How to battle sugar addiction
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I did a detox and it helped curb my cravings big time. If there's sugary things you crave, don't keep them in the house. Things with sugar and fat are yummy- you just need to have them sparingly.2
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There is no battle because it's not an addiction.
And there's no reason to completely cut it out (unless you have a health issue like diabetes). How about eating LESS of it to start. I mean you're not eating teaspoons of sugar from a bin are you? It's likely foods that have it laced with added sugar. So eat less of them. If it's gummy bears, instead of a full serving, eat half and stop.
@ninerbuff
Yeah...that's the battle and the addiction. One can't just "stop".
If you don't have an an addiction to it, then good for you. But don't dismiss people's problems just because you don't have that problem.
You horrible advice of "just eat less and stop" is exactly what the OP is struggling to cope with. Otherwise, she wouldn't be asking for help.1 -
Point being that nobody has an addiction to it and calling it that trivialises real addictions.
Of course people can ask for help with something without it being an addiction though.5 -
I did a detox and it helped curb my cravings big time. If there's sugary things you crave, don't keep them in the house. Things with sugar and fat are yummy- you just need to have them sparingly.
Detoxes ( whatever exactly yours entailed) are not neccescary.
However, sure, there can be various non physiological methods for helping with cravings - hypnotherapy, prayer,phone a friend,support groups like overeaters anonymous,internet friends , behavioural change techniques etc.
If they work for you, that's great.
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One can't just "stop".
You don't know this is true for OP. Also, if it were an addiction, the normal advice is to stop. I think most (probably all) people, with structure and some learning/practice/mindfulness can eat sweets in moderation if they want to, but ultimately if you think you can't you have to stop.You horrible advice of "just eat less and stop" is exactly what the OP is struggling to cope with. Otherwise, she wouldn't be asking for help.
You don't know this. She hasn't given us enough information, yet people keep making assumptions.
We don't know what OP has tried other than some form of cutting sugar out of her diet for a few days and then it backfiring (as I would predict in many cases, without more).
We don't know what she means by having a sugar addiction. She feels out of control, but what's the context?
We don't know what she means by sugar.
We don't know if she keeps sugary trigger foods in her house or if she buys them or eats them elsewhere.
We don't know what her history is with bingeing.
We don't know how many calories she is eating, if her diet when cutting them out is structured or not, if it's super restrictive or not, if it has enough protein or not, if the calories are too low, what exercise she is doing or sleep she is getting.
These things are all relevant, yet because she used the term "addiction" and others don't care for that term when applied to specific foods (or sugar, which is in fruit and vegetables and dairy, foods people usually don't claim to be addicted to), you think you know precisely what she is getting at and that ninerbuff (who works with people who need to lose all the time) cannot help. I think you are making too many assumptions here.1 -
I did a detox and it helped curb my cravings big time. If there's sugary things you crave, don't keep them in the house. Things with sugar and fat are yummy- you just need to have them sparingly.
I don't believe in detoxes, as there's nothing to detox from. However, absolutely for many people who tend to overeat at home keeping trigger foods out of the house is helpful, and I think your last sentence is right on.2 -
Try coconut sugar or raw honey. I think he's referring to refined sugar which has been known to cause inflammation. Refined sugar has almost no nutritional value whereas sugar from fruit can have fiber benefits and less insulin spikes. It was easier for me to stop eating meat than going 30 days without sugar. Don't buy it if you're trying to get rid of it if you're having cravings eat a 1/4 of blueberries. If you drink pop/soda get sparkling water and drop a few berries in it you'll get the same result1
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The only way is to cut sugar completely and eventually you won't really crave it.. but if you don't want to go that route, when you are craving sweet, have a little fruit.3
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Coming from someone who drank 2L of Pepsi EVERY day, it's hard. If it doesn't fit into my calories then I try to find an alternative which will. I went from Pepsi to Juice (no added sugar), now I only drink water.2
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I treated sugar like an addiction and pretty much cut it out of my life entirely. Including most fruit. When have some in a form where there is a lot of it (like candy) my cravings come roaring back. I can sometimes handle some fruit but even that leads to eating more.
