Your need to satisfy your sugar craving feels overwhelming, but as with any other addictive craving, succumbing regularly can have terrible consequences, including wrecking your insulin response and damaging your brain function.
You could even become a full-blown sugar addict. Sugar’s similarity to hard drugs is downright scary: For some people, sugary foods act just like drugs, because they trigger the release of endorphins and dopamine (the brain’s “happy-making” chemicals), which leads to more cravings.
I’d like you to dig deep and seek connections: Does stress trigger your urge to seek sweet relief? If so, my suggestion is simple and oh so effective: Eat more fruit!
Docs traditionally advised
people with diabetes or prediabetes to minimize or avoid eating fruit. Now we know that’s bunk. In fact, in a recent Danish study, more than 60 folks with type 2 diabetes were studied for 12 weeks. Compared with people limited to two pieces of fruit daily, those who ate more fruit shed almost 2 more pounds and an extra inch off their waists.
And their HbA1c levels (an accurate measure of blood sugar control over several months) dropped more than the non–fruit eaters’. This finding mirrors other recent
research suggesting that the more fruit you eat, the less you weigh.
Now that I’ve convinced you to reach for fruit instead of sweets, let me help you launch your new habit. Change is hard, es- pecially when stress leaves you feeling defeated.
When you’re tempted to cave to a sugar craving, focus on my healthy-living mission statement: “Adapt and Adjust,” or “A&A.” The master key to permanent change is tweaking your reactions to life’s challenges, without resorting to self-destructive behaviors.
When you stay vigilant, you can transform each stressful event into an opportunity to take a breath, and then adapt and adjust in a positive, productive way. Every month, I’ll show you another example, and A&A will become second nature for you.
Key to success
Let’s be clear: This isn’t license to go overboard and eat tons of fruit. Instead, replace your refined sugars with fruit—but limit yourself to three to four servings a day. You’ll get extra fiber to help prevent blood sugar spikes, plus vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Sources by:
Pam Peeke, MD, is assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and author of Te Hunger Fix: Te Tree-Stage Detox and Recovery Plan for Overeating and Food Addiction (Rodale, 2012).
