Category Archives: Uncategorized

A person I read on another blog suggested to another reader that if she was struggling with cravings to test her blood glucose/sugar (BG) at that point, and chart what was happening. Her suggestion was based on the fact that many people can be hypoglycemic and unaware of it unless they do regular testing.

A blood glucose meter can be purchased at any drugstore or online very reasonably, and I found that it has been very helpful to me the last few years to make sure I don’t get diabetic. Increased BG is the first sign that a person is heading into dangerous diabetic territory.

This home testing is how I found I had reactive hyploglycemia, and many people, probably all of those who struggle with cravings, are experiencing the rapid rise, then equally rapid fall of blood glucose; that’s really the definition of a craving. If blood sugar stays pretty level, then you won’t get cravings.

For some good information on how to test both fasting blood glucose and determine what your norms are, go to http://www.bloodsugar101.com/.

The first rule of getting control of sugar-starch-artificial sweeteners is to know what triggers are causing the problems, and regular BG testing is the best and easiest way to find out.

Yours in learning,

Nan aka Sugarbaby

I came across the following about how to move towards creating new habits to replace our old, unhealthy habits. I’m always willing to try something new or different if it will help me get to my goals.

Source: http://www.ultimatehealthliving.com/creating-healthy-habits/

In his research on Psycho-Cybernetics, Dr. Malz established that it takes approximately 21 days of consistent application to change a habit. This time-frame allows for our brains to create new memory traces and for the information to become etched in your brain. With focus, determination, and approximately 3 weeks you can start turning your good intentions into life-long actions.

Irrespective of your habits, the following tips can help you to maximize your investment in yourself:

• Determine your goals before inviting feedback from others. Being clear of our personal direction minimizes the pressure of committing to another person’s vision of your life.

• Start slowly. Some of our habits have been nurtured over a lifetime and expecting everything to change overnight can be an exercise in futility.

• Use visual cues. Start with a list of the benefits or desired outcomes you envision when you successfully establish the habit. Post this list somewhere visible as a reminder of your commitment to yourself.

• Free your space. Rid your home, office and other areas of any poor-habit supporting items. For example, remove cigarettes and ashtrays if you are trying to stop smoking or remove junk food from your cupboards if the goal is to eat healthier. Minimizing temptation bolsters the energy we need to avoid automatically returning to old habits.

• Call in the pros. Trying to successfully incorporate healthy habits in our lives sometimes requires the support of a professional. This could mean inviting feedback from a professional organizer to help with organization challenges, working with an advisor to establish sustainable financial habits or joining a team of like-minded individuals.

• Celebrate the “small wins” and the “big steps”. Recognizing progress at different stages helps us to acknowledge and enjoy the process of change while remaining on task to accomplish our habit goals.

Yours in working towards a better self,

Nan aka Sugarbaby

When avoiding foods that cause us problems we sometimes don’t eat enough or often enough. I used to get into trouble with this all the time. I would be so busy all day long that I wouldn’t stop to eat, but when I did get around to eating, I ate way too much, and my resistance to sugary/starchy junk was very low.

New studies have shown that resistance is indeed much lower and our ability to exercise control or will power or avoid the sugars is lessened. (For more on will power or self control see: http://www.thepsychologist.org.uk/archive/archive_home.cfm?volumeID=25&editionID=210&ArticleID=1997)

I’m now trying to make a point of eating a little something, like a half ounce of cheese or some nut butter on a piece of fiber dense cracker-bread, and the like, to keep my hunger in check while I try to limit my caloric intake, since I’m still working to lose some weight.

Every little bit of new information is helpful, so I keep reading in the hope of learning all I can to insure my health for now and the future.

Yours on the journey of wellness,

Nan aka Sugarbaby

I had two bad days a earlier this month; not horrible, but bad for me. Started when I was on a trip, which is often a time when I feel more stress and also have less control over my food. Of course I paid for it by feeling awful physically, and mentally.

It was a bump in the road, not the end of the world. That’s what I keep reminding myself. Like lots of people, I have to work very hard, very diligently in order to keep my weight in check, and to avoid the FQ Principle when one bad carb food quickly can lead to another worse carb food.

We all have those days. The key is to stop as fast as possible and not let one eating event turn into days or weeks or more.