If sugar is an addiction for you, I would treat it like one and avoid it. Addictions can rarely be moderated.1 -
The only way is to cut sugar completely and eventually you won't really crave it.. but if you don't want to go that route, when you are craving sweet, have a little fruit.
Not ever eating fruits and vegetables doesn't sound like a very healthy diet, and that's the only way to cut sugar completely.3 -
WinoGelato wrote: »The only way is to cut sugar completely and eventually you won't really crave it.. but if you don't want to go that route, when you are craving sweet, have a little fruit.
Not ever eating fruits and vegetables doesn't sound like a very healthy diet, and that's the only way to cut sugar completely.
There are culture who healthfully skip those foods, or at least restrict them a great deal. Its the refined and ultra processed foods that sap nutrition from the body. For example, scurvy will not happen if one avoids grains and sugar.0 -
This isn't correct. Eating more fruit is beneficial, even after you reach the RDA.
Let's put aside the fiber and vitamins because if one reached their RDA's, eating extra doesn't give one extra credit. So if RDA's were met and one had calories left for a Snicker's or dried fruit, what's the difference in sugar and how is it REALLY impacting health if BOTH were consumed in equal calories?domeofstars wrote: »Snickers would fall into the 'sometimes' category of food while a small serving of dried fruit would count as a serving of fruit which is part of the healthy food pyramid. What I was saying is that dried fruit would be of more nutritional benefit to consume rather than a snickers bar, as it contains fibre. Some fruits also contain vitamins which are good for your health. Snickers contains a large quantity of fat, refined sugars and a small amount of protein. Fine in moderation, ok? Enjoy
...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/23/five-day-10-portions-fruit-veg-cut-early-death
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Try coconut sugar or raw honey. I think he's referring to refined sugar which has been known to cause inflammation.
Why? OP said nothing about "inflammation" and even if there were a difference between sugar from cane and sugar from honey or coconuts (which I doubt), I wouldn't take that from a comment about "addiction."Refined sugar has almost no nutritional value whereas sugar from fruit can have fiber benefits and less insulin spikes.
No, sugar is sugar. Fruit (of course) has fiber and micronutrients, but they aren't in the sugar. The sugar itself is the same. (Cane sugar can be added to nutrient dense foods with fiber, too, of course, like if you add some protein powder with a bit of sugar in it to oats and blueberries.)It was easier for me to stop eating meat than going 30 days without sugar.
I've done both (if you mean added sugar). I find I miss meat more. This is really not that significant, though.0 -
If sugar is an addiction for you, I would treat it like one and avoid it. Addictions can rarely be moderated.
To add on to this, though, many, many people who feel out of control with trigger foods or struggle to avoid overeating sugary treats can learn to do so in some way. I am not against cutting it out if you feel like you must (or if it fits with your preferred diet), and I would also agree that if sugar and even more starchy veg like carrots seem to be an issue maybe it is some weird reaction to sugar itself. But even though OP used the word addiction I think it's quite likely there are options for her short of cutting out all foods with sugar (especially to the point of needing to go low carb or cutting out fruit).
I don't think you were suggesting otherwise, but this just seemed a good post to add that thought to.0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »The only way is to cut sugar completely and eventually you won't really crave it.. but if you don't want to go that route, when you are craving sweet, have a little fruit.
Not ever eating fruits and vegetables doesn't sound like a very healthy diet, and that's the only way to cut sugar completely.
There are culture who healthfully skip those foods, or at least restrict them a great deal. Its the refined and ultra processed foods that sap nutrition from the body. For example, scurvy will not happen if one avoids grains and sugar.
Are there? There are cultures that don't have access to them much due to where they are, but not any I know of that intentionally avoid fruits and veg where available. (Well, much of the US, perhaps, but not in a healthful way and the people in question typically eat other sources of sugar.)0 -
The only way is to cut sugar completely and eventually you won't really crave it.. but if you don't want to go that route, when you are craving sweet, have a little fruit.
