Atkins and Sugar Cravings

Sugar is everywhere you look and it might pop up in some surprising places. Did you know that most whole grain breads have at least one form of sugar in them? We have a national sweet tooth epidemic. Even if you don?t eat a lot of sugary treats you may experience intense sugar cravings in the first few weeks of the Atkins diet. So many ?healthy? carbohydrate foods have hidden sugars in them, your body may be experiencing withdrawal.

The problem with sugar is that your blood sugar is tied into your energy levels and your overall health. When your blood sugar is too low, you will experience intense cravings. High blood sugar is a result of eating high-sugar meals. When you eat concentrated sugar, your blood sugar will raise to high levels. Your pancreas thinks there is something wrong and then it secretes insulin to lower the blood sugar. As this happens more, you can create pre-diabetic conditions in your body as your pancreas becomes worn out and eventually cannot secrete insulin.

Fortunately, getting started on the Atkins diet plan can put a stop to this cycle. However, this doesn?t mean that sugar cravings go away automatically. Sugar products are everywhere and temptation is sometimes hard to fight.

The best way to approach sugar cravings is with planning. If you maintain a balance of protein, fat and fiber in your daily diet you will prevent blood sugar drops that lead to sugar cravings. Also, do not go too long between meals without eating. Snacks are an important part of keeping your blood sugar stable. Have some handy snacks like cheese, nuts, seeds and boiled eggs on hand with you so you can quickly stabilize your blood sugar without turning to sweet treats.

Sugar cravings can also be a sign of a nutritional deficiency. When you are low on magnesium, you will crave chocolate and other sweets. Zinc and chromium can also stave off sugar cravings. If you aren?t taking a good multivitamin supplement with these minerals, start immediately. If you are and you are still experiencing cravings, consider trying additional supplements of these nutrients.

Another tactic is to brush your teeth. Many Atkins dieters find that brushing their teeth or using Listerine breath strips can help with cravings. Both methods will numb your mouth and prevent you from wanting to eat. Drinking two large glasses of water can also help eliminate cravings. If your stomach is full, then you?ll be less likely to reach for a sugary treat.

Sometimes out of sight, out of mind is the best approach. If you find yourself overcome with cravings while you are at home, get outside and take a walk. The distraction will have you forgetting your sugar craving in no time. Calling a friend for support or logging into an Atkins support forum can also go a long way toward preventing you from succumbing to sugar cravings.

Having a low-carb version of your favorite treat is another good idea. You are less likely to feel deprived if you can have a satisfying low carb treat. There are a wide variety of low-carb products available on the market that can beat your sweet tooth. Low-carb yogurt, chocolate, ice cream and candy can all help you stay on the Atkins plan and still get something sweet to eat.

Sugar cravings are a reality of following the Atkins plan, but the previous tips will help you overcome them and stay committed to your weight loss efforts.

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The basic premise of the Atkins diet is to make the average Americans eat healthier than what they normally eat in their diet. The main intention is to strike a healthy balance between proteins and carbohydrates. This is of course totally different from what Americans consume in their normal diets. There is quite sadly a surfeit of processed foods being consumed in the nation which have sugars present in them in various forms and carbohydrates that are processed to a high degree. Quite unsurprisingly then, the rates of diabetes and related conditions are spiraling in America. This is regardless of the fact that diabetes worsens in stages and can be easily identified at its onset.

When we speak about diabetes, one factor to be taken into account is the glycemic index. This is an index of carbohydrates taking into account the reactions they produce with insulin. If a carbohydrate has a high glycemic index, it will release a lot of insulin for metabolizing the sugars (producing high glucose amounts). America consumes a lot of refined sugars which rank highly on the glycemic index.

When we are children, we can digest these carbohydrate foods easily, that is because the metabolism of the body is more efficient when the body is younger. Side-effects like weight gain and mood swings are too obscure in youth to be noticed to drastic levels. But as we advance in age, these effects make their presence felt in stronger ways. One clear-cut indicator of the side-effects happening with advancing age is the alarming rate at which Americans are becoming obese as they reach their middle age.

Obesity also causes insulin resistance. This is a dangerous situation, because when it happens, the person is not able to use the insulin for the proper elimination of glucose from the bloodstream. This also leads to excessive strain on the pancreas, due to which a lot of insulin might be discharged, sometimes scores of times of what the body actually needs. The obvious effect of this is the dipping of blood sugar to tragically low levels. The human body has a wonderful coordinating system, and that causes a surge of adrenaline release in the body to rectify this problem of low blood sugar.

