Anyone out there battle with sugar addiction? I'm 46 and sick of it. I want to start January with a fresh new plan. I'm reading Sugar Shock right now.
Elana's Pantry Forums » general
sugar addiction
(21 posts)-
Alice
MemberPosted 1 year ago # -
elana
Key MasterHi Alice, I rarely comment in the forums (the blog and responding to comments over there keeps me pretty busy), however this is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. I read the book Sugar Blues 15 years ago and loved it. I was a total sugar-holic and probably still am, yet, I have learned to moderate my cravings. Feeling really bad when I eat too much of anything sweet (including fruit/agave) has been very motivating.
Less headaches, better sleep and overall better feeling of vitality are well worth the sacrifice of sweets. I snack on nuts, eat a lot of clean organic animal protein (chicken/fish) and tons of vegetables (salads, cut up celery and cucumber sticks dipped in homemade tahini dip). I make sure to keep easy, healthy, low/no sugar snacks on hand as much as I can.
It can be awful getting off the sugar --withdrawal headaches, cravings, yeast die-off, etc., are all supremely uncomfortable and a big challenge. If you can make it through that --which can take a few weeks or up to a couple of months in really bad cases-- and get to the other side, you are set!
Best of luck!
Posted 1 year ago # -
alysia
MemberHi there,
I have attempted many ways of eating to keep my sugar(carb) addiction in check. I've had candida testing, allergy testing, thyroid testing all from medical doctors. None showed anything unusual as far as hormones go. However, I found that I was very sensitive to soy and wheat! At the time I was a vegan. Started eating meat and more protein in general and that helps a little, but nothing has stopped my constant urning for breads and sugars. I compulsively eat and have been to a couple years of behavioral therapy which was motivating for a while, but soon enough, I just wanted to raid the grocery store(bakery section) and go eat on my couch... One year, for my new years resolution, I went sugar and grain-free including fruits for a year. But the minute I took one bite of ice cream, the entire 1/2 gallon was gone with in the hour. No amount of time off, cures me of the craving. Frustrated and at my last wit, I went back to a naturopath to talk about getting herbs or something(I'd already tried Leptin, chromium, hoodia, silver, multi-mineral and vitamin....). She just looked at me and said,"For you, Sugar is a drug. You might never be able to eat it in moderation, just like an alcoholic can not drink in moderation. You need to avoid all refined carbs, period, for the rest of your life potentially. You might feel deprived, like an alcoholic, you might fall off the wagon, you will miss it and your life will change, but if it's the only way to not binge and over eat, then you need to avoid it." I was so depressed to hear that. Personally, I couldn't imagine life without sweets and breads. Since then, I basically avoid it all. I eat lots of veges and nuts and seeds and free range/no hormone meat and eggs and cheeses.
There have been different things which I've tried that resulted in weight loss(if that's what you need).
1. A couple years ago, I got a really bad sinus infection and was prescribed Augmentin antibiotics. Within 2 weeks I lost 30 lbs, and my sinus infection was not even affected. My ENT was shocked at my weight loss and that's when my thyroid was tested, along with other things. He prescribed me another antibiotic. I immediately stopped loosing weight, and my infection cleared up within a couple days. Now, no one I've mentioned this to has any idea what happened, including my ENT. All he said was that Augmentin causes varied reactions in people. What's amazing is that after that, for an entire year, if I over ate, I just had more "out-put". My weight stayed the same no matter what. After the year was up, the affects seemed to go back to normal. During the year, I still craved the sugar like before, but I didn't gain the weight like before. Very strange.
2.Master cleanser diet. I always loose weight, but it all comes back and it does nothing at ALL to eliminate the sugar craving.
