I haven’t met anyone (so far) who doesn’t like anything sweet. I’m starting to think that most of us are really programmed to like sugar! But the thing is, we all know how sugar can be bad for our health and can be highly addicting.
New research has been claiming that some of us can be genetically more prone and inclined to crave sugar compared to others. It can even be compared to being addicted to heroin, nicotine or cocaine. The bingeing and addictive behaviors can be very similar in alcoholics and sugar addicts– sounds scary, right?
If you think you have a sugar addiction, don’t worry because that can easily be modified by modulating your brain chemistry through the food and nutrients that you consume. Regulating your hormones and neurotransmitters that affect your appetite and cravings can greatly affect how you handle your sugar addiction.
How do I overcome it?
- Balance your blood sugar levels. Research indicates that low blood sugar is linked to lower blood flow to the brain which means you’re prone to making bad decisions– such as eating more than what is required. In order to keep your blood sugar level stable, make sure that you eat a nutritious breakfast that has a lot of protein. It is also good to eat or snack every 3-4 hours which includes protein (Nuts, healthy fats, and seeds). You’ll be surprised at how this helps people maintain weight loss instead of the other way around.
- Remove all sugar and artificial sweeteners to your diet. If you’re not going to stop eating it, then what’s the point of it all? Go cold turkey! Avoid it at all costs and let your brain reset.
- Get 7-8 hours of sleep daily. Did you notice that every time you didn’t get enough sleep, you’re more likely to crave sweets? It’s because research shows that lack of sleep can increase cravings.
- Go for fruits. If you’re just looking for a snack that’s not savory and you really find yourself craving for something sweet, opt for fruits. Fruits have sugar but not the refined one that we considered toxic. You’ll find that after a while of eating fruits as a dessert, you won’t be craving for cakes and cookies!
- Load up on Vitamin D3. If your vitamin D levels are low, there’s a hormone that turns your appetite off isn’t working, so you feel hungrier all the time even if you keep on eating. Here are some of the foods rich in vitamin D: spinach, kale, okra, collards, soybeans, white beans, etc.
- Add more Omega3 Fatty Acids in your diet. Low levels of Omega3 can sabotage normal brain cell functions and insulin control. It is highly recommended that you add more of this to your diet by eating chia seeds, walnuts, soybeans, etc.
If the cravings don’t stop there, you might want to try this instead. If you think that eliminating the sweet taste isn’t something that you can do, especially when you’re cooking, opt for these healthier alternatives to sugar.
I did notice that I crave more sweets whenever I didn’t get enough sweets. I’m a sweet tooth but it gets worse whenever I’m tired. It’s like I could literally eat nothing but sweets all day!
I’m so surprised with the vitamin D3 thing. I do feel like I’m always hungry even if I just ate. Maybe that’s because I’m deficient in vitamin D3? ?
If there’s anything that I can’t avoid, it’s sugar. I treat myself once in a while even if I’m living a healthy lifestyle. I don’t think of myself as a sugar addict, but I do love sweet things.
Hmmm…. I wonder if I could really go cold turkey on sugar. I think I’ll just switch to the alternatives that you linked.
Guys, if you want to bring out the sweetness of food ingredients, adding a little salt can do that. ?
Yes, I’ve tried this. Just not too much because it can become salty instead!
This works really well if you want to balance the taste in your meals. Tried and tested.?
I used to always have desserts on the side after every meal. It can either be a cookie, a slice of a cake or even a small cupcake. But after a week of trying to eat incorporate more fruits in my diet, I realized that eating fruits after a meal makes you crave less of those sugary goodies. I even find that I’m fuller, so I do less snacking.
Actually, as long as you are eating well and sleeping well, this binge on sugar is far from your reach.?
Whenever I’m stressed, I also crave sweet things. So I think it’s also good to keep your stress levels in check.?
Oh no, I do experience this at work sometimes. I even keep a chocolate bar in my drawer just for that reason!
i found out the starbucks i get everyday has around 50g of sugar ☹️
sugar is everywhere, sugar is ubiquitous. read labels, get it out of your diet and prosper!
I get really sick if I stop eating sugar. And I mean REALLY sick. Wicked headaches, nausea, shakes, irritability, and so on. I tend to keep eating sugar just to avoid the pain of quitting. It sucks ?
