How To Break Your Sugar Addiction

If you live in America, chances are you’re addicted to sugar. And you probably don’t even know it.

Sugar is in nearly everything. Bread, drinks, deli meat, potato chips; essentially most packaged foods are sweetened in one way or another. Though regular old white sugar is the go-to staple, other “healthy” alternatives (such as honey, agave nectar, organic cane sugar, even fruit juices) are processed in your body the same way as “bad” sugar.

So, what? What’s the big deal? Sugar is natural, isn’t it? How can something natural be bad for you?

(Because black bears and tobacco are totally harmless, right?)

To put it simply, sugar causes insulin spikes in your blood, which either kicks the sugar into our muscles for immediate energy or into our fat cells for energy storage.

Problem is, insulin isn’t that smart. Sometimes, it gets too excited and kicks all the sugar in our blood into the fat cells. Boom: low blood sugar.

And what does your body want when it has low blood sugar?
More sugar, of course!

So the cycle continues until your body is absolutely terrible at using sugar for instant energy and instead just pushes it straight into your fat cells.

This is all explained in this handy dandy video called Why You Got Fat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNYlIcXynwE

But obesity isn’t the only ailment directly related to sugar intake. Research has found diets high in sugar to be related to cardiovascular disease (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140203163432.htm), cancer (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130201100149.htm), diabetes (http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/feb/27/sugar-obesity-type-2-diabetes), dementia (http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1215740), and of course, all the health issues that come from obesity, like high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and stroke (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/obe/risks.html).

Bottom line: Sugar is bad for you, and you need to actively break your addiction to it in order to be the healthiest you can be.

I used to have a sugar addiction. White bread toast smothered in processed peanut butter for breakfast, hotdogs with extra ketchup at lunch, Frappuccino in the afternoon, chicken smothered in BBQ sauce for dinner, and always a huge helping of ice cream for dessert. Oh, and gum throughout the day.

If this sounds like a typical day for you, let’s jump into some tips on how to break your debilitating sugar addiction once and for all.

1. Know your enemy. Sugar likes to masquerade on ingredient labels as other things, such as:

-Fructose

-Glucose

-Dextrose

-Honey

-Agave

-Syrup

-Organic sugar, syrup, etc.

-Evaporated Cane Juice

-Fruit Juice Concentrate

In addition, many foods you wouldn’t expect to have high sugar counts, such as breads and granolas (it’s important to note that some simple carbohydrates are processed as sugar in the body, but that’s a topic for another day). Also, try to limit your high-fructose fruit intake (such as bananas, apples, mangos, grapes, dates, and any dried fruit). Instead, grab some berries, which are much lower in sugar count but still very sweet. 

2. Understand that this is a process. Your brain is literally wired to crave the dopamine that comes with sugar. You’re not going to be able to break this overnight. You’re going to mess up and splurge on a Snickers or some soda. Know, however, that you will break your addiction by taking it one day, one meal at a time.

3.  Focus on tiny steps. Drink unsweetened iced tea instead of soda. Substitute your daily apple with mixed berries. Try some natural, added-sugar-free peanut butter (I swear, it’s even more delicious). The last sugary thing I clung onto for dear life was gum, and I’ve kicked that habit as well by drinking hot tea throughout the day. And when it comes to coffee, drink it black or with some satisfying cream.

Speaking of which…

4. Eat more fat. Contrary to popular belief, fat doesn’t make you fat. Nor does it block your arteries. In fact, it is absolutely necessary for multiple aspects of the human body to work properly, including your hormones and brain. Also, it is filling, so you won’t even want to reach for a sugary snack. Some good high-fat options are: Eggs, olives, avocados, fatty pieces of meat, nuts, coconut milk and coconut oil. Check out this great article on the subject: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/high-fat-diet-healthy-safe/#axzz3CqLpfhhq.

5. Dedicate yourself to the process, and accept that the cravings will come and go. For a while, it’s going to seem like everyone is out to sabotage your efforts. “Why must muffins and donuts accompany every work meeting? Why do I have to eat birthday cake? Sorry, I’m sure your homemade cookies are delicious, but…” It will be hard, but it will be worth it. You will reach a point where donuts no longer look like food, and raw green bell peppers taste sweet.

6. Realistically, try to shoot for fewer than 50 g of sugar a day. Yes, that includes sugar from fruit (and even from vegetables. Watch out for beets; Quailman was right when he called them nature’s candy!). Once you start paying attention, it will shock you how much sugar is in things like a can of coke (39 g), granola bars (10-15 g), or even an apple (19 g). A good way to track your sugar intake is through a website like www.myfitnesspal.com, where you can record and track your food and exercise for free.  

Figuring out what you can eat will be tricky at first. You’ll find that you’re being forced to choose healthier, fresher foods. The more healthy foods you eat, the better you’ll feel. Not only because of their nutritional value, but because you are proving to yourself that you are strong enough to resist temptation and change your life for the better.

Are you ready to kick your sugar habit for good? Comment below with any questions or opinions on the topic.