Sugar in Lafayette LA

Haven't you patience in Lafayette LA? If you haven't, the truth is finally out and articles are popping up all over the news about how addictive it is. They talk about how it fires off the same signals in our brain that cocaine activates. Connecticut College concluded in 2013 that Oreos are as addictive as cocaine in lab rats…

The Results of the Connecticut College Study

The lab rats conditioned with cookies spent just as much time on the "drug" side of the maze as the rats conditioned with cocaine, the researchers say. Researchers also found that the rats eating Oreos experienced more pleasure than the animals being injected with drugs, as measured by activation changes in the nucleus accumbens.

"Taken together, these findings support the hypothesis that consumption of high fat/sugar foods can lead to addictive behaviors and can activate the brain in a similar manner as drugs of abuse," "This may, in part, help us to understand why individuals who have trouble controlling their food intake, especially when food options are limited to high fat/sugar options, are more susceptible to obesity."

The thing is that mass media (what you see on t.v. and what you read in the newspaper) is strictly controlled by pharmaceutical companies. You won't ever hear a commercial or see an article in the paper about a solution to kick the habit, rather something along the lines of "Get rid of stress. Eat more fruit. Be more active." If you continue to eat sugar on a daily basis, you will continue to have a variety of sugar-related health problems and still need medication. If you are reading and hearing this for the first time, I know it can be upsetting, but it's the cold hard truth based on how healthcare is trending over the last two decades. But, let's be REAL - we can't live in a bubble!

If you're like me - you enjoy a good "sweet" here and there. The reality is once-and-a-while its fine, but the problem is that sugar is hiding EVERYWHERE in processed, packaged and fast foods. The best way to control sugar in your diet is with a few simple tricks:

1. Add naturally sweet food to every meal.
Chinese medicine believes that we crave sugar to nourish the spleen, and when we don't eat small amounts of sugar throughout the day, it comes out in a more intense form, like ice cream and cookie dough. With breakfast local honey is better than any white sugar, Splenda, Sweet-and-Low and Sugar-in-the-Raw for your morning coffee.
In the cold months, eat lots of winter squash and sweet potatoes with lunch and dinner. In the summertime, it's all about bell peppers, cucumbers and summer squash. In the evening, if you're still craving a sweet dessert, try preheating your broiler and sprinkle a little pink or sea salt on a grapefruit - broil for a few minutes until golden brown.

2. Decongest your liver.
The liver is also at the root of all our ailments. When it is congested and inflamed, it pushes on the spleen, making it empty and leading to sugar cravings. The liver also releases bile to kill parasites, but when the parasites are out of control, they block the ducts that excrete the bile. It's a nasty cycle that leaves us bloated, acne ridden, and dying to get our hands on the nearest source of sugar.

To decongest your liver, stay away from pesticides and other chemicals that clog the liver, and take herbs and supplements to naturally support cleansing. MSM (a form of sulphur), liver cleansing herbs and teas, such as dandelion, garlic, and milk thistle can all be easily incorporated into a daily routine.

3. Break habits that involve sugar.
Things like going to a coffee shop, and parties usually have some sort of sugary food included. Write down when and why you are craving sugar to help you come up with a plan to break the cycle.

For all the folks who enjoy a good "sweet" every now and then - this week's recipe is for Peanut Butter Chocolate chip Cookies (using Coconut Palm Sugar!) (borrowed from the blog "redandhoney.com")

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Peanut-Butter Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Ingredients
• ½ cup honey
• ¾ cups coconut palm sugar
• ¼ cup butter at room temperature
• 1 cup natural peanut butter
• 2 eggs
• 1.5 teaspoons baking soda
• 3¼ cups quick oats
• 1 teaspoon whole chia seeds
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Place honey, coconut palm sugar, and butter in a bowl, and beat until smooth.
2. Add peanut butter, baking soda, eggs, and chia seeds. Mix well with electric mixer.
3. Mix in oats.
4. Stir in chocolate chips (or use the mixer if yours is powerful enough. I used my hand mixer and it was fine).
5. Drop by spoonful onto parchment paper lined baking sheet.
6. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Let sit for one minute on the pan before removing to a cooling rack - they are less prone to breaking that way.
8. Once cooled, freeze half of the cookies for a rainy day. Otherwise they'll all be gone by morning!