Beating sugar blues

It8217;s a cause for concern the way a number of people get addicted to sugar and its products 8212; so much that all thoughts of obesity and spoilt teeth also can8217;t dissuade them from consuming it. Comments dietitian H.S. John, 8220;You cannot make an animal eat after it is satiated. But man even when full will eat more when offered an ice-cream, pudding or any other gastronomic delight.8221;

The result 8212; the size of the stomach increases, the innate instinct to stop eating gradually weakens and a person begins to live to eat rather than eat to live. Of course there are certain other factors like smell, taste, cultural and social setting, time of the day, overcoming blues et al which also influence our eating pattern.

Eating 40-50 grams of sugar a day is considered normal, but if the intake exceeds this limit, you are sure looking for trouble. Increased caloric intake results in storage of calories as adipose tissues. People who have more fat cells tend to become obese leading to many heart and liver problems. Not only that, this addiction begins to affect their life in many ways, from eating pattern to bouts of depression when one does to consume the given amount of sugar, a condition also known as sugar blues.

Reflects Rahul Aagarwal who often has sugar blues, 8220;I think it started from my childhood. My father used to reward me with a milk chocolate every time I got the highest marks in the class. Slowly I got addicted to it and hence started this insatiable craving.8221;

Nutritionist R.K. Jain estimates that sugar craving is a vicious cycle. Our blood sugar rises rapidly every time we take a dose of sugar. This results in an increased production of insulin as our body tries to compensate for this overdose. Increase in insulin forces the blood sugar levels to plummet 8212; resulting in another sugar attack.

Figures out Sandeep Fidwani, an avid sweet gourmand, 8220;That I am suffering from sugar fixation is hardly surprising. My father owns three sweet shops. What more? The dietary pattern of my family is such that it lays an over emphasis on sweets.8221;

There are still others like Sonia Verma who take to sweets as an emotional support. 8220;When ever I feel lone or dejected I take to sweets. It makes me feel cheerful.8221;

Similar sentiments are echoed by Amit Sharma,8220;Whenever I had a fight with my friends, I used to present them with chocolate bars to soothe the ruffled feelings instead of saying a sorry. They too would do the same. Gradually it became a practise with us and we became chocolate addicts.8221; Well, that is typically the case, what starts out Doctor N.P. Singh explains that overloading on sweets can result in vitamin deficiency and may lead to obesity. This would make a person prone to hypertension, diabetes mellitus, heart attack, strokes and obesity of weight-hearing joints etc.quot;

So what is it that makes us more sugar prone? Psychologists attribute it to an unstable family life, feeling of loneliness, rejection, dejection and boredom which are often translated by people into finding gratification from sweet consumption.

So what should one do to avert this problem? 8220;The best way out is to keep the blood sugar fairly even,8221; suggests doctor R.S. Sidhu and this can be easily done by eating nutritious food like whole grains and fresh vegetables. Eating anti-sugar snacks like salads, fruits, boiled eggs, nuts, popcorns, and fish also helps reduce sugar craving.

Substituting artificial sweeteners is yet-another alternative but it should be used moderately. Processed foods and beverages are high in sugar content. So they should be kept at bay.

So the next time you are standing in front of the refrigerator, trying to reach out for the sweet box or the tempting chocolate bar, think again! For nibbling down just one chocolate bar may mean that your actually taking 41-51 per cent plain sugar.