Certain industries have a history of using wartime "generosity" to get soldiers hooked on their products, namely alcohol and tobacco.  Those of you who have watched an "OLD SOLDIER" trying to drink their nightmares away, or smoking through their 'trache' outside the side door of a VA hospital, know exactly what I mean. It seems that we need to add yet another product to this list.

A study from last month's issue of Military Medicine tells the story via its title; Energy Drink Use in U.S. Service Members After Deployment: Associations With Mental Health Problems, Aggression, and Fatigue.  A team of four researchers from Walter Reed's Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience concluded that, "energy drink use was reported by one in six soldiers and was significantly related to mental health problems, aggressive behaviors, and fatigue in a military population following a combat deployment."  As I will show with both tobacco and alcohol, it's not like targeting military personnel is anything new when it comes to marketing (or 'hooking') our sons and daughters on highly addictive products.

From WWI through Vietnam, the US military has made sure that our boys got their smokes.  And even though this practice was supposedly done away with after the Vietnam War, numerous sources show that it continued all the way into the 1990's and 2000's.  Information on this topic is abundant and comes in the form of message board threads, journal articles, studies, and an array of pieces from a wide range of magazines and books.  One of the more telling titles came from a 2014 issue of Mother Jones (Is the World’s Most Powerful Military Defenseless Against Big Tobacco?).

"War is indeed dangerous, but cigarettes kill far more soldiers and citizens than war does. It’s not even close. More than 480,000 Americans die from smoking and secondhand smoke exposure every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—more than died on the battlefields of World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam combined.  Cigarettes kill more soldiers and sailors than wars do, and cost taxpayers billions. Yet Congress keeps shooting down the Pentagon’s efforts to snuff them out."

Thanks to millions of American servicemen coming home from Europe and the South Pacific addicted to tobacco, within three years after WWII (it ended in August of '45), lung cancer was shown to be growing at a rate five times greater than that of other CANCERS.  In WWI, part of the Doughboy's ration was loose tobacco and rolling papers.  However, because of ease of use, it didn't take long for factory-rolled cigarettes to become the smokes-of-choice for US servicemen, who, by WWII were being provided with 4-packs as part of their C-rations.

Earlier this year, the Truth Initiative published a piece titled Tobacco Use in the Military, which not only provided tons of information on Big Tobacco's specific efforts to hook the US GI on their products, but revealed how ridiculously high the smoking rates continue to be in, as opposed to outside the military.  For more information, read The Cigarette Manufacturers' Efforts to Promote Tobacco to the U.S. Military from the October 2005 issue of the same journal we are discussing today (Military Medicine), the NIH's online book, Combating Tobacco Use in Military and Veteran Populations, or 'Everywhere the Soldier Will Be': Wartime Tobacco Promotion in the US Military from a ten year old issue of the American Journal of Public Health.  Which brings us to industry promotion of alcohol in the military.

Honestly, we see virtually the same phenomenon with Big Alcohol's promotion of drinking (mostly beer) as we did for tobacco ---- and it's nothing new.  The magazine, All About Beer, published a 2002 article by Alan Moen titled Beer Goes to War, which revealed that advocating beer drinking within the military has been going on for a very long time, much to the delight of brewers.

"As part of a soldier’s regular daily ration as decreed by the Continental Congress, beer fueled the flames of freedom burning within its armies. The statute, enacted on November 4, 1775, stipulated that each soldier be provided with 'I QT of Spruce Beer, or Cider/man/day.'  George Washington himself, major general of the American rebel army, was a firm believer in the importance of beer as a staple for his troops. According to historian Gregg Smith, 'among Washington’s least recognized but most valuable skills was locating his encampments within reach of a supply of beer.'"

The trend continued through the Civil War, WWI, and into WWII, where the USDA actually mandated that a whopping 15% of all US beer production go to our boys overseas (as well as 30% of our national cigarette production).  By the time Vietnam rolled around, beer was ubiquitous to military facilities, with numerous articles and message boards speaking of fire-bases supplied with stacked pallets of their most important ammunition, beer.  Industry sentiment was captured by Jake Hall, writing for a 2015 issue of War on the Rocks (A Farewell to Sobriety, Part Two: Drinking During World War II).

"Consider the lobbying hours that American distilleries must have put in with politicians, insisting that war or no, they were all still capitalists together, and that making torpedo fuel was good, but making money was essential."

Since I am not against having a few beers now and then, what's the point?  Only that American industry has proven time and time again that it will do whatever it takes to both create and keep market share, seeing our soldiers as highly valuable commodities; damn the long-term health-related consequences.  Enough, however, about tobacco and alcohol; let's take a moment and step into the world of the American military's latest addiction ---- "Energy Drinks". 

The most popular energy drinks today (Red Bull, Rockstar, Amp, and Monster) also happened to be the ones specifically mentioned in this study.  Numerous other studies, however, have likewise shown energy drinks and their ingredients (copious amounts of sugar, caffeine, etc) can lead to MIGRAINES, INSOMNIA (due to creating an artificially induced state of SYMPATHETIC DOMINANCE), ADDICTION, INSULIN RESISTANCE & T2D, HBP, and any number of others including cardiac arrest / heart failure.  The study we are looking at today specifically listed ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, and alcohol abuse (a whopping 30%), along with various forms of violent behavior and PTSD, as commonly associated with regular consumption of energy drinks. Is anyone shocked?

Earlier this year (July), the National Institute of Health issued a rather freaky warning for energy drink consumption, which provided a glimpse into just how popular these products are with the younger generation. "Energy drinks are widely promoted as products that increase energy and enhance mental alertness and physical performance. Next to multivitamins, energy drinks are the most popular dietary supplement consumed by American teens and young adults. Men between the ages of 18 and 34 years consume the most energy drinks, and almost one-third of teens between 12 and 17 years drink them regularly."  Among other facts mentioned, was the propensity to use them as alcohol mixers.

Takeaways from today's study were that seven months post-combat, over three quarters of the nearly 700 soldiers quizzed, still reported regularly consuming energy drinks, with 1 in 6 quaffing more than two a day.  What's probably not surprising is that a 2012 study (Energy Drink Consumption and its Association with Sleep Problems Among U.S. Service Members on a Combat Deployment - Afghanistan, 2010) showed that consumption was even higher for soldiers in the field, with an almost unbelievable 45% drinking these creatures daily (BTW, that study came to similar conclusions as this one).  Listen to the findings from the authors of today's study.

"In the deployed context, the appeal of energy drinks is understandable given that there is substantial restriction in sleep as well as regular circadian disruption due to night-time operations; indeed, caffeine is a recommended option to sustain alertness in this environment. During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, energy drinks were often made readily available to deployed service members at no cost.  Interestingly, energy drink use was associated with fatigue. This relationship suggests that energy drink use may potentially exacerbate, rather than alleviate, fatigue. This finding stands in contrast to the marketing of energy drinks as a way to increase energy and reduce fatigue."

I well remember the marketing campaign for the first energy drink; something called Jolt (1985) that I am not sure whether or not is still around ---- "All the sugar and twice the caffeine".  Bottom line, if you or your children are regular or even semi-regular consumers of energy drinks, SODA, or worse yet, DIET SODA, stop it already.  Numerous studies have not only shown their association to a myriad of health problems, but just as bad, for a significant number of people this stuff is as addictive as crack (HERE).

If you are looking to turn your life around, break out of the fatigue and mental fog, diminish your systemic inflammatory load, and basically start the process of taking your life back, now is the time to start preparing and planning.  I say preparing and planning because the NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION you are contemplating in less than a week, will be broken in less than two ---- unless you do two things.  Create a written plan (HERE) and get an accountability partner who will encourage you, chide you, or drop kick you into next week, whichever is most appropriate for your situation (HERE).  If you want to see my generic protocol for getting healthier, it's HERE and it's completely free.  And if you liked today's post, be sure to see that it makes the rounds on FACEBOOK --- especially if you have teenagers!

"Can you name another substance of abuse for which the effect of the substance is more dangerous than the calories it harbors? Alcohol. Its calories are dangerous not because they're calories; they're dangerous because they're part of alcohol. Sugar is the same. Sugar is the alcohol of a child. You would never let a child drink a can of Budweiser, but you would never think twice about a can of Coke. Yet what it does to the liver, what it does to the arteries, what it does to the heart is all the same. And that's why we have adolescents with type 2 diabetes."  Dr. Robert Lustig from the article being discussed today

I recently read a statistic showing that in 1900 the average American consumed less than five pounds of sugar annually.  Today we are approaching 160 lbs ---- a 3,200% increase.  A couple days ago the publication Vox (no, I'm not a regular reader) published an an interview with the venerable Dr. Robert Lustig called The Case for Treating Sugar Like a Dangerous Drug (the interviewer was one German Lopez).  Dr. Lustig is a pediatric endocrinologist and Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at the University of California in San Francisco.  Besides publishing over 100 peer-reviewed papers, he holds a law degree.  He's probably most known for his viral video on sugar that came from a lecture at UCSF back in 2009 (HERE).

He started the ball rolling by comparing sugar to alcohol.   It's not that alcohol is bad in small amounts, but as humans we have a limited ability to metabolize it.  In other words, when people consume too much alcohol (which is different for everyone) they become drunk.   Once drunk, the more alcohol they consume, the drunker they get.  He says the same thing about sugar.  While alcohol can be addictive, there are certain drugs (namely METH, cocaine, heroin, etc) that are far more addictive than alcohol.  It's important to remember that current research (HERE & HERE) has shown that sugar and high-glycemic extremely processed carbs are at least as addictive than these hard drugs, with some studies actually saying they are more addictive.  And just like hard drugs, their consumption has some severe consequences.  I'll talk about a few he mentions by name.  

But before I do, I want you to understand that the major mechanism of destruction-by-sugar is not its CALORIES --- something Dr. Lustig has made a point to bring out in the past.  It's INFLAMMATION. You'll notice that every disease he mentions is on the list in this link, along with many others.  Unfortunately, when it comes to battling inflammation, I would contend that 99 out of 100 doctors think only in terms of drugs despite the fact that we've known for years that while drugs might temporarily modify symptoms; as far as actually CHANGING PHYSIOLOGY.... It's not happening.  But then again, this scenario ---- really sick people that live for a very long time --- is BIG PHARMA'S fantasy-come-true, with you being their number one commodity (HERE). 

• HIGH CHOLESTEROL:  Study after study (HERE, HERE, and HERE are a few) have proven that neither dietary cholesterol nor dietary fat (providing it's not TRANS FAT) have much affect on one's CHOLESTEROL LEVELS.  What does?  Easy.  Sugar and junk carbs.  This was known in the 1960's but suppressed by BIG SUGAR.
  

• TYPE II DIABETES:  At its root, diabetes isn't so much a sugar problem as it is an inflammation problem.  It's important to remember that inflammation (the group of important immune system chemicals that get driven to excessively high levels due to any number of factors, with sugar consumption probably being the most common --- HERE) is what causes Diabetes.   One of the dirty little secrets of "EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE" is that the medical community is frequently ignoring their own evidence when it comes to any number of health problems.  Nowhere can this be seen in clearer fashion than with diabetes (HERE).
  

• OBESITY:  Fortunately, Lustig, along with TAUBES and numerous others, doesn't over-simplify the problem like 99% of the scientific community does by touting OBESITY as merely a problem of calories --- too many calories consumed -vs- not enough calories expended ("ENERGY BALANCE"). Never forget that there are certain foods which, due to their inflammatory nature, engage your ENDOCRINE SYSTEM in abnormal / pathological ways (HERE).  Chief among these?  Yep.  Sugar and simple carbs --- especially HFCS, which is far worse than others.  The most visible example is BELLY FAT.  You never used to see women with large bellies.  Now even many "skinny" women (and men) have pot bellies (HERE).
  

• LIVER DISEASE:  The number one cause of Fatty Liver and third leading cause of Cirrhosis are not related to alcohol consumption, but to over-consuming sugar and junk carbs.  It's the liver that metabolizes not only most drugs (MEDICATIONS as well as illicit drugs), but sugar as well.  Overload it and you have real problems on your hands --- problems that drugs are not going to solve for you.  In fact, drugs cause the problem because it's your liver that must detox them via a process known medically as "BIOTRANSFORMATION".
  

• DEMENTIA:  Did you know that along with FLU SHOTS, the leading cause of Alzheimer's Disease happens to be sugar consumption (HERE).  The Tau Plaques that foul the brain in this debilitating disease are widely believed to be caused by over-consuming sugar and the simple carbs that metabolized in the body just like.  BTW; HERE'S the best way to stimulate your brain before you get dementia.
  

• CANCER:  Cancer is not only the holy grail of this list, but I have asked myself repeatedly why the medical community isn't doing more about this issue --- particularly with the recent studies on KETOGENIC DIETS and the known relationship to sugar?  Chew on this for a moment.  The German medical doctor / Ph.D, Dr. Otto Warburg, won the Nobel Prize for Medicine for discovering that sugar is the food of choice for Cancer (HERE).   This happened before any of you reading this were probably born --- back in 1931.  Another prime example of the medical profession ignoring their own research for gain.  Never let anyone try and convince you that CANCER is not fed by sugar or carbs that break down into sugar rapidly, or that by ignoring this information the medical community stands to make billions of dollars a year.  Make sure to check out Dr. Thomas Seyfried's astounding video at the end of this post on FASCIA & CANCER pertaining to using a ketogenic diet to successfully address cancer.
  

