I was recently in New York City, standing in line at
Starbucks when my friend pointed out this sign to me:
"Make Yourself Happy - Choose a Sweet Indulgence or a
Non-Fat Option." As initially tempting as all the treats
in the case behind the sign looked, I had to laugh at the
irony of the words on the sign. Nothing against
Starbucks (I'm a huge fan of their chai tea mistos),
because they are only a small part of a huge industry that
sells false messages about food, but I have got to set the
record straight. Low fat will not make you happy. Neither
will a sweet indulgence. Temporarily, maybe. Long term,
never.
We are born into a world where we are given mixed messages
about food, especially sugar. On the one hand: don't eat
sweets -they are bad for you! They will make you fat! They
will cause your teeth to rot! They will give you diabetes!
And on the other hand: Eat sweets - they will make you
happy! Or creative! Or inspired! Let's celebrate with cake!
Here's a piece of candy, now please stop crying! Or here's
a cookie because you were good! I love you - here's
chocolate!
Pretty powerful - and confusing - messaging that is
infiltrated into our brains from practically the time we
are born (and then compounded a hundred times over by
advertising). The message is this: That although sugar
might be bad for our health, it can make us oh, so happy
and, without it, our lives might feel depleted, depressing,
loveless and lonely.
Although we all know that too much sugar is not good for
us, many of my clients, readers, friends and people in the
audience at my talks find this white substance (or another
form of sugar, like alcohol, white flour, or other quickly
absorbed carbohydrates from processed foods) addictive and
compelling. Despite our best efforts at "willpower," almost
everyone has experienced the "I NEED SOMETHING SWEET OR
CRUNCHY OR ALCOHOLIC NOW" syndrome. . . that intense
craving for some substance that will bring us comfort or
relief or cheer. And the reason is: it works! It really
does. . . that is, it works temporarily.
Like a drug, sugar (and its partners in crime) literally
affects our brain so that we feel immediately relieved,
calm and happy. Problem is, this feeling does not last and
we often find ourselves later feeling equally - or more -
down, upset or irritable. No amount of willpower works
when our brains are working against us.
And here's another crazy thing: Many of us are so used to
feeling irritable, anxious, mildly (or intensely)
depressed, tired, unfocused, and full of cravings, that
this state of being feels almost "normal." But let me
assure you: this is not normal. When our brains and bodies
are balanced, our normal state is to feel good. Energetic.
Calm. Focused. Satisfied and fulfilled and nourished by
our food and by our lives.
Now I am not blaming sugar for every emotional or
physiological problem we experience. Anxiety, depression,
irritability, lack of focus and cravings are often
multi-determined and complex. And I must admit, I am
hesitant to even write about this because I don't want to
perpetuate the "bad food/good food" mindset that you may
have. But, as a therapist and as a person who struggled
with some depression, anxiety and eating problems myself, I
am convinced that sugar's affect on our brain chemistry
must be understood if we are to break out of some of these
painful cycles.
Let's use my day yesterday and my initial descent into
"sugar hell" as an example of what could - and often does -
happen when we eat sugar. I started off my day as usual -
some protein, fat and complex carbohydrates (a big dose of
peanut butter on a sprouted wheat bagel), which kept me
pretty full and satisfied until lunch. At that point, my
husband made the kids grilled cheese which looked so good
that I couldn't resist. This is not my typical lunch and,
although filling physically, did not feel at all
satisfying. I knew I needed more protein and some
vegetables, but we were busy so I skipped it.
I had an amazing slice of cake at my daughter's birthday
party and enjoyed every bite of it, but afterwards, found
myself nibbling at the snack food that was out. And
nibbling. And more nibbling. (Still hungry from lunch, and
triggered by the sugar in the cake). I really couldn't
stop which, these days, is quite unusual for me. When we
left the party and got home, I found myself searching
cabinets. I munched on the popcorn my husband made for the
kids. I noshed on some left over cake (just straightened
out the edges several timesJ). I picked at some leftover
Chinese food.