While the first two weeks was hellish in my case cutting out sugar was key to losing weight and maintaining for over to years now with NO cravings to deal with at home or eating out. Some say this does not work for them and I only know what worked and still is working for me.2 -
This isn't correct. Eating more fruit is beneficial, even after you reach the RDA.
Let's put aside the fiber and vitamins because if one reached their RDA's, eating extra doesn't give one extra credit. So if RDA's were met and one had calories left for a Snicker's or dried fruit, what's the difference in sugar and how is it REALLY impacting health if BOTH were consumed in equal calories?domeofstars wrote: »Snickers would fall into the 'sometimes' category of food while a small serving of dried fruit would count as a serving of fruit which is part of the healthy food pyramid. What I was saying is that dried fruit would be of more nutritional benefit to consume rather than a snickers bar, as it contains fibre. Some fruits also contain vitamins which are good for your health. Snickers contains a large quantity of fat, refined sugars and a small amount of protein. Fine in moderation, ok? Enjoy
...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/23/five-day-10-portions-fruit-veg-cut-early-death
No link to the original study that I saw, but from the description in the news article it appears to be yet another meta-study that found a correlation. Said correlation is being used to shape public policy without sufficient study to determine if it is meaningful or not. There's going to need to be more targeted studies done before there's a valid conclusion that "Eating more fruit and veg is beneficial, even after you reach the RDA". Which, BTW, is not at all what even the news article claims.
Just an FYI: given how the media sensationalizes and often misinterprets studies, it's a terrible idea to get science knowledge straight from news articles. Go to the original article when you can and at least read the conclusions. They're often not what has been reported.1 -
This isn't correct. Eating more fruit is beneficial, even after you reach the RDA.
Let's put aside the fiber and vitamins because if one reached their RDA's, eating extra doesn't give one extra credit. So if RDA's were met and one had calories left for a Snicker's or dried fruit, what's the difference in sugar and how is it REALLY impacting health if BOTH were consumed in equal calories?domeofstars wrote: »Snickers would fall into the 'sometimes' category of food while a small serving of dried fruit would count as a serving of fruit which is part of the healthy food pyramid. What I was saying is that dried fruit would be of more nutritional benefit to consume rather than a snickers bar, as it contains fibre. Some fruits also contain vitamins which are good for your health. Snickers contains a large quantity of fat, refined sugars and a small amount of protein. Fine in moderation, ok? Enjoy
...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/23/five-day-10-portions-fruit-veg-cut-early-death
No link to the original study that I saw, but from the description in the news article it appears to be yet another meta-study that found a correlation. Said correlation is being used to shape public policy without sufficient study to determine if it is meaningful or not. There's going to need to be more targeted studies done before there's a valid conclusion that "Eating more fruit and veg is beneficial, even after you reach the RDA". Which, BTW, is not at all what even the news article claims.
Just an FYI: given how the media sensationalizes and often misinterprets studies, it's a terrible idea to get science knowledge straight from news articles. Go to the original article when you can and at least read the conclusions. They're often not what has been reported.
https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/doi/10.1093/ije/dyw319/3039477/Fruit-and-vegetable-intake-and-the-risk-of
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Was it the FDA (or some other government agency, like the USDA)? I had the idea that it was diet gurus, not public health agencies. The old 4-4-3-2 and food pyramid guidelines included some fats, I think.The FDA also used to say that fat was bad for us and should be avoided, and look where that ended up.
In the average American diet, sugar crowds out nutritious foods and also provides too many calories. I think that's the reason for the recommendation to limit added sugars to no more than 12.5 teaspoons, or roughly 10% of calorie intake, per day. I think you're right that there are some people with unusually high calorie needs who can have more than that and still be OK.Sugar can be a part of an overall healthy diet, what matters is context and dosage.
If you are meeting calorie, micro, and macro goals then there is nothing wrong with sugar; if sugar is crowding out other nutrients and/or macros then it should be reduced.
it may have been the USDA; my point is that one should not be relying on government agencies for advice about health, nutrition, and food.
Who would you consider an appropriate source of information on health, nutrition and food? Their information pretty much mirrors the current thoughts of any reputable researcher/organization.3
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