Dr. Lustig could have continued.  For instance, we know that DYSBIOSIS is fed by sugar.  We also know that most AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES are fed by sugar as well (need proof?  Not only do you find links throughout the peer-reviewed literature, but HERE is an incredible example that will resonate with everyone).  Infertility, Sexual Dysfunction, and Depression are frequently driven by sugar as well --- the topic of YESTERDAY'S POST.  Because of the inflammatory nature of sugar, coupled with the fact that most diseases (EVEN MANY OF THE "GENETIC" ONES) are fed by sugar, we are physically crippling ourselves as a nation, not to mention "OUTSTRIPPING" OUR ABILITY TO PAY FOR OUR HEALTHCARE.  The problem, as I touched on earlier, is that sugar is extremely difficult to get off of for many people due to its addictive nature (HERE).

After making a valid case that sugar fits the many criteria required to regulate it as a "controlled substance" in similar fashion to alcohol or drugs, Dr. Lustig reveals what he believe the solution to this conundrum is --- taxing the stuff.  The problem is, as he himself admits, "Now, I will tell you that America doesn't trust its politicians. And we have a good reason for that: they suck. If you don't quote me, I will be upset. The reason they suck is because, number one, they're interested in power, not doing the right thing, and, number two, they take money. So everyone assumes that any tax that you would place on any given substance is either a money grab for coffers for other things or going into politicians' pockets. Based on previous behavior of our elected officials, that's a damn good guesstimate. We've seen this movie before."  Not sure I could have said it better myself.

He believes, however, that taxation could work if done properly.  Although I'm highly doubtful, he does talk at length about the way that corn, soy, and sugar are all subsidized through our federal government.  His belief is that we should start subsidizing things like broccoli instead.  Not that I really like the thought of any government subsidies, but subsidizing broccoli would merely mean we end up with lots of excess "taxpayer funded" broccoli that would either have to be thrown away, plowed under, exported, or fed to livestock.  Unless parents actually start being parents again, paying farmers from government coffers to grow more broccoli would be no more effective than MICHELE OBAMA'S MOVE CAMPAIGN. 

The interview ends with Dr. Lustig being asked about the effects of sugar on the body.  "There are three.  One, fructose, the sweet molecule in sugar, is not metabolized like glucose. It's metabolized in the mitochondria, and it is metabolized in the liver to liver fat. That liver fat mucks up the workings of the liver and leads to a process called insulin resistance. That raises your insulin levels because your pancreas has to make more insulin. That drives all the chronic metabolic diseases we know about, plus it burns out the pancreas, leading to diabetes.  Two, cellular aging. When bananas ripen, they brown. The sugar in the bananas binds to proteins in the bananas nonenzymatically, even in dead tissue. That's called the cellular aging or Maillard reaction. That happens to everyone all the time, so we brown inside. You don't want to brown very fast, but we're all browning because that's how we age. But sugar makes us brown seven times faster; it basically kills our organs quicker.  Three, sugar is addictive. So a little makes you want more, because of the effect of the reward center of the brain."

If you are looking for a way to get off the MEDICAL MERRY-GO-ROUND and get your life back, but have found yourself trapped in a world of obeisty, addiction, and increasing numbers of serious health issues, the links on this page are here to help you.  For a (free) comprehensive protocol that will at least dramatically change, if not solve, most of the chronic health issues that Lustig mentioned by name, CLICK HERE.  And if you found this post to be helpful, get it in front of those you love and care about most via FACEBOOK.

"Fail".  The word has become synonymous with the sort of hijinx seen on America's Funniest Home Videos (take a look at YouTube if you're not sure what I'm talking about).   Today we are going to talk about another kind of fail --- the kind of fail that happens to your health if you don't take the appropriate steps to succeed in regaining it and maintaining it.   Health won't happen without a plan and some effort.   And when it comes to LOSING WEIGHT, getting healthy, and maintaining that health --- instead of the crazy yo-yoing that we Americans are notorious for --- I believe there is an overarching reason for our mass failure ---- Addiction.

There are any number of reasons people fail.  They take too many prescription drugs (HERE).  They are lazy.  They think they can't afford to eat healthy (HERE).  They see themselves as healthy even when they are far from it (HERE), they view their weight as the ultimate marker of their health (HERE), they listen to their doctors dietary advice (HERE and HERE), they hurt too much to exercise (HERE), they fail to address GUT HEALTH, they...........    I could go on ad nauseam, but I think you get the point.   The truth is, EXCUSES are easy.

I get it --- there are some of you out there who have tried seemingly everything, and still struggle.  This post is not necessarily addressed to you (HERE is where you need to go).  It's addressed to the addicts.  That's right; I believe that ADDICTION TO SUGAR AND HIGHLY PROCESSED FOODS is the number one reason that people fail in their bid to reclaim their health and their weight.    Addictions are a bummer.  But you can defeat them.  I mention this now --- as we near the "Holiday Season" (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years) because it is a time that people seem to 'blow it' in a big way as far as their health and weight are concerned (HERE).  If you are interested in breaking free of your food addictions, there are some tricks for doing so.  Just click the long link above and start reading.

I think that Erika is mostly correct in her quote above.  The lifestyle changes that have the potential to turn your health, your weight, and your life around 180 degrees are not easy --- especially at first.  But like I have repeatedly told you, the longer you do the right things, the easier and more habitual they get.  So, with props to Erika's quote from above; when I speak of "The Wagon", I am speaking metaphorically.

No matter how good our intentions and how hard we work, sooner or later we all fall off "The Wagon".  It's life.  Get over it --- literally.  If you don't get over it and climb back on, you get discouraged, start to feel sorry for yourself, and start to get down on yourself.  The next thing you know, you're telling yourself that you 'deserve' those things that you essentially gave up (or at least cut way back on) when you radically changed your lifestyle. 

Let me get into the meat of today's post by saying that if you are constantly / routinely falling off the wagon, you probably have a problem with addiction.  And when it comes to food, most of these could be classified as some sort of CARB / SUGAR ADDICTION.  Don't feel like you are the only one.  Carb addictions are so common that they could probably be considered 'epidemic' here in America.  If I am describing you, take a moment and click the link before reading any further.

I have previously said that for most of us hardcore sugar / carb addicts, there is no such thing as having "just a taste".  That might work for some people, but for many of us it simply lights the fuse that is our cravings, which typically leads to epic binging.  What are you going to do when this happens, because no matter how strong you are at this very moment, something will prove to be your kryptonite and weaken you.  So; again I ask you --- what are you going to do?

• HAVE A PLAN:  Don't think that falling off the wagon is something you are incapable of.  If you have already created a (written) plan, you will already know what you are going to do in any given situation.  Always be thinking one step ahead and trying to head problems off while they are "potential" problems.  It's an old cliche, but failure to plan is planning to fail.

 

• HAVE AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER:   Without exception, every program that is successful at helping people break addictions (including food addictions) puts a huge emphasis on accountability. HERE is one that a buddy and I used a couple of years ago.
  

 

• GET BACK ON THE WAGON IMMEDIATELY:  The following scenario is not something you want to be associated with (but unfortunately, far too many Americans are).  You've been pretty good about what you've been eating for most of the year.  You've been focused on eating your WHOLE FOODS, and have not slipped up for quite some time.  Then you go to a couple of Halloween parties and mess up.  After a few days of being "off the wagon" you tell yourself that since Thanksgiving really isn't too far away, you may as well climb back on the first of December.  Yeah right; you already knew that wasn't happening.  So after spending the entire month of December on a binge of biblical proportions, you make your New Year's Resolutions.  But by this time, you are so DEPRESSED about the 25 lbs you've gained in the past two months that you just shank the whole thing.  Bypass this whole scene by getting right back on the wagon after you've fallen off.   When you fall off, treat the next day like Monday morning --- the first day of a New Year.
  

 

• FIGURE OUT AHEAD OF TIME HOW YOU PLAN TO DEAL WITH CHEAT DAYS:  Know your weaknesses.  A "Cheat Meal" or "Cheat Day" now and then, is not going to ruin everything you've already done.  However, you cannot simply do CHEAT DAYS flying by the seat of your pants.  You had better know ahead of time how you are going to deal with this issue or it could end up running your life.  In other words, you end up living for your Cheat Days.
  

 

• GO TO THE PARTY FULL:   This is particularly for this season.  You have a holiday get together with your friends.  You know there will be tables piled high with exactly the stuff you have been working on staying away from.  Fine.  Go to the party.   But eat immediately beforehand.  A chef's salad might not be as "sexy" as multi-flavored cheesecake, Christmas cookies, and rum punch right now, but trust me when I tell you that it will be later (HERE).
  

 

• MOTIVATE YOURSELF:  These are different for everyone, but are usually quite simple.   It may be nothing more than looking at some "Before and After" weight loss photos (yours or online).  Or it may just take you telling yourself that you've come too far to give up now.  Sometimes, just the fact that you feel like utter crap after falling off the wagon can be extremely motivational.  Or it may be just a matter of forcing yourself back into your daily routine.  I don't care what it takes, but don't wallow in the mud, thinking about climbing back on the wagon --- just do it!   The longer you are looking at the wagon while it rolls down the trail without you, the more effort it will take to run after it, catch it, and climb back on.

 

• UNDERSTAND YOUR ADDICTION (AND YOUR EXCUSES):  While this might not pertain to many of you, my guess is that it pertains to more of you than most would care to admit.  If you know you have a problem with certain foods or food groups (carbs, for instance), for Pete's sake, stay away from them.  It's really not much different than the "dry" alcoholic.  That person might not have had a drink for 20 years, but they stay away from it because they know that it they don't, they'll wind up in the same ditch they drug themselves out of previously.  You also have to realize that your excuses are identical to those of people hooked on drugs, alcohol, porn, or whatever else people get addicted to.

Again, falling off the wagon doesn't mean the dark horse of the apocalypse is knocking at your door.  It does mean you have to get up, dust yourself off, bandage your bruises, and get back on.

""Drugs Are No More Addictive Than Oreos".  The specific drugs included in the study were cocaine and morphine, which is what heroin becomes immediately after injection.  So the headline also could have been: "Research Shows That Heroin and Cocaine Are No More Addictive Than Oreos."  Putting it that way would have raised some interesting questions about the purportedly irresistible power of these drugs, which supposedly justifies using [government] force to stop people from consuming them."  Jacob Sullum from the October 16, 2013 issue of Forbes (Research Shows Cocaine And Heroin Are Less Addictive Than Oreos)

"Sugar Has a Powerful Influence Over Our Behavior For some people there will be anatomical changes in the brain when exposed to these sorts of foods. In many cases, this can end up in full-blown addiction.   I can support this idea with some personal experiences.  I am a recovering drug addict who has been to 6 rehabs. I was also a smoker for many years and it was a long battle for me to quit. You could say that I know addiction like the back of my hand.  I’m here to tell you that addiction to sugar and junk foods is exactly the same as addiction to abusive drugs like nicotine, amphetamine and cannabis. There is no difference, except the substance of abuse is different and the consequences of relapse aren’t as severe.  There is only one thing that consistently works for true addicts to overcome their addiction and that is complete abstinence.  This is what worked for me giving up drugs and this is the only way I have ever been able to cut back on my consumption of sugar and other junk foods.  Since learning about this, I’ve spoken to several other recovering addicts and all of them say that they experience cravings for junk foods in the exact same way as they used to crave drugs and alcohol.  I personally haven’t touched sugar or gluten in about 5 months now. I’ve lost almost 30 pounds and I never crave these foods anymore."   Kris Gunnars from How Sugar Hijacks Your Brain And Makes You Addicted.  Kris is now a personal trainer and medical student, who authors the website, Authority Nutrition.

"Research indicates that chronic drug use induces changes in the structure and function of the system's neurons that last for weeks, months or years after the last fix. These adaptations, perversely, dampen the pleasurable effects of a chronically abused substance yet also increase the cravings that trap the addict in a destructive spiral of escalating use and increased fallout at work and at home."   Drs. Eric J. Nestler and Robert C. Malenka from the March 2004 issue of Scientific American (The Addicted Brain).

"How many drinkers do I have? And how many drinks do they drink? If you lost one of those heavy users, if somebody just decided to stop drinking Coke, how many drinkers would you have to get, at low velocity, to make up for that heavy user? The answer is a lot. It's more efficient to get my existing users to drink more."   Jeffrey Dunn, former Coca Cola executive speaking to Tom McKay of NewsMic (What Happens to Your Brain on Sugar, Explained by Science).

"If You Eat Sugar, There's a Good Chance You're Addicted to It"  The header from a March 10, 2012 article (The Most Unhappy of Pleasures: This Is Your Brain on Sugar) by Dr. Joseph Mercola

"We're all looking for something to ease the pain."  Bryan Adams from 1984's Somebody (Reckless)

I have written several previous articles on SUGAR / CARB ADDICTION.  If you have read them, you realize that sugar and the addiction thereof is at the root of scores of health problems.  In fact, I have repeatedly suggested that while INFLAMMATION is at the core of virtually all diseases, BLOOD SUGAR DYSREGULATION ISSUES are frequently the root of Inflammation (HERE).   I have focused quite a bit on the physical aspect of this addiction (DIABETES, OBESITY, ENDOCRINE PROBLEMS, CANCER, DYSBIOSIS, etc, etc), but the truth is, Sugar Addiction is probably harder on the brain than any other organ in the body.  Thanks to newer forms of brain scans, one of the things that we have learned over the past decade or so is that brains that are addicted to sugar look identical (or at least very similar) to the brains of people that are addicted to hard drugs --- particularly COCAINE & HEROIN. 

