Sugar, sugar

   Hola, soy Amanda, y soy adicta al azúcar.  A pesar de ser gorda, nunca he tenido obsesión con ningún tipo de comida.  Toda la vida había sido así, hasta hace unas 3 semanas.

   Últimamente (excepto ya ayer y hoy, wuuu!!) he estado más que talladísima con la u, palmándola la semana pasada 3 días, la anterior 4, la anterior 3, y así sucesivamente (y cuando me refiero a palmarla me refiero a auténticamente no dormir ni un segundo, quedarse trabajando toda la noche).  Entenderán que cuando uno pasa 108 horas sin pegar el ojo, se requiere masivo esfuerzo para mantenerse pensante y productivo.

   No me gusta tomar battery ni red bull ni esas cosas, me alteran toda y "pensante" es lo menos que quedo.  Con los años he logrado acostumbrarme a no usar nada para mantenerme despierta, pero entonces también está el asunto del snack d la noche...antes siempre agarraba un descanso d 15min para hacerme un juguito d frutas y comer pan con queso o algo....

   Estas últimas semanas lo que empecé a hacer, x buscar algo más práctico, fue comprar Tropical en vez d jugo natural hecho x mí y comprar alguna galleta, o comer cereal.  Un día le agregué una coca xq tenía mucho sueño....que después se convirtió en cualquier gaseosa....que después se convirtieron en gaseosas a lo largo del día............y días después empecé a tener que hacer 2 meriendas durante la noche, porque de verdad sentía hambre, y no sólo en la noche, sino que en el día también me daba más hambre....

   Desde la inundación he estado yendo regularmente al doc por lo del chequeo del daño en las manos...y, haciendo la historia corta, se dió cuenta que últimamente andaba con el azúcar bajo y alto.  Para aquellos no-doctores-en-camino, lo normal es tenerla entre 60 y 100, y la mía osciló hasta 52 y hasta 91.

   ¿Qué significa esto?  El azúcar produce un círculo vicioso y de hecho actúa como cualquier otra droga.  El azúcar causa "highs" como los producidos por las drogas, que cuando terminan producen "lows" que producen la sensación de necesidad de consumir más azúcar.  Además, estos highs y lows de azúcar lo que provocan es más cansancio (tanto el azúcar baja como la alta) sumado al de las palmadas, lo que me llamaba a más Coca y más Tropical y continúa el ciclo vicioso.

   Después de eso, no podía entender aún por qué tenía tanta hambre y además tanto craving d gaseosa/jugo artificial.  Uno de esos días, me llegó una actualización de un blog al que estoy suscrita, que justamente hablaba de la adicción al azúcar, y me aclaró que eso era lo que yo tenía.  Nunca se me ocurrió que existía tal adicción.  No estoy hablando de ningún problema mayor como la diabetes ni nada de eso, si no que les escribo esto xq creo que ustedes fácilmente podrían tenerla también sin darse cuenta.  Aquí les va (tal vez más importante que la explicación, que ya se las resumí, son los tips para quitarse la adicción, que están más abajo):

As a serious sugar addict still struggling with my “addiction” I know first hand how difficult it is to get off sugar, and to stay off it. Part of the reason it’s so hard to kick the habit is that over time our brains actually become addicted to the natural opioids that are triggered by sugar consumption. Much like the classic drugs of abuse such as cocaine, alcohol and nicotine, a diet loaded with sugar can generate excessive reward signals in the brain which can override one’s self-control and lead to addiction.



One study out of France, presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, showed that when rats (who metabolize sugar much like we do) were given the choice between water sweetened with saccharin and intravenous cocaine, 94% chose the saccharin water. When the water was sweetened with sucrose (sugar), the same preference was observed—the rats overwhelmingly chose the sugar water. When the rats were offered larger doses of cocaine, it did not alter their preference for the saccharin or sugar water. Even rats addicted to cocaine, switched to sweetened water when given the choice. In other words, intense sweetness was more rewarding to the brain than cocaine.


