Is Sugar Addictive?

 Did you ever wonder why that white, sweet powdery substance can make you feel sooo good? There are times you can’t get your mind off all the cakes and goodies that are full of sugar—the more you consume, the more you want.

Did you know that sugar can be quite addictive? that is the reason you are so attracted to any food that contains sugar. With any addiction there are times you might think it is almost impossible to live life without it. Fortunately, sugar addiction can easily be overcome.
Sources of sugar

Even though sugar is generally considered to be very harmless compared to some illegal or dangerous drugs, it can cause a myriad of health problems. When consumed in excess it can interfere with your body’s hunger signal which makes you more likely to binge eat and have food cravings which contributes to overweight. It is well known that obesity can lead to the onset of many life threatening diseases.

Nearly half of the sugar consumed by an average person comes from fruit drinks, sport drinks and soft drinks. The rest usually sneaks into the diet in other forms like cakes, cookies, ice cream, breakfast cereal, chocolate and many processed foods.

Some healthy foods like oatmeal and yogurt can have extra flavour added which packs several grams of sugar into your diet unnecessarily. In short, it is easy to be drowning in sugar, without knowing.

Why you should care about sugar addiction

Why should you even care about being addicted to sugar? Because it is bad for your health :

Scientists have shown that besides the increasing bulge around your waistline as a result of excess consumption of sugar, diets that are rich in sugar have been strongly linked to many diseases like diabetes, cholesterol, heart disease and elevated triglycerides. Intake of sugar has also been directly linked to poor eyesight, migraines, depression, gout, osteoporosis and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and arthritis. Keeping this in mind, you really should care a lot about sugar addiction, as it can take a great toll on your health.

For many the taste of sweet foods is delicious and very tempting. If you have intense sugar cravings, this doesn’t mean that you were born like that: it is because over the years you have developed a dependence on sugar. Poor food choices and dietary habits are responsible for sugar addictions, but fortunately this is something that you can overcome easily. You can manage to reverse your high sugar tolerance levels within a short period of time and destroy the sugar monster lurking in the shadows, waiting to claim your health.

Overcoming your sugar addiction

If you are having personal struggles with sugar addiction, just remember that it isn’t lack of will power, it is years of bad eating habits. You can break your sugar addictions by practicing these simple suggestions:
Balance your blood sugar

Recent research findings have shown that high levels of sugar in the blood are associated with a much lower flow of blood to the brain. This means that you are more likely to make some bad decisions that can intensify your sugar addiction problem. To stabilize your blood sugar, it is recommended that you eat a nutritious breakfast full of protein, carbs, fresh fruit and vegetables. Taking such a healthy breakfast can also help weight management. Next, have small low sugar snacks during the day. Increase your consumption of beans, nuts, seeds and animal protein.

Eliminate artificial sweeteners and sugar from your diet

Your cravings for sugar are highly likely to go away if you make a point of eliminating artificial sweeteners and sugars from your diet. Refined sugars, fruit juices, sodas and artificial sweeteners only fuel your cravings for more sugar. As such, by not consuming sugar in any form can go a long way in reducing your addiction to sugar. While it might not be possible to eliminate all the sugar from your diet completely, you can start by minimizing consumption of foods such as sugary snacks and sodas.

Conclusion

Saying no to sugar is not always easy for many people, and some have fought sugar addiction for years without success. However, provided you are disciplined, sugar addiction is definitely managable. Some doctors even recommend that sugar addicts undertake a sugar detoxification program. This can be very effective in reducing your cravings; resulting in better eating habits which in time will return your sugar level to a healthy level. The best advise is to consciously select what you eat and avoid foods that are laden with sugar.