
Stress Reduction, Holistic Wellness
Sweetness.
That’s cute, Jason, but is there scientific evidence to support this?
“Overall, our results confirmed that perceived loneliness was associated with elevated intake of sugar in the form of soda, cola and juice. High levels of relationship satisfaction, on the other hand, was negatively associated with all three types of sugary beverages. Other aspects of social connectedness such as being married, having supportive friends, and having a sense of togetherness at work were associated with lower intake of two out of three types of sugar-containing beverages. These associations were statistically significant, even after controlling for factors such as body mass index, weight-related self-image, depression, physical activity, educational level, age and income.” (1)
There it is in black-and-white:
And true relationship satisfaction isn’t merely scientific:
Sweetness.
How good does it feel to find that handwritten note? To enjoy that special dinner together? To savor that hug at the airport?
It feels like you have everything you could ever need, right?
What if you made sweetness a priority?
What if your relationships were characterized by sweetness?
With more sweetness in your life, would you crave sugar?
Author’s note: Throughout this article, I’ve referred to “sugar” instead of “added processed sugar” because it makes for smoother reading. However, added processed sugar is what I’m technically talking about. No one I know is complaining of cravings for bananas, kiwis, and raspberries—which are loaded with sugar. Sugar is a nutrient that naturally occurs in many real foods that are very nutritious.
(1) Loneliness, Social Integration and Consumption of Sugar-Containing Beverages: Testing the Social Baseline Theory. PLOS ONE, 2014, 10.1371/journal.pone.0104421.
About Jason Gootman
Jason Gootman is a Mayo Clinic Certified Wellness Coach and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach as well as a certified nutritionist and certified exercise physiologist. Jason helps people reverse and prevent type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other ailments with evidence-based approaches to nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, holistic wellness, and, most importantly, lasting behavior improvement and positive habit formation. As part of this work, Jason often helps people lose weight and keep it off, in part by helping them overcome the common challenges of yo-yo dieting and emotional eating. Jason helps people go from knowing what to do and having good intentions to consistently taking great care of themselves in ways that help them add years to their lives and life to their years.
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