Never give up, keep on trying is my motto. So I’m back in high gear doing another round of very careful eating for a few weeks to get down a few pounds. There’s nothing like a project to get the motivation up. But diet fatigue, inadequate sleep, worries, various challenging life events can make anyone have a bad day. It’s what we do most of the time that matters.

Yours in never giving up…

Nan aka Sugarbaby

I was struck by a comment actor Michael Fassbinder made on a talk show about the role he plays of a sex addict in the movie “Shame”; he says of addiction:

Check out the posting from Dr. Briffa: http://www.drbriffa.com/2011/12/30/is-now-the-time-to-target-sweet-foodstuffs-in-your-diet/

This article is reminder for us here as the New Year begins to target the sweets that are problems for us,  especially that sneaky sugar known as fructose.  Since fruit has long had a good reputation it is hard for many people to realize that fruit is still plain old sweet in the body. Fruit these days has been so hybridized that it has probably ten times the amount of sugar as in paleo times. Further, we get fruit year around from all over the world, whereas primitive humans would have had very little fruit for a limited time of the year.

Fruit, then, can trigger major sweet cravings, and as Dr. Briffa, Gary Taubes, and many others point out, the body is actually damaged by fructose as well as all the other sugars.

Additionally, Briffa reminds us that artificial sweeteners create a problem in our brains since they are 200-600 times sweeter than table sugar, so in effect when we drink a diet soda we are promising the brain that kind of food value, and when no food appears, cravings are increased even more.

The diet sodas have been a major challenge for me, so I have found that if I only have them with food, then I don’t seem to get the craving trigger. I drink very few compared to the old days, and find they don’t seem to taste as good either.  As we all know, drinking pure water or seltzer is far better, but sometimes we want to mix it up a bit, but do so safely.

Yours for health in 2012,

Nan aka Sugarbaby

An article I read three years ago pointed out that 46% of people who make New Year’s resolutions succeed in keeping them for over six months.  I found that statistic very encouraging since we often think of the New Year’s resolution as a failure in the making.  In another psychological journal, it was found in one study that people are very likely to keep promises when stated as such. My thought was that a resolution can be stated as a promise to oneself or others, which should further increase the likelihood of success.

My spouse and I took a few minutes today to think about what we would like to achieve this year and wrote out our individual resolutions, things we promise ourselves we will work hard to achieve this year. I have six goals I want to accomplish, one dealing with keeping faithfully to my low sugar program, and another with exercise, the rest were of the more practical or family related.  I saved my resolutions document to my computer desk top where I will see it daily which should enhance keeping them in my thoughts.

While the New Year is an arbitrary date, it works for me as the starting point of the next year, and a good time to refocus my goals, hopes, dreams, and general intentions.

I hope we all have a good New Year and go a long way toward achieving our most deeply held desires.

Yours in 2012,

Nan aka Sugarbaby

One promise of eliminating most sugars, starches, artificial sweeteners is that over time they lose their reward value.  The days when anything sweet or starchy gave a big reward in taste, flavor, satisfaction does in fact lessen the longer you stay off them.

Dr. Wolfgang Lutz noted in working with thousands of patients over his long career that in about a year to eighteen months most patients, in fact nearly all of the younger patients, found that they no longer wanted the sweets, that the foods they had ceased to crave the carbohydrate foods that had caused their obesity.  The older patients were the less successful–they were less successful with the diet as well; which is part of what gives rise to the old adage that an old dog can’t learn new tricks. Though I personally believe we (meaning people over forty) can learn new tricks, we often don’t, not because we cannot, but because we are more resistant to change in general.

I have found that indeed I don’t crave the things like donuts and cookies I once did, and the few times when I have eaten foods like fries or bread, they have lost most of their reward value. I simply don’t find they taste good to me anymore. But here’s the catch: even though they don’t taste good to me as they once did, they can still trigger a day or two of major cravings for carbs, which means I will start thinking about other carbo foods that I most likely won’t like either if I eat them.

Our brains have a long-evolved cue for carbohydrates precisely because for most of human history they were relatively hard to find and always in short supply, so you had to eat them when you could get them—the reason we are also programmed to glut.  The lesson is that we will never be truly free of our desire for carbohydrates, even though we can find our lives much easier with no more than 20-50g per day.