You have to take a moment to understand what is going on in these images.  You are looking not just at functional brain changes, but structural brain changes as well.  These changes are why it takes that drug (coke, meth, heroin, gambling, sugar) to "feel that feeling".  It can quickly become a vicious cycle.  The more drugs / sugar you consume, the better you feel (increased levels of dopamine, opiods, and other feel-good molecules made by your brain).  By the way, there are actually studies showing that pornography does the same thing to the part(s) of your brain that control sexual pleasure.  However, the body can only tolerate so much of these feel-good substances, so it decreases the numbers of receptors.  Not only do the lows get lower, but the highs get lower as well.  And as you might imagine, so does day-to-day life.  What does this do?  Of course, it triggers cravings for the drug --- in this case, sugar.  Not only that, but it takes increasing amounts of the drug to achieve the same high.  Listen to some cherry-picked lines from the abstract and conclusion of a study published in the May 18, 2007 issue of Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (Evidence for Sugar Addiction: Behavioral and Neurochemical Effects of Intermittent, Excessive Sugar Intake).

There's not only a lot of meat here, but this study deals extensively with the Nucleus Accumbens -- a specific part of the brain that has to do with motivation, desire, pleasure, reward, and addiction (it is also involved in fear, aggression, and impulsivity).  The two neurotransmitters that help make this system go are SEROTONIN & DOPAMINE.   ΔFosB (aka Delta FOSB) is the name of one of four variations of the FOS gene, and has been blamed as the chief biochemical component of all known addictions, whether behavioral or drug.  All known drugs or addictions increase the production of ΔFosB by the Nucleus Accumbens, which is known to both increase Dopamine, while at the same time decreasing Serotonin (key word in this sentence is "all").  Listen to what the authors of The Addicted Brain (the quote from the top of the page) say about this phenomenon as it relates to sugar.  "Interestingly, delta FosB is also produced in the nucleus accumbens in mice in response to repetitious non-drug rewards, such as excessive wheel running and sugar consumption."  There it is in black and white from two men who would know (at the time the article was written, Dr. Nestler was professor and chair of the department of psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.  Dr.  Malenka was professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine, after serving as director of the Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction at the University of California, San Francisco. Together they wrote 2001's textbook, Molecular Basis of Neuro-pharmacology).

Unfortunately, not only does ΔFosB increase the response of the reward cascade, it heightens (at least at first) the sensitivity of Dopamine itself.  This means that not only do you have more of this "feel-good" neurotransmitter in your system, but it actually works more effectively.  But it does not stop there.  According to New York's Mount Sinai, Icahn School of Medicine this, "can induce long-lasting changes in gene expression".  In case you are not aware of what this quote is implying; take a few moments to read up on EPIGENETICS (and HERE).  Epigenetics trumps genetics and simply means that you are not as controlled by your genetic makeup as you have always been taught.  Certain behaviors, diet, exercise, STRESS, etc, etc, etc, have the ability to turn genes off or on, depending on the situation.  Oh, and because ΔFosB is the most stable of the Fos family, it tends to stay in the Nucleus Accumbens for a long time --- a very long time. 

The problem is that sugar not only changes the brain's function (see the PET Scans above), it changes the brain's structure.   Probably the most striking example of sugar-related brain changes is seen in scans of people with ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.  Just the other day I had a patient from Texas telling me that as caretaker of their father who had Alzheimer's, he constantly wanted sugar, and when he got it, became so unruly they could barely control him.  Do you remember near the top of this post I stated that, "Sugar Addiction is probably harder on the brain than any other organ in the body"?    As crazy as it sounds, ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE is so heavily linked to sugar consumption that it is frequently referred to as Type III Diabetes or Psychodiabetes.  Take a look at the PET Scans below as they connect the dots between brain function and the Amyloid Plaques which are so characteristic of Alzheimer's, and thought to be intimately related to sugar consumption. 

"In fact, another recent study, from the International Food Information Council Foundation, showed that about 55% of people are trying to drop some weight.  The NPD research shows that 'the desire to lose weight is much greater than the percentage of people who are on a diet,' Balzer says, adding that almost 60% of adults want to lose at least 20 pounds.  People may be more accepting of their weight because that's easier than trying to exercise and eat less, says Harry Balzer, NPD's chief industry analyst."   Nanci Hellmich from the January 2013 issue of USA TODAY

"108 Million; the number of people on diets in the United States. Dieters typically make four to five attempts per year."  From the May 8, 2012 issue of the ABC News (100 Million Dieters, $20 Billion: The Weight-Loss Industry by the Numbers)

"Dieting doesn’t work. No really, it doesn’t. Much as people like to talk about how the things they are sticking to are “lifestyle changes”, etc, a lot of them (but not all) are still diets, still ways of restricting your eating, and over 80% of them will fail. By fail, scientists mean that you will gain back all the weight you lost, and then some, within five years. This is not only bad because of the weight people end up gaining, but some people believe that the “yo-yo” dieting style itself can contribute to the beginning of metabolic disorders later in life."  From the intro of a February 2011 article called Dieting, Stress, and the Changing Brain found on the website Neurotic Physiology

"Dieting or restrained eating generally increase the likelihood of food craving while fasting makes craving, like hunger, diminish. Attempted restriction or deprivation of a particular food is associated with an increase in craving for the unavailable food."  From the abstract of a paper (The Psychology of Food Cravings) done by the Academic Unit of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of Leeds Medical College, London

"Americans tend to give themselves high marks for healthy eating, but when we asked how many sugary drinks, fatty foods, and fruits and veggies they consumed, we found that their definition of healthy eating was questionable."   Nancy Metcalf of Consumer Reports Health, speaking about a recently completed poll.  The quote itself was taken from the January 4, 2011 issue of Discovery Health (Americans Falsely Believe Their Diet Is Healthy).

Americans lead the world as far as CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES (including OBESITY) are concerned, with about 2/3 of our adult population being categorized as 'overweight'.  It stands to reason (as seen in quotes from above) that at any given moment, a huge segment of our population is on some sort of diet.    On top of all this, only about 10% of our population admits that their diets are in desperate need of attention.  Needless to say, it's not difficult to see that there is a serious disconnect taking place here.  Much of this has to do with the fact that measuring calories is an extremely poor method of dieting (HERE).  But much of it has to do with the way we think about food and dieting.

How often in the course of our lives have we been treated or rewarded with food that could only be described as "Extremely Unhealthy"?  And if we are trying to lose weight, how many of us sabotage our own efforts by working towards and endpoint --- a "goal" weight that once we get there, we don't know what to do or where to go (other than maybe reward ourselves with the very food we have been avoiding).   We end up with a love / hate relationship with food that typically leads to some sort of ADDICTION or eating disorder.  And to top it all off, the study where the final quote at the top of the page comes from, tells us that 90% of us are fooling ourselves --- fooling ourselves into thinking we are eating healthy, when the reality is something quite different --- often, radically different. 

A 'diet' requires that you spend your day thinking about all the ways you'll have to swap dietary "this" for dietary "that".  Your every thought is on depriving yourself, and the various ways you'll accomplish this today.  Talk about wearing yourself out!   It's a lifestyle of withholding and withdrawal.  Oh; don't get me wrong; unlike traveling in Arkansas, you can actually get there from here.   The problem is, you will wear yourself out, mentally, physically, and emotionally, doing so.   I would suggest to you that there is a better choice ---- a choice made with your best interests in mind.   Why not try investing in yourself, instead of depriving yourself?  

Although it is not the reality for many people, you should be enjoying a healthy journey as opposed to always looking forward to that fleeting and ever-changing destination.  The best lifestyles and ways of eating are not concerned with merely counting down the pounds.  Instead, it's about learning a new lifestyle (HERE is an example of what I am talking about).  It's time to REINVENT YOURSELF!  But managing CRAVINGS / ADDICTIONS is paramount to change --- particularly in the beginning.  So what is a person to do with this problem of cravings, and what does it all mean?

• CAN CRAVINGS BE STOPPED ONCE FIRED UP?  To some degree, but it depends what fired it up.  For instance, the herb Gymnema has been shown to be extremely good at helping with SUGAR CRAVINGS.  However, if you have been dabbling with sugar / starch, and fired up the cravings that way; it will probably be much more difficult.

• CAN CRAVINGS BE PREVENTED?  Sure they can.  But not for the first week or two of your lifestyle change.   The DRUG ADDICT will go through some extremely rough days as he / she gets themself clean.  But like I keep telling you, stay the course and it gets easier.

• DOES IT MEAN I AM DOING SOMETHING WRONG IF I HAVE CRAVINGS?  No.  You are going to have cravings no matter what you do.  There are about a million internet articles on the best methods of controlling said cravings.  You'll have to figure out what works best for you.  And no; using a candy bar as an appetite suppressant just before meal time does not count (this is mentioned jokingly, but I had a patient who used to do exactly this).

• DO I NEED TO TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT; LIKE SAY, VEGAN?    You will have to make that decision for yourself, but if you read some of our posts, you will soon find out why I am so high on the PALEO way of eating.  It's clean.  IT CONTROLS BLOOD SUGAR like nothing else I've ever seen.  And on top of that, it provides you with the protein your body requires for healing, regeneration, and repair --- things that are of critical importance for those of you dealing with Chronic Conditions.



I have told you over and over again that radically changing your diet can be tough.  I won't lie; the first week of cravings can be brutal.  However, I have also told you that if you can get through the first week, the cravings diminish significantly.  And the longer you go, the easier it gets.  The problem is, we allow ourselves to fall off the wagon just a little bit.  While it's true that many people can handle just a "taste" of chocolate cake and be fine with it, many of you (maybe the majority of you) either already know or will quickly realize that your one bite of cake will ignite a craving that can easily be fanned into a raging wildfire.  And when you feed that wildfire, you will throw a major wrench in your physiology and metabolism (not to mention your head space).   Yes, lifestyle changes are tough.  The problem is, in the long run, diets are much tougher.

The fact that Yo-Yo dieting can leave one heavier than ever has been widely documented in the scientific literature for decades.  We are only recently beginning to understand some of the specific pathways of how a cycle of dieting and binging can lead to changes in the BRAIN, BLOOD SUGAR REGULATION SYSTEM, and even your GENE'S.  We will take just a few moments to look at some studies that show what I am talking about here.  But please bear in mind; I could have literally written a multi-volume series of books on this topic as there are literally thousands of such studies out there.

• The name of this study says it all; Caloric Restriction Experience Reprograms Stress and Orexigenic Pathways and Promotes Binge Eating.   After telling us that, "long-term weight management by dieting has a high failure rate," the December 2010 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience goes on to conclude that diets, "reduce treatment success by promoting behaviors resulting in weight regain."  There it is again.  Dieting causes weight gain.  For many of us, this sort of information counter-intuitive ---- sort of like the brutal revelation that DIET SODA actually causes people to gain more weight than regular soda.
  

• Several studies (including the one above) deal with the way that diets adversely affect gene expression (this is the field of EPIGENETICS).  Two such recent studies were published in the journal Cell by Dr. A.J. Marian Walhout of the University of Massachusetts Medical School.  These studies showed how dieting can affect things like number of offspring, development, and lifespan ---- three aspects of life that just about cover the gamut.
  

• An Oregon Research Institute study (Caloric Deprivation Increases Responsivity of Attention and Reward Brain Regions to Intake, Anticipated Intake, and Images of Palatable Foods) studied the relationship between caloric restriction and the way it amps up messages from the brain's reward and attention centers.  The study concluded that, "self-imposed caloric deprivation increases responsivity of attention, reward, and motivation regions to food, which may explain why caloric deprivation weight loss diets typically do not produce lasting weight loss".   We now know why TV commercials are so effective, as the group in this study who were calorically restricted had the biggest neurological reactions to pictures of "highly palatable food" (i.e. JUNK FOOD).
  

• Several studies have shown that people do not perform as well on cognitive tests when they are on a diet, and that their ability to reason becomes impaired.  One such study from the February 2010 issue of the medical journal Appetite.  This study showed how diets that were more complex (a diet program I have never been a fan of --- Weight Watchers --- was used as their example) have high rates of drop out.  Another, from the Journal of Consumer Research (can anyone say TV commercial?) showed that individuals on diets whose, "processing resources are limited" (i.e. their brains are already fried or approaching overload) will, when given the choice between chocolate cake or fruit salad, chose chocolate cake almost every time, due to its perceived scarcity.
  

• The rubber meets the road in the September 2011 issue of the American Journal of Physiology (Biology's Response to Dieting: the Impetus for Weight Regain).   Researchers from the University of Colorado's Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, Center for Human Nutrition, came to some conclusions that we should all be aware of.  "Restricting intake leads to weight loss in the short term, but, by itself, dieting has a relatively poor success rate for long-term weight reduction. Most obese people eventually regain the weight they have worked so hard to lose. Weight regain has emerged as one of the most significant obstacles for obesity therapeutics, undoubtedly perpetuating the epidemic of excess weight that now affects more than 60% of U.S. adults. The preponderance of evidence would suggest that the biological response to weight loss involves comprehensive, persistent, and redundant adaptations in energy homeostasis and that these adaptations underlie the high recidivism rate in obesity therapeutics. To be successful in the long term, our strategies for preventing weight regain may need to be just as comprehensive, persistent, and redundant, as the biological adaptations they are attempting to counter." 
  

It all seems to come back to this misguided idea of a diet as restriction / starvation / deprivation, and the fact that our very nature_s rebel against this.  The cool thing it, this last study above reveals the secret to making permanent changes.  When it comes to WEIGHT LOSS, we must be, "comprehensive, persistent, and redundant".  The only way to accomplish this is to change your thinking so that you can truly alter your "lifestyle" as opposed to merely meeting a goal weight, and wondering what to do next now that you have gotten to that 'magic' number on the scale. 

Although there are all sorts of ways that people find it within themselves to stay the course and change their eating habits for good, I truly believe that most of it comes down to education.  I told you my story recently (HERE).   I had always believed that because I was well-built, athletic, and worked out, I was healthy.  I was a "HEALTH PHARISEE".  Once I made the connection that my health was far more than my weight, and that subsequent INFLAMMATORY DISEASES would do me in before my time (or at the very least, hamper my ability to help those struggling with Chronic Pain and Chronic Illness (HERE), I became extremely motivated to do better in this area.  I am no different than you, in that I sometimes get cravings.  At times I even fall off the wagon.  However, I have learned that if I choose not to feed these cravings, they do not tend to last very long or rear their ugly heads very often.  Which helps keep me on the wagon.