I was good for 4 days than i had a doughnut and holy crap…one doughnut ruined the whole day. i ended up eating 4 cookies at 1030pm.yup… flour and sugar are the devil.
I unintentionally was in a sugar withdrawal. I wanted a doughnut sooooo bad. I ended up at 7-Eleven with an apple crueler. First bite is when I knew I had a sugar addiction. Time for change.
Thank you, you motivated me to start buying fruits and veggies.
Thank you for simple but encouraging techniques. I am looking forward to applying them and incorporating them in my rebooting into a holistically new self.
It’s true though. Sugar is poison. Look what it does to your teeth for a start!
Sugar is NOT the issue, when you eat fat it builds up in the muscle cells and blocks insulin, this is what we call insulin resistance. I’m not saying sugar is healthy since it was no vitamins minerals or fibre, but it is not the issue. I’m high carb low fat vegan and my blood sugar is literally flat lined even after a meal.
I quit sugar gluten and dairy cold turkey a month ago to help my thyroid. It’s amazing how little I care about food now. It all tastes good, satisfying, and when I’m done, I’m done! Never been this way in my life. Sugar free= freedom from sugar.
I swear if I didn’t have ANY kids I wouldn’t be here.. but I gotta get this addiction under control. DAMN KIDS!!? I love you but I love my addiction too.. I can’t be selfish.?. My life is not my own…?
FANTASTIC! Thank you so much! very complete and short at the same time. Also for the sugar = flour equation!!! THANK YOU!!!
even when you do quit sugar it’s easy to trigger it off again it’s the most addictive substance on our planet yet governments don’t care they want to keep us sick it’s big business if they wanted us off sugar they would put massive tax on it and advertise how bad it is but that’s not good for them.
You sound crazy. The government always want the best for us citizens. Is your responsibility to make the right decision on your diet period.
We love finding both social conspiracy and idealism on healthy blogs…lol
Hi, Rebecca! Excellent influential confidence. Thank you for the information.
My brain shuts down without sugar. I know it’s an addiction but I can’t work with a non-working brain. I just accept it and try not to eat more than exactly what I can get away with. If I balance it right I actually lose a little bit of weight but often gain it right back. I really need about a month to “detox” and just let myself pass out for days if that’s what it takes to get over this addiction but I can’t take that much time off work. I’m not sure what to do really.
Same here lol… I feel like if I try to quit, I would have to stay home for awhile.
Btw if anyone here loves sugary soft drinks but wants to quit them, grab yourself sparking water with minimal sodium and 0 sugar (obviously) and buy some limes. Squeeze half a lime or full lime into about a pint of sparkling water. Boom. Best substitute for soft drinks i’ve ever found. Haven’t tried oranges or pineapple with sparkling water yet but i’m going to later today.
Sound like a good plan but it’s more expensive to buy healthy foods.
Doesn’t have to be. Besides more expensive down the road to cure those nasty diseases. And it’s miserable too.
I ate 2 pints of ice cream today. Tomorrow is a new day and I hope I can quit this terrible addiction.
I stopped refined sugar two weeks ago and lemme tell you I was a bitch for a few days. But it gets better lol
13 days no sugar and the cravings change from day to day. It was actually easier for me on the first week but has been getting harder lately.
New years day, I gave up alcohol, coffee, refined sugar, soda and alcohol….by far the toughest has been sugar….
This goes to an extreme, but as I’ve learned time and time again, giving up soda and candy can go a lot way to helping you feel a lot better, lose weight, etc.. I also think Diet Sodas are worse than regular even.
Spot On ! Ive started to see the impact of free sugar and free gluten diet … wow ! ive never had so much energy and ever strength on my whole body. Two weeks into my diet i lost about 7kg without any physical workout …
starting tomorrow yet again…. lol help…. haha, no seriously it’s so hard!
I love love love fruit! how much fruit is acceptable? I know it has natural sugar, is that okay? thanks! I eat whole fruit no canned and very rarely frozen. thanks!
The mistake many people make is they don’t realise how dangerous sugar is! What annoys is me the most is the fat free industry. Every single product labeled as fat free has a much higher sugar content. It’s shocking! If you don’t believe me, watch That Sugar Film documentary. ?
YES!! That is a must see film. I honestly think kids should be forced to watch it in school.