As a person grows older, this relation between the blood sugar and insulin becomes more and more drastic. The hyperinsulinism, as it is called, is the precursor to type II diabetes. Symptoms of the condition are hypertension and high levels of fats in the body.

When people continue their high carbohydrate diets for a long time, they finally become diabetes. Insulin creates the fat in the body, and if the weight increases, it can lead to late onset diabetes. Diagnosis might reveal pre-diabetic conditions. These must be nipped in the bud, or they will lead to permanent and irrecoverable diabetes conditions.

The warning signs of incoming diabetes are easy to diagnose, though. They can be found out through an insulin test. When confirmed of a pre-diabetic condition, it is absolutely necessary to switch over to a low-carbohydrate diet like the Atkins diet. This helps to control the blood sugar immeasurably.

The Atkins diet contains a combination of essential carbohydrates with fats and proteins. They help to keep the body feel satiated and mitigate the frequent cravings for food. Also, reduced levels of carbohydrates will protect the body from the incessant insulin surges. The pancreas functioning remains normal and pre-diabetic conditions are avoided. The vicious cycle is cut off and the body blood sugar level remains at desirable levels. This is what the Atkins diet can do… it can protect you from the onslaught of a diabetic condition.

Darren Williger is a guitar playing, tea drinking, meditating, low carbohydrate eating, wine making sales maker who writes for MyLowCarbPages.com, and MindSatori.com.

You can never know which foods contain sugars and which do not. In fact, most of the whole grain breads that we so commonly consume contain some form of the sugar or another. The consumption of sugar is quite predominant on a national scale in America. People who do not eat blatantly sugary foods like sweets might still feel a craving for sugars when they are on the Atkins diet. Most of the foods that seem to be healthy carbohydrate foods actually have sugar present in them. That is the reason why when you go on an Atkins diet, you feel something like withdrawal symptoms for them.

Sugar is deeply related with the energy levels of the body and hence the overall wellbeing of the body through the bloodstream. That is why the cravings are felt when the sugar levels in the body go down. This is compounded by the fact that our normal diet consists of foods that are high in sugar. Concentrated sugars in the food will proportionately increase the sugar levels in the blood too. That is why organs like the pancreas get confused and might release excess insulin to combat this increased level. Too much of this happening can trigger the onset of a pre-diabetic condition in the body. The reason behind this is the excessive functioning of the pancreas due to which it can no longer function normally.

The Atkins diet can effectively stop this vicious circle. That said, it is necessary to add that the Atkins diet will not stop the cravings that you have on its own. We are so much used to sugar-rich foods that it becomes very difficult to come out of the desire for them.

Planning does help, though. The point is to strike a balance with the protein, fat and the fiber present in the diet so that the blood sugar does not fall to drastically low levels. It is also important not to starve for long periods. This can be achieved by healthy snacks. The snacks help to actually keep the blood sugar at proper levels. Snacks like boiled eggs, nuts, seeds and cheese are permitted in the Atkins diet. These help to fight the sugar craving without actually having to eat the sugar-rich foods.

Most times, when a person gets sugar cravings, it is indicative of a nutritional deficiency. A craving for chocolate might indicate a deficiency of magnesium. These can be controlled by multivitamin supplements, which are good for people on an Atkins diet. You can also supplement your diet with zinc and chromium.

Brushing teeth is a surprising way to fight off sugar cravings too. If your are on an Atkins diet and are getting the pangs for consuming some sugar-rich foods, then you can stave them off by using the Listerine breath strips or by simply brushing your teeth. These help to benumb your mouth. Another very simple method is to drink two glassfuls of water. Keeping a full stomach helps too.

The common tactic of keeping all the sugar foods out of your reach is also helpful. Do not reach out for your refrigerator when you get those sugar pangs; instead go out and take a walk. You will find that you can forget your desire for sugar when you do this. Enlist your friends’ support to help you overcoming the sugar pangs. There are also Atkins diet forums on the Internet that can support you.

Substituting what you crave for with a low carbohydrate version of it works well too. You will find yourself less desirous for that particular food by doing that. Today, there is a long list of low carbohydrate products on the store shelves that you can use – you have low carbohydrate chocolates, ice creams, candies and yogurts. You can use these to stay more faithful to the Atkins diet plan without sacrificing your sweet tooth.

People on the Atkins diet cannot avoid the cravings for sugar. But these methods can help you to stave them off and remain loyal to your diet and thus to your weight loss regimen.

Darren Williger is a guitar playing, tea drinking, meditating, low carbohydrate eating, wine making sales maker who writes for MyLowCarbPages.com, and MindSatori.com.