However, if I get stupid and decide to feed a craving, I can become a true nut-case.  This is because, as you have seen, not only do diets not "solve" your problems, they actually feed them and make them worse.  If you truly want to defeat the "fat" monster and get healthy in the process, you are going to have to educate yourself and come up with some good reasons (these need to be personalized) as to why this is something you must do.  You are going to have to learn why changing your lifestyle is going to save your life (and why not changing it might kill you), and you are going to have to figure out what triggers your overeating / binges and cravings.  For instance, if you are still bringing things into your house that you know darn good and well neither you nor your family should not be putting in your mouths; stop it already! 

Listen to what Mark Sisson of MDA has to say about dealing with cravings.  "Psyche yourself out of deprivation thinking. We can say cutting out wheat or other unhealthy foods is depriving ourselves, but I think there’s an important distinction to be made between depriving ourselves of things we need/things that are good for us and eschewing those things that don’t serve our well-being. Giving up something doesn’t automatically impose deprivation. Giving up cigarettes isn’t deprivation. While we might miss a French baguette, a smoker likely misses cigarettes. Sure, for most of us a baguette isn’t as bad as a cigarette. Nonetheless, we’re still not doing ourselves any favors when we eat it. Sometimes taking certain things off the table entirely is necessary for health. Coca-Cola will tell you their soda can be part of a “balanced diet,” but that’s a b.s. brand of balanced. Intellectually reason with yourself here, but let it work on an emotional level. Picturing the round contours of the baguette and thinking of a bloated wheat belly can be one way to psyche yourself back to reality. Likewise, imagining the massive carb spike playing out in your body sending off inflammation alarms in every cell could do it for some people. It might take a more unsavory image or memory of last time’s fifteen trips to the toilet to make you turn away."

There's a lot of meat in his words.  He speaks of the "carb [Insulin] spike" leading to serious "inflammation".  I wrote on this subject just last week.  And not to toot my own horn, but if you do not understand the material in THIS POST, you will continue to struggle with your weight, and you will watch as your health continues to snowball its way downhill.  Educate yourself.  Don't give up.  You can do this thing.  You can change your life --- radically, and for the better.  No; it will not be easy.  But the longer you stick with it, the easier it gets.  Change your way of thinking and change your lifestyle.  Attack it like your life depends on it --- because in all reality; it does.

Addictions.  We all deal with them.  People get addicted to everything from sex / porn, to drugs, to power, to exercise, to Facebook, to texting, to who-knows-what.   Webster's New World Dictionary defines a chemical addiction as a "compulsive physiological and psychological need for a habit-forming substance." Plainly stated, addictions are the repetitive compulsive abuse of things we know full well are harming us, even though we may deeply desire to stop.  Although many would say my description of the problem is over-the-top, but SUGAR is arguably America's #1 drug (the average American is consuming somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 lbs / annum).

Google the term "SUGAR ADDICTION" and you'll get over six million hits (a couple of them might even be articles I wrote on the subject).  Even though it is, an addiction; it is one of America's more "acceptable" addictions --- one that people who roll up their nose at drunks or drug addicts can engage in without any significant social scorn from their peers --- it is and addiction nonetheless.  How do you know whether you are a sugar addict or not?   Although a Sugar Addiction is not usually as blatantly ugly as other addictions are, just give it a little time and it will produce not only the classic psychological signs of the addict, it will also manifest a host of physical symptoms as well --- symptoms that reveal just how serious a problem this really is.  Take the simple self-test below. 

• TRYING TO HIDE YOUR ADDICTION:  Although easy at first, this gets consistently more difficult because of the continual need for more of what you crave.  This is the very nature of an addiction.  No matter your drug-of-choice, it always takes "more" to experience any feelings of the 'high' (increased pleasure / reduced emotional negativity). Eventually, hiding the addiction becomes impossible.

• SUGAR STASHES:  Remember the old TV shows where the town drunk would have partially-drunk whiskey bottles stashed in almost every conceivable place?  Many sugar addicts do the same thing.

• EXCUSES / DENIAL:   What's amazing is how similar these excuses and denials sound to the excuses and denials made by alcoholics or drug addicts.  I personally know a person who became seriously addicted to prescription painkillers after a serious injury.  Although the injury had healed and this person could have gotten off the meds, it took an inordinate amount of time and intervention.  You should have heard the excuses.

 

• ANYTHING FOR A FIX:  Do you start your day with sugar (HERE)?  If you find yourself in bizarre situations trying to get your hands on sugar or carbs, you definitely have a problem.  Just like those addicted to hard drugs, the sugar addict will do anything to get their fix.  It is the focal point of their lives.

 

• CONTINUING DESPITE THE PERSISTENT DAMAGE IT IS DOING:  As you have seen, this damage can be physical, psychological, or more likely, a combination of the two.  Even though a person might realize it is destroying their health and relationships, they choose sugar anyway.  It is frequently the single most powerful motivating factor in their life.

 

• PATHOLOGICAL CRAVINGS / FEAR OF GIVING UP SUGAR:   Do you have health or social problems that affect school, work, or relationships because of the need to consume sugar and carbs, yet keep on doing so despite the negative consequences?   Do you chase after sugar even though it is causing you physical or emotional pain?  Is it the driving force in your life?   Near the end of his month-long journey as captured in the documentary Super Size Me, a recently overweight Morgan Spurlock tells his video camera that the only time he feels good about himself now is when he is, "eating this crap". If you are using sugar /carbs to boost your mood (serotonin levels), or can't bear the thought of giving up the stuff (HERE), you probably have a sugar addiction.  One more thing; if you feel DEPRESSED at the mere thought of going without sugar, it's a dead give away that you have an addiction.

 

• PLAYING THE SUBSTITUTION GAME:  This could mean that you are substituting sugar substitutes for sugar (HERE).  However, it could mean something far more insidious (HERE).

 

• ISSUES WITH WEIGHT:  Although sugar addiction almost always leads to OBESITY, sometimes people think they are getting away with it because they are still skinny.  This is simply because some people's over-taxed pancreases take longer to burn out than others.  Be aware that even though you might be of a "normal" weight, too much sugar or starch has a tendency to create the SKINNY FAT EFFECT.   Once people begin gaining the extra weight, the "FAT BUT FIT" excuse is an old standby.

 

• OTHER ADDICTIONS:  This is particularly true of things like coffee, SMOKES, or alcohol (which itself is metabolized just like sugar).  When the pancreas burns out due to Uncontrolled Blood Sugar (see next point) the ADRENAL GLANDS kick in to help the failing pancreas.  Most sugar addicts will frequently want things that boost their Adrenal Response (caffeine, nicotine, sugar).  Unfortunately, this is not helpful, and is a doorway to a whole host of other problems.

 

• UNCONTROLLED BLOOD SUGAR:  Numerous people will tell me that they do not have a problem with blood sugar because they recently had their blood checked and it was normal (HERE).  If they are consuming mass quantities of sugar on a regular basis, they are fooling themselves (HERE).  Uncontrolled Blood Sugar is the number one health issue facing the American population today --- and it's not even close.  The last point in this section will go into more detail.

 

• YOU ARE TIRED AND SLUGGISH AFTER YOU EAT:  If you feel tired or sluggish after meals, you undoubtedly have REACTIVE HYPOGLYCEMIA.  This is the BLOOD SUGAR low that comes "reactively" after the high.  Low blood sugar and high blood sugar are two sides of the same coin that we call Diabetes.

 

• YOU HAVE TROUBLE CONCENTRATING:  There are numerous studies touting the ill effects of sugar on cognitive function as well as dementia.  In fact, ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE is now being called Type III Diabetes because its characteristic brain plaques result from Uncontrolled Blood Sugar.

 

• A COMPROMISED IMMUNE SYSTEM:  You are constantly sick (HERE).  The problem is, sugar and ANTIBIOTICS are a devastating combination (HERE), that leads to a wide variety of DYSBIOTIC HEALTH ISSUES, including Systemic (blood-borne) Yeast.  The yeast itself requires sugar to survive and creates horrendous cravings in its attempt to take over your body.  Besides Antibiotics, CORTICOSTEROIDS (a form of Innumo-suppressive drug) create sugar cravings as well.

 

• DIMINISHED LIBIDO:   Whether male or female, if you don't have the desire to have sex, you are likely dealing with a blood sugar issues (HERE and HERE).  If you would trade sex for a handful of bon bons, you have a sugar addiction.

 

• HORMONAL ISSUES --- PARTICULARLY PCOS:  Listen to what Dr Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, author of "Beat Sugar Addiction Now" said on the June 10, 2010 episode of ABC's 6:00 news, "hormonal fluctuations in women entering menopause can cause anxiety, depression, and insulin resistance that can also lead to sugar addictions".  Although he is correct, this is a chicken 'egg thing, meaning the opposite is true as well.  For more on PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome --- the #1 female problem in America today --- go HERE).

 

• INCREASED ACIDITY:  If you are fighting diseases of acidity (although there are many, the two that most immediately come to mind are CANCER and OSTEOPOROSIS), it would not be a stretch to wonder if you have a sugar addiction.  Get some litmus paper at the corner drug store and test your pH.

 

• ALL SICKNESS AND DISEASE:  AUTOIMMUNITY, INFLAMMATORY ILLNESS, and almost every single health issue you care to mention (see the bullet point above on Uncontrolled Blood Sugar) have similar starting points.  If you would rather ignore this than click on the links, you are likely addicted to sugar / carbs.
  

Beating a sugar addiction is not easy.  Like the study at the top of the page said, it can be more addictive than hard drugs!  But if you do it in a step-wise fashion, you can break free of this demon. 

• STOP MAKING EXCUSES AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR HEALTH AND YOUR LIFE ---- ADMIT YOU ARE AN ADDICT AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT:  As is the case with all sorts of problems, the first thing you have to do is identify it as such.  As long as you stay in denial, nothing will get accomplished.

• LEARN THE MANY WAYS THAT SUGAR HIDES:  Simply learn to read food labels.  Oh, and be aware that you might even have a GLUTOMORPHIN ADDICTION as well.  Even though you have never heard of this, it is far more common (and scary) than imagined.

What's the very worst thing a dry alcoholic could do?  That's right --- take another drink.  Once a person has given up the booze, the cravings lessen over time.   Although the urge to drink never totally goes away; as long as that urge is not given in to, the cravings for alcohol remain under control.  However, give this person that first drink, and you're likely to watch them morph into that same old person who, once they got started, would drink themself into a stupor on a regular (usually daily) basis.  For many people, eating can elicit a similar scenario.  Particularly for those of us dealing with SUGAR OR CARB ADDICTIONS.

Cheating on your diet.  For many people it's no big deal --- particularly those who are in great health, maintain their perfect weight, and eat healthy because they want to stay that way.  However, for many others, CHEAT DAYS can be a huge problem that dramatically increases the risks of a serious setback.  If you want to understand why this issue of "cheating" on a diet is a much bigger deal for some people than it is for others, take a moment and read YESTERDAY'S POST.   And in the meantime, allow me to share a personal experience with you. 

When I first started eating LOW CARB about 17 years ago, I would periodically cheat (not that I don't cheat now, but it's fairly infrequent).  More recently --- particularly after determining that I am both Gluten and Dairy Sensitive and that PARKINSON'S DISEASE runs in my family --- I have been committed to being more careful about what I eat (especially since I have an issue with CRAVINGS).  For one thing, I have to stay in great health to take care of MY PATIENTS and support my family.  On top of that; few things peeve me more than UNHEALTHY DOCTORS.  If you are going to take care of sick people or those struggling with all sorts of CHRONIC PAIN SYNDROMES --- including those that are SYSTEMIC --- you have to lead from the front (HERE).

A week ago today, MY ELDEST DAUGHTER was having her 14th birthday party by having some friends over for a sleepover.  One of these girls brought over some cinnamon rolls that were homemade, and touted as GLUTEN FREE since the grain used to make them had been soaked for 24 hours in buttermilk (one of the GLUTEN MYTHS that I previously busted).  They were huge rolls.  I ate three of them --- hot, with butter.  Since I was already off the Reservation, later in the day I figured I may as well have a big glass of eggnog while I was at it (I ended up having a couple).  On top of that, I had a couple bites of homemade German Chocolate Pie.  You would think that after all these years, I would learn.  Nope.  I will still, on occasion, eat things I know will AFFECT ME.   You can go ahead and call me a brain-dead moron --- I'm used to it by now (HERE).

The first cinnamon roll triggered some crazy cravings just like I knew it probably would.  For the next couple of days, I felt sluggish and bloated.  The thing that always amazes me about my cheating is what it does to my mind.  Because I would characterize myself as a "dry" sugarholic, taking that first bite releases something inside me that screams for more.  Part of my brain tells me that since I blew it, I may as well go ahead and blow the rest of the month ---- after all it is the Holiday Season.  The crazy thing is, I KNOW THIS ABOUT MYSELF and still ignore it on occasion.  But like I said, I am getting better and am back on track after my latest trip off the wagon.  Probably a good thing I never got into drugs!

Maybe you are different than me? Maybe you can totally junk out over the Holiday Season and not end up hyper-stimulating your ADRENAL GLANDS or gaining enough weight to be mistaken for a Sumo Wrestler?   Maybe you aren't a SUGAR ADDICT?  Maybe you don't crave holiday goodies?  Maybe you can stop with one piece of pie?  And maybe the moon really is made of green cheese?

