Month: February 2020

Recent research on rats found that they get the same neurochemical kick from sugar as they do from morphine, cocaine, and nicotine. We think that this surge of pleasure is behind sugar addiction in humans, too. (We also think the companies that are selling you added sugar know it and are trying to keep you addicted. But they won’t miss you if you quit.)  

The good part: The principles taught to smokers to help them quit will help you kick your sugar habit. 

Here are 6 Ways to Set Yourself Up for Success:

1. Make a Pact with Yourself to Cut Sugar Out of Your Life.

Studies show that making a serious commitment to doing whatever it takes to break an addiction is one of the most important steps toward beating it. Write it down and sign it, then put it on the refrigerator so you will see it every day.

2. Set a Quit Date at Least a Month from Today.

Give yourself time to mentally prepare for the quitting journey and clear your pantry, car, desk, and gym locker of sugar in all its forms, including food and drinks containing honey or rice syrup and high-fructose corn syrup (that includes most ketchups, many sports drinks, and even coffee creamer). 

3. Start Walking 30 Minutes a Day.

Like sugar, exercise releases mood-enhancing hormones. Later, when sugar abstinence causes a dip in feel-good hormones, you can add a tension-relieving 5-minute walk to this regimen. 

4. Cut Back Gradually.

Begin by reducing the sugar you add to tea and coffee. Then, substitute something healthy, like yogurt (without added sugar) and berries or unsweetened applesauce for two or three of the sweet foods you usually have. 

5. Visualize a Slimmer Healthier You.

Go for a walk, sipping on water, or practicing deep breathing when you’re stressed can be a big help. A little role-playing helps you practice alternatives to eating under pressure. 

6. The Big 3.

Think of the three biggest reasons why you want to live a sugar-free life, write them on a card, and read them several times a day. Some reasons to consider might be to be to stay sharper at work, lower your blood pressure, prevent diabetes, save money or just have more energy.

With a month of practice behind you, you’ll be ready to weather the cravings that come when you first abstain from sugar. In time, your brain chemistry will readjust, and those cravings will stop. You will beat the addiction the food companies taunt you with. BRAVO! 

Today’s diet trends, particularly keto, have led to skepticism about carbs — and cutting back on everything from bread to bananas. But is swapping your morning oatmeal and afternoon apple for eggs and avocado really the best way to support your overall health and maintain a healthy weight? The number of carbs you need to thrive really depends on your individual needs, goals and lifestyle. That said, if your body needs more carbs, you’d better believe it’ll let you know.

WHY WE NEED CARBS

First of all, carbs are not innately good or bad.

Carbs are our primary fuel source and provide us with the energy we need just to do daily activities and live. They’re also our brain’s primary fuel source, and without ample carbohydrates, it can’t function optimally. The brain relies on carbs for about 90% of its energy.

When we eat carbs, our body breaks them down into sugar, which can be converted into energy straight from our bloodstream or stored as glycogen in our muscles and liver to convert into energy later. To keep your body well-fueled, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends getting between 45–65% of your daily calories from carbohydrates. (If you eat 2,000 calories per day, that’s 225–320 grams of carbohydrates per day.)

SIGNS YOUR BODY NEEDS MORE CARBS

FATIGUE AND BRAIN FOG

The first (and perhaps most obvious) indicator your body isn’t getting the carbs it needs to function its best? You feel physically and mentally exhausted.

In addition to feeling sluggish and even sleepy throughout the day, many people experience headaches and trouble focusing when they don’t consume ample carbs.

MOODINESS

Along with difficulty focusing, you may also experience changes in mood — especially irritability — when you fall short of your body’s carbohydrate needs.

In addition to being the brain’s primary fuel source, carbohydrates also increase the body’s production of serotonin, the hormone that helps balance our mood. (It’s often associated with a sense of happiness and well-being.)

CRUMMY WORKOUTS

If eating too few carbs leaves you struggling to get through your average workday, you know it must impact how you feel during exercise, too.

While insufficient carbs may not be so problematic for lower-intensity workouts (like yoga) that your body can better use oxygen and fat to power, it can pretty much destroy your performance in higher-intensity training (like CrossFit). Why? Higher-intensity exercise depends on glucose from the carbs in our bloodstream or stored in our muscles or liver for fuel since it cannot produce ample energy quick enough with just oxygen or fat.

BAD BREATH

Unexpected but very real: Falling short on carbohydrates can make your breath stink.

When you eat low-carb, your body turns to fat for fuel. In the process of breaking down that fat for fuel, your body produces chemicals called ketones, which are released in the breath and have a foul odor. If you notice particularly smelly breath (many low-carb dieters report an ammonia- or acetone-like smell) but are on-top of your flossing game, your diet may be to blame.

DIGESTION ISSUES

One major downside of missing the carbs your body needs for fuel: You also miss out on the fiber that comes with them.

When we cut back on foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains, we eliminate a lot of the fiber in our diet. Without fiber, which adds bulk to our stool, we end up with constipation and irregular time spent on the toilet. Considering most Americans fall short on fiber as it is, slashing carbs practically guarantees trouble.

