Is Sugar Sensitivity Making You Sick and Tired? Symptoms and Suggestions.

Is there anything sadder than missing out on life because you feel too sick and tired to do anything? I suppose there may be, but it's sad all the same, especially if you have memories of a different time when you were an active participant in your own life, before the fatigue set in.

Tiredness is a common symptom of several maladies and if you are experiencing problems, you really should speak to your doctor about it. If you have already been checked and no cause of your symptoms were found or treatments are not working, you may want to investigate whether or not you have a sugar sensitivity. Be aware though, that many physicians are yet to familiarize themselves with this biochemical demon.

Quite simply, sugar sensitivity is a biochemical addiction to sugar or carbs. When your system has a reaction to either of those elements, it triggers a vicious cycle of strong cravings and the associated carb or sugar addiction symptoms.

* The Sugar Addict's Total Recovery Program by Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. Ballantine Books

If you find yourself tired all the time and have two or more of the following symptoms, you may be suffering from sugar sensitivity.

• Insatiable craving for sweets, i.e. candy, pop, sweet juices
• Insatiable craving for refined white flour foods, i.e. pasta, bread, cereal
• Depression
• Mind fog, i.e. poor memory and concentration
  
• Irritability, strongly reactive or lessened ability to cope with stress
  
• Stomach Distress, i.e. bloating, cramps, diarrhea
• Weight gain or difficulty losing weight
• Head, joint or muscle pain
• Severe PMS or peri/menopausal symptoms

If you are suffering from sugar sensitivity, then you may experience the beginning of relief in as little as two weeks, if you adjust your diet.

Helpful Tips to Combat Sugar Sensitivity

Avoid starting your day with fruit juice, especially apple. Drinking juice first thing in the morning is a good way to trigger fatigue and intestinal distress in someone who suffers from sugar sensitivity. Certain cells (epithelial) in the intestine are unable to digest that much sugar fructose all at once. The results from trying can include tiredness, bloating, flatulence and sugar cravings. These discomforts can last up to four hours.

Eat protein that is rich in tryptophan. Tryptophan raises your serotonin levels and slows the rate by which sugar enters your bloodstream. Reduce your eating compulsion and sugar spikes by eating 1 oz. to 4 oz. of beef, chicken, eggs, almonds, lentils or cottage cheese at every meal.

Snack on carbs between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Speaking of Tryptophan, eating carb-only snacks during the time that serotonin levels dip (2-4 p.m.) will supply more of it for your brain to convert to and raise levels of your serotonin. Try a baked potatoe, berries or popcorn. It's a good idea to have another carb snack before bed. You'll sleep better because your blood sugar levels will be stable.

Boost your endorphins. No drugs or special foods involved, just some good, natural walking, meditation, music, intimacy or any other practice that makes you feel good.

Consider taking vitamin supplements. Vitamins C and B, as well as zinc may be particularly beneficial while breaking your addiction to sugar.

That 70% of women have some degree of sugar sensitivity. Which percentile are you in?

The thought of dealing with your sugar sensitivity may initially feel like too much work (because you're so tired) or perhaps it sparks a bit of panic at the thought of losing your sweets.  Take heart!  Go at your own pace.  Try introducing protein and complex carbs into your breakfast for the first couple of weeks or even couple of months and go from there.  Once you're ready, start adding them to a second meal each day.  You get the idea.

You will likely experience relief from your sick and tired symptoms within two weeks or so.  You'll notice that your cravings will diminish and your energy and mood will start to improve.

One of the nice things about dealing with sugar sensitivity through diet is that you can try it, even if you're not sure if a sugar addiction is what is making you feel so sick and tired all the time.  It can't hurt you and you can even experiment without your doctor.

Now that I've said that, here's my disclaimer.  "As always, you should check with a doctor before undertaking any new diet or exercise program".

I've had a couple of people express their frustration with giving up chocolate. Apparently, some people find it more difficult to stop eating than sugar itself. If you only have a small bar or such now and again, I don't think it will hurt you (unless you're diabetic). However, if you eat too many chocolate nummies, you may want to think about reducing your consumption.

Because of the requests for tips on giving up chocolate, I've added a capsule to the right of this text, offering sugar free and diabetic chocolate and candy. With this type of product, you get the yummy flavour, without the sugar.

Enjoy!