I’ve been very interested in sugar dependency (namely because I struggle with it). As such, I’ve been reading as much as I can about it, and trying new/different ways to combat cravings. Yesterday on the train back to New York, I was reading my mom’s Woman’s Day, when I found an article about sugar addiction.
In short, the article (“The Sugar Effect” from Volume 72, Issue 9) discussed how sugar dependency has exhibited some similar effects as drug dependency. It also shares some information about why we do (or don’t!) need certain sugars and how our body processes them. Some highlights:
- The US Dietary Guidelines allow 32 grams of sugar per 2,000 calorie/day diet. This is about the equivalent amount of sugar in 1c of sweetened cereal! This really makes me think… especially since my daily caloric intake is closer to 12-1400!
- About sugar being a legitimate addiction: “…research on rats shows that they had withdrawal symptoms, including shaking and teeth chattering, when the effects of the sugar water they’d had for nine days had been blocked.”
- Sugar, or having a sweet-tooth, may be linked to evolution: “Humans likely gravitated away from bitter foods, which might have been poisonous, toward sweet ones, which were probably safe.”
Just some food for thought… My own efforts to drop my sugar dependency have been going quite well recently… I’ll keep you updated!
Okay, this is not actually day six. I completely fell off the wagon about, uh, four days ago. Here’s my sad – but true – account of how it all went down (and by down, I mean down a slippery slope at break-neck speeds).
Day one was great. Really. Day two wasn’t so bad either. I had a slight twinge of craving here and there, but nothing major really. Then, I tossed it all down the tubes. Baked cookies. Ate lots of dough, then fresh cookies. Baked more cookies… and on and on…. And of course once this happened, I figured, well why even bother? I threw caution to the wind and probably consumed more sugar than I ever normally would.
So what next?
I’m trying again. Tomorrow. I will start much smaller. Small goals, big progress (hopefully). This week one (do-over), I will:
- Eat plain yogurt; add honey.
- Drink vanilla tea or suck on a cinnamon stick when cravings strike. Drink some water, reassess “hunger” for sugar.
- Not go home right after work. I will come at dinner time (most of my binges/cravings occur during that window of time between work and dinner. I’ll come home at dinner time).
So, again, I’ll keep you posted on my progress on these three mini-goals. I’ll let you know which goals worked, and which I’m looking at for week two.
I’ve been trying to kick my terrible sugar habits for some time now. I get crazy sugar cravings and can binge on a batch of cookies like a ravenous lion descending upon a wounded gazelle (ha, sorry, but true). I’ve tried a number of things to kick the habit. Clearly, none have truly worked since I’m attempting to go cold turkey again.
According to this study from Princeton, sugar dependency does exist. Studies in rats have shown symptoms common to addiction, such as withdrawal, when sugar is removed from their diet. So, at least I know I’m not crazy. This article does a great job of explaining what sugar dependency is, and what happens to our body during cravings, binges, etc.
My path to defeating sugar cravings begins getting rid of processed foods (there are soooo many – check your ingredients it’s eye-opening). I started by reading ingredients in products I eat and giving them away if they have sugar of any sugar derivatives in them. In addition, I’ll be cutting white flour and other white carbohydrates. I’ll be using natural sweeteners when needed. For example, I sweeten my plain yogurt with either fruit or wildflower honey. The idea is that I am the one who determines the amount/type of sweetener I consume.
I’ll check in next week on my progress, and I’ll start to introduce new natural sweeteners like agave nectar… In the meantime, to check for hidden sugars in your foods, you’ll find a list of alternate sugar names here.
