Why Diets Fail (Because You're Addicted to Sugar) by Nicole M. Avena Ph.D

Author:Nicole M. Avena, Ph.D. [Avena, Nicole M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-60774-487-0
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Published: 2013-12-31T05:00:00+00:00

By now, you probably have a good idea of which foods you should avoid, but you may still have a lot of questions as to which foods you should eat instead. These details and specific examples will be discussed more fully in the next chapter, but in brief, as you progress through the Sugar Freedom Plan, you will move away from a diet dominated by sodas, junk foods, breads, and pastas, and instead move to a diet in which you’ll eat things like chicken, beef, fish, seafood, pork, nuts, whole fruits, vegetables, and eggs. Most of these foods are very high in protein and contain almost no sugar or other carbohydrates. Because of their high protein content, these types of foods are more satiating, which means that, when you eat them, you’ll stay full—and feel full—for a longer period of time than you would if you were eating carbohydrates. How does this happen?

Well, when we eat, satiety signals are released from our stomach and intestines that tell our brains we have had enough. There is evidence to suggest that our satiety signals function less effectively following the overconsumption of sugars,18 and a number of studies have reported that protein intake results in increased satiety compared to consumption of carbohydrates.19 The beauty of this plan is that you will not want to overeat these foods in the way that you might overeat carbohydrates, because they are satisfying, making you feel full, and you aren’t eating these foods for the hedonic pleasure that might drive the overconsumption of sugars.

It is true that fatty foods, including certain meats, are more calorically dense, which means they typically have more calories per serving than some foods high in carbohydrates. But, from this, you cannot conclude that eating fatty foods will make you fat. This was the erroneous conclusion of many who adopted the fat-free weight-loss plan. As a result of cutting out fat, many people ended up eating more carbohydrates, much more than one should eat if one wants to lose weight. Also, when you eat low-carbohydrate, high-fat foods, your glucose and insulin levels don’t spike and quickly decrease as they can with some carbohydrates, so it is less likely that you will be hungry soon after eating.

However, just because you don’t have to count calories doesn’t mean you should abuse that privilege. You still need to be mindful of what you are eating. You should think about an appropriate portion size for the foods you’re eating and reflect on how satisfied you feel after eating them.

One of the big benefits of the Sugar Freedom Plan is that over the course of approximately two to three months (for most people), you will wean yourself from your dependence on added sugars and excessive carbohydrates. As this happens, you’ll begin to see and feel changes in the way that you approach food. No longer will you want to binge eat, stuff your face, or think that you have to eat gut-busting amounts of food in order to feel satisfied after every meal.

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