What am I going to do? My household makes it impossible for me to take control of the kitchen. There will always be chocolate within walking distance from me and I am heavy addicted to sugar… What must I do? I can’t control my sugar urge!
Sure you can. People have more self-control than they think, and are much stronger physically, and mentally than they will ever find out.
Same for me! What my family did (and it helped a lot) was hide all the sweets. If they can put them in a locked space it’s even better because when you crave sugar you WILL try to find where they hid them!
I slowly and secretly throw all the bad foods away. It is my only option… the rest of my family members are addicted too and I can’t convince them to stop purchasing these things.
So pretty much stop eating everything you want and eat everything you don’t want.
hahah, but really why are we only eating stuff that isn’t made from mother earth? it’s kind of weird right? Maybe because they put a lot of unnatural ingredients that make us crazy addict’s and can’t stop. Then we get sick and have to pay more money. Who wins from this?
Once you reach rock bottom you will want to do this. Ive known about this for years but thought it wasnt worth giving up everything. Its kinda not. But its important to reboot so please quit for a long time. Then you can have a little bit of whatever you want. But never go back to eating excessively
I am giving this a try! If someone sees this comment after a while, please ask me how’s it going to keep me motivated ??
Seems like good advice to me. I’m off sugar almost a month. Quit cold turkey! Started eating healthier food and added fruit which seemed second rate while on sugar.
What about salt cravings? It might sound like a joke but i really got them.
I quit sugar for 30 days in January 2019, and now I have reduced it immensely. I eat fruit more but I will not put salt on my fruit, because it will start a health problem . I’m proud that I’m doing great. If you’re addicted to sugar I’ll advise you to quit eating too much of it, while you’re health is still good.
They know that you will eat more, if they add a bit of sugar. That’s why there is sugar in everything.
I am currently fighting this addiction, which keeps winning. Am I the only one?
I know the feeling. Right nowI have a headache from giving up the bakery goods. I gotta get this sugar addiction under control!
DONT GIVE UP!!! Cut down slowly . if you eat a lot for sugary food on a daily basis it is very difficult to change your whole diet, so do it slowly.
I used to be able to finish a whole chocolate bar with minimal guilt, but now I haven’t touched added sugar for almost two months. Beyond proud.
I’m fighting my addiction again, it’s horrible but worth it. I really think sugar changes my personality for the worst.
How am I supposed to break my sugar addiction if my S/O constantly buys it and it’s all over my house?
Great topic, Rebecca. Very well written too. In conclusion: sugar is a family friendly version of cocaine.
I broke what I call my added sugar addiction by slowly transitioning to healthy snacks that such as fruit and other natural whole foods and overtime I lost my addiction to candy, pop, and junk food.
Giving up sugar completely is an incredibly hard thing to do, most people will fail but it’s ok to have some sugar. I gave it up for 6 days out of 7 every week, I still lost tons of weight and now feel amazing.
Hi. I’ve been without sugar for 2 weeks. all i lost was 2 weeks. never doing it again. i need ice cream
I’ve read so many comments of people completely cutting out sugar. Don’t cut it out or you’ll be bloody miserable. Have things in moderation and you’ll build a healthy relationship with your diet.
I can live without sugar mostly, but you’ll have to pry my 90% Cacao Dark Chocolate bar from my cold dead hands. 1g per square so the whole bar is only 8g, but still I can’t live without it.
its important to know that before you try and break any type of habit, especially with food, there are going to be some setbacks. Not that you are planning to have them but to accept that it may happen so that you don’t just relapse hard after one or two setbacks. Take gradual steps because it will take time to ween yourself off but in the end you may find that going back to heavy sugar intake is almost unpalatable which will help keep you on track.
When I stopped eating sugary foods for a while, a few months if not over a year, sugar didn’t taste the same and those sugary foods tasted worse than ever before.
I once stayed away from soda for 2 months and when i finally decided it was ok to drink a can of coca cola, it was absolutely amazing.
Happened to me a lot and I keep going back quitting going back. I know how it tastes like nothing once you quit it.
I’ve pretty much kicked my sugar addiction, as I have my addiction to chocolate, because I’ve pretty much had enough sugar for 5 lifetimes! And 4 months ago went back on a whole foods, plant based (Vegan) lifestyle ~ once again but this time, for life… since giving up sugar and sugar-laden yogurt, I’ve managed to clear up my lifetime cystic acne, once and for all, and my skin has become soft and supple. ❤?❤?❤?❤ GO VEGAN!
