Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Just a Spoonful of Sugar (or 20)

By

This is a pretty serious post, and I hope you don’t hate me for it.

I’m addicted to sugar.

This whole blog is a lie! I hate bitter chocolate, and I add sugar to all of my recipes. I usually have donuts everyday for breakfast, cookies for lunch, and cake or pie for dinner. Oh yeah, I also drink about 4 Mountain Dews per day. I’m addicted to the white stuff.

April Fool’s!!!

I’m a sugar-free girl! Don’t take me too seriously 😉

However, a sugar addiction is something you should take seriously.

If you have any of the following symptoms, you might be addicted to sugar:

  • Despite your desire to give up sugar, you continue to eat it compulsively.
  • You feel like you need sugar in order to function normally each day.
  • When you stop eating sugar, you experience withdrawal.
  • While you eat sugar everyday you develop a tolerance for it, so you increase your consumption in order to achieve the same experience.

Why is sugar addictive?

Sugar is a highly refined substance that does not appear alone in nature. It looks very similar to cocaine, and sugar acts like heroin when it hits the brain. A study shows that sugar affects the brain chemistry and thus might be expected to cause addictive behavior. In the study, written by Nicole Avena and others, it was shown that sugar bingeing can cause withdrawal symptoms and cravings.

The effects sugar has on behavior is quite similar to the neurochemical changes in the brain that also occur with addictive drugs. One finding shows that sugar and the taste of sweet activate beta endorphin receptor sites in the brain, the same receptor sites that are activated by heroin and morphine.

The implications of these findings show that sugar substitutes (ex. splenda, aspartame, saccharin) are not the answer for people who want to kick their sugar addiction. Children given candies and drinks made with sugar substitutes may become sugar addicts when they grow up, and they will find it difficult to give up sugar and other refined carbohydrates in the future.

Health problems associated with a sugar addiction:

  • depression
  • mood swings
  • irritability
  • depletion of mineral levels
  • hyperactivity
  • anxiety or panic attacks
  • chromium deficiency
  • depletion of the adrenal glands
  • type 2 diabetes
  • hypoglycemia
  • obesity
  • candida overgrowth
  • high cholesterol
  • anti-social behavior such as that found in crime and delinquency
  • anger control issues
  • insomnia
  • decreased immune function
  • aggression
  • neurotransmitter deficiencies
  • high blood pressure
  • heart disease
  • asthma
  • alcoholism
  • acne
  • PMS
  • OCD
  • fibromyalgia
  • attention deficit
  • cancer
  • binging
  • obesity
  • chronic fatigue
  • addiction
  • hormone imbalance


How to get over your sugar addiction:

  • Most people develop a sugar addiction because they are unsatisfied with their life, and/or depressed. First, try to gain control of your life and emotions. Treat food and sugar as fuel, not as a comfort to your problems. Find activities that you enjoy, and enjoy your life!
  • Keep sugar out of your house so that you are not tempted by it.
  • Exercising reduces cravings and produces healthy endorphins to help you feel good!
  • L-Glutamine supplements can reduce sugar cravings.
  • Eat mostly savory foods to reduce your sugar craving. I find that when I eat savory breakfasts and snacks, I don’t crave sweets as much. Heather wrote a great post about this HERE.
  • Treat sweets as treats. Today’s modern conveniences give us the ability to eat sweets every day. Treat them as a treat, though, and eat whole food desserts. Only have dessert on a special occasion, or once or twice a week. Not every day after every meal. Click HERE for my healthy dessert recipes.

Watch this informational video below about sugar addiction if you are serious about giving up your sweets. It includes great information about sugar in today’s diet. It is about 90 minutes long, so you may want to watch short snippits of it at a time.

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

Do you know someone who was affected by a sugar addiction? If so, how did they get over it?

Also, have you tricked someone today for April Fool’s day?

 

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I LOVE This post . I cant wait to watch that video..
    Sugar = poison
    and I can’t believe how humans beings have managed to destroy their health with its overuse. (myself included for so many years!) thanks as always for sharing your knowledge & ideas XO

  2. You always have the greatest info! I’m trying to reduce the amount of sugar I eat, although I’ll never go completely without 😛 I’m very impressed with your lifestyle, actually! It’s amazing that you’re so committed 😀
    Have a great April fool’s day 🙂

  3. This is a great post Alex!!I have sugar but in moderation (I mean the ones aside from fruit, etc.) I just use refined sugar ONNNCE in a while and mostly use things like maple syrup, etc. if I’m baking. It’s so true that most eating issues, actually any addictions! come from not finding satisfaction in who we are.

    Hmm…I have a few friends who are addicted to sugar like crazy! I try to help them but it’s not always effective. Patience is key.

  4. I definitely do believe in all things moderation. Sugar is one of those things that is very easy to over consume and most people don’t even realize it. It’s so important to always check the labels on everything. Bad thing is the more sugar you eat, the more u want it.

  6. I was never a sugar addict in the true sense of the word, but was put on a sugar-free diet by a nutritionist. YOu gotta admit…if it effects the brain like that it can’t be good.
    I actually feel like any form of sugar impacts the brain. Not just the white stuff.
    Syrups and all that jazz…even refined flour. It is possible to live without it! But any limitation is good. All things in moderation, I agree.
    Excellent post, but –I’m not gonna lie– weak April fool’s joke. You didn’t have me fooled for one second (0:

    • Anything refined acts like sugar, really. Because when it is refined so much, the bosy treats it like sugar!