3.hypnosis. stopped craving for a couple weeks but I really think it's because I was just very motivated to have it work.I've read Sugar Busters, Against the Grain, Sugar Blues...A couple years or so ago, Steven Taubs book Good Calorie Bad Calorie came out. I bought and read the entire thing immediately and was blown away by his findings. I absolutely recommend you read this if you are really feeling addicted to sugars and carbs. He investigates why are some people constantly craving and some don't. I seriously feel I understand as much as possible about my cravings now and am so relieved to find that it's not some underlying psychological flaw or trama(hopefully! ;) ). I feel it's a flawed pathway in my body and because I really am convinced of the physicality of it, it makes it easier to handle living without sugars. So, out of everything I've ever read, reading Good Calories Bad Calories is the only book that I think thoroughly investigates all the scientific studies regarding anything metabolic. And it's the only book that I felt really spoke to me personally because it actually talks about chronic addiction to carbs as something not currently curable(outside of abstaining). Most books claim that one can cure oneself of carb addiction, which I absolutely don't think is possible at this point. But one day, maybe....
Posted 1 year ago # -
rachel
MemberSuper dark chocolate was the secret for me. Even though, like Elana, I feel bad after eating anything too sweet, I knew that I wasn't going to be able to completely ditch sugar because I thought I'd need a daily "treat" to look forward to. It turns out that the chocolate did the trick (my drug of choice - Valrhona Le Noir Extra Amer 85% cocoa). Just knowing it was in the pantry was enough for me to start to skip the brownies and cookies to which I'd been so addicted. At first, I would have three or four squares of chocolate a day. Now I'm down to a quarter of a square once or twice a week. It's still sugar but it's SO much less than what I'd been doing before that I feel okay about it. Now, if I slip and have even a tiny bite of any of my old favorites, I have a sour taste in my mouth that makes me crave my toothbrush. It certainly wasn't (and isn't) easy but I feel much, much better overall (and I lost 22 pounds as a side effect!)
Posted 1 year ago # -
NYCPARI
MemberThis is for Alysa..
There's a book called Intuitive Eating that I would highly recommend! The tools they give you have really made a difference in my life.Posted 1 year ago # -
Alice
MemberI'm a little slow with technology - just found these posts from 5 months ago! Thank you everyone for your responses. My arthritis, or whatever I have, is really acting up so I am looking at my diet before major medication. I haven't had much white sugar for 5 weeks now, but I "ate around" my cravings by eating lots of corn chips, dairy (which I don't usually have) and soy milk for lattes (which I don't usually have). I was so determined not to have white sugar that I ate everything else I could think of, which has made me feel almost as bad as the sugar did. I'm learning all the time. Anyone with arthritis/inflammation find a diet that works? :)
Posted 1 year ago # -
Diabetic Cook of Maine
MemberAlice, the substitutions you turned to (especially the dairy products) contain lactose, which is a form of sugar. Read the nutrition label and you will see the grams of sugar in each serving. I think you'll be shocked to discover all the "hidden sugar" found in processed foods.
I know it is difficult to kick the sugar habit (been there, done that). Try your best to eat foods in their natural form, not from a processed food or package. That way you can control the amount and type of sugar you consume.
I once heard it said, in the book "The Diet Cure," that the best food plan is to eat an 18th Century diet. That means goodbye to processed food, for the most part! Frozen vegetables and fruit are convenient, readily available, store well and make it easy to have "fresh" food on hand. Use these to make smoothies, instead of drinking lattes.
Good luck and don't give up!
Posted 1 year ago # -
alysia
MemberTo NYCARI,
thanks for the recomendation. I will certainly check it out.
Also to follow up, after a fasting blood sugar test and vitamin deficiency test, at a Naturopathic Dr.'s office, found that I'm very low blood sugar, and short on Chromium. So I've been on chromium 1500mcg/day(1/2 upon awaking, 1/2 at 3pm). She also sent me home with a little blood testing device that I used various times during the day. I'd get down to the mid 50's by the afternoon. Very interesting to see actual measurable problems in the body. Also, very relieving. I was in the habit of eating 3 good meals during the day. Then the snacking would seem to overtake me. And she told me to eat every 4 hours, and each time to eat the amount of food in the quantity of the size of my clenched fist, from morning to night. I used to eat much more in quantity, less frequently. I have been following Dr.'s orders since September. I can say, this routine has made a significant difference. I've tested my blood sugar on random days to see how things were going and have never once got below 75. Pretty good evidence of this routine working, so far. I will go back in for another vitamin test to see how the levels of Chromium have changed, first of January. I wish someone would have given me one of these little blood monitors a long time ago. It was totally free, and all I pay for are the little test strips which I get from the pharmacy.Posted 10 months ago # -
chelesirois
MemberI can relate! You might want to check out http://www.radiantrecovery.com. You'll be in good company there. It's a 7-step clear and simple plan where you work at your own pace and get lots of support. It's worked for a lot of people. It worked for me. Then I got prego and terrible morning sickness for 14 weeks and had a bit of sugar to ease the sickness and gradually caved in to eating it regularly again. I have not wanted to really drop sugar since, but I do incorporate many or the principles from the radiantrecovery plan.