Part of me still hopes that there will be a day when I don’t have to worry about my weight, but I am doubtful that will happen, but at least I have a way to keep problems with the big three—sugar-starch-artificial sweeteners—in check.

My husband and I are very concerned about aging well for we have seen our older relatives succumbing to all kinds of problems in large part diet related. So even when one’s appearance is not as important, as it often is in youth, good health becomes far more important.

I’ve spent the last couple days immersed in studies on sugar damage to the cells, ergo the body; it’s not a pretty picture since they make for premature aging.  I plan to keep these in the front of my thinking as the holiday treats appear at every turn in the next couple weeks.

Yours in good health,

Nan aka Sugarbaby

A lot to learn from this excerpt from Priscilla Slagle, MD, writing in article titled Hypoglycemia, Sugar is Not So Sweet:

[I] speak from my own experience & that of working with patients for 38 years when I say SUGAR IS NOT SO SWEET!

Even small amounts of sugar can spell trouble for people who are allergic, diabetic, hypoglycemic, anxious, depressed, yeast or infection prone, or nutritionally deficient. Excess sugar can create a health danger to anyone. Many are hooked on sugar & unknowingly, profoundly influenced by it.

What constitutes excess- The average American consumes almost 130 pounds yearly, constituting 25% of their daily calories, with sweet drinks making up 25% of that intake. This is excess.

Most people have no idea that their intake is that high, as we are surrounded & filled by hidden as well as overt sugars. If you read labels, you’ll notice how omnipresent sugar is coming under many names besides sugar–corn syrup, corn solids, fructose, sucrose, glucose, dextrose, etc Try buying a cereal, canned or frozen vegetables, canned beans, bread, sauces, ketchup; & you’ll find sugar, sugar, everywhere. It sells products, as the taste as well as the effects have proven addictive. Even laboratory animals will choose sugared food & water over their non-sweetened counterparts when given the option.

Sugar, white flour, other refined carbohydrates, & alcohol are nutritionally useless & capable of affecting our health, minds, behavior, & moods. They provide “empty calories” that can only convert to energy when certain vitamins are present. Those vitamins must be obtained from other more nutritious foods or from supplements. Indulging in too many of these empty calories without enough nutritious foods to help with their metabolism will push you into a negative nutritional state.

Besides being an addictive drug, large amounts of sugar is actually toxic to our systems. Vitamins B1, B2, & B6 are needed to detoxify & metabolize it & can be thus depleted. Sugar increases magnesium & calcium excretion in the urine & decreases overall magnesium absorption from food. Excess sugar contributes to amino acid deficiencies, because sugar & amino acids compete for absorption in the intestines. Specifically the influx of the amino acids tryptophan & phenylalanine are inhibited by sugars. High sugar intake undermines your immune system, can decrease the white blood cell count, leading to lower resistance to colds, flu, & other infections..

HYPOGLYCEMIA

Hypoglycemia is a condition of abnormal sugar metabolism resulting in low blood sugar. It can paradoxically be created by eating too much sugar or refined carbohydrates. I also see it associated with adrenal insufficiency, intestinal malabsorption, liver disorders, pancreas disorders, & low progesterone levels. Deficiencies of certain amino acids, as well as chromium, manganese & potassium can also cause hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is also associated with numerous other less common syndromes & disorders of metabolism.

How does eating too much sugar actually lower blood sugar levels- Sugar is rapidly absorbed & the body reacts with an outpouring of insulin which causes the blood sugar to go down. Fine tuning with just the right amount of insulin can be difficult: if the blood sugar drops too low, the body pours out growth hormone, glucagon, cortisol & adrenaline to push it back up. This can cause a further release of insulin & the seesawing process continues until hopefully equilibrium is established. The adrenaline output can cause a jittery, anxious feeling. When the blood sugar is low there can be significant fatigue. In fact excess sugar is one of the most common causes of fatigue. But there are numerous other possible symptoms associated with sugar abuse.

