People often joke about being addicted to sugar. After all, how could something as cute and celebratory as a cupcake be bad?
But it is not just the cupcake, or the sugary energy drink, it is that sugar has found its way into most foods and the combined effect on our metabolism has spawned an epidemic of obesity, diabetes and mood disorders.
What’s more, we think of sugar as a treat, a reward, something comforting. And yet it is as addictive as cocaine and as readily available as your next trip to the pantry.
If you have sugar cravings, or find you need a sweet pick me up at some point in the day, then listen in as we discuss the less than sweet side of sugar, and what to do about it.
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Show highlights:
2:27 I’m healthy, well other than these daily headaches
5:24 Some health issues that have their roots in sugar consumption
8:06 Plan ahead if you want to step away from sugar
10:42 The taste buds change in time
14:46 Know what you want, and that this is a process that benefits from attention and mindfulness
19:50 What is it that you are actually feeding?
20:27 How Chinese medicine helps
26:20 A few simple things you can do to put some distance between you and sugar
29:48 Sugar and menstrual cycles
31:22 Using other foods to curb the sweet tooth
37:43 Food diary as mindful practice
41:35 A few quick ways to get your own attention around food and eating
Dr. Melissa Carr is a registered Dr. of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), in practice since 2001. After getting her degree in kinesiology, she took a research assistant job at a medical university in Japan, where she heard her first acupuncture story from a friend. Always interested in how the body works and how it heals, when she returned to Canada, she knew that TCM was her calling. In addition to her training in Vancouver, she also spent 3 months in China in internship in hospitals. The learning never stops, and in addition to acupuncture, Chinese herbs, western supplements, and biopuncture natural injection therapy Dr. Carr also educates her patients about nutrition.
Blending Eastern and Western knowledge and therapies, Dr. Carr treats a wide range of health issues from hormonal balance and insomnia to the common cold and “mystery” illnesses, but her areas of focus are pain and injury, digestive issues, and stress management.
Links and Resources
You can find Melissa online at www.activetcm.com.
Here’s a link to her article in Medicinal Roots Magazine.
Looking for a treat that will give you a boost without the sweet? Mocha Energy Protein Balls is what you are looking for!
Here’s the recipe for avocado ice cream.
