“Through Love all that is bitter will be sweet, through Love all that is copper will be gold, through Love all dregs will become wine, through Love all pain will turn to medicine.”
Rumi
Do you have the sugar blues?
In my coaching work the most common and debilitating factor for clients’ progress is without a doubt sugar. Why is that? Well, sugar is a highly addictive substance, and in turn our body chemistry gets tangled in the common suffering of any addictive behavior. Yes, suffering! That is why I call it the sugar blues. We love & hate this thing, we think about it obsessively and feel guilt when we indulge. We go from euphoria one minute after a treat, to complete crash and burn energetically and spiritually after a while. That is why sugar requires a systematic approach, one that uses not only science but, mind-spirit wisdom.
Do you recognize the emotional connection you make with your sweet of choice? Think about it…what does a pint of ice cream have to do with a broken heart? what does a piece of chocolate have to do with loneliness? or why is that we feel like an outcast if we don’t partake in the office doughnut ritual? This is the key to breaking the cycle: to stop identifying with the food as your only soother, pleasure or coping mechanism. Instead connect with your instinct and power.
The only two steps I know to truly get off from this emotional roller-coaster are a combination of human physiology and mindfulness. The first step is eliminating sugar completely for a period of time. Yes, you heard me; quit cold turkey. You wouldn’t ask a smoker to quit by going to half a pack a day…would you? Here is the thing, sugar is harder to quit than cigarets. This hyperpalatable affects your pleasure receptors in the brain and it has been scientifically proven to be more addictive than cocaine. On top of that, dopamine producing substances like sugar when used often desensitize your brain. This means that to get the pleasure you need to eat more and more each time. Your mind will argue to use moderation, but scientifically you cannot do this until your brain chemistry is reset.
Spiritually I see it this way: moderation doesn’t exist when you do not know where your center is. Maybe I just made you want to stop reading…if that is the case, you are emotionally strapping yourself to a “thing” when you are magnificently powerful beyond it. You are bigger than sugar my love! The second step is to feel your feelings. Oh yes, that is the scariest part. We live in a escapist society. We hide in our video games, internet surfing, compulsive shopping and eating. True freedom from sugar comes from knowing what is your emotion: what are you hungry for? what is your yearning? Then feel it, “digest” it and let go of it!
Follow this three steps and commit to them for at least a month. After that you can find your “threshold” – the occasional sweet. I promise this will help heal the withdrawal symptoms so you discover your inner power.
1. Eliminate all sugar for 6 to 10 weeks. That means everything with the sweet white stuff, plus any artificial sweetener, high fructose corn syrup and all the other names for it (give up honey too for this period). Also let go of all white flour, refined grains & white potatoes, because that is sugar too
2. Increase your intake of green alkalizing vegetables, clean protein, good fats and naturally sweet foods. Follow this strategy to increment them: Stop all processed fat-free non-sense and eat organic protein (not just animal – vegetable too!) with every meal. Also, drink an alkalizing green juice or smoothie everyday with things like wheat grass, spirulina, activated barley, etc (this is what I use and recommend). Eat low glycemic fruits like apples, berries and grapefruit galore! Also add small amounts of root veggies to your diet as they are naturally sweet too.
3. Start a spiritual practice of meditation, yoga , prayer, conscious breathing or journaling to find the real feeling behind the compulsive behavior and safely release it. Try the following question at the beginning of meditation or journaling, or use it to ask for guidance in prayer: “God (or whatever name you chose to use) help me see the feeling and lesson I’m avoiding. May I be released from it. Thank you”
After your cleansing period you may enjoy natural sweeteeners like honey and the sweeter fruits, but stay clear from actual sugar and the processed sweeteners as well as all white flour. Perhaps you are now thinking this is very hard to do; I understand the feeling. I still get the feeling sometimes of wanting something sweet. However, I take a moment to ask myself if that is what I really want. You don’t have to deprive yourself from the occasional pleasure of a treat, but you owe your body and mind the freedom of being happy because you chose to, not by inducing pleasure for three minutes to the detriment of your health.
If you are ready to get off the sugar blues roller coaster I am inviting you to do it with me! Starting on October 21 I will host a “Bye-bye Sugar Blues Challenge”. This is a 100% online program geared towards freeing you from your sugar cravings in a holistic way. We will freeing our brain, body and spirit with a ton of support, yummy foods and mindful tools. Early bird registration ends on October 4th! Learn more here.
May you find the true sweetness in your own life and enjoy it often!
Love,
Coach Maria Marcano
