That’s right, the cupcake lady herself may have a slight case of sugar addiction! Let’s blame it on the riveting article in this month’s marie claire called, “Your Brain on Sugar” for enlightening me to the evils of sugar dependence. The article (which I highly recommend you check out) goes on to tell us that researchers are now asking the government to regulate sugar like they do drugs! According to these researchers, the brain’s activity during sugar intake is similar to that of a drug addicts! That means you could be a ‘sugar-a-holic’! Okay, I totally just made that term up but you get the picture.
Naturally, I started to look at my sugar in take and realized that I just may have fallen victim to the sweet stuff. On a daily basis, I probably drink 2-3 cups of coffee and boy do I looooove my coffee sweet! Right there could be around 8 or 9 teaspoons of sugar depending on the day. Luckily, I bake cupcakes enough that I no longer feel tempted to consume more than a taste of a cupcake for quality control anymore. However, I am definitely guilty of the occasional mid-afternoon chocolate chip cookie pick-me-up or even a slice of red velvet cake after dinner if I’m feeling sluggish. And If I’m stressed or having a bad day, I’m even more likely to reach for a sweet treat. One of the top side effects of sugar is stress eating because dopamine (our reward chemical) spikes and makes us crave more to keep our mood lifted. In fact, this effect can lead to weight gain and sluggish work outs because when your dopamine levels spike and then fall you get tired and want more sustenance to perk you up! This happens in both real AND faux sugar! So beware you diet soda drinkers or splenda junkies, this goes for you too! As if that wasn’t enough, there is even research linking sugar to brain fog and aging of the skin. Yikes!
What’s a girl to do?! Well, this girl is going on a ‘sugar cleanse’, another term I just made up, but I’m sure you get the point. I’m going to start out small, 2 weeks, but long enough to hopefully start noticing some changes! I’m not going nuts with this though, fruit sugars, yogurts sweetened with fruit or any other naturally occurring sugar is a go. I think it’s more important to start of with getting rid of the excess sugar in your diet, at least to start off with. So last night I had my last sugary meal, a piece of red velvet cake and a sugar ladened coffee, and today, I’ve been drinking my coffee black! I’ll keep you guys posted on my progress and let you know any obstacles or changes I’ve noticed along the way! I love sugar but I love my health more!
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