Sugar addiction....

what kind of "addictive " qualities of you referring to?


There's a chemical that companies put in processed sugar to keep us hooked. Science.

What these jabs are really pointing out is that there is no physiological addiction going on. Obviously if fruit has sugar and twinkies have sugar but you only jones about twinkies, it's not a physiological addiction to sugar going on here.

It's not about the chemical being consumed, it's about the pleasure being derived from the eating.

Find me a piece of fruit that's as good to eat as a bowl of ice cream and I guarantee you'll see the same kind of behavioral addictions to it that you see to ice cream.

It may be the same sugar in them but the ice cream tastes ****ing awesome whereas the fruit is just "good" at best.

And OP, if you really have an "addiction", then you should be checking yourself into rehab or getting professional psychological help.

I often wonder if the people who keep throwing that word around have ever known people who suffer from an actual addiction, because if they did, they'd realize just how serious an addiction (physical and mental) is and would be seeking help for their issues....not trying to go do some fad detox diet whatever. Seriously sad how we belittle actual issues by using the phrase or word to describe little and simple problems...like learning to moderate what we eat, in this case.

Behavioral addictions are real. They are now in the DSM-V, including binge eating. It doesn't really help matters to say that one suffering isn't quite the same as another.

For myself personally, the "everything in moderation" approach doesn't work with some things. At this point I really do need to completely cut them out. I don't have the best willpower, admittedly. I can will myself to work out, but I can't will myself to keep one bowl of granola from turning into 4. It happens. If I allow myself something in moderation, I tend to keep having it "in moderation" until the box is empty. I realize this. It's not the deprivation that leads to the binge, it's the mentality that "just one won't hurt". It really IS comparable to a drug addiction in that way, because I find myself craving that feeling, that mental/emotional boost that the sugar gives me, I think.

Yup, classic behavioral addiction. You know it's bad for you, but you can't help yourself. For me, my attitude was not that "just one won't hurt", it was that once I had permitted myself to eat a spoonful or two of ice cream, what the hell, in for a penny in for a pound. If you're gonna sin, baby SIN! If you're gonna pay for indulgence, might as well indulge!

There are just a lot of people here who don't believe that you can be behaviorally addicted to something, or that in order to be addicted you have to be resorting to prostitution. There are plenty of internet, pornography, gambling, and other behavioral addicts who know the truth.

I have type 2 diabetes and just reducing it didnt seem to help. I have cut out all added sugar, processed foods and cut right back on carbs. I had to cut it out completely for quite a while and allow my body to get used to a new diet. It does work but you have really bite the bullet and de-tox from it . Good luck

sugar is sugar...doesn't matter if it comes from a candy bar or a strawberry...

And yet for many people candy bars are far more tempting to eat than strawberries. Why?

Eat dates. Middle-eastern people eat these as a dessert. They're extremely sweet, but much better for you than candy or soda and definitely help wean you off the refined sugars that can cause addiction. It's a good transition food if you're looking to cut down on sweets altogether, which does promotes feelings of overall well-being.

sugar is sugar...doesn't matter if it comes from a candy bar or a strawberry...

And yet for many people candy bars are far more tempting to eat than strawberries. Why?

Convenience

Was just thinking that lol... I never walked into a gas station and found strawberries but I always walked out with a couple Reese's peanut butter cups and a King Size Snickers.....

A lot of people are being flippant about this post, but sugar CAN be addictive. There are several studies to back that up. I have personally added to that pool of research when I did a study with rats using cocaine or cookie dough to study reward processing. Sugar can be as rewarding as cocaine if you eat it often enough, and in large quantities.

I recommend taking the sugar out of your house, away from your work space, anywhere you usually see it. I find that turning on catchy music and singing/dancing around for a little while will distract me long enough to forget about how much I feel like bingeing on cookies. The less you eat, the less you'll crave. Good luck!

Which studies? Are any on humans or all on rats?