hth,
MichelePosted 10 months ago # -
jcd
MemberAlice: depending on what type of arthritis you have, diet can (I believe) have a major impact. I'm living proof. Do you have a diagnosis?
Posted 7 months ago # -
babovka
MemberRegarding the sugar addiction, I too struggled with this for years and did not understand until reading 'Good Calories Bad Calories' that ANY carbs are immediately converted by the body into sugar. So if you are cutting out sugar and substituting wheat (even whole wheat) products, or fruit (because it is natural), you will continue to have cravings. Cut out all of the '...ose' products: sugar (sucrose), wheat, rice, potatoes, pasta (glucose), milk (lactose), fruit (fructose) and add significant amounts of fats (coconut oil, butter and animal fats are best) to your diet, but NO vegetable oils (they are highly processed and rancid). When I started eating fatty meats, using lard in my cooking and coconut oil in my baking, my cravings miraculously disappeared. No willpower necessary, the cravings were gone. When I do want something, then I make something from Elana's recipes which use almond flour or coconut flour and I feel satisfied without feeling like I want to eat the whole batch. It all has to do with insulin resistance and blood sugar regulation.
Regarding the arthritis that someone asked about, in my journey, I cut out wheat for 2 or 3 solid weeks at one point to see if it was causing me any digestive problems and was shocked to find that 3 days after I reintroduced it, several of my joints ached. I have repeated this experiment a number of times and it is always the same conclusion. I now try not to eat any what at all, and do not have any joint pain, but it does return if I eat what. I have a strong family history of osteoarthritis and was having joint pain starting in my early 40's.
Best of luck to all of you with your challenges.
Posted 7 months ago # -
kesh
MemberMy holistic doctors says that everyone has a sensitive to wheat, sugar and dairy - some more than others. I tested positive to all 3, with wheat being my biggest senstivity. After cutting these foods out of my diet for the past 2 months I have felt so much better! In addition I have been off coffee for 3 months and don't even miss it. You realize once you step outside the matrix of our hfcs/processed food society that it's all a vicious cycle. The more wheat and sugar you eat, the more tired you feel and the more you crave caffeine. If you can cut it out of your life, you will come to know yourself again, feel happier and more energetic.
It was not easy, as I am a sugar-holic. I will say that after not having sugar for a while, when I do eat something that is made with refined sugar, it does not taste good to me at all. I find it much easier to pass up cookies (which were my vice) and opt for a piece of fruit or nuts.
Keep in mind that the fountain of youth lies in the food we consume - this is incentive enough to make a change, right? You won't have to waste money on fancy creams to get that radiant appearance and diet pills to lose weight. I can't tell you how many people have noticed a difference in my complexion yet I have changed nothing, but my diet.
Good luck to you! :)
+k
Posted 7 months ago # -
lisastafford
MemberWhen our bodies crave sugar, this is a signal to eat fruit. That is one of the ideas in the book, Intuitive Eating, mentioned above. It was written by my friend, Dr. Humbart "Smokey" Santillo. This man is amazing, and everything he has written is powerful. He also developed a GF fruit and vegetable supplement that I take, which helps me with my cravings.
