Fighting the Sugar Blues

Fighting Your Sugar Blues

By Megan Albert

Certified Personal Trainer and Health Coach

True Confessions

In Sum

• The sugar problem

• Cause of cravings

• What to do about sugar cravings

Sugar Consumption

American’s eat:

•½ lb. of sugar day a day!

•150 lbs/ of sugar a year!

Children eat:

•35 tsp sugar a day!

Obesity Rates in the US in 2012

Source: Center For Disease Control and Prevention. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

$147 BILLION

Estimated Cost of Obesity to U.S.

The Alternative

Obesity Down Falls Type II Diabetes

Insulin Resistance

Cancer

Metabolic Syndrome

Inflammation

Stroke

The Sugar and Obesity Link

Excess Carbohydrates and sugar consumption

Increases Blood Sugar

Glucagon production stops. Insulin produced

Cells for energy Don’t need for energy is stored as:

FAT

The Hidden Sugar

• Other Hidden Sugars?

Source: Colette Heimowitz, M.S. VP Nutrition Communication & Education

What else does sugar do to me?

• Decreased energy• Advanced Aging• Contributes to brain

fog • Cancer • Heart Disease• Stops mineral

absorption • Suppress immune

function

6 Causes of Cravings

1. Lack of Primary Food

Place a dot on the line in each category to indicate your level of satisfaction within each area.

Place a dot at the center of the circle to indicate dissatisfaction, or on the periphery to indicate satisfaction.

© Institute for Integrative Nutrition

2. Water

• Body: 60-75% water• Brain: 85% water

• Too much vs. Not Enough

• How much?

• Bio-individuality

3. Balance LIFESTYLE

Yin Yang

Cold Vs Hot

Sensitive Vs Strong

Expansive Vs Contractile

FOODS

YIN Yang

Light Vs Grounded

Raw Vs. Cooked

Sweet Vs. Salt

Fruits/veggies Vs. Chicken, Eggs

4. Balanced Foods

5.Nutrient Deficient

• Manganese – associated with sugar and fat metabolism.

– Decreased ability to transport glucose

6. Hormonal Imbalance

But how?

How do we beat it?

1. Drink Water

2. Eat More Protein

3. Eat more healthy fats

4. Chew Gum

5. Eat on a regular basis

6. Eat Whole foods

7. Stay Happy!

How do we beat it?

8. Supplements that help balance blood sugar.–Gymnema sylvestre –Cinnamon

9. Sugar Replacements – Coconut Palm Sugar– Honey– Maple Syrup– Brown Rice Syrup

How do we beat it?

10. Cut back slowly

11. Eat more sweet vegetables (i.e. corn, carrots, onions, beets, winter squashes, sweet potatoes and yams, turnips, parsnips and

rutabagas)

12. Enjoy the journey! Health is a journey not a destination.

Low Sugar Strawberry SandwichServings: 2Time to prepare and cook: 7 to 10 minutes

What to prepare:3 tbsp cream cheese (Low fat, softened)1 c. strawberries1 pita bread1 sprig fresh mint

How to prepare:

Divide the pita bread into two and gently open the pocketCombine ¼ c. strawberries and cream cheese. Make sure that you mash the strawberries as you combine.Divide the mixture and spread half of each pitaWedge the remaining strawberries inside the pitaHeat skillet or cast iron pan until warmSpray the sandwich with nonstick sprayGrill until golden. Garnish the sandwich with mint. Serve while warm!

Fighting Your Sugar Blues Workshop. Megan Albert. 440-417-3722

Bake less Apple Tart

• Recipe serves 8

2 cups walnuts, plus more for garnish1 1/2 cups dates, pitted3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4-inch wedges1 cup raisins1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus more for garnish1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1) In food processor, puree 2 cups walnuts into a fine powder and transfer to large bowl; then finely chop dates and transfer to same bowl. Kneed walnut powder and chopped dates into a dough, press dough into 9-inch pie plate, and refrigerate overnight.

2) In a large bowl, mix apple wedges, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice and refrigerate overnight.

3) The following day, spoon apple filling into pie crust, arranging six apple wedges decoratively on top, and garnish with additional cinnamon and chopped walnuts.

•Per serving: 342 calories, 17 g fat (1.5 g saturated). 51 g carbohydrates, 5 g protein, 5.6 g fiber, 3 mg sodium

From Natural Health Magazine

Recipes


Sweet Vegetables

Take any root veggie and cut into bite-sized pieces. Toss in olive oil and whatever spices you like such as garlic, thyme, rosemary, and sea salt.

Spread veggies out on a cookie sheet or roasting pan and cover with parchment paper.Place in a 400-degree oven.

Check every 10-15 minutes to see if they are done. The time will depend on your oven and how big or small you cut the veggies.

This works great with carrots; parsnips; sweet potatoes; shallots; leeks; beets

Mix and match veggies for fun combinations.

Recipes


Chocolate Energy Bar – Ingredients

• ¼ c. dates• ¼ c. raw almonds• ¼ c. cacao powder• 3 tbs. caco nibs• 6 tbs. hemp seeds• 1 tbs. chia seeds• 2 teaspoons maca

powder• 2 tablespoons raw nuts/

seeds• ¼ c. dried fruit


Chocolate Energy Bar - Directions

• Grind all ingredients together in a food processor except for the last 2 tbs of nuts/seeds and ¼ c. of dried fruit, until a coarse dough as formed. Stop the machine and check the consistency: pinch the dough between two fingers and make sure it sticks together easily so that your bars don’t end up crumbly. If the dough is too dry, add tiny amount of water – about ½ tsp at a time – and blend again until the desired stickiness is achieved. Add the last 2 tbs. of nuts/seeds and dried fruit and pulse several time until just coarsely chopped to give the bars a nice texture.

• Place a large sheet o plastic wrap on a flat surface and spill out the dough on top. Gather into a solid mass in the center; then use ht sides of the plastic to wrap over the dough as tightly as possible, pressing pounding, and shaping into a compact 1-inch thick rectangle.

• When solid, remove the wrap and cut into 8 bars. Wrap and keep in the freezer for longer term storage.

Recipe from Super Food Kitchen


Resources Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Self-Reported Obesity Among U.S. Adults in 2012 http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html Self-Reported Obesity Among U.S. Adults in 2012

Colette Heimowitz, M.S. VP Nutrition Communication & Education. An overview of the Atikins Diet Dr. Nancy Appleton. 146 Ways Why Sugar is ruining your health.

Institute of Medicine, Dietary Reference Intake For Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate.

Food and Healing, Annemarie Colbin and Healing with Whole Foods, Paul Pitchford.

Simontcchi, CCN, MS. Mineral Deficiencies and Food Cravings. Diabetes Information Library. http://www.diabeteslibrary.org/View.aspx?url=Article819

Body Ecology. 10 Secrets to Ending Your Sugar Cravings for Good. http://bodyecology.com/articles/10-secrets-for-ending-sugar-cravings.php#.Uuvo1PldWxV

Beat Your Sugar Cravings Once and For All. http://www.naturalnews.com/039889_sugar_addiction_cravings_gymnema.html

Amen, Daniel. Change your brain Change your body.