the big three: alcohol, caffeine, and sugaryour blood sugar, your pancreas secretes a burst of insulin. Subse-
quently the glucose available to your brain drops sometime later.
Neurons, which can’t store glucose, experience energy deprivation
(hypoglycemia). Hours later, you can feel foggy-brained, weak, con-
fused, and/or nervous. Your ability to focus and think is impaired.
Low blood glucose levels can lead to a significant deterioration in
attention abilities. The goal again is to eat slow-release sugars (low
glycemic foods) to give your brain a constant flow of energy.^11
Sugar Cravings: Simple Things You Can Do
Here are a few suggestions for dealing with those nasty sugar
cravings:
- First and foremost, eat whole food. Don’t eat refined and pro-
cessed foods. - Eat three meals with whole-food snacks in between if you are
hungry. The carbohydrates you eat should be in their whole,
unrefined state: whole fruit, beans (and bean spreads), lentil,
peas, pastas, whole/sprouted grains, root vegetables such as
yams, sweet potatoes, and nuts and seeds. - Don’t use added sweeteners of any kind.
- Don’t skip meals! Have a whole-food snack available when
you get hungry. - Only have whole foods in your refrigerator, in your cupboards,
and at work. Under stress or if you just want to eat for any
reason, just have whole foods available in your immediate
surroundings and eat them. - Avoid stimulants, especially when they are sugar-laden, such
as soft drinks or complex coffee drinks. Only have caffeine
in coffee or tea with a meal or some kind of whole food. You
might give up caffeine for a while to make it easier. - Get regular aerobic exercise daily. If you are going to eat a
sweet, exercise right afterward. - Do strength training to build lean muscle. Lean muscle helps
keep blood sugar low.