World Musings

Just thought I’d write a quick post about sugar withdrawal when “dieting”.  Well, first of all, a “diet” should not be a diet.   What you eat should become a way of living without the intent to ever touching food with sugar in it ever again.  Sugar withdrawal is no different than being addicted to cocaine and has been scientifically verified as having the same effect on the brain.

Anyways, the most simple thing to do to remedy sugar addiction is to eat fruit.  Particulary fresh cut strawberries, sliced riped bananas, blueberries, or tangerines.   Yes, I know!  It doesn’t sound good and it is such a simple answer to eat such a boring thing to remedy that craving to get a “high” or a “fix” by eating a piece of cheesecake or some peanut-butter ice cream.  The best thing to do, is to resist the craving and immediately go to a salad bar at your local grocery store and fix yourself a small plate of strawberries, blueberries, and tangerines.   My personal favorite is just freshly cut strawberries and sliced up bananas.  Sometimes salad bars have dried banana chips, but they never have bananas sliced up.   

If it still really isn’t cutting it for you, and you just really need something more because it is early on in your change of diet of eliminating refined sugars,…….to go along with it…..and I have done it myself……go to the section of the grocery store where they sell nutrition bars.   Look for a bar call “Builder”.   It is a mint chocolate flavored nutrition bar that is all natural.   The mint chocolate tastes the best.   To sweeten it, they use evaporated cane juice, of which still isn’t the best thing, but it sure beats that refined sugar crap.  But I would only eat one of these things in the most extreme bouts of withdrawal. 

However, if you feel that the Builder bar has too much ingredients in it, or maybe the evaporated cane juice is against your rules, then I would recommend the fruit plate with all natural honey drizzled on top.  They say honey is just as sweet as sugar and can be just as bad, if not worse, on teeth ( I’m not sure if I believe that), but it is much easier for the body to digest than refined sugar.  Much easier.  Honey has actually been pre-digested for you by bees.  You are eating a natural sweetner that has already been pre-digested by bees which makes things a lot easier on your digestive system.  I wouldn’t eat a lot of honey, but drizzling it on your fruit in my opinion is ok on any “diet”.  After eating a bowl of freshly cut strawberries and sliced riped bananas with honey drizzled on top, will kill any symptom of sugar addiction.  And you’ll notice that honey won’t cause bloating or gas like refined sugars can.  Unlike with honey, your body has to rely on bacteria to break down refined sugar because the digestive system itself cannot do it.  This can cause gas when bacteria has to go to work.

So get your fruit plate and/or a Builder bar, and a cold diet coke and you are set.   
When I do this, I feel perfectly fine the rest of the day and have no thoughts or any cravings of hitting the vending machine or making a mad run to the grocery store for a piece of pie or ice cream.  When suffering from sugar withdrawal give it a shot, and within time, you’ll look hot!