SYMPTOMS OF BLOOD SUGAR INSTABILITY

The list is long & as follows.
-depression
-nervousness
-aggressive
-hostile
-antisocial
-irritable
-angry
-impulsive
-violent feelings
-behaviour
-fatigue
-weakness
-exhaustion, especially after not having eaten for several hours
-faintness or dizziness
-tremor or sweats
-headache, especially in the
morning or when going a long time without food
-poor concentration
-confusion
-indecision & forgetfullness
-anxiety, fear & worrying
-difficulty sleeping, especially with
-awakening in the middle of the night & unable to return to sleep
-rapid pulse
-sense of internal trembling
-digestive disturbances
-crying spells
-fluctuating mood & personality throughout the day
-feeling better right after eating
& worse upon arising or 2-6 hours after eating
-uncoordination or staggering
-muscle pains
-twitching or jerking
-leg cramps
-numbness or itching of skin
-blurred vision
-sighing or yawning
-gasping for breath or feeling like not getting enough air
-nightmares
-night terrors
-blackouts

You can see the potential problems are numerous. If you regularly eat sugar, or drink alcohol, have a family  history of sugar-related problems & have at least ten or more of these symptoms, you may want to proceed with your own self-help program to correct this, or with appropriate testing, if you want further confirmation.

WHAT ARE THE TESTS FOR HYPOGLYCEMIA-

The most confirmatory test is the 6 Hour Glucose Tolerance Test. I usually do not order this in my practice because it can be gruelling & exacerbate symptoms. Generally if blood sugar instability is suspected we change the diet & add blood sugar stabilizing supplements, then wait for improvement.

……If an individual does not want to give up sugar without proof of it causing their symptoms, we then order the test. A saliva test called the Adrenal Stress Profile from http://www.gsdl.com can be indirectly indicative of blood sugar instability.

WHAT IS A BASIC CORRECTIVE PROGRAM-

We eliminate sugar, fruit juices, white flour products, & alcohol. Caffeine is decreased to one or no servings. A varied healthy diet is prescribed, often with frequent snacks rather than large meals. It is important to combine protein, complex carbohydrates, & fats whenever possible. Basic supplements are a good multivitamin mineral, extra B Complex, Essential Fatty Acids, & a combination free from Amino Acid Formula designed for blood sugar stabilization. The more severe the symptoms, the more other supplements we might add & that list is included in a previous reference in this newsletter. When malabsorption is part of the problem, we add Pancreatic Enzyme Support.

Hypoglycemia is an old problem which goes through fads of getting & not getting much attention. Actually, with modern diets as they are, the problem is even worse than before & likely even less recognized than before. Of course, as adults we are all responsible for the health choices we make–unfortunately children don’t quite have the same privilege unless they have very health-responsible parents.

This excerpt is from Priscilla Slagle, MD, writing in article titled Hypoglycemia, Sugar is Not So Sweet:

[I] speak from my own experience & that of working with patients for 38 years when I say SUGAR IS NOT SO SWEET!

Even small amounts of sugar can spell trouble for people who are allergic, diabetic, hypoglycemic, anxious, depressed, yeast or infection prone, or nutritionally deficient. Excess sugar can create a health danger to anyone. Many are hooked on sugar & unknowingly, profoundly influenced by it.

What constitutes excess- The average American consumes almost 130 pounds yearly, constituting 25% of their daily calories, with sweet drinks making up 25% of that intake. This is excess.

Most people have no idea that their intake is that high, as we are surrounded & filled by hidden as well as overt sugars. If you read labels, you’ll notice how omnipresent sugar is coming under many names besides sugar–corn syrup, corn solids, fructose, sucrose, glucose, dextrose, etc Try buying a cereal, canned or frozen vegetables, canned beans, bread, sauces, ketchup; & you’ll find sugar, sugar, everywhere. It sells products, as the taste as well as the effects have proven addictive. Even laboratory animals will choose sugared food & water over their non-sweetened counterparts when given the option.

Sugar, white flour, other refined carbohydrates, & alcohol are nutritionally useless & capable of affecting our health, minds, behavior, & moods. They provide “empty calories” that can only convert to energy when certain vitamins are present. Those vitamins must be obtained from other more nutritious foods or from supplements. Indulging in too many of these empty calories without enough nutritious foods to help with their metabolism will push you into a negative nutritional state.