I also find that exercising regularly helps me with my cravings/diet. When I am disciplined in my exercise, everything falls into place. Now, a lot of planning helps. Plan out meals and snacks that include good quality protein, fats, vegetables, fruits, and baked treats with Elana's recipes. Don't leave it to chance, find yourself starving, and reach for poor choices. (Been there, done that).
If you make a poor choice, don't beat yourself up. Journal about it. Learn from it. Move on and make better choices. Forgive yourself and commit again to the plan.
Posted 7 months ago # -
crisford
MemberI can't work out how to put in an address so I'm going to type it in. This is the link to a scientific article so it may be fairly heavy reading - I found it was understandable, I read it twice to really figure it out. This seems to be fairly new on the food intolerance type scene but so far it is the only thing that is making sense for my particular body and symptoms. For me the cravings seem to be linked to certain sugars (but not sucrose), especially the sugars in wheat, milk (lactose - I didn't realise that most lactose intolerant people can eat hard cheeses), soy, pulses and FRUCTOSE. This is the killer for me as I have major fruit cravings. Fortunately some fruits are better than others so I can tolerate some (eg oranges, bananas, raspberries) but keeping away from fruit is a major struggle for me. The research is done by some Australians and there is a nutritionist (Sue Shepherd) who is using this in her work and has written some cookbooks. Anyway, worth checking out. http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/digestive-health/nutrition/BarrettArticle.pdf
Posted 7 months ago # -
vyvyan
MemberSugar addiction (mine included) is because most of us have been brain washed by the anti-fat anti-cholesterol movement (as well as the vegans) which says we should not eat meat or animal products. It's all bad science/dogma. Anytime I feel that sugar craving coming up, it starts with an empty feeling that I need to be filled up psychologically so I head for the refrigerator... which is where I have to make the choice. Carb or... something else?
The solution I have found is to eat eggs or fish/meat left over if I have it. [no time to rant but if you want to read up on it you will realize that scientists are discovering becoming fat is not from EATING fat but from insulin problems from carbs/sugar so]
Eating fat/protein accomplishes several things:
1) you get energy you were going to get from sugar
2) the energy lasts longer. its not an empty high which goes away
3) you feel satiated throughout the large part of the day
4) your nourish your body and brain
5) you don't feed your addiction
6) NO WAY to overeat like carbs/sugars. You will physically stop eating protein/meat after a while while you can over-eat fruit and sweetsHave eggs/meat on hand, as well as nuts and ditch sugary fruits (including dried), esp ones you can gorge on such as berries. Berries and grapes do not fill you up! Apples/oranges/bananas are temporary fixes. They are OK because the fiber of it takes a long time to go through your body and the sugar doesn't hit you as fast.
Posted 7 months ago # -
lisastafford
MemberVyvyan,
Great sharing. I often reach for protein or fat when I am hungry too. I keep some boiled eggs in the refrigerator all the time for a quick fix. A tablespoon of peanut or almond butter works, or a teaspoon of coconut oil. I often have a serving of fruit or vegetable with my protein/fat to get those needed phytonutrients I don't get enough of, and to get some healthy carbs that I need to keep from getting a headache.
I agree with you about the weight/sugar problems in our culture. Too many carbs in the form of grains. Not enough good quality protein. We have taken grains out of our diet and feel better.
Lisa
Posted 7 months ago # -
sarahcamp20
MemberI couldn’t help myself when I saw your post. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, most of the time you are craving sugar because YOUR SPLEEN QI (pronounced Chee) is poor/sick. I have a long history with sugar, so to give you the short version… my whole life I was addicted to sugar, I could never say no to sugar. I saw a TCM herbalist about 5 years ago, he fixed my spleen qi with herbs and recommended food that I should eat to keep my spleen strong. Now I don’t crave sugar. (He fixed a lot of other issues as well)
According to my TCM herbalist and acupuncturist, you are craving something sweet to heal your spleen. The healing flavor of the spleen is sweet and naturally sweet foods heal your spleen. (Each organ has their own flavor) So when your spleen qi is off, it craves the extreme of that particular flavor. (Which in turn , will ofcourse end up harming the organ even more) According to TCM, besides herbs and acupuncture the following foods heal the spleen qi: (sweet vegetables) yams, squash, carrots, potatoes, fennel, onion, chicken, beef, ginger, etc. There's a bunch more.
