Trying to kick refined sugar in your life? Here are a few tips to get you started on your sugar free journey…
1) Go cold turkey – it’s better just to quit sugar, throw away your sugary
treats and spend a few days letting your body and mind adjust. Pick a time when things aren’t too stressful. After a week, the cravings will significantly subside and your body will thank you enormously.
3) Plan your treats. Quitting sugar doesn’t mean you can’t have any treats. There are tons of sugar-free recipes online. Refined sugar replacements like maple syrup, coconut sugar, dried fruits, agave syrup can be used in cooking or making raw sweet treats. I recommend getting away from the sweet flavor as much as possible but having access to some of these in the first week or 2 will make it easier.
4) Look after your Spleen. The more you nurture your Spleen Energy, the less your body will crave sugar, the easier it will be to stay sugar free, and the better you will feel.
Why should I go sugar free?
Sweet is the flavour of the Spleen energy in Chinese medicine. It’s a very important organ for digestive processes. A small amount of sweet helps the Spleen, but too much can overwhelm the Spleen Qi (pronounced “chee”). When we crave sweet especially after eating a meal, it indicates the Spleen Qi is weak. (You will usually get diarrhoea or loose bowel movements, and see toothmarks on the tongue as well). Since the Spleen makes energy for your body to function, when it can’t diegest well, it can be a cause of tiredness.
Refined cane sugar overwhelms the Spleen energy. In a biomedical sense, this correlates with rise and subsequent drop of blood sugar levels. This gives you an instant burst of energy or buzz, followed by a low…usually lower than you felt before you ate the chocolate or lollies.
Sweet-natured foods that can nurture the Spleen energy include root vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin and unrefined, cooked grains like barley, rice and millet.
In a biomedical sense, theses foods have a low gylcemic index, which means they take longer to break down and don’t require the same biochemical reaction that refined sugary-sweet natured foods do. They won’t quickly spike and lower your blood sugar level.
The golden rule of Chinese diet therapy, and longevity practices in general is EVERYTHING IN MODERATION. Balance isn’t just a token yin-yang symbol, but it’s a guiding key principal to achieve health and longevity in life.
There are many authors and healthy recipie books for a sugar free life out there. Check out #iquitsugar with Sarah Wilson for example. https://iquitsugar.com/
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Marie Hopkinson is a Chinese Medicine Practitioner, Practicing from her clinic in North Perth, WA- METRO HEALTH AND MEDICINE. Marie can be consulted for appointments, while in-person is preferred, Email /phone consultations can be arranged. Marie has been practicing since 2000, completing initial 3-year course in Chinese Medicine at the Perth Academy of Natural Therapies in WA. Marie has been to China for additional training in the Hangzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital (Hangzhou Shi Zhong Yi Yuan) twice as well as completing a Master of International Health at Curtin University in 2006. Marie is passionate about the effective practice and understanding of Chinese Medicine and enjoys the opportunity to educate patients about the benefits of self-help aspects such as diet therapy, as well as teaching Chinese Medicine at the Endeavour College of Natural Health.
For more info about booking an appointment with Marie CLICK HERE.
For more info about conditions treated with Acupuncture, and Chinese Herbal Medicine CLICK HERE.