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR CARB INTAKE HEALTHFULLY

If any of these issues sound familiar, I recommend focusing on eating ample complex carbohydrates and monitoring improvements in how you feel.

To do so, either track your meals for a few days to make sure 45–65% of your calories are coming from healthy complex carbohydrates. Or just make sure a quarter of your plate at each meal consists of healthy carbohydrates.

What qualifies as “healthy carbs”? Any whole-food source, like whole grains (Think: oats or brown rice); legumes (Think: beans or lentils); fruit (Think: berries or apple) or starchy vegetables (like potatoes or squash). If you’re concerned about how increasing carb intake might affect your waistline, know this: The fiber that comes in these natural whole grains helps keep you fuller for longer, so you will be more satiated between meals, which supports weight loss in the long run.

It’s estimated that about 39 trillion bacterial cells reside in the human body, the vast majority in the colon. Together with other microbes, these bacteria make up the gut microbiome.

While scientists know the microbiome aids in digestion and influences our immune and nervous systems, they’re only beginning to understand the extent to which it affects our health overall. Recent studies suggest that gut bacteria may also shape our risk of developing a range of conditions, including obesity, diabetes, and some cancers. The research, however, is largely new and limited in scope, and has been done mostly on animals.

In the meantime, we can help the most beneficial members of the microbiome flourish—in terms of numbers and variety—by practicing a healthy lifestyle and avoiding some potentially detrimental habits. Here are some of the worst things you can do for your gut and its community of helpful bugs.

Taking Antibiotics Unnecessarily

While they’re great for treating bacterial infections, antibiotics are often prescribed unnecessarily for symptoms and illnesses for which they won’t do much good—like colds, which are caused by viruses. And since antibiotics are not finely-targeted drugs, in the process of killing “bad” bacteria, they end up killing a lot of the normal bacteria that reside in our colon and small bowel.
Restoring the gut’s bacterial balance after periods of overusing antibiotics can take time. And a lingering imbalance may result in long-term health effects, including gastrointestinal disruption and even other forms of disease that we haven’t necessarily linked up quite yet.

Being a Couch Potato

Some research links exercise to a greater number of good gut bacteria, along with a more diverse microbiome. One 2014 study published in the journal Gut suggested as much when it compared 40 professional rugby players to similarly sized, healthy people who didn’t exercise. Though their diets were also an important factor, the athletes’ microbiomes were much more varied than those of the control group, with more plentiful good bacteria. What’s more, in multiple small studies on rodents, scientists have found that animals who engage in workout regimens are better off, bacterially speaking, than those who don’t get much physical activity.

Smoking

As if there weren’t enough reasons to kick the habit, studies suggest that smoking may also reduce the amount and diversity of beneficial gut flora, while increasing the number of harmful bacteria. There are several theories as to why.

Smoking may:

• Alter the pH balance in the gut, potentially making it more hospitable to bad bugs and less comfortable for the good ones
• Introduce toxic chemicals that change the composition of the microbiome
• Lead to excess production of harmful free radicals

Smoking is also a risk factor for Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel condition that causes chronic pain, bleeding, and diarrhea. And if you already have the condition, smoking can exacerbate these symptoms.

Not Managing Stress

It’s well known that stress can affect your digestive system. When you’re anxious, for example, you may develop diarrhea or become constipated. That people get butterflies in their stomach when they’re nervous is a real effect. Some early studies indicate stress may stifle the production of good gut bacteria, as well, and make you more susceptible to infectious illnesses.

As it turns out, your gut may affect your emotions, too. That’s because it houses a division of the nervous system called the enteric nervous system, sometimes referred to as the “second brain.” Bacteria there create chemicals that send signals to the central nervous system. Scientists speculate that this influences behavior and mood, including stress-related conditions like anxiety and depression. While we’re a long way from adjusting gut flora to improve mental health, many researchers are intrigued by the possibilities.

Eating an Unhealthy Diet

Diet is intimately connected to gut health, and many experts believe eating plans that go heavy on saturated fats, added simple sugars and processed foods—and light on natural fiber—do a number on gastrointestinal flora. For example, several studies on both humans and mice suggest that high-fat diets, particularly those high in saturated fats, may alter the microbiome to promote inflammation.

Though no single eating plan has been proven best for your gut, it’s generally agreed that a balanced, fiber-rich, plant-heavy diet benefits your whole body—including, likely, your microbiome. So, try to minimize your intake of saturated and trans-fats and added sugars. Shoot for a wide range of colorful produce, whole grains, legumes, and lean proteins. Include a moderate amount of good fats, like those found in walnuts and oily fish. Among other health benefits, it’s thought that the omega-3 fatty acids in these foods can promote the production of anti-inflammatory compounds and help maintain healthy intestines.

Remember, too, that fresh and minimally processed foods are better for you than highly processed ones and can help you maintain your weight and keep your body’s organ systems in good shape.