I all but quit consuming SUGAR / SODA about 16-17 years ago, when I saw what it was doing to me.  During that time, I have experimented enough with my diet to know that I am moderately GLUTEN SENSITIVE, CARB / SUGAR SENSITIVE, and am prone to INFLAMMATION when I eat the wrong foods.  I have a PROBLEM with holiday goodies, and if I am not careful, I can play a game with myself over the holidays that looks like this:


CONVERSATIONS WITH MYSELF
THE DEVIL ON MY LEFT SHOULDER:  It's OK Russ.  After all, it is the Holiday Season.  You deserve it.  Live a little buddy --- treat yourself.  You do so good for the rest of the year; what could it hurt to just have a little taste?  Come on; you'll offend your hosts if you don't at least sample some of these treats.

THE ANGEL ON MY RIGHT SHOULDER:  Hold on Russ.  You aren't really even hungry --- let alone hungry for that kind of stuff.  Just think about the metabolic strain it will put on your system.  Not to mention pal; you know good and well the sort of cravings that this stuff will unleash on you.  Don't do something you'll regret later.

THE DEVIL ON MY LEFT SHOULDER:  Stop it already. Stop being such a party pooper!  Just for once I'd like to see you stop playing 'The Doctor' and live a little bit.  For Pete's sake, it's only one glass of eggnog / piece of toffee / slice of pie / homemade cinnamon roll / slice of fresh baked bread /  __________ (insert your own personal G.O.C. --- Goodie of Choice --- here).

ME:  TO MYSELF:  Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to have just one.  OUT LOUD:  Sure; I'll take whip cream with that. 

THE DEVIL ON MY LEFT:  See.  That wasn't so bad, was it?  And since you've already blown it, you may as well have some more.

THE ANGEL ON MY RIGHT SHOULDER:  It's not too late to stop.  You know how you are going to feel after doing this.

ME:  OUT LOUD:  Yes please; I'll have another _______ (insert your G.O.C. here).  TO MYSELF:   I'll get back on track Monday.

THE DEVIL ON MY LEFT SHOULDER:  Good job buddy.  You deserved that. Cravings?  Not a problem.  You're tough.  You'll be able to lick those cravings.  No sweat.  But in the meanwhile; tis the season to be jolly.  It's OK to feed your cravings over the holidays.  Look around you Russ.  It's what Americans do! You're just being normal.

ME A FEW WEEKS LATER:  Boy howdy; I really have blown it.  I guess it would not really matter to just blow it for the rest of the year and Kick off the New Year with a brand new Resolution. 

THE DEVIL ON MY SHOULDER:  Good idea Russ.  New Year's Resolutions are always such an effective way of dealing with bad habits and addictions --- every year.  When January first hits, just train a bit harder ---- or better yet; START RUNNING.  That's always a grrrrrrrreat way to tip the balance in your favor!


Seriously; you know whether or not this post is relevant to you.  Some people can handle their sugar ---- at least until they develop DIABETES and all the problems that go along with.  Me; I've come to realize that as long as I don't touch it, I don't really want it.  Get me started however, and I can become a raving lunatic.  HERE, HERE, and HERE are some articles to help you understand the process, and encourage you to succeed (HERE are all my articles about Weight Loss).  If you want some real motivation, check out the results of LAST YEAR'S HOLIDAY CHALLENGE.  Find a friend and hold each other accountable.  HERE is my friend's follow up to last year's Holiday Challenge from a few months ago (and HERE is his wife Kate's testimonial).  I am calling you out Rick.  Are we on for this year?  You can't defeat me two years in a row.  Truthfully man; I'm so proud of the way that you and Kate have turned things around by changing your diets.

I'll admit it.  My name is Russell Schierling and I am a CARBAHOLIC.  The truth is, I could probably sit down and devour a whole package of Oreos before I even realized I just made myself sick. This is because, according to Connecticut College's professor of neuroscience Joseph Schroeder, "High-fat, high-sugar foods stimulate the brain in the same way that drugs do. It may explain why some people can’t resist these foods despite the fact that they know they are bad for them".  

I am sort of like that "dry alcoholic".  As long as I never touch it, I don't really crave it.  But give me that first Oreo (or doughnut, or bite of cheesecake, or whatever) and I want more.  And the more that I want is not just here-and-now today.  I promise that I'll want it tomorrow as well.  It's the nature of an addiction. The more you eat, the more you want.  This is why you will almost never see me eating desert or junk --- I can't afford to ignite those cravings!

Using modern medical technology, Schroeder and his team at CC proved that Oreo Cookies (admit it ---- you can't eat just one yourself) actually activate a greater number of neurons that either cocaine or heroin / morphine.  Stop and re-read that sentence and let the magnitude of it sink in.  Here is the thing ---- you already knew this!  Otherwise, pushing away from the table, saying no to junk, LOSING WEIGHT AND GETTING IN GREAT SHAPE would be so simple that everyone would be jumping on the bandwagon.  Instead, if you count those who are SKINNY FAT, we are a society where nearly 4 of 5 adults are either OBESE OR OVERWEIGHT.  For those of you who have done everything but still can't lose the weight, be sure and take a look at THIS POST.

It was not too long ago that I reviewed one of Dr. David Seaman's articles (HERE).  Fabulous!  He recently wrote another article called, Dietary "Crackheads" and the Never-Ending Battle Against the Bulging Waistline.  Although the title sounds harsh, it is similar to a post I wrote back in January called, "ARE PROCESSED CARBOHYDRATES ADDICTIVE?.  Of course the answer to my rhetorical question is a resounding "yes".  But today I want to take a couple of minutes to share Dr. Seaman's viewpoint with you.  Not only is he a FUNCTIONAL NEUROLOGIST, he is one of the Chiropractic Profession's most well-known and respected authorities on INFLAMMATION and squelching it dietarily.

The thing to understand is that Dr. Seaman's article is not written from a condescending point of view --- a view that would say since you are addicted to sugar, he is better than you.  It is written from the viewpoint of someone who has learned what it takes to crush the cravings that plague those of us with sugar addictions (his junk of choice was candy corn, Snickers bars, marzipan, Twinkies, cinnamon toast, donuts, ice cream and Whoppers from Burger King).  I get what he is saying because in this regard, I am him.  That's right; my name is Russ and I am a sugarholic.  I can relate to Dr. David because if I let myself, I could easily fall right back into the cycle of sugar addiction / craving / sugar addiction / craving / repeat ad infinitum (HERE).  And all of you who have ever spun around in circles on this crazy cycle know how hard it can be to get off of it ---- and how easy it can be to climb right back on and start spinning again.  Seaman's says that....

I could not have said it better.  In fact, in past posts I have spoken extensively how "Dietary Crackheads" cannot do "moderation".  It is an unfathomable concept to us.  As long as I am carefully CONTROLLING MY BLOOD SUGAR, I am good --- no cravings and life is peachy.  But give me one single donut, and I turn into a stark raving lunatic.   I could easily wolf down a dozen before I realize that I feel sick.  Dr. David goes on to say that there area several potential reasons that can cause us to indulge our inner "Crack Head".....

In other words, if you want to squash the craving, you will have to find something to substitute for the sugar (DON'T SUB THIS).  I agree with his assessment above.  Physical work is a good way to dampen cravings. Hitting the gym is also a great method of countering cravings.  High intensity WEIGHT LIFTING & CROSS-TRAINING does it for me.  And here is the really cool thing about these cravings ---- if you can do what it takes to get off sugar and starch for a week or ten days, you'll lose them.  And how would Dr. Seaman's have you determine your level of addiction or "Crack Headedness"?

Junk carbs (fast-burning carbs) provide the user a cocaine-like rush (HERE).  In fact, the question we need to be asking is not whether or not carbs are addictive, but how addictive are they?  For many of us, particularly women, processed carbs are the straw that stirs the drink.  Today we are going to address the ins and outs of this issue as well as the various things you can do to break the cycle of addiction; craving carbs -----> carb binge ------> carbohydrate high (jacked up blood sugar and adrenal response) ------> carbohydrate low / crash (blood sugar bottoms out) -----> depression ------> craving carbs -------> repeat ad infinitum.  Throw in numerous related disease processes along the way (OBESITY, ADRENAL FATIGUE, DIABETES, Heart Disease, CANCER, etc, etc), and you'll soon agree that over-consuming sugar and JUNK CARBS is the major driver of ill health in America.

How addictive are these foods?  For a significant portion of the American population, junk carbs are more addictive than cocaine.  A 2007 French study that we will mention again (University of Bordeaux) showed that when given a choice, rats chose sugar over Cocaine.   Follow along as I show you many similar studies, as well as the effects that unbridled carb consumption has on neurotransmitters and brain function in relationship to addiction.

Research from New Zealand says that carbs might be as addictive as cigarettes.  Dr. Simon Thornily, whose team worked out of the Auckland Regional Public Health Service and was published in the medical journal Medical Hypotheses, had this to say, "Heavily processed carbohydrates such as cornflakes, sweets and croissants quickly raise the amount of sugar in your blood.  This rush of sugar stimulates the same areas of the brain that are involved with addiction to nicotine and other drugs."

Dr. Nicole Avena is a research neuroscientist and expert in the fields of NUTRITION, diet, and food addictions.   Her Ph.D. in Neuroscience and Psychology is from Princeton University, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in molecular biology at The Rockefeller University in New York City.  In other words, she is a smart cookie.  Dr. Avena says that rats exposed to lots of sugar makes them exhibit the kind of behavior commonly seen in drug junkies ----- withdrawal, depression, anxiety, binges, cravings, altered personality, etc.  This is because sugar stimulates the body to make Dopamine (a "feel good" neurotransmitter that affects the part of the brain related pleasure ----- the same part of the brain that coke and meth both stimulate).  Shortly, we will delve deeper into this premise that processed carbs and grain-based junk food are not really that different from some of the more common street drugs as far as their effects on the brain are concerned.

But from as long as I can remember, dietary fat was the Great Satan --- the derailer of health that could ruin your heart while making you fat.  Not carbs.  Carbs were good good clean fuel.  In fact, I was taught that dietary fat is the only thing that could make you fat.  But the truth is, we could live our whole lives and never eat any carbohydrates.  Think about it this way; there are Essential Fatty Acids and Essential Amino Acids (the building blocks of proteins).  There are no Essential Carbohydrates other than glucose --- a sugar that our body can readily / easily manufacture from both fats or proteins (think of the Eskimos here --- or VILHJALMUR STEFANSSON).  In fact, there is a growing number of scientists who believe that we should be seriously restricting non-vegetation-based carbs.  This stands to reason with all the research coming out on the topic, including this quip from from a 2010 issue of JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) telling us that, "[carbohydrates are] a nutrient for which humans have no absolute requirement".  The study was headed by a renowned Endocrinologist at Harvard University.

Most of us were taught that a person’s weight is the result of food intake compared to their energy expenditure. I will have a blog post up within the week showing that this is simply not true.  It is stupefying that we still have a medical community preaching a dietary message that was popular when I was in school --- that you should reduce both dietary fat intake and total calories if you want to lose weight  (along with incorporation some sort of cardo-based exercise program).  This is what I was taught in school and what I believed (Kansas State University's Nutrition / Exercise Physiology program).  The truth is, however, that obesity is a function of what you eat, far more than it is a function of how much you eat. Too many carbs will not only make you fat, they are maximally addictive.  You don't believe me?  Even city folk know that the best way to fatten a beef is with grain / corn.   So, what is our government (USDA) doing with this tidbit of common sense information?  Of course, they are telling us to eat even more processed carbs.  Still don't believe me?  Look at their Food Pyramid

Although there are many problems with this Pyramid, the most glaring has to do with carbs.  Just think in terms of cattle here, if you are eating 6-11 servings of grains a day, you will not only have problems with your weight, you are likely to struggle with AUTOIMMUNITY as well.  That's right; one of the biggest factors in our national epidemic of Autoimmune Diseases (between 25 - 50% of the American population has one or more) has to do with the body's reactivity to our 'new' grains --- grains that have been seriously tinkered with genetically (HERE).   Autoimmunity is literally taking over our country, and is being tied directly to grains (GLUTEN) by study after scientific study.  Oh, and isn't it special that in their scientific brilliance, they are categorizing potatoes as vegetables.  And in the same way that Dr. Joel Fuhrman makes unscientific comparisons (red meat to sugar) on his Food Pyramid, the USDA is doing something similar.  They are comparing all dietary fats to sugar.

USDA guidelines say, "Sugars and starches provide energy to the body in the form of glucose, which is the only source of energy for red blood cells and is the preferred energy source for the brain".  This is a completely true statement.  But it is a half truth.  While it is true that the brain has to have fuel in the form of glucose (a simple carbohydrate), this glucose can be easily manufactured by the body from both fats and proteins.  It can even come from vegetables (remember that corn is a grain, not a vegetable).

As crazy as it sounds, the diet above is still being promoted by both ADA's (American Dietetic Association & American Diabetic Association) as well as the AMA (American Medical Association).  Their official recommendation is to get about 55% of our caloric intake in the form of carbs (grains, potatoes, pasta, cereal, breads, etc).  We are told to decrease protein (they claim it is harmful to the kidneys), decrease fat (they claim it makes you fat and causes heart disease), and eat a minimum of 130 grams of carbs / day (I am not making this up).  And although this thought process is starting to change, I cannot tell you how many diabetics, pre-diabetics, or folks with Metabolic Syndrome have been told to eat more carbs and keep fat intake to a minimum if they have any hope of turning their health around.  Even Dr. Oz has promoted (and continues to promote) this sort of thinking on some level (HERE).