I was in quite a state really, searching, physically full,
but unsatisfied, and noticing my mood shifting from calm
and stable to mildly irritable and jittery. And because I
have been in "sugar hell" before and am quite familiar with
what I need to do to get out of it, I was able to stop. It
is in these moments that I ask myself what I need to do to
"right" my body's chemistry. Although I was physically
full, I knew I needed real fuel for my brain in order to
get off the rollercoaster I was on. I knew, for me, that
fuel had to come in the form of protein (and I wanted red
meat) and fat. I ate a good meal, watched a funny movie
with my husband, and got into bed, finally satiated,
physically and emotionally.
Had I not been in tune with my body, or had I not really
tuned in and listened, this "sugar hell" (or cycle of
craving and munching and dissatisfaction with elevating
irritability and anxiety) could have continued for quite a
while (and let me assure you, it has in the past - in fact,
I used to LIVE in this place!). When we eat sugar, our
blood sugar temporarily rises and we feel good, leading
later to a drop in blood sugar levels and an intense
craving for MORE. Sugar may also temporarily increase our
serotonin levels (our "feel good" brain chemicals). But
again, these feelings don't last and ultimately, the sugar
and fake foods (like a drug) deplete our bodies and our
brains so that over time, we feel less good (and feel like
we NEED more sugar to feel better).
Unfair, I know. And I am not suggesting we never eat sugar
again or never feed it to our kids. We need to balance our
psychology and emotional response (the word NEVER tends to
throw us into a state of feeling deprived) with our biology
and physiology (the physical effect of these foods on our
body and our brain), so that we can find a way of relating
to sugar (and its counterparts) effectively. So that we can
become aware of the effects of these foods on our bodies
and arm ourselves against intense and continual cycles of
fatigue, irritability and cravings.
Here are a few tips that may help either prevent "sugar
hell" in you or your children, or help pull you out of them
if you happen to find yourself there:
1) TUNE IN to your body. Figure out what works for you
(and your children) and what keeps your blood sugar levels
and brain chemistry stable. Notice what foods trigger
cravings, difficult behavior,fatigue or irritability, and
minimize them.
2) Notice what emotional states might trigger sugar
cravings - loneliness? Stress? Boredom? Fatigue? Begin to
address them with non-food solutions and get help if you
need to.
3) Most people benefit from some combination of
protein, fats and high-quality carbohydrates at each meal
and snack to stabilize blood sugar levels.
4) If you are going to eat sugar or processed
carbohydrates, arm yourself by eating protein and/or fat (a
piece of cheese, some nuts, some sliced turkey, for
example), beforehand.
5) Do NOT skip meals - ever.
6) Avoid fake sweeteners (like NutraSweet, saccharine,
Splenda, etc), which just "whet" your appetite for more
sweets.
7) Avoid packaged foods that are labeled low fat. In
fact, don't be afraid of fat at all - most unprocessed fats
are GOOD for your body and your brain (more on this another
time!).
8) If you find yourself in the middle of a sugar binge
or "sugar hell," stop and ask yourself: "what is the next
thing I can do to shift this cycle?" Then DO IT.
9) Don't beat yourself up - for anything. Especially
for not having "enough willpower." Remember, your cravings
are not about willpower, but about your body's way of
trying to tell you that you are out of balance somehow.
10) Stop thinking of sweets as a reward. Find non-food
treats for yourself and your children.
----------------------------------------------------
Karen Schachter is a licensed clinical social worker &
certified nutrition counselor who works with women who want
to have a healthier relationship with food & in turn,
improve their nutrition, improve their mood & energy,
decrease their cravings and just generally enjoy life more
fully. She helps parents figure out what to feed their
children & how to feed their children. Sign up for her FREE
newsletter @ http://www.healthybodieshappyminds.com/
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