:

1. Eating even a small amount creates a desire for more.

2. Suddenly quitting causes withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, mood swings, cravings and fatigue.

Today, sugar is found in many of the usual suspects, like cakes, cookies and candy. But you will also find it in canned vegetables, baby food, cereals, peanut butter, bread and tomato sauce. It is often disguised in fancy language, labeled as corn syrup, dextrose, maltose, glucose or fructose. Even some so-called healthy foods contain sugar. A lemon poppy seed Clif Bar has 21 grams of sugar, or 5 teaspoons. Compare that to a chocolate-glazed cake donut from Dunkin’ Donuts, which has 14 grams of sugar, or 3 teaspoons. You may think your afternoon cup of coffee only has a little sugar, but a 16-ounce Starbucks Frappuccino actually contains 44 grams of sugar, or 10 teaspoons—that’s like eating three donuts! Overconsumption of refined sweets and added sugars found in everyday foods has led to an explosion of hypoglycemia and type 2 diabetes.

FOR A CHANCE TO WIN THE SPRING FIT4LIFE DETOX GIVE-AWAY – “LIKE” MY FB PAGE AND TELL ME WHAT CRAVING YOU WANT TO KICK TO THE CURB. (https://www.facebook.com/aileen.finch) WANT TO FIND OUT ABOUT THE DETOX? EMAIL ME AT FINCHFIT4LIFE@GMAIL.COM AND I’LL SEND YOU THE CONFERENCE CALL DETAILS.

Mother told you so!

The report is due in two hours. Or perhaps you’re in the middle of a mid-term exam. Or you’re making sales calls. Suddenly, bam! Around 10:30 a.m. you hit a wall. All you want to do is look out the window.

Hmmm…what did you eat for breakfast?

I hate to say, “I told you so,” so I’ll turn to Mom, who has said it countless times: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s the meal that’s designed to supply a third of the macro and micro nutrients your body needs to run without a hitch.

Breakfast increases our metabolism and helps you to burn calories throughout the rest of the day.  If you’re trying to lose weight, it’s critical to eat breakfast to bring your blood sugar levels back up after being lower while asleep.  Continue the day with several small meals.  Eat breakfast to keep your metabolism moving!

So let’s get back to what you’re eating each morning.  Do you exist on a cup of coffee gulped down on the go? A cup of sugary yogurt and a muffin eaten at your desk? Nothing at all?

Your body deserves so much better than that. And so do you!

When you eat a good breakfast, your day goes smoothly. No growling stomachs, low blood sugar shakiness, or wandering attention to keep you from nailing those big goals you’ve made for yourself.

What Breakfast is Right for You?

One of the best—and most fun—ways to find out which foods serve YOU most powerfully is something called the Breakfast Experiment. For one week, eat a different breakfast each day. Record in a notebook what you ate, how you felt immediately after the meal, and how you felt again two hours later.

• Day one: Scrambled eggs or tofu
• Day two: Bean soup or a bean salad
• Day three: Oatmeal
• Day four: Boxed breakfast cereal
• Day five: Muffin and coffee
• Day six: Fresh fruit
• Day seven: Fresh vegetables

Feel free to repeat the experiment for another seven days with different foods each morning. Which breakfasts made you feel energized? Which ones didn’t? After the experiment, try adding in more of the foods that made you feel great!

Here’s a recipe that I’d like to share with you from the 2014 Finchfit4life Spring Detox:

ASPARAGUS, BEET & CARROT HASH
(Makes 2-3 Servings)

1 tablespoon coconut oil
½ cup chopped beets (use small beets)
1 large carrot chopped small
3 to 4 asparagus spears, chopped
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 sweet pepper, chopped
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon raw apple cider vinegar
Sea salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons hemp seeds or ¼ avocado

Chop the vegetables. Wash and peel your beets (be sure to use small beets as these are easier to cook and have a sweeter taste). Chop into bite-sized pieces. Chop your carrots. Chop your asparagus, making sure to remove the tough, woody ends. Chop your onions and sweet peppers.

Sauté the vegetables. Heat a saucepan over medium high heat. Add the coconut oil. When the oil is hot, add the chopped beets and carrots. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until tender. Add the asparagus, onion, sweet pepper, garlic powder, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, and black pepper. Sauté until the onions and peppers are soft.

Extra Protein: Top with 3 tablespoons of hemp seeds, a scoop of hemp protein or ¼ avocado.

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Register for the Finchfit4life 11 Day Whole Foods Winter Detox in February. The pre-detox launches on February 2 and the detox begins on February 7. You’ll have one week of detox eating healthy, normal foods. You’ll be ready for the big unveil on Valentine’s Day.

If you’re looking for a program that provides:

Fish oil seems to be safe (except for those on blood thinning medications).