Part of the problem with this dietary conundrum is that although we may all be using the same language, we are probably talking about very different things.  What do I mean by this?  Technically speaking, green leafy vegetables are carbohydrates.  But so is white toast with cinnamon and sugar on top.  Is there a difference? Darn straight there is!  The same is true when we talk about proteins and fats.  Is your dairy raw organic, or is it pasteurized, homogenized, fat-free, and loaded with antibiotics and growth hormones?  Is your fish, wild, cold-water fish or was it farm raised in warm waters (only wild fish has high levels of EPA & DHA)?  Do the eggs you eat come from free-range hens, or were they laid in a commercial egg farm by chickens that were fed grain?  And what about your meat?  Is it grass fed and organically raised (or wild, i.e. venison)?  Or did it come from a feed lot where it is fed grain along with antibiotics, GROWTH HORMONES, and heaven only knows what else?  The bottom line is that the more processed your food source, the worse it's going to be for you, the more reactive it is likely to be, and it is much more likely to be addictive as well.  Just understand when I use the term "carbs" in this post, I am speaking of High Glycemic Index carbs --- or carbs that are rapidly converted to blood sugar (Glucose).

Like any addiction (tobacco, alcohol, coke, meth, or................. junk food ---- it all comes wrapped in the same ugly package.   There are intense cravings that cause obsessive thoughts if one does not get their fix, and withdrawal symptoms if you try to quit.    Earlier in the post I showed you the cycle of a carb addiction.  I left a simple quiz to see if you have a problem with processed carbs.   Just follow along and answer honestly.  Be aware that this is not a test that you need to score.  Take the test, and in the words of Obi Wan Kenobi, "search your heart".  The truth is, if you are addicted to carbs, you already have a pretty good idea that this is the case.

The first question I would ask you, is whether or not you are overweight?  You see, carb addicts tend to eat not only mass quantities of carbs, but mass quantities of food in general.  This is because eating sugar or starchy carbs causes insulin to be dumped into your blood stream in increasingly large amounts.  This triggers a desire to eat still more food, creating a vicious cycle. Just like the example of fattening a beef; when you eat copious amounts of carbohydrates, you will jack your insulin levels higher and higher.  Because insulin is a storage hormone, sooner or later you will gain weight if you continue to eat lots of High Glycemic Index carbs (HERE) .  As people over-consume carbs, their energy levels fall and they gain weight.  If you are on this crazy train, there is an almost certainty that you are addicted to carbs.  Let's look at a few others.

• Do you have to start your day with carbs such as bagels, waffles, pancakes, French toast, cereal, toast, syrup, honey, sugar, etc?

• Do you get hungry before lunch time even though you ate a big breakfast?

• Are you hungry shortly after eating a meal ---- even a large meal?

• Do you always seem to be hungry no matter how much food you consume?

• Are you unable to give up carbs?

• Are you unable to even cut back on carbs?

• Do you have withdrawal symptoms (headaches, irritability, anxiety, mood swings, depression) if you attempt to go off carbs?

• Do you get tired easily?

• Do you feel foggy in the afternoon?

• Do you find yourself searching for a sugary or starchy snack in the afternoon?

• Do you find yourself unable to stop once you start eating your favorite carbs?

• Do you use food to fill an emotional need?

• When stressed, is your first response wanting to eat junk carbs?

• Do you fantasize about carbs or sugar?

• Do you feel that you could never live without your favorite carbs?

• Do you frequently binge?

• Do you hide / stash junk food?

• Do you frequently crave high-carb foods or sugar?

• Are you a compulsive eater?

• Do you find yourself wishing you could control your eating?

• Do you find yourself eating carbs despite the fact you are not hungry?

• Do you frequently feel sluggish, bloated, or fatigued after carb binges?

• Do carbs always seem to be calling your name?

• Does your behavior and habits associated with the consumption of carbs cause you to feel personal pain and emotional distress?
• Do you find yourself going out of your way or spending money you really don't have just to get your sugar fix(es)?

• Does consuming carbs ever decrease your ability to function effectively on a day to day basis (work, daily routine, school, social activities, family life, sex, travel, etc)?

• Do you continue to consume junk carbs despite significant emotional and / or physical problems related to your eating?

• Do you try to reduce negative emotions or increase pleasurable feelings by consuming sugar or carbs?

• Do you find that carbs do not seem to produce the same feelings they used to --- or that it takes increasing amounts of carbs to get the same reactions / feelings that you used to get?

• Do you feel unsatisfied if your meal does not contain a large portion of starchy carbs or sugar?
• Do you feel a meal is incomplete without dessert?

• Are you frequently stimulated to eat by the sight, smell, or thought of carbs?

• Do you frequently find yourself eating carbs even though you are not hungry?

• Do you reward yourself with carbs?

• Do you consume carbs late at night --- or as a "midnight snack"?

• Have you tried and failed numerous diets?

• Would you be content to exist on fast food, snack food, junk food, and / or sugar and sweets?

• Do you find yourself frequently drinking large amounts of fruit juice, soda (diet is as bad as regular -- HERE), sports drinks, or energy drinks?

• Do you have blood relatives that are obese, have Diabetes, or are carb addicted themselves?

• Do you regularly "substitute" (HERE)?

One of the words that I repeatedly see used to describe what carbohydrate addiction does to one's metabolism is "hijack".  When you begin to understand how carbohydrate metabolism and addiction work in unison, you will realize that this word is quite appropriate.  As people overeat carbs, the insulin receptors in the body's cells become less effective / less sensitive (down-regulated).  The body releases more and more insulin to move sugar out of the bloodstream and into the cells where it will either be burned for energy or stored as fat.  As a person gets heavier and heavier (sometimes this getting heavier will not happen until later --- when the Endocrine System has completely given out), they actually crave the very thing that is making them this way ---- carbs.

But besides being the thing that causes the hormone insulin to be dumped into your system, carbs also cause the release of certain chemicals and neurotransmitters, namely Serotonin, Dopamine, and Endorphins. 

SEROTONIN & CARBS
HERE is something I wrote on this subject after the fact.  Serotonin (5-Hhydroxy-tryptamine or 5-HT) is made from the amino acid Tryptophan (in other words, L-Tryptophan is the main precursor to Serotonin).  90% of it is manufactured in the Gut (intestines).  Serotonin not only regulates bowel motility, it is responsible for regulating things like appetite (low levels can lead to either or both anorexia and bulimia) and sleep patterns.  It also functions in memory and learning.  But the most well-known thing it does is modulate mood --- it is known to be intimately related to feelings of well-being and happiness.  I have previously written about the relationship of Serotonin and DEPRESSION.

One thing that we know about levels of Serotonin is that they are jacked up by the consumption of carbs via increased levels of insulin (actually, sugar and simple carbs increase the absorption of Tryptophan in the Gut).  Because sugar raises Serotonin levels, and Serotonin is a 'feel-good' chemical, many people will feel driven to eat sugar or High Glycemic Index carbs to keep their Serotonin levels elevated.  Do you see an addictive pattern starting to form?  Just remember that your body cannot tolerate increased insulin levels for very long without paying an ugly price in the form of severe health problems like Diabetes, Obesity, and Heart Disease.  In fact, you might be shocked to learn that the peer-reviewed scientific literature is tying virtually every health problem you can imagine back to high blood sugar / high blood insulin.

One of the things that we are learning is that stress, whether emotional, psychological, physical, etc, leads the body to produce cortisol and adrenaline / epinephrine.  Besides causing increased amounts of belly fat, extended exposure to Cortisol will send one into a condition known as Adrenal Fatigue.  This is better known in America by it's other name --- Fibromyalgia.  Just remember that Cortisol has the ability to foul up the body's mechanism for manufacturing Serotonin.  This is why things like depression, insomnia, eating disorders, etc, are typically going to be treated by your doctor with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI's).  In case you did not know, there are lots of potential problems caused by taking this class of drug (see link two paragraphs previous).

In a nutshell, sugar increases Serotonin, and Serotonin alleviates both physical and emotional pain.  Unfortunately, life does not always go the way we think it should, and when things become stressful, many of us will turn to the quickest, easiest, pain reliever we can find --- one that does not require a doctor visit or prescription --- sugar / carbs.  Most of us will do almost anything to avoid pain.  Thus, for the person trapped in the addictive loop, the cycle is repeated over and over and over again ---- on a daily basis.  Furthermore, because the feedback loop that would normally tell people to stop consuming carbs and sugar is either downregulated or damaged (or both), people caught in this vicious cycle will often binge like there is no tomorrow.

DOPAMINE & CARBS
The other of the chief neurotranmsitters of the brain is called Dopamine.  Dopamine is produced in several areas of the brain (chiefly the Substantia Nigra and the Ventral Tegmental Area) and is heavily involved with reward-driven learning.  In fact, every single one of the body's "Reward-based Systems" (start thinking in terms of addiction here) increases Dopamine transmission in the brain.  This is true whether your "reward" is cocaine, methamphetamine, or bread.   Some of the specific functions of Dopamine in this regard would be things like

• Telling us when a reward is present or available.

• Motivating us to seek said reward.

• Motivating us to learn more about the reward.

• Makes us conscious of cues related to the reward.

Dopamine enables us not only to recognize rewards, but to take action steps and move toward them.  Recent research, including that by Drs. Kenny and Dagher last year, showed how the body's reward centers and Dopaminegic system can be taken over (could I say "hijacked here"?) by appetite-related / metabolism-related hormones that act in a virtually identical manner to street drugs like coke and meth.  For many people, carbs have become their culturally acceptable addiction. 

The hedonic properties of food can stimulate feeding behaviour even when energy requirements have been met, contributing to weight gain and obesity. Similarly, the hedonic effects of drugs of abuse can motivate their excessive intake, culminating in addiction. Common brain substrates regulate the hedonic properties of palatable food and addictive drugs, and recent reports suggest that excessive consumption of food or drugs of abuse induces similar neuroadaptive responses in brain reward circuitries. Here, we review evidence suggesting that obesity and drug addiction may share common molecular, cellular and systems-level mechanisms.    Dr. Paul Kenny's abstract from an article in the November 2011 issue of Nature Reviews Neuroscience called  Common Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms in Obesity and Drug Addiction. Kenny is a leader in the field, with a Ph.D is in Neuro-Psycho-Pharmacology.

When a carb addict is merely getting ready to chow down on carbs, approximately 9 of 10 neurons in the Ventral Tegmental System enter into an excited state.  They reach out and neurologically touch various parts of the brain that control things like pleasure (the nucleus acumbens), emotions (the amygdala / limbic system), and hippocampus (converts short term memories to long term).  In 2001, a team of researchers working for the National Institute on Drug Abuse showed that obese people had significantly fewer dopamine receoptors in the brain's reward centers than people of normal weight.  What does this mean?  It means that in order to get the same amount of 'satisfaction' from eating, obese people had to eat much more food.  Interestingly enough, the thing that caused the down-regulation of this particular system in the first place was the over-consumption of "highly palatable food" --- foods high in both sugar and fat.

And when 'full' subjects were shown videos of people enjoying their favorite foods (or were allowed to see and even smell their favorite foods --- but not eat them), a veritable tsunami of Dopamine was released by the brain.  Sort of sounds like the neurological version of Pavlov's Dog, doesn't it?  Here is a practical application to this finding.   In the same way that it would not be prudent for a recovering sex addict to spend time in strip clubs, it is important for recovering carb addicts not to bring junk in the house or go into places where junk is easily accessible --- something that can prove difficult to say the least. 

We've looked at how carb addictions develop in the Serotonergic System, but as far as the Dopaminergic System is concerned, addictions tend to develop like this.  A person is continually seeking their reward (carbs and the feelings associated with eating carbs).  Eating carbs (cashing in on the reward) causes large amounts of Dopamine to be dumped into the system.  When the neurological pathway involving the Ventral Tegmental Area and the Nucleus Acumbens is perpetually saturated with Dopamine, the body begins to down-regulate the system (a typical negative feedback loop not much different than the way a thermostat maintains the temperature of your house).  Just how severe is the down-regulation? Dr. Kelly showed us a decade ago that rats eating a diet of 'highly palatable food' (junk food) for only two weeks, decreased the amount of enkephalin (an endorphin-like natural pain killer) in the Nucleus Acumbens --- the same finding found in heroin addicts.   What does all of this mean?  In order to get the same amount of pleasure (reward), you must eat increasingly more junk. 

As you eat more junk and dump more Dopamine into the system, the Dopaminergic System shuts down even further (further down-regulation).  As you can see, overeating can become extreme as people attempt to capture those same "good feelings" that they used to get from eating carbs.  Research has shown that once a person reaches this point, not only do they feel trapped in this cycle, but they have to eat more and more food to experience that old feeling of reward and pleasure.  For the addict, it becomes almost impossible to stop once the first bite hits the mouth.  Hint: HERE is a way to stop.

This is why telling an addict in this condition that "all foods are OK in moderation" is sheer folly.  In the same way that the recovered alcoholic cannot sit in a bar and drink "or or two" beers, neither can the carb addict have even one bite of cake.  Think I'm over-reacting?  Just last year Dr. Serge Ahmed (he worked in the Neuropharmacology Department of The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla California with Dr. Paul Kenny) showed that when given the choice, lab animals prefer sugar to I.V. heroin or cocaine in 19 out of 20 cases.  Wow!    Research has shown us the extremes mammals will go to for that junk food fix.  When lab rats are given unlimited access to junk food, they will all but literally eat themselves to death.  They will...

• Walk across a surface that hits them with severe electrical shocks over and over.

• If they only have a limited time to eat, they will gorge themselves until the food is removed.

• After the junk food binges, the rats will curl up in a ball, wring their paws, and act extremely irritable and nervous.

• Without their regular "fix" of sugar they end up with the shakes.

• Rats on this diet developed a tolerance to sugar that led them to quadruple sugar consumption over the course of the diet's first week.

• Remove the sugar and the rats have withdrawal symptoms similar to those seen with hard drugs.

