January 08, 2014
#CrushYourKryptonite: how to crush your sweet tooth
I've had a killer sweet tooth for as long as I can remember. My mom would not allow anything unnatural in the house, my dad on the other hand was a different story. My dad would let me buy whatever I wanted and coming from a kid who was only allowed to snack on celery and have salads for dinner, I went all out. Candy, cake, cookies, pies, sour, sweet I love it all!
I feel like as my fitness and diet has improved my cravings for sugar have reached an all time high. I can't just grab a cookie and stop at one, I have to eat the whole box. Once I get the taste for sugar again it haunts me until I get another fix, this is a true addiction that needs to STOP.
If I want my physical goals to be reached I know I have to give up my obsession with sweets at all costs. I am usually really good about it for 2 weeks and then I fall off the wagon and am shoveling sweets down my windpipe (slightly exaggerated).
So we're in a new year and everyone is going around making resolutions, that's not my style. What I do want to do is go back to a time in my life where I didn't crave sweets and I was still reaching my physical goals. All this coming from someone who has spent years studying nutrition; I know why I have cravings yet I am still a victim to them, hey I am human.
So I went on a mission to uncover a simple explanation on:
1. Why we crave sweets 2. How to to kick the habit for good 3. Also how to have a realistic and healthy relationship with those yummy devils (sounds like dating advice) :D I searched all over the internet and landed on Precision Nutrition's, Ryan Andrews and his journey through a year of NO desserts. I was inspired by what he learned and also what we can take away from his experiment:Desserts are Addictive
We crave desserts and have a powerful attachment to them. They are also attached to almost any social gathering or holiday event, especially in North America. Thankfully we have a CHOICE to direct our actions and we are in CONTROL. There are a lot more difficult things that we choose not to do on a daily basis right? They are addictive because of a powerful neurotransmitter- dopamine.
We don't eat sugar "in moderation"
This was 100% right on, especially here in North America. Everything around us is cheap, fast and easy. This can easily be translated into sugar laced, cancer giving CRAP!
Some other things that I took away from Ryan's experiment:
- Desserts can easily become a habit. Some of us eat a bowl of ice cream 3x's per week, that would be considered a habit.
- We have moved away from whole plant based foods and have replaced them with heavily processed foods, a lot of them contain hidden sugars.
- You MAY need to have an all-or-nothing approach ( I've never tried this); no sweets, no excuses.
- You can learn to reset your taste preferences by incorporating more fresh foods and reducing processed food consumption.
Most importantly:
You can change if you are willing to DO so because YOU are in CONTROL of the CHOICES you make.Doesn't that statement make you feel so empowered?
This is what I am choosing to do in response to my sugar addiction:
- I am kicking it cold turkey and going back to my fresh foods, limited meats (it must be free range and organic).
- I will not give food power over my decisions, its just food here.
- I will change my perspective from "I can't" eat sweets to "I don't eat" sweets