Besides being an addictive drug, large amounts of sugar is actually toxic to our systems. Vitamins B1, B2, & B6 are needed to detoxify & metabolize it & can be thus depleted. Sugar increases magnesium & calcium excretion in the urine & decreases overall magnesium absorption from food. Excess sugar contributes to amino acid deficiencies, because sugar & amino acids compete for absorption in the intestines. Specifically the influx of the amino acids tryptophan & phenylalanine are inhibited by sugars. High sugar intake undermines your immune system, can decrease the white blood cell count, leading to lower resistance to colds, flu, & other infections..

HYPOGLYCEMIA

Hypoglycemia is a condition of abnormal sugar metabolism resulting in low blood sugar. It can paradoxically be created by eating too much sugar or refined carbohydrates. I also see it associated with adrenal insufficiency, intestinal malabsorption, liver disorders, pancreas disorders, & low progesterone levels. Deficiencies of certain amino acids, as well as chromium, manganese & potassium can also cause hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is also associated with numerous other less common syndromes & disorders of metabolism.

How does eating too much sugar actually lower blood sugar levels- Sugar is rapidly absorbed & the body reacts with an outpouring of insulin which causes the blood sugar to go down. Fine tuning with just the right amount of insulin can be difficult: if the blood sugar drops too low, the body pours out growth hormone, glucagon, cortisol & adrenaline to push it back up. This can cause a further release of insulin & the seesawing process continues until hopefully equilibrium is established. The adrenaline output can cause a jittery, anxious feeling. When the blood sugar is low there can be significant fatigue. In fact excess sugar is one of the most common causes of fatigue. But there are numerous other possible symptoms associated with sugar abuse.

SYMPTOMS OF BLOOD SUGAR INSTABILITY

The list is long & as follows.
-depression
-nervousness
-aggressive
-hostile
-antisocial
-irritable
-angry
-impulsive
-violent feelings
-behaviour
-fatigue
-weakness
-exhaustion, especially after not having eaten for several hours
-faintness or dizziness
-tremor or sweats
-headache, especially in the
morning or when going a long time without food
-poor concentration
-confusion
-indecision & forgetfullness
-anxiety, fear & worrying
-difficulty sleeping, especially with
-awakening in the middle of the night & unable to return to sleep
-rapid pulse
-sense of internal trembling
-digestive disturbances
-crying spells
-fluctuating mood & personality throughout the day
-feeling better right after eating
& worse upon arising or 2-6 hours after eating
-uncoordination or staggering
-muscle pains
-twitching or jerking
-leg cramps
-numbness or itching of skin
-blurred vision
-sighing or yawning
-gasping for breath or feeling like not getting enough air
-nightmares
-night terrors
-blackouts

You can see the potential problems are numerous. If you regularly eat sugar, or drink alcohol, have a family history of sugar-related problems & have at least ten or more of these symptoms, you may want to proceed with your own self-help program to correct this, or with appropriate testing, if you want further confirmation.

WHAT ARE THE TESTS FOR HYPOGLYCEMIA-

The most confirmatory test is the 6 Hour Glucose Tolerance Test. I usually do not order this in my practice because it can be gruelling & exacerbate symptoms. Generally if blood sugar instability is suspected we change the diet & add blood sugar stabilizing supplements, then wait for improvement. For more about this see

http://www.thewayup.com/conditions/chypoglyce.htm If an individual does not want to give up

sugar without proof of it causing their symptoms, we then order the test. A saliva test called the Adrenal Stress Profile from http://www.gsdl.com can be indirectly indicative of blood sugar instability.

WHAT IS A BASIC CORRECTIVE PROGRAM-

We eliminate sugar, fruit juices, white flour products, & alcohol. Caffeine is decreased to one or no servings. A varied healthy diet is prescribed, often with frequent snacks rather than large meals. It is important to combine protein, complex carbohydrates, & fats whenever possible. Basic supplements are a good multivitamin mineral, extra B Complex, Essential Fatty Acids, & a combination free from Amino Acid Formula designed for blood sugar stabilization. The more severe the symptoms, the more other supplements we might add & that list is included in a previous reference in this newsletter. When malabsorption is part of the problem, we add Pancreatic Enzyme Support.

Hypoglycemia is an old problem which goes through fads of getting & not getting much attention. Actually, with modern diets as they are, the problem is even worse than before & likely even less recognized than before. Of course, as adults we are all responsible for the health choices we make–unfortunately children don’t quite have the same privilege unless they have very health-responsible parents.