Breaking the sugar addiction, part 2

So why do we want the cake?

When we eat carbohydrates, the carbohydrates break down into sugar or glucose. The body then releases the hormone insulin. Insulin makes sure that glucose gets to the places it needs to go: the liver, muscle and fat cells. As blood sugar is carried through the body to the liver, muscle and fat cells, sugar levels drop. What does this mean to you?

Imagine this - you start the day with a bagel and a cup of coffee. The bagel gives you a burst of energy as the sugar is released into the blood stream and used for fuel. But soon you notice that you are tired, irritable, hungry, and/or anxious. Your blood sugar has dropped and your body thinks it is starving.

The relief - a muffin, a piece of cake, toast with butter and jam. Foods that will provide the quick sugar fix your body is looking for. Foods that will bring you a burst of energy, make you feel good, ease your anxiety. You grab the cake, begin to feel better and start the cycle all over again. Most Americans put their body through this cycle four or five times a day! It's exhausting, unhealthy and sets you on the path of obesity, inflammation and the chronic degenerative diseases that are responsible for the majority of illness-related death in this country.