Side note: Spleen weakness allows more deposition of fat in the body, especially around the abdomen. Most TCM doctors will first treat the spleen for overweight patients.
Just go to http://books.google.com and search for spleen in this book: Chinese nutrition therapy: dietetics in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Jörg Kastner. It’s probably been the most helpful so far on TCM nutrition.
I would recommend that you also see a TCM doctor before a self diagnosis. They can really pinpoint your particular issue. Just let them know that you are craving sugar.
Posted 7 months ago # -
elissajeanette
Membercoconut oil helps me with sugar cravings - I have a teaspoon or two in herbal tea and it helps, apart from that, high protein diet and lower in carbohydrate/ fewer grains works for me (most of the time). I find that i get crazy sugar cravings if I let myself have bread or rice with a dish
sarahcamp20 makes an interesting point, and reminds me that I've been going to an acupuncturist about a month now, and that has really helped me. I think much of it has habitual, like my body in times of stress started craving sugar, then it became a pick me up - can't have caffeine, but have had terrible energy and blood sugar drops in the past. Acupuncture has really helped with all of that. And spirulina I think for the energy/blood sugarish drops helped yesterday. I'd have to take it long term or more than once to recommend it, but it popped into my head so there it is..Posted 5 months ago # -
kdfunk
MemberWow! Can I relate to all of this. I have been following many of Elana's blogs and post and finally decided to comment. I will attempt to make a very long story short. I have been sick all of my life. I am 49. In 2004 I hit, what I thought, was my lowest point. Western medicine could not diagnose me. By the grace of God I found help. I discovered what I was allergic/intolerant to; gluten, casein, yeast and many others. I cut these items out of my diet. I felt better and did wonderful for a few years. I slowly started introducing other forms of grains, carbs and sugar into my diet. I got worse and started going down hill quickly. I was desperate, depressed and sick. Again western medicine could only tell me I have a autoimmune problem and only wanted to treat the symptoms. I turned to a reputable ND, MSOM. I was put on the very strict Eubiotic diet along with homeopathic and chinese herbal medicine. I started receiving acupuncture also. Has taken several months but I am finally getting better. Bottom line: sugar is poison. And anything that is broken down quickly and turned to sugar in our system. It is very addicting and difficult to give up. It is a daily struggle. Just like any other addictive substance. I have enjoyed reading each of your struggles, comments and suggestions. I appreciate the opportunity to post my thoughts here. I am going to bake the GF simple bread today. I am anxious to see how I feel after eating it.
Posted 5 months ago # -
klawfoodnut
MemberI recently eliminated several things in my diet in an attempt to lose some weight and try to figure out the reason I had been unsuccessful with diet and exercise. I eliminated sugar, dairy and processed carbs. I found the sugar was the hardest as I have always had a sweet tooth. After several weeks of headaches and cravings, I feel so much better. I dont crave them much at all, and am sleeping better and have lost weight. I also found a sensitiity to dairy and the processed carbs are going to be few and far between. Elenas recipes are delicious and so much healthier. I dont have any scientific advice, I just know how much better I feel and know I will be living this way forever and am very excited about that.
Posted 5 months ago # -
Ari- The Frugally Rich Life
MemberI feel like I still am! Ok, I am. Even though I use natural sweeteners now like honey (and I used to use agave before I found out it's like cornsyrup), fruit juices, fruit, dried fruit, etc, I still get sugar cravings and binge on things I make. I am finding that my sugar-tolerance is getting lower (I don't need as much sugar) but I still binge often. Any suggestions? Are there any natural sweeteners out there that don't yield this result? Thanks so much in advance....you can respond here or email me at thefrugallyrichlife AT gmail DOT com. I try hard but it's tough. I've been trying and make some sugar-free (and mostly GF and dairy-free) foods at http://www.thefrugallyrichlife.wordpress.com ......I think I am also addicted to carbs! Help!
Posted 5 months ago #
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