{"id":6292,"date":"2017-08-14T00:40:41","date_gmt":"2017-08-14T00:40:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/?p=6292"},"modified":"2018-01-10T20:14:23","modified_gmt":"2018-01-10T20:14:23","slug":"the-sweet-side-of-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/fall-2017\/the-sweet-side-of-health\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sweet Side of Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>B<\/span>ack in the day, when you could grab hamburgers, sodas, and candy from a quarter to a couple of bucks, no one was really thinking about how much processed and added sugar they were consuming on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

Now, with all the available information on health and what sugar does to our bodies, society has changed its perspective on how much sugar we should be consuming.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no wonder our heads are spinning with so much new information on how to lose weight, what to eat or not to eat, and how active you should be. Let\u2019s face it, it can get a little overwhelming, and sometimes, it seems like nothing works even after trying everything!<\/p>\n

What has been a rising topic as the key to detoxing your body, losing weight, and improving your overall health is to cut out sugar. Many foods, especially processed and prepackaged foods, contain a lot of added unnatural sugar that can actually be addictive.<\/p>\n

Added Sugars Defined<\/h4>\n

What really are \u201cadded sugars\u201d? And why should we feel the need to limit them in our diets?<\/p>\n

According to CDC, added sugars or syrups are sugar that are not naturally occurring. Naturally occurring sugars in foods, like fruit or milk, are not considered as detrimental to your health.<\/p>\n

Ingredients to look out for on food labels, according to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans<\/a><\/em>, are added sugars, such as brown sugar, corn sweetener, dextrose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, etc.<\/p>\n

Foods such as chips, soda, sweetened drinks, desserts, etc., are the types of processed foods that are loaded with these added sugars and contain little to no nutritional value. It is best to enjoy these treats in moderation or cut them out of your diet completely and opt for something with naturally occurring sugar.<\/p>\n

Do You Need a Sugar-Detox?<\/h4>\n

A study from Harvard shows that the average American consumes 22 teaspoons of sugar a day. Consider that there are 16 tablespoons in a cup\u2014that\u2019s a lot of sugar!<\/p>\n

Looking at it another way, 1 teaspoon contains 4 grams of sugar. Multiply that by 22, and it\u2019s 88 added sugars per day. Definitely a lot of sugar!<\/p>\n

The American Heart Association has recommended that if Americans drastically cut back on sugar, it will help slow obesity and heart disease. The limit of sugar that the AHA has suggested is no more than 6 teaspoons, or 24 grams, of added sugar per day for men. But women should have no more than 9 teaspoons, or 36 grams, per day.<\/p>\n

It can be difficult to know where to start your research on how to sugar detox. The internet is filled with \u201cfad diets\u201d or \u201cjuice cleanses\u201d that are super restrictive and insufficient ways to improve your health or detox from sugar.<\/p>\n

It’s time to take back your health and the book SugarDetoxMe<\/em>, by Summer Rayne Oakes, might be a way to start.<\/p>\n

Oakes\u2019 personal journey to discover the effects of sugar began about three years ago, while she was working on sustainable food systems. As a Cornell University cum laude<\/em> graduate with degrees in Environmental Science and Entomology, Oakes began her career focusing on ecological systems and on working with industries involved in the categories of fashion, beauty, and food.<\/p>\n

According to Oakes:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Shakshuka<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

I began a journey to understand why I craved sugar so much. This curiosity and the need to know how to overcome my seemingly innate sugar habit led me on a Nancy Drew-like investigation. I began researching all I could about our relationship to the sweet stuff and how it got into our food system in the first place.<\/p>\n

When I first did a sugar cleanse, I did it just for me. I felt like my sugar tooth was the one thing that was standing in my way to become optimally healthy, and I wanted to get a handle on it. I decided to design a guide that I could stick to, that would keep me honest, and that I could turn to again and again, if I ever fell off track, until it became a way of life.<\/p>\n

The book includes over 100 recipes for curbing cravings and an easy-to-follow \u201c10 step detox plan.\u201d It gives detailed information on why you should detox from sugar, how sugar effects your body, a detox guide, how to properly prep your meals, basic recipes for snacks and meals, and more.<\/p>\n

According to the author, part of the blame for our sweet tooth dates all the way back to when we were developing in our mothers\u2019 wombs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is projected that at 21 weeks after conception, growing fetuses begin gulping several ounces of amniotic fluid and, as a result, their smell and taste receptors are ignited,\u201d Oakes said.<\/p>\n

So, if your mother had sweet cravings while she was pregnant with you, it\u2019s likely that you will have a sweet tooth, too. Because by the time we\u2019re born, our tastes are already fairly developed. Another thing to blame on your mother.<\/p>\n

In her book, Oakes reviews the evolution of sugar in the human diet. She notes that sugar receptors in our brains developed millions of years ago from our ancestors and carried over into the human species. As soon as sugar molecules hit the taste buds on the tongue, it triggers a stimuli to the belly and the brain. Sugar has a way of manipulating the brain into thinking it needs sweetness, resulting in all those cravings.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Stuffed Sweet Bell Peppers<\/em><\/p>\n

How to Curb the Sugar Cravings<\/h4>\n

However, if you have a big sweet tooth, there may be a fix to help you rebalance your brain involving the proper vitamins and minerals to curb your appetite for sugar.<\/p>\n

And Oakes offers advice for how to get started\u2026<\/p>\n

She suggests that when starting a sugar detox and clean-eating regime, planning your meals in advance is key. Make a list before heading to the local grocery store or farmers market and know exactly what you need for meal prepping.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t make a list, you may wander into the isles containing candy, ice cream, etc.<\/p>\n

Always aim to buy fresh ingredients. If they are fresh, whole, and organic ingredients, they are the best for rebalancing your brain and steering clear of sugar.<\/p>\n

Some of our favorite recipes included in the book are Poached Egg Over Steamed Asparagus With Cucumber and Radish Salad, Gingered Salmon With Asparagus and Mixed Greens, Carrot-Tomato soup, Shakshuka, and Stuffed Sweet Bell Peppers.<\/p>\n

This book goes above and beyond just saying to cut out sugar in your diet. The recipes used in the booked are clean-eating recipes that will detox your entire body and could also make you look and feel younger.<\/p>\n

Here are two of the recipes: Shakshuka<\/a> and Stuffed Sweet Bell Peppers<\/a><\/p>\n

To read more about Summer Rayne Oakes, visit summerrayne.net<\/a> and sugardetox.me<\/a>.<\/em>\nPhotos and recipes used with permission from <\/em>SugarDetoxMe, by Summer Rayne Oakes \u00a9 2017, published by Sterling Epicure.<\/em><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The scoop on how much sugar is too much in your diet<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6393,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83,85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fall-2017","category-fall-2017-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6292"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7171,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6292\/revisions\/7171"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}