      And, hahaha…I guess I’m not really good at poker, either-HA!

  7. ahaahh nice one! i dont think ihave a sugar addition.. i do lov sweet stuff but i always fulfill it with fruit, pb, dark dark chocolate- i def try to stay away from a lot of added sugar!

  9. I’m not addicted to sugar. I don’t ever have the white stuff or evaporated cane juice because my body is SO sensitive to that stuff. so I have no desire for it.

    Occasionally I do have agave/maple syrup/or barely malt though because I’ve experienced no side affects. 😀

  10. I’m addicted to sugar. -sigh- It’s hard to get off of. Do you think the glutamine is worth buying? I’m abroad, so my workout glutamine is back home. Now that I think about it, I didn’t crave sweets nearly as much when I kept it in my post-workout shakes.

    • Hi Mimi!

      Sorry to hear you are addicted to sugar. I thin L Glutamine is worth buying. Not only to reduce sugar cravings, but for other health problems, too. I take it every day, and I really do believe that it helps protect and build my gut. It also helps me retain my muscle mass. I would try it out again.

      Good luck! If you ever need anything, feel free to send me an email.

  11. Good try, Alex, but you didn’t have me fooled either! 😉

    I am really not bad at eating too much sugar. I don’t crave sweet treats, I always try to make stuff healthier like eating a banana with pb.

    My problem is I love to bake and the baked goods I make usually include sugar. I know I could make sugar-free goodies, but usually we don’t have applesauce/dates/bananas on hand for baking and real sugar just makes a better tasting product.

    So yeah, like just today I made pumpkin muffins and while they weren’t horribly high in sugar, it’s still in there!

    Alex you inspire me and have really taught me to eat less sugar, so I thank you for that!

    • Haha…oh well! I would feel terrible if I actually did trick me readers 😉

      And you are too sweet, Kayla! I am so glad that you have found inspiration from my blog! It makes me want to keep on bloggin!

  12. I think I should start cutting back on my sugar… but it’s hard! I usually use stevia if I feel the need to sweeten something, but SO many packaged foods and recipes contain sugar 🙁

  14. hahahaaa i was like WHAT?!?! so confused…im really gullible 🙁 hahaaa

    im a sweet tooth girl 🙁 recovering from an eating disorder isn’t easy but i shouldnt use that excuse as to why i consume sugar (although i honestly try to stay away and use stevia and only consume natural sugars aka whats in fruit) but yet again those times i consume it im out of control 🙁
    oh its awful.

    loved the post!

  15. Hey Alex!

    It’s been a few weeks that I’m following your blog and I love it! You’re very wise, and your blog is a great inspiration! Thank you.

    I’m now on a almost no-refined sugar “diet” for 3 weeks, and it goes pretty well. (Exceptions are chocolate 85% or 90%, plus a curry paste my Mum used the other day. :S Once I’m done with this chocolate, I won’t buy it anymore.)

    What do you think of fruits and dried fruits?
    Do you think we should limit the consumption?
    What about low GI sweeteners like agave syrup?

    Have a nice (sugar free) day! 😀

    • Hi Karine!

      Thanks so much for the sweet comment! I am so glad that you are almost sugar-free, and that it is going well.

      For your questions: I think fruit is a great source of quick energy, and they have tons of great vitamins in them. I eat fruit every day, but I do so in moderation and I always pair it with some kind of protein or fat so that sugar impact isn’t as great. Same thing for dried fruits. I don’t eat a lot of dried fruits. It is more of a 1 time a week kinda deal for me. As for agave nectar, it is really refined, actually. Check this site out: http://www.living-foods.com/articles/agave.html

      If you ever need anything, feel free to shoot me an email 🙂

  16. haha That was great! 🙂 I’m pretty gullible…not gonna lie…I totally believed it for a second.

    I’ve definitely been trying to eat less sugar lately, but it seems like it’s in everything! I like my sugar in moderation and in small amounts..like sprinkles! 😉

    Megan

  17. I know a girl with OCD and sugar addiction. I really can’t be friends with her anymore b/c her behavior is so erratic and off the wall and she doesn’t even realize it. As much as I love sugar, I try to be wise with it. My vices are more caffeine and peanut butter-related. =P

  18. I still can’t believe they put sugar in cottage cheese. I mean why? It’s in literally, everything. Lots of different names but they all shake out to be the same thing, sugar.

  19. Great post Alex, the more of us that talk about how horrible sugar is, the better! I’ve seen so many of my clients switch to a life of less sugar (going 100% sugar free is extremely challenging as you know and almost impossible when people are just starting to eat healthy) and see vast improvements in their health.
    I made the mistake of having some candy last week after months of no refined sugar. Boy was it a mistake. I felt like garbage for the rest of the day and I only had 3 pieces!

    • Isn’t it amazing what are bodies can get used to? Our bodies can put a defense up against sugar for a long time until it all comes crashing down on us in various diseases…

  20. I don’t know if I could go without bitter chocolate, it’s a great lactose free treat for me! I tried going sugar free, but it’s so hard as a chef with having to taste the foods. Even the tiny bits were sabotaging me!

  21. You are totally right about all the ways sugar is harmful and I have tried to cut back, but am still eating too much. sometimes I think it’s because of the intense marathon training and such, but others that i just haven’t done a good job retraining my taste buds