• Rats that were addicted to sugar were much more prone to consuming large amounts of meth, coke, or booze.

• Once the rats started the hard stuff, they were easily addicted when compared to normal rats.

AND THE KICKER.....

• If given the choice, cross-addicted rats (drugs / sugar) always chose sugar over the hard drugs.

• SYSTEMIC YEAST:  Women know all about yeast infections.  But what happens when yeast becomes blood-borne and settles in the digestive tract?  Just understand that Systemic Yeast is caused by ANTIBIOTIC USE, but fed by SUGAR / CARBS.  You had better understand GUT FLORA / DYSBIOSIS and PROBIOTICS if you have any real prayer of getting this monster under control. I have read authors who claim that the energy draw of yeast, bad bacteria, and parasites can be greater than that of one of your existing organ systems.  How does your body react to this heightened energy need?  It tells you to eat more sugar --- the food of choice for these nasty critters.
  

• HYPOGLYCEMIA:  This is related to blood sugar issues we have already talked about.  Oversimplified; the body likes as little fluctuation in blood sugar as possible.  When you eat sugar or foods that are quickly converted to blood sugar, your pancreas makes insulin.  The higher the spike in blood sugar, the more insulin it produces.   Insulin moves sugar out of the blood and into the cells.  Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar that is technically called "Reactive Hypoglycemia") occurs when the body 'reacts' to spiked blood sugar by making too much insulin.  This drives the blood sugar levels below base line, which is why high blood sugar and low blood sugar are actually two sides of the same coin; both precursors to Diabetes. More on HYPOGLYCEMIA.

 

• ADRENAL STRESS / ADRENAL FATIGUE / FIBROMYALGIA:  How many Americans do you know who are chronically tired?  For many of these people, eating sugar or High Glycemic Index carbs is the equivalent of a snort of speed.   Your adrenal glands are your stress glands.  They make your number one stress hormone --- Cortisol.  In normal amounts, Cortisol is fabulous stuff.  It is responsible for things like regulating sugar metabolism, blood pressure, and immune system function --- of which INFLAMMATION is part.  Cortisol also helps control memory functions as well as decreasing one's sensitivity to pain.  Under stressful situations, your body's Cortisol level rises.  Chronically high levels of Cortisol actually cause muscle tissue to be broken down for conversion to blood sugar (energy to fuel the fight or flight mechanism).  It then turns around and moves the unused sugar into the body's cells to be burned for energy or stored as fat.   The longer that high Cortisol levels continue, the greater the chances of high blood pressure, Type II Diabetes, various brain dysfunctions including atrophy of the hippocampus (where short term memory is converted to long term), anxiety, SYMPATHETIC DOMINANCE, depression, trouble sleeping, diminished healing capacity, and the tell-tale sign...... increased belly fat.  The increased belly fat aspect of Cortisol is heightened because fat cells in the belly have four times more cortisol receptors compared to fat cells elsewhere.  This means that your addiction is reinforcing itself in a vicious cycle.  You are essentially converting muscle into fat.  Oh, and one more thing.  Running is a known raiser of Cortisol.  This is why I recommend STRENGTH TRAINING OVER CARDIO almost 100% of the time. 

 

• INSULIN RESISTANCE:  INSULIN RESISTANCE is characterized by high levels of blood sugar and high levels of blood insulin circulating through your system at the same time.  When you dose out on carbs and jack your blood sugar, your body responds by flooding your blood with insulin. Your body immediately stops burning fat and begins storing fat (again, usually around the MID-SECTION).  And just like a drug addict that takes increasingly larger amounts of heroin / cocaine / methamphetamine / to get the same feelings of euphoria ('high') they used to get, it takes more and more insulin to do its normal job.  People's response is to eat even more sugar so that they can crank insulin levels even higher and drive some sugar into the cells.  As this feedback mechanism becomes more and more blunted (downregulated), the pancreas can no longer keep up with the body's demand for insulin and begins to fail (METABOLIC SYNDROME). These people have plenty of sugar in their blood, but their over-consumption of carbs / sugar has put them in a place where they can't move it into their cells.  As the cycle spins out of control, people feel as though they cannot satisfy their cravings for sugar.  Diabetes occurs as the whole thing collapses like a house of cards.  Even as people get fatter and fatter, they crave more carbs --- it's never enough to satisfy this broken cycle.  Be warned that increased belly fat (fat around the organs) creates far more health issues than fat deposits in other areas of the body.

 

We have already talked briefly about the body's opioidergic system.  Whether it comes from external sources or is produced internally, people love having their opioidergic system stimulated.  Certain chemical substances (opiates or opioids) can excite opiate receptors creating a sense of Euphoria (mental or emotional contentment, happiness, elation, etc). 

Some of the day-to-day things that can bring on this feeling of euphoria for brief amounts of time are exercise ('runner's high'), sex / orgasm, athletic triumph, good news, etc.  The high is caused by the release of something called 'endorphins' (endogenous morphine).  The term 'endogenous' means that the opiates come from inside the body.  Certain drugs like Cocaine or Methamphetamine (exorphins ---- exogenous morphine-like chemicals that come from outside the body) have the ability to modulate opiate receptors for much longer periods of time.  Although no one gets a "Carbohydrate High" for hours on end like users get from meth, it will typically last longer than an orgasm.  As you have seen, this leads to the potential for addiction.  Enter Glutomorphin.

When GLUTEN (wheat protein) is broken down by the body, some of the partially digested gluten fragments have the ability to act like and bind to opiate receptors due to their morphine-like shape.  These are called Glutomorphins ---- Gluten Morphines (Glutomorphin is one of the GLUTEN CROSS REACTORS).  As crazy as it sounds, two of the most-studied food-based exorphins are Glutomorphin and Gliadomorphin (Gliadin is a wheat protein that is part of the Gluten molecule).  Is this brand new information?  Not even close.  Clear back in the April 1979 issue of The Journal of Biological Chemistry, we were told about the stringent criteria that must be met for these wheat-based exorphins to find their way into the blood stream, in a study called Opioid Peptides Derived from Food Proteins........

• Wheat Exorphins must appear in the digestive tract after eating them and during digestion.

• Wheat Exorphins must survive the initial assault by digestive by enzymes attempting to break them down into individual amino acids.

• Wheat Exorphins must be absorbed into the bloodstream – whole or intact.
  

•  Wheat Exorphins must then cross the blood-brain barrier.

We know that these criteria are met in people with Celiac Disease.  But incidence of Celiac Disease here in America is thought to be about 1 in every 100 persons.  Although estimations of Gluten Sensitivity vary wildly, let's conservatively estimate it at ten times that rate, or 1 in every 10 people (some estimations are as high as 1 in 2).   But how is wheat protein (Gluten, Glutenin, Gliadin) getting out of the digestive tract, into the blood stream, and then past the blood brain barrier unmolested?  Enter the "Leaky" family ---- Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain, Leaky Lung, and their nasty relatives.

Because it is by far the most common of the "Leakys", we will address LEAKY GUT SYNDROME first (when doing your own research, it is critical to remember that Leaky Gut Syndrome goes by the name Increased Intestinal Permeability within the medical community and has been the subject of nearly 10,000 scientific studies over the past two decades).  Leaky Gut Syndrome is driven by Inflammation, and is the FOUNDATION OF MOST EXISTING DISEASE PROCESSES.  In a nutshell, Inflammation causes the 'tight' junctions between cells in the small intestine to become 'loose'.  This creates larger openings than should be present, allowing bigger particles to get through into the bloodstream --- particles like undigested or partially digested wheat proteins among many other things.  The real kick in the teeth is that the very same thing can happen in the brain with the blood-brain barrier.  Furthermore, we see the same thing occurring with other food-based proteins as well.  Milk, for instance, gives us Casomorphin (Casien Morphine --- Casien is milk protein).

Wheat also happens to contain high levels of the amino acid Glutamine.  Glutamine / Glutamate acts as a stimulant in the body.  It is an Excitotoxin in the same vein as MSG (Monosodium Glutamate). WGA (Wheat Germ Agglutinin) acts in the same manner.  The ramped up energy, blood sugar, neurotransmitters, and exorphins from wheat, provides addicted people the "boost" they are looking for.  But think about the irony of this situation.  The very food that is making them sick, happens to be the focus of their addiction.  It would behoove all of us to learn more about Inflammation and what it takes to keep "THE LEAKIES" out of our lives!

Dr. Oz says to start the process of breaking your carb addiction by getting rid of all the junk carbs in your kitchen (his definition of what constitutes a junk carb is somewhat different than mine), and then loading up on specific fats (olive oil, avocados, nuts, salmon or other fatty fish, or flax seeds).  So far, so good.  I would add animal fat to the mix (red meat, chicken, eggs, etc) as long as the source is "clean" (organically raised, or wild).  Dr. Oz believes that this process will take 28 days.  He does not believe in going cold turkey.  I totally, 100% disagree with him on this point.  By utilizing the "cold turkey" method, I believe you can break the worst of a sugar / carb addiction in about half that time --- maybe less.

The "everything is OK in moderation" line that many of today's experts are trying to sell us is the equivalent of selling us down the river.  Remember my earlier point about sex addicts and strip clubs?  The truth is, when it comes to breaking carb addictions (notice that the word here is "addictions"), this diet issue is more black and white than many of you have been led to believe.  If you read the section on Neurotransmitters and Endogenous Morphine, hopefully you are beginning to understand the physiological / neurological consequences of carbs on the carb addict.  I believe that it is absolutely imperative that you not ratchet up your craving for carbs ---- particularly while trying to break the addiction.  For many of us (yeah; I hate to admit it, but self included), carbs are drugs.  It's really fairly simple to understand.  Drug addicts can't dabble with drugs.  Sugar addicts can't dabble with carbs.   Period --- end of story.  If you stay away from them you no longer want them.  But what about a Cheat Day?

I tried to do the "Cheat Day" thing in the past.  It's something that Tim Ferris promotes in his book Four Hour Body.  I have found that it really doesn't work for me ---- particularly doing it one day a week like he suggests. Some of you can get away with it.  After all; everyone is unique.  However, you better know yourself pretty well if you are going to cheat.  Many of you already realize that a Cheat Day will mess you up for days --- or maybe weeks.  If that is the case, why go there?  The really cool thing about defeating a carb addiction with the 'Cold Turkey' method is that most of you will have your addiction under control in about a week or so.  Bottom line, for many of you, the only way to successfully defeat the carb monster is to get totally off of them.  Try and dabble and you'll rekindle a raging fire.  Remember that when Ferris was addressing the topic of Cheat Days in his book, his focus was on people with weight problems and not addiction(s).

• SIT DOWN AND CREATE A WRITTEN PLAN:  When you build a house, what is the first thing you do?  You make a set of plans.  Without good plans, anything can happen.  Without a firm plan of action, you are committing / resigning yourself to failure.

 

• DON'T DABBLE WITH THE BEAST:  I just mentioned this one but I'll repeat myself.  The research says that carb-addicted people will have addictive reactions to the smell, sight, or even thought of sugar and carbs.   Don't think for a minute that just one little tiny bite of cake won't rekindle an inferno. Grab the tiger by the tail and you'll soon be staring into its eyes.

 

• GET RID OF THE JUNK IN YOUR HOUSE:  If you were a recovering crack head, you would hopefully realize that hanging out in a crack house might not be in your best interest.  In the same line of thinking, someone who is serious about quitting smoking would surely not keep cigarettes laying around the house would they?  Take the cue and get the crap out of your house.  Clear the fridge, the freezer, the pantry, and yes, your secret stashes. No, do not keep it on hand to feed to company. 

 

• DON'T THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO "CALORIES", ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS ARE OK:  These bad boys have a multitude of problems associated with them.  They lead to sugar cravings and even though they have no calories, they spike insulin just like sugar does.  Studies have shown that people who drink diet soda actually gain more weight than those drinking regular soda.  If you fail to understand this, these sweeteners will sabotage you.

 

• GET THE WHOLE FAMILY IN ON THE ACT:  How are you planning on radically changing the way you eat without some degree of concession, cooperation, and understanding from your family?  Why wait until your kids have the outward trappings of carb / Gluten addiction before you start to make changes?  Educate your family and proceed.  They might gritch a little at first, but they will love you for it later.

 

• DON'T REWARD YOURSELF OR YOUR CHILDREN WITH SUGAR OR CARBS:  I want you to notice one of the words in the title to this bullet point; "Reward".  If you were paying attention to this post, you realize that Dopamine runs your brain's Reward Center.  Neurologically reinforcing (training) anyone that carbs are a reward is a slippery slope.  Fail to heed this advice and you can end up with FAT CHILDREN or worse.  Specialists are seeing a rash of diseases (Heart Disease, High Cholesterol, Diabetes, etc) in children that were previously only seen in adults.

 

• EAT BREAKFAST AND MAKE SURE IT'S THE RIGHT KIND:  The average American breakfast consists of things like donuts, cinnamon rolls, pancakes, waffles, syrup, cereal, sugar, toast, etc....  You get the picture.  What do all these things have in common?  Carb city!  Eating a veggie omelet would be a great way to start your day. If you are pressed for time, make sure you have all of the ingredients mixed up in a sealed bowl in the fridge for the next morning.   If you are really pressed for time, you could eat an apple and a glass of GREENS & SP COMPLETE.

 

• DO NOT LET HYPOGLYCEMIA RARE ITS UGLY HEAD:  This is fairly simple.  Make sure to snack on small amounts of protein throughout the day so as not to let your blood sugar levels yo yo all over the place.  When you spike your blood sugar, you are going to see a corresponding inverted spike (valley) a short time later.  As insulin does its job and brings your blood sugar down, it often overshoots its mark and drives your blood sugar below where it should be.  As I have shown earlier, this triggers sugar cravings.

