Sugar Cramps

Halloween had to be one of my favorite holidays growing up. The next day grandpa would warn me about "sugar cramps" when I would sit down to eat my entire collection of treats in a single sitting. Mom and dad thought if I got sick from eating so much sugar all at once, that I would "learn my lesson"and no longer crave sugar. The next day I always felt bad, but figured a little more sugar would fix me up. If there was such a thing as sugaraholoics anonymous, I could be their poster child.
If you think healthy choices come easily to me, maybe you didn't know about my secret little addiction. I am a sugar addict, and it has been 30 years since I drank my last soda. I tried chromium, gymnema, B vitamins and anything people told me would curb my cravings for sugar. For me the only thing that worked was a strong will to be healthy.
I didn't want the headaches I suffered from because my blood sugar dropped or spiked. I didn't want the hormonal problems I developed because of the stress sugar put on my adrenals, which help to maintain balance between all of your hormones. I didn't want yeast infections and stomach problems. I didn't want sore muscles and joints caused by the increased inflammation secondary to sugar consumption. I didn't want to get sick every time someone around me was sick because sugar compromises my immune system. I didn't want to get diabetes like my grandmother. I didn't want the kidney, heart, gall bladder and liver problems she developed because of her diabetes. It came down to a simple choice, did I want to be healthy or eat sugar?
It is probably a good thing that I made the decision to be healthy back when the only sugar substitute that existed was saccharin which everyone knew tasted nasty and caused cancer. I could have easily cross addicted into using the chemical substances of aspartame (Nutrasweet) and sucralose (Splenda) which seem to be even less healthy than sugar. These chemicals have been linked not only to cancer but to neurological diseases, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and a never ending list of new complaints. I grew up in the "say no to drugs" era when chemicals foreign to our body weren't typically added into our foods.
Occasionally I do fall off the wagon. I'd love to blame Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia, but have to admit that I've fallen victim to other gluten free sugary temptations as well. I am no longer so far gone that I don't feel those "sugar cramps" or deny that sugar causes my body and health to deteriorate. I recognize the extensive health problems sugar can cause for not just diabetics, but to me and everyone. May God grant me the strength to chose wisely.