The American Psychiatric Association defines addiction to include three stages: bingeing, withdrawal and craving. Until recently, the rats had only met two of the elements of addiction, bingeing and withdrawal. But recent experiments by Princeton University scientist, Professor Bart Hoebel, and his team showed craving and relapse as well. By showing that excess sugar led not only to bingeing and withdrawal, but to cravings for sweets as well, the final critical component of addiction fell into place and completed the picture of sugar as a highly addictive substance.


In stark contrast to this clinical assessment is the fact that, for most of us, “something sweet” is a symbol of love and nurturance. As infants, our first food is lactose, or milk sugar. Later on, well-intended parents (me included) reward children with sugary snacks, giving them a “treat,” turning a biochemically harmful substance into a comfort food. We become conditioned to need something sweet to feel complete or satisfied, and continue to self-medicate with sugar as adults, using it to temporarily boost our mood or energy. But as any addict knows, one quick fix soon leaves you looking for another—each hit of momentary satisfaction comes with a long-term price.


The bottom line is that sugar works the addiction and reward pathways in the brain in much the same way as many illegal drugs. And, like other drugs, it can destroy your health and lead to all sorts of ailments including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, weight gain, and premature aging. Sugar is basically a socially acceptable, legal, recreational drug, with deadly consequences—and like with any drug addiction, you have to have a flexible but structured plan to beat it.

TIPS TO COPE WITH SUGAR CRAVINGS

Eat regularly. Eat three meals and two snacks or five small meals a day. For many people, if they don’t eat regularly, their blood sugar levels drop, they feel hungry and are more likely to crave sweet sugary snacks.

Choose whole foods. The closer a food is to its original form, the less processed sugar it will contain. Food in its natural form, including fruits and vegetables, usually presents no metabolic problems for a normal body, especially when consumed in variety.

Have a breakfast of protein, fat and phytonutrients to start your day off right. Breakfast smoothies are ideal for this. The typical breakfast full of carbs and sugary or starchy foods is the worst option since you’ll have cravings all day. Eating a good breakfast is essential to prevent sugar cravings.

Try to incorporate protein and/or fat with each meal. This helps control blood sugar levels. Make sure they are healthy sources of each.

Add spices. Coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom will naturally sweeten your foods and reduce cravings.

Take a good quality multivitamin and mineral supplement, Vitamin D3 and omega 3 fatty acids. Nutrient deficiencies can make cravings worse and the fewer nutrient deficiencies, the fewer cravings. Certain nutrients seem to improve blood sugar control including chromium, Vitamin B3 and magnesium.

Move your body. Exercise, dance or do some yoga. Whatever movement you enjoy will help reduce tension, boost your energy and decrease your need for a sugar lift.

Get enough sleep. When we are tired we often use sugar for energy to counteract the exhaustion.

Do a detox. My experience has been that when people do a detox, not only does it reset their appetites but it often decreases their sugar cravings. After the initial sugar cravings, which can be overwhelming, our bodies adjust and we won't even want the sugar anymore and the desire will disappear.

Be open to explore the emotional issues around your sugar addiction. Many times our craving for sugar is more for an emotional need that isn’t being met.

Keep sugary snacks out of your house and office. It’s difficult to snack on things that aren’t there!

Don't substitute artificial sweeteners for sugar.  Artificial sweeteners alter your adrenaline levels, making them more unstable and prone to peak.

Learn to read labels. Although I would encourage you to eat as few foods as possible that have labels, educate yourself about what you’re putting into your body. The longer the list of ingredients, the more likely sugar is going to be included on that list. So check the grams of sugar, and choose products with the least sugar per serving.

Become familiar with sugar terminology. Recognize that all of these are sweeteners: corn syrup, corn sugar, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, dextrose, honey, molasses, turbinado sugar and brown sugar.

Sugar in disguise. Remember that most of the “complex” carbohydrates we consume like bread, bagels and pasta aren’t really complex at all. They are usually highly refined and act just like sugars in the body and are to be avoided.