Sugar addiction is a physical addiction caused by our natural tendency to like sweet flavors. Sugar is difficult to avoid and is included in most prepared and prepackaged foods. Sugar is used as a comfort food and a form of self-medication, but it can be harmful over time. Research has shown that sugar increases dopamine and opioid levels in the brain which can create a sugar addiction. To stop a sugar addiction, it’s best to remove the sugar slowly and substitute with natural foods.
Sugar addiction is as real and extreme a physical addiction as any other. Our natural tendency is to like sweet flavors, as that was our survival when our ancestors sought out herbs, ground roots, and berries. Bitter flavors were often poisonous.
Most modern diets have sugar in some form. Sugar is very difficult to avoid, as it is included in most prepared and prepackaged foods. From the obvious soft drinks and spirits to salad dressings and condiments, sugar is involved in most foods, both for taste and as a preservative.
People use sugar as a comfort food and a form of self-medication. Sugar temporarily increases energy and elevates happiness and a feeling of well-being. After a period of blood sugar spikes, there is a drop in blood sugar, or a “sugar crash,” which leaves the person lethargic.
All forms of sugar, such as brown sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup are actually toxic to your system. Any food that converts quickly to sugar causes sudden spikes in blood sugar levels. These spikes create the release of insulin into the bloodstream. This in turn causes us to store fat, rather than burn it.
Yeast colonies (candida) need sugar to thrive, and they put tremendous pressure on you to feed them, resulting in sugar and fat cravings. There is a cycle that the taste buds dictate which causes salt to crave sugar, sugar to crave oil, and oil to crave salt. This cycle is self-perpetuating and affects sugar addiction.
While we often think of sugar as harmless, it can be harmful over time. Glycation occurs when a sugar molecule binds to a protein. This process creates free radicals and results in inflammation affecting our arteries, bones, brain, organs, joints, muscles, skin and the deterioration of many bodily processes.
Research has shown that sugar increases dopamine and opioid levels in the brain which can create a sugar addiction. Binging, cravings and withdrawal symptoms occur if sugar is abruptly removed. Sugar withdrawal leads to severe headaches, irritability, lightheadedness, nausea, insomnia and sweating.
To stop a sugar addiction, it’s best to remove the sugar slowly. Some people with sensitive systems can feel extremely uncomfortable if they stop suddenly. By methodically cutting out sugar, cutting it down a little at a time, you can avoid most of the side effects of sugar withdrawal.
In the process of recovering from a sugar addiction, it’s important to eat small, frequent meals to keep your blood sugar level stabilized. Protein should be increased and consumed with every meal and snack. Gentle, natural laxatives help speed up the removal of toxins from the system. Drink more water and follow an alkaline or candida diet.
In exchange for sugar, many foods can be substituted to satisfy cravings for sweet tastes. Sweet potatoes are a perfect example. Most pros agree that artificial sweeteners create a conflict in your body that actually makes you crave sugar more. The “trick” might work for your taste satisfaction, but it only confuses physiology, causing sugar cravings and perpetuating your sugar addiction.
You will find, as you are relieved of your sugar addiction, that natural foods begin to reveal their true flavors and you come to enjoy a wider variety of tastes. You will also find that you don’t need as much salt as previously required. As your system and taste buds cleanse, you will more fully enjoy the natural tastes and flavors of foods.
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