Congratulations.. I went vegan .. lost a ton of weight and look great . Not to mention my health is awesomely off the charts .
I really want to break my sugar addiction. I’m so unhappy about it. I hide it from people. no one knows how bad it is.
Have you watched ‘the bitter truth’. Very inspiring. And remember, although it’s really hard to start with, it gets easier with time; usually after about three weeks. Good luck.
People don’t have to cut sugar out completely. A piece of candy or a soda every one in a while is fine.
I’ve completely cut out soda and candy bars. Proud of myself hahaha
I haven’t eaten sugar in 3 weeks! my sugar addiction is broken 🙂 I don’t even feel like eating it anymore. It’s taken a lot of willpower… trust me.
I still have sugar but in small quantity. I want to quit completely because getting diabetes is easier the older you get :/
I can’t stop having soda, energy drinks, chocolate and cookies. Even if I workout and diet I always fail and drink soda and eat crap of candy. My addiction is strong.
Have a piece of fruit and dont go grocery shopping hungry helps a lot with controlling what you buy. If you use fruit to satisfy your sweet tooth and arent hungry I find I’m less likely to go for junk food.
Sugar is my enemy. After a salty meal, I crave a sugary dessert. Bad habit I have to break.
What I did, was eat as much sugar stuff as possible in a day until I threw up . And now I never want to eat anything to do with sugar ? it’s been 9 months now ??
How to break sugar addiction, how to break food addiction, how to break water addiction, how to break air addiction… Easiest way is just to became inorganic life form and place yourself in vacuum environment! \(o_o)/
Sigh i hope i can do this im so addicted to anything sweets and ofc chocolate i need to be fixed.
I’ve been a sugar addict all my life. Now on my 4th day free from sugar. It’s hard, but it is possible.
For me it took about a week of healthy eating for the sugar cravings to go away.
I am so addicted to sweets…hopefully one day i’d be able to forget sweets!
Thank you for the great article! Do you take requests?… How about covering night eating? How to break this habit???? ?
I’ve been researching the best ways to give up sugar and I keep hearing different things about giving up. Some say gradually cut it out to avoid headaches, etc. Others say that completely cutting it out is the way to go.
I shunned sugars and carbo altogether just in 1 snap after realizing it’s the cause of my acne breakouts. The result is worth it.
This all great assuming you can afford this. It misses the fundamental economic problems.
I legit almost cry just thinking about living without sugar, legit the only pleasure I have in my lifeeee.
Ok… just let me finish this one chocolate bar and I’ll start eating healthily.. *5 minutes later, three chocolate bars followed*
Should a nursing mom not detox from sugar until they’re done nursing? I really want to be healthier and I know I’ve got a sugar problem :/
When I think I have a sugar craving and i eat something sweet a salt craving immediately follows…
I find that eating nuts (not roasted or salted, only natural) really help me with sugar cravings. Is this a good alternative? I imagine it’s better than pure sugar anyways.
stick to almonds, walnuts, pepitas since they have “good” fats. Not easy on the wallet, but a good snack alternative.
I eat so many sweets in a single day. Is like i feel happy when I’m eating them. And then later i just can’t stand myself. I’ve tried many times to quit sugar but always failed after 10-15 days maximum…
When I crave sugar. I just eat frozen grapes. They taste great and I lost 31kg from not eating anything with sugar.
My goal is to break my sugar addiction this year! Bye-Bye ICE CREAM!
when i quit eating sugar for a while and started having it again, i would get very dizzy and nauseous!
Today I finally accepted that I have a sugar addiction. How do I even start with a detox? All I think about is Oreo ice cream..
I think my mum is a sugar addict. She has genuine withdrawal symptoms if she doesn’t get her sugar
I try to fool myself by thinking, “i hate sugar” and stuff like that but it never helps.
Eating shortbread while reading this as I’m starting no sugar for a month from tomorrow. I’m eating everything sugar filled in the house first ? logic..
I cut it out before for months years ago. However, it’s gotten to the point where I’ll have chocolate etc when I’m out and about for a quote boost of energy. I need something different!
