Death is coming

The closer death creeps up upon me the less I am able to understand the reasons for life or living.

Yes I have experienced a close family member dying and unlike television it takes decades to handle such a thing. To think I am going to put my family through such a thing when I finally leave is more horrific to me than the thought of death itself.

My life was and is still a learning experience but when all said and done what am I to do with all this accumulated learning over my lifetime if I just die. There is no logic or reason to this.

Long ago I became aware that the God story that is sold to the majority is just a nice story to give mankind with a message of a basic layout of how nice life could be if everyone followed these ideas. Not many in life do and if one thinks about it the good and evil structures actually depend on each other. The good that can be experienced in life is only understood as good when there is it's opposite to compare it to. This is not rocket science only common sense in reality. I am not saying we need to experience bad but understanding in it is needed to appreciate the great things many of us can have in our lives. From birth to death there are many ways mankind helps his fellow man. How many ways can you help?


Friday, April 5, 2013

Breaking the Sugar Addiction

By Adrian M. Felton


It is my belief that sugar, in all its various forms, is at the root of every junk food craving. Every kind of junk food has some form of sugar in it: corn syrup, high fructose syrup, glucose, fructose, lactose, maltose, dextrose, etc. When most people say they are going to cut sugar out of their diets, they overlook the hidden sugars; so their addiction to sugar remains.I am going to strategically cut sugar-in every manufactured form-completely out of my daily diet for seven full days. This experiment will either prove or disprove my belief that sugar is the root of all junk food addictions. I will also document any physical, mental, and emotional changes that may happen as a result of completely cutting sugar out of my diet. This will take much planning and research, as many staples in my daily diet contain sugar.[]

Some research has been cited that says sugar has not been proven to be a direct cause to these health problems and may not even be directly linked to them, but when you consider that added sugar is basically non-nutritional calories, the lack of nutrition and obesity can cause health problems in themselves.Sugar, some researchers say, can lead to the damage of healthy cells, and can lessen the effectiveness of white blood cells, leading to a weakening of the immune system. Too much sugar means lots of empty calories, too, which can lead to obesity. As any parent knows, when you fill up on sugar, you simply aren't hungry for nutritious meals. And sugar can make you hyperactive and irritable, too, as it knocks your body out of whack.When you eat sugar, your blood sugar spikes. So your body secretes insulin, which sends your blood sugar crashing. The result? Irritability and fatigue. Plus, you're hungry again and probably craving another hit of sugar, and so the cycle repeats itself anew.One of the nicest things you can do for your body (and your mood) is to reduce your intake of added sugars and refined carbohydrates.What is the Daily Recommended Sugar Intake?

The World Health Organization recommends reducing your intake of added sugars to less than 10 percent of your total caloric intake. That means, if you eat 2,000 calories, you should eat less than 12 teaspoons of sugar each day. The US Department of Agriculture also recommends limiting your consumption of added sugar to between 6 and 12 teaspoons of sugar each day, depending on your daily average caloric intake. (Six teaspoons a day for people who eat 1,600 calories; 12 teaspoons if you eat 2,200 calories each day.) Keep in mind that a single 12-ounce soft drink contains 10 teaspoons of sugar.To find out how much sugar is in some of the items in your cupboards, look for Sugars (measured in grams) on the Nutrition Label. Then divide the number of grams by 4 to get the number of teaspoons. So, 12 grams of sugar is 3 teaspoons of sugar. Sixteen grams of sugar is 4 teaspoons.

Like any addiction, you can fight it off and get back on track to feeling like yourself again. Take advantage of natures options for cleansing the body of those toxins. Chlorophyll has detoxifying agents that help to reduce the craving for bad carbs. Taken twice a day, you will cleanse your body and help to create a balance of chemicals so that your body functions like it was designed to.

Also look for the types of sugar in the foods that you purchase and limit their consumption. Lactose, sucrose, and high fructose corn syrup, are some of the popular forms of carbs that are broken down to sugar and stored as fat.In Part 2 we learned how to control the spikes in our blood sugar by eating our sugary treats with other food.Get rid of the diet soda in our lives. Ouch! I know that one is difficult for some of you to swallow. You are saying: it satisfies my sweet tooth and doesn't' have any calories and doesn't add to my waistline. No way you believe that it is fueling your sugar cravings.

But it is. Dramatically. There have been oodles of studies done and the overall message is that diet soda can and does contribute to sugar cravings and to weight gain. As much as if you drank a regular soda! Why you ask? The studies are showing that it will trigger you to eat more calories when you have a diet soda. Here is a typical scenario of what happens:When I use to go through Burger King I would buy a Whopper, french fries, and to cut back on calories, a diet soda. Pretty typical of how we all start to drink the diet rather than the regular. Your body becomes conditioned to look for calories when it gets that sweet taste ( as it does when it gets regular soda or a sweet). So now it triggers you to crave additional calories ( energy) when it has a diet beverage. And thus the vicious cycle begins.Put another way: Your body needs energy to burn, so now it is suddenly not getting it when you drink the diet soda. So your body starts to crave more food, more energy and more calories. And that 0 calorie beverage is creating cravings that cost you more calories in the long run. It's like a furniture store that charges you no interest for the first year but get you big time on the back end and you wind up paying more.

Eating sweets such as cakes, cookies and candy aren't the only way to add a large amount of sugar to your diet. Breads, pastas and snacks made with white flour are processed carbs that turn to sugar in your body. This type of diet can lead to all kinds of illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, digestive problems and even certain cancers. There is also evidence that memory, concentration and focus may be affected.

Carefully measure how much honey you put in your tea and how much sugar you put in your coffee. Aim to put in a bit less each day or each week until you are drinking it either unsweetened or with just a bit of sugar.Buy items that are not sweetened, and add sugar only if you find that you need to. This will help you wean off the sugar gradually.Steer clear of sugars for breakfast. When you start your day with a sugar blast and crash, you may find yourself in a vicious cycle for the remainder of the day. Start your day with healthy lean protein and complex carbs. Try natural whole-grain breads and cereals for breakfast, along with a lowfat protein, such as skim milk, cottage cheese, or yogurt.

If you need to lose weight, consider a diet plan that focuses on reducing sugar intake. The Sugar Busters Diet Plan is probably the most well known. The idea of this diet is to reduce your intake of sugar and high starch carbohydrates, focusing instead on lean protein, low starch veggies, and whole grain carbs, in order to lose weight. Many of the low GI diets out there use this method, as well.

Unrefined coconut oil is reputed to help correct hypoglycemia and sugar addiction. Because of the ease with which the body absorbs coconut oil's unique medium chain fatty acids, it is perfect for people who have trouble digesting fat. It is also an excellent healthy fat for vegetarians.Other healthy fats include olive oil, butter, avocados, nuts, and nut butters.Complex carbohydrates also prevent blood sugar swings. They are filling and have a subtle sweetness. These include carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, brown rice, whole grain bread, and other whole grains.White bread and white rice are not complex carbohydrates and will not have the beneficial effects. They will tend to increase cravings.Try superfoods, which are foods with extra nutrition that can correct vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Those deficiencies are an additional cause of uncontrollable cravings. Examples of superfoods include: superfruits such as acai and mangosteen; wheatgrass juice; seaweed.These techniques help defeat sugar addiction and provide other healthful benefits. Generous nourishment is an enjoyable way to permanently end sugar cravings.




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