Sweet Sugar

A couple times a day I get cravings for something sweet.   According to three sugar addiction quizzes I am not addicted to sugar but I sure eat a lot of it.

Sugar Addiction surveys:  Prevention Quiz, Eat This Not That Quiz, Vandia Quiz

When I get a sweet craving I eat a bowl of sweetened cereal and then another and sometimes a third bowl.  My craving is satisfied but my heart starts pumping hard, I get a sugar rush and sometimes a headache.

I know this is not good for me.

Sugar is digested quickly, causing blood glucose level to spike and forcing the body to store those calories in the form of fat.  Repeated blood sugar spikes stress organs in the body.*

The American Heart Association recommends that men eat less than 9 teaspoons of sugar a day, and women less than 6.  Very Berry Cherrios have 9 grams of sugar per serving.  There are approximately 4 grams of sugar in 1 teaspoon.  So for three servings of cereal I am consuming almost 7 teaspoons of sugar just for a snack (75% of daily amount).

I have been looking for alternative sweet snacks.  My approach is to let myself have some sweets but they must be healthier than Very Berry Cheerios.  I have been experimenting with different kinds of sweets like honey, dates and stevia.

Honey is sweet and tastes great.  It is considered a good substitute for sugar because it has more nutrients as compared to sugar.  Benefits of Honey

Honey also has antibacterial properties which are beneficial to the body.  Antibacterial properties

I have noticed that honey does not effect me like sugar cereal.  I don't get a sugar rush or a headache after eating honey.

I investigated  to find out why.  Honey and sugar are both carbohydrates, consisting of two types of sugar:  glucose and fructose.  The proportions of glucose and fructose in honey and sugar are different: sugar is 50% fructose and 50% glucose and honey contains 40% fructose and 30% glucose.

Sugar has a higher glycemic index (GI) than honey which means it raises blood sugar levels more quickly.  This is due to its higher fructose content, and the absence of trace minerals.  Difference between honey and sugar

Dates are also very sweet.  I recently made Lemon Energy Bites which are sweetened with dates.  They taste good and satisfy my sweet craving.  As a bonus they are good for me with nuts and chia seeds.  The recipe is given at the bottom of post.  

Dates have vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants.  They contain natural sugar compared to refined sugar in white sugar.  Dates are high in sugar and calories so I only eat one Lemon Energy Bite per day.  Information about dates

Stevia is an alternative to sugar.  It is a natural sweetener that is extracted from the leaves of a South American shrub.  It is 100% natural, has no calories and no known adverse health effects.   Stevia Information

I made my favorite peanut butter oatmeal cookies with Stevia.  They turned out okay but not as good as when making them with white and brown sugar.  They were a little bit dry.

I plan to continue eating honey and dates to satisfy my sweet cravings.  Also, I hope that as I reduce the amount of sweets I eat each day my sweet cravings will disappear.

What do you eat when you are craving something sweet?  Maybe you could replace it with honey, dates or stevia.

Lemon Energy Bites
Ingredients
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
2 TBS chia seeds
Zest and juice from a medium lemon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

How to make it:
1.  Put dates, nuts and seeds in a food processor an pulse until chopped.
2.  Add lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla and process until mixture comes together.
3.  Form into balls and store in fridge or freezer

These bites will keep in your refrigerator in an airtight container for up to one month or can be frozen.

Source:  Spectrum Health Hospital

*Zinczenko, David, Goulding, Matt, Eat This Not That. Rodale Inc., 2012, pps. 128/229.