Sugar isn’t half as bad as some people think or claim it to be. Eat whatever you want, work your ass off and you’ll be fine.
I haven’t eaten sugar in almost 8 weeks and still crave it all the time. ??
There’s a guy that comes into my work who gets 15 cubes of sugar in his coffee and I just feel bad letting him buy it because I feel like I’m poisoning him.
Going to try this, thanks for the tips!!! Fingers crossed will do it ??
I eat heaps of fruit and veg, but when I buy something sugary like for example a box of cookies, I can’t stop eating them… so…
This is gonna be real hard especially if everything around me pretty much has high fructose corn syrup in some ways or another…
I just ate a bag of double stuffed Oreos. I need this sugar demon casted out.
At least my painful acne went away by giving up on sugar but it’s hard to not find pastry shop who use natural sugar from fruits ?
Where i live nearly everything is made of sugar. All that we in our day to day life have at least some sugar in them. Carbs and sugar foods everywhere. How am I supposed to change the way I eat?
I’m addicted to chocolate but i am very healthy I love every type of fruit and I eat 2 boxes of tomatoes every week.
Dreaming of a day where sugar is a health solution rather than a problem.
I only lasted two days without sugar. There was too many tempting things in front of me. I started to find a way to make it work. I noticed that everyday for years I’ve had lots of sugar, and after two days without it I felt alive and a big improvement! I’ve decided to eat lower amounts of sugar everyday until I’m ready to try again.
I used to love all kinds of sweet things, until I stopped eating them for some time, until I started liking them less. I love salty foods, not sweet ones. At least not as much.
I was actually eating a bar of chocolate and cookies while reading this… I need to fight this addiction ??
I’m trying. I’m so bad, I will literally eat spoonfuls of that sugar in the raw, white processed sugar, even the equal. I am being DEAD SERIOUS. When I don’t, I go through bad withdrawals.
Hello, have you experience lack of energy, feeling sleepy or extremely anxious while quitting sugar?
My sweet tooth literally disappeared after I stopped eating meat, soooooo yeah.
It was very simple for me I threw the powdered sugar in the sink, and all the rest of the sweet products in the trash, that was finished the sugar for me , it’s 2 years now!
Tbh I don’t like sweets but those cereals, pasta, and bread are so tasty fml
Lost 30 pounds so far cutting carbs (sugar) to 50 grams a day in 2 months and finally feel detoxed. Have to do this the rest of my life.
5 days without sugar in my body and I started shaking with withdrawals someone had to hand me a piece of chocolate to stopped it.
Ginger and cinnamon sticks are your friend when you’re kicking sugar. I know. I could not have done it without them.
Don’t read the back of packets I started and now I eat less than a thousand calories a day. Seriously. Don’t do it.
I’m addicted to sugar. It’s not that easy to just give it up.
What about salt cravings?? It might sound like a joke but I really got them.
Ok, its goof to cut off sugar but everything we eat has sugar. The only food with an acceptable level of sugar is chicken/fish and veggies. Stop all processed foods sugar drinks boxed and bagged food.
I go crazy if I don’t have sweet after eating a meal.
Finally, someone not condemning natural sugar in fruits.
Whenever I am craving sugar I eat fruits. It doesn’t have to be healthy, it can be really high sugar fruit, but the point is that fruit is not addictive. If I eat a biscuit or a piece of chocolate when I’m craving sugar, in no time I’ll have eaten the whole packet, but eating something like frozen banana/mango/grapes satisfies my sweet tooth and stops the cravings.
Whenever I am craving sugar I eat fruits. It doesn’t have to be healthy, it can be really high sugar fruit, but the point is that fruit is not addictive. If I eat a biscuit or a piece of chocolate when I’m craving sugar, in no time I’ll have eaten the whole packet, but eating something like frozen banana/mango/grapes satisfies my sweet tooth and stops the cravings.
Great information about cutting out sugar.
My biggest issue is being a picky eater, trying to cut back on sugar and still find things I actually like to eat? Yeah, sometimes I find myself not even wanting to eat at all anymore, or I give in and eat a cookie. Most fruits don’t even taste sweet to me.
I have been looking for practical ways to reduce sugar intake. Great tips. Thank you.
When I am stressed out I need a soda ASAP. I’m working on it. I would love to cut sugar out as much a possible.
I will definitely reduce the sugar in my diet this month.