 

• DRINK MORE WATER: If you are drinking anything other than maybe some green or black tea (or maybe a cup of real coffee), stop.  This is not difficult to understand.  Your body needs water.  It's even better if you drink the sort of water that spares your metabolic center (Thyroid) HERE.  Be aware that coffee is one of the most common Gluten Cross Reactors.

 

• LEARN HOW TO BREATHE CORRECTLY:  Most of us are very shallow breathers.  Learning how to deep breathe takes almost no time and dramatically improves brain function.  And in case you have not noticed, addictions take place in the brain.

 

• START CALMING YOUR SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM:  You have two different nervous systems.  The Parasympathetic System (relaxation, digestion, and contentedness) and the Sympathetic System (fight or flight, high tension, stress).  Most Americans live in a state of perpetual SYMPATHETIC DOMINANCE.  Find out why.

 

• HAVE MORE SEX:  Have you seen the research about the effects of sex on Dopamine and Serotonin levels?  Neither have I, but it sure sounds like a great excuse to have more sex.  All kidding aside, sex does increase neurotransmitters as well as providing a boost of endorphins.  Orgasm creates a short-lived Dopamine brainstorm.

 

• CLEANSE AND DETOX:  This could be any number of things.  I am particular to the Master's Cleanse.  You could get out your Champion Juicer and do nothing but fresh, raw, organic vegetable juices for a week.  There are all sorts of ways to cleanse, but you really need to understand the importance of BOWEL HEALTH as far as overall health is concerned. 

 

• CERTAIN SUPPLEMENTS CAN BE BENEFICIAL:  I have already mentioned some of these by name, but the amino acid L-Tryptophan & 5HTP are both precursors of Serotonin, and certain co-factors such as Vitamin B6, vitamin C, Folic Acid and magnesium are needed to complete the conversion process.  As far as Dopamine is concerned, it is called Dop-amine for a reason ---- amino acids.  Your best bet for increasing Dopamine levels is to consume plenty of high quality animal protein.

 

• TAKE A QUALITY PROBIOTIC:  If you have been a sugar addict for very long, you almost certainly have some degree of Yeast taking up residence in your bowel.  Once you have done a cleanse, restore your good bacteria by taking a broad-spectrum probiotic (HERE).

 

• MAKE SURE TO GET PLENTY OF HIGH QUALITY OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS IN YOUR DIET:  Notice I used the word "quality" here.  Do not think that the fish oil you buy at Aldi's for $2.99 is going to fill the bill.  You can get Omega Threes from certain vegetables, grass fed beef, venison, free range chickens or their eggs, and even raw milk.  The truth is, though, most of us are going to have to take a high quality FISH OIL SUPPLEMENT if we want to have any hope of getting the amount that our body requires.  Omega-3's form approximately 3/5 of the brain's fat-based cell structure.  Studies have even shown that diets low in Omega-3's lead to 20% fewer Dopamine Receptors in the part of the brain most associated with impulsivity, as well as increasing Serotonin Receptor activation.  And if you have not seen the scientific studies on Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil and its ability to squelch anxiety, anger, depression, etc, you need to click on the link.

 

• EXERCISE AND MOVE ON A REGULAR BASIS:  I am not telling you to go out and do absurdly difficult workouts or exercise for hours on end.  I am telling you that if you look at the research on carb addiction and addiction in general, you see that exercise is an extremely important component of breaking them.  It leads to better brain function and reverses brain atrophy.  It lessens the symptoms of withdrawal and it directly regenerates Dopamine Receptors.  As always do your own research.  HERE is a good place to start.  Exercising outside can provide additional benefit because bright sunlight has been shown to increase both Dopamine and Serotonin.

 

• DON'T CHEAT:  I have already covered this one, but at least during the initial phase of your battle against carb addiction, don't tempt fate by cheating (HERE).  Yes, you might hurt someone's feelings (the neighbor lady who invited you over for pie and ice cream).  Just ask yourself if eating that plate of lasagna is worth fighting the days of cravings it will stimulate. 

 

• DON'T FOOL YOURSELF WITH FOOD SUBSTITUTION GAMES:  This is the game where people fool themselves that they are doing good because they gave up their six-sodas-a-day habit.  What they are not telling you is that they replaced it with "healthy" drinks like Gatorade or orange juice.  There are about a jillion other examples of this (HERE).

 

• DON'T BE AFRAID OF CONSUMING FATS:  Depending on what you have heard and how brainwashed you are, you may have to sit here and repeat to yourself, "not all fats are bad, not all fats are bad".   There are some fats that are deadly (TRANS FATS).  Avoid them like the plague.  But a fat free diet or nearly fat free will doom you to failure.   Dietary fat is going to help keep you feeling full and squelch your cravings for carbs. 

 

• YOU NEED TO BE EATING A LOW CARB DIET:  In case you have not figured it out yet, carbs can really mess with your metabolism.  They are what drives the Endocrine System's fat-storage machinery.  If you have any AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES (they tend to travel in groups) or unexplained health problems, you should seriously consider going PALEO as well.  

 

• EAT WHOLE FOODS:  Make sure that the foods you are eating are "clean".  For more information, visit our WHOLE FOODS PAGE. 

 

• UNDERSTAND THE GLYCEMIC INDEX AND THE CONCEPT OF GLYCEMIC LOAD:  Simply stated, different carbs are broken down to glucose at various rates.  Things that break down rapidly (white potatoes, popcorn, pancakes, bread, sweets, etc) cause a sharp spike in blood sugar that leads to a sharp spike in insulin.  If you have been following along thus far, you realize that you want neither.  You want to eat carbohydrates with a low Glycemic Load (apples, grapefruit, green leafy vegetables). 

 

• GET AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER:  Every year, just after Thanksgiving, I start having visions of eggnog.  This year, my buddy Rick and I created THE HOLIDAY CHALLENGE (which, by the way, is coming to a close --- the post will be up in the next couple of weeks).  There is not a one of us who cannot benefit from someone holding our fingers to the fire.  Breaking your carb addiction with a friend is much easier than breaking it by yourself.  In our hi-tech computer age, your friend could live across the country.   Reminding each other how far you've come and how darned difficult it was breaking the addictive cycle may be just the motivation you need to stay on the straight and narrow. 

Understand that there are many others.  Make a plan and do your own research.  Kicking a carb addiction is never easy, but has many rewards.  You will look better, feel better, have more energy, and have far less health problems (present and future).

Who doesn't love the holidays?  You know; chestnuts roasting on an open fire.  Family and friends gathered together to share great times with holiday goodies.  In fact, it seems like during this time of the year there is one gathering after another to go to, and there are always lots of Holiday / Christmas Treats.  You always tell yourself that this year you're going to be better.  This year you're going to keep it under control.  You're going to stop at one or two cookies --- and maybe a glass or two of eggnog.  Unfortunately, this is easier said than done.  For far too many people, one taste of 'sweet' can release the ever-lurking SUGAR ADDICT in even the mildest mannered of persons; turning on the part of the brain that will do almost anything to get the next fix.  That's right; sugar is America's DRUG OF CHOICE.  And once the fire is lit, it can rapidly become an inferno that defies dousing --- destroying you and your health in the process. 

If you are one of the tens of millions of Americans suffering from FIBROMYALGIA or any one of the health-related Endocrine (hormonal) problems found on ENDOGUT, (DIABETES, OBESITY, THYROID, FEMALE PROBLEMS, etc, etc, etc), I would bet good money that you are a SUGAR / CARB ADDICT.  And if you are, the old Lays Potato Chip slogan "Betcha can't eat just one" almost certainly applies to you.  So you go through the holiday season telling yourself that the repeated binges and constant snacking are OK --- you'll pull it all together in a couple of months with a New Year's Resolution.  Of course 2013's resolution is going to look suspiciously similar to the resolution you broke earlier this year.  Almost identical to the one you broke the year before that, the year before that, and the year before that as well.  I think you get the picture.

I know that most of you are reading this because you are worried about your weight.  But for a moment, let's forget about weight.  Let's just talk about the ways that sugar can affect your health.  I'll make you a promise.  You pick out almost any disease that you can think of and I will show you multiple peer-reviewed scientific studies tying it to UNCONTROLLED BLOOD SUGAR (frequently associated with the consumption of processed grains).  When you really start digging into the research that has been coming out of the medical field for the past decade or so, it's downright scary, and goes way beyond DIABETES.  What may be even more scary is that most doctors are ignoring it.  Follow along as I take you on a trip to the past.

The massive over-consumption of sugar and processed grains has become AMERICA'S NUMBER ONE HEALTH PROBLEM.   Oh, I see --- you are unaware of this.  You have a doctor that is still telling you to avoid things like RED MEAT / ANIMAL FAT, SALT, eggs (CHOLESTEROL), and who-knows-what else if you want to LOSE WEIGHT and get healthy.   Sounds to me like your doctor needs to step into the 21st century (HERE)!   It's processed foods and junk carbs that are destroying the health of our country.   And there is abundant amounts of hard evidence to back this up (HERE).

Do not make the mistake that numerous people make in their youth (HERE).  You think that just because you are not gaining weight, you are getting away with your crappy eating habits.  In other words, you think that this Blog Post does not apply to you.  Sorry; it does not work that way.  Sooner or later you will pay the price.  The damage done by poor food choices is accumulative.  It adds up over time.  If you stand in a public place (or go to a high school reunion) and simply look around you, you'll quickly realize just how many people are paying that price already --- even many of those you think look healthy because they are SKINNY.  If you are having trouble understanding what I am trying to convey to you, simply go back and re-read the previous paragraph. 

Friends don't let friends drive drunk.  And friends don't stand idly by watching while those that they love and care about decimate themselves with the foods they choose to put in their mouth!  Find a friend you can trust --- someone who has the same desire to make changes that you do; and present them with a challenge.  I really don't care what the challenge is.  Maybe you want to actually lose weight over the holiday season (that's a toughie).  Maybe your goal is not to gain any weight this holiday season.  Maybe you want to be more consistent with your workouts.  Maybe you just need an accountability partner  Whatever it is, make it real.  Cement it.  I'll share with you one way to do this by telling you a story.

My best friend's name is Rick.  The first time I met Rick I was working at Camp Wood in the Kansas Flint Hills ---- about 2 miles from the house I grew up in.  I was 19, Rick was 17, and he had been invited by our camp's director to work the big Wrestling Camp.  The camp was actually being run by Oklahoma State and there were several All Americans and even a couple of National Champions there (the Smith Brothers --- need I say more).  Needless to say, the whole place was just oozing testosterone.

One afternoon Rick was helping teach a clinic, and I happened to stop by to watch even though I was not a wrestler myself.  At the time I was not overly impressed.  Even though Rick was supposed to be this stud wrestler, he was sort of scrawny and hollow chested and I was thinking to myself that I could take him.  Somehow, I was issued a challenge by someone to wrestle Rick, and although I had not wrestled since junior high, I figured that I could hold my own because besides being an athlete, I was seriously into powerlifting and was throwing around some heavy iron at the time (500 lb squats and deadlifts, and almost a 300 lb bench). 

My goal was to simply 'overpower' Rick (whom I am embarrassed to say I probably outweighed by 40 lbs) and use sheer force to control him.  Needless to say, he kicked my butt --- royally --- all over the mat.  In fact, he almost killed me.  I realized from about the first 10 seconds of our match that I was dramatically over-matched and outclassed.  And from that time forward we were best friends.  I later felt some degree of redemption as I watched Rick go on to become an undefeated State Champion (155 lbs) for the most legendary wrestling program in the state of Kansas (Emporia High) as well as being named the Kansas State High School Athletic Association's "Wrestler of the Year".  In fact, Rick was good enough to put himself through four years at SMS (Springfield, MO) via a wrestling scholarship. 

Rick eventually earned a masters degree in Experiential Education and worked for a few years at Cameron Boy's Camp before moving up to the Executive Director position of several large YMCA Camps, including Camp Wood, Camp Classen near Davis Oklahoma, and currently, at Camp Greenville (Pretty Place) in the mountains above Greenville, South Carolina.  Running these huge camps takes an incredible amount of time and energy --- early mornings and late nites --- oftentimes with a high level of stress involved.  It often leaves little time for family life, let alone exercise or making eating healthy.  Needless to say, year after year of this sort of lifestyle can take a toll.  We were discussing this the other day when Rick lamented how addictive sugar is.  I concurred and issued him a challenge, letting him set the rules and prizes.  The loser makes a $100 donation to the charity of the winner's choosing, in the winner's name.  You may want to start exercising you writing muscles Rick!

On the first weekend of January, just days before my Cats play for the National Championship (crossed fingers), we are going to throw some pics up on my website.  As I have told my readers previously, pictures don't lie (I already told Rick not to try Photoshopping his head onto Arnold's body).  Since we cannot really do a long distance Cross Fit head-to-head challenge, pictures will have to do.  Whomever he chooses will judge the results (the pics will be on a password-only page).  Rick wrote me the other day to say that his "level of motivation could not be higher".  We'll see pal.  Lock and load baby because I'm rising to the challenge!  I refuse to be stopped --- not even by Christmas Cheesecake. 

Seriously; it all boils down to what you really want out of life.  Is a two month 'Holiday Goodies' binge more satisfying than staying fit and healthy?  That's a question you'll have to decide for yourself.  I would assume that most of you would verbally answer "no".  The problem is that too many of you are saying "yes" by your actions.   Help two people out this holiday season --- yourself and the person you challenge!  And have some fun with it along the way.  Passing up Eggnog Cheesecake is never easy.  But the rewards are worth it.

It's December 29th, 2014 and I just wanted to let you know how awesome this challenge has been for all of us.  Although I feel like I am in better shape than I have been in years, both Rick and Kate (his wife) have blown me away with their results.  HERE and HERE are their stories respectively.