Sugar

Sugar can actually be addictive, stop a sugar addiction in its tracks!

Sugar

Sugar's vicious cycle

Believe it or not, but sugar has been proven to be very addictive. Research has found that foods that are high in fat and sugar can cause significant shifts in the biochemistry of the brain- those similar to ones caused by drugs like heroin and cocaine. When your body has experienced this high from sugar time and time again, many people find it almost impossible to get away from a diet that is high in sugar to one that is more healthy, which often takes them towards obesity. This is the basis for many law suits now being pursued by people who claim to have developed an "addiction" to fast food. Now fast food chains are facing accusations that counter what they have always claimed was a personal choice to eat their food.

The addictive nature of fatty foods and those high in sugar has been found to change the body's hormonal system, by those who eat these foods regularly, to make them actually crave more fatty foods. This is especially relevant to children who, if exposed early on to a diet of fatty foods and high levels of sugar , are much more likely to choose a similar diet when they are old enough to choose and thus leading to obesity later in life.

It is recommended that an average man should take in about 2300 calories a day. A woman should take in about 1800 calories daily. But, when you dine at a fast food restaurant and eat the usual burger, fries, and drink, you can take in about the same as you should for the whole day in this one meal! The total calories then goes far beyond the recommended values and most of those calories come from fat and sugar.

Give food a bit more thought

The fact that obesity is one of our country's biggest and fastest growing health problems should provide the impetus for many of us to make changes in the way that we eat. It is not enough to lower the amount of carbohydrates you eat, you should eat the ones that offer the most nutrition for your body. In your home, if you have children keep the cereals and the treats low sugar and if need be provide the household with sugar substitutes.