Reality of Sugar Addiction + How to Kick the Habit

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

Everyone looks for a sweet fix now and then, but are you really addicted to sugar? Here’s how to tell if your sweet tooth is a real problem, and how to quit for good.

Sugar is addictive, fattening, inflammatory, and void of nutrients. However, we overlook sugar’s poorest qualities because it seems harmless, and for the most part, is socially acceptable.

Yet sugar addiction is a legitimate problem and can wreck havoc on your health. So, how do we know when it’s too much?

Is Sugar Really “Addictive”?

While referring to sugar as “addictive” is controversial, research shows that sugar does have an addictive response in the brain.This is because sugar influences dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is part of the reward loop in the brain. When you eat sugar, you feel good, which makes you want to eat even more.

As the pattern continues for you to get those feel-good hits, the brain begins to release lower levels of dopamine because it assumes you’re going to continue getting the steady stream of supplementation.

The problem for many people who’ve come to rely on sugar as their dopamine booster is that “moderation” isn’t possible, and so, like many other addiction rehab programs, it does need to be an “all or nothing” approach.

This is where quitting sugar begins to feel nearly as hard as quitting smoking or other forms of addictive substances. When you quit, the dopamine hit from your sugar intake isn’t there, but the brain can’t make more dopamine fast enough.

As a result, you feel down, perhaps even depressed and fatigued, and your brain begins to send out cravings for sugar because it is well-acquainted with the fact that sugar has been your dopamine booster.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that sugar is good for you – there are far better ways to maintain healthy dopamine levels. Still, handling the cravings when you quit sugar becomes a battle of will. As a sugar detox coach, I’ve seen people succumb to their cravings over and over, only to have a much harder time trying to quit the next time.

An even bigger problem with sugar is that it’s basically 100 percent socially acceptable – and when you do try to quit, people think you’re crazy. “Why aren’t you eating sugar?” “Sweets aren’t that bad for you!” “Just eat it in moderation!”

The problem for many people who’ve come to rely on sugar as their dopamine booster is that “moderation” isn’t possible, and so, like many other addiction rehab programs, it does need to be an “all or nothing” approach.

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The Damaging Effects of Sugar

The detrimental effects of sugar are well-proven by research. Sugar has been proven to be problematic for:

• Cardiovascular disease, increasing the risk for heart attack significantly
• Obesity and weight management
• Acne and other skin imbalances and disorders
• Type II diabetes and insulin/glucose problems
• Increased cancer risk
• Depression
• Premature aging
• Increased levels of fatigue
• Liver problems and disease
• Inflammation
• Kidney problems and disease
• Cavities and periodontal disease
• Dementia and Alzheimer’s

This list is far from exhaustive. Sugar has the potential to damage every system in the body, down to the cellular level.

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7 Signs You Might Have a Sugar Problem

For some, sugar can be eaten in moderation when rounded out with a healthy intake of vegetables, protein, and healthy fats. If you eat a significant amount of vegetables, say, 10 cups per day, a small amount of sugar once in a while will barely make a dent in your overall health, unless you have prevailing or chronic health issues.

But if you barely eat any vegetables, and you eat a diet high in carbohydrates already, then any amount of sugar you add is not in moderation to the rest of your macronutrient intake.

When people say that they eat sugar “in moderation”, they often mean in moderation of itself. Instead of having four sodas a day like they used to, they cut back and have only two instead.

When you’re reducing sugar intake, you also have to boost the things that counter the negative effects it has, like eating more vegetables and omega-3 fatty acids.

So how do you know if you have a sugar problem, and if you need to eat it in moderation or not at all?

You may need to quit sugar completely for a significant amount of time if one or more of the following is true:

You have sugar every single day and start to have cravings/withdrawal feelings within a few hours of missing a typical sugary treat.

You turn to sugar-filled sweets to handle stress.

You think about sugar all the time.

You get immediate headaches if you’re a few hours late in having a typical sugary treat.

You eat sugar daily, but get less than 2 cups of vegetables per day.

You are overweight and eat a high-carb diet.

You have thyroid or other hormone problems and rely on a daily “sugar hit” to ward off depression or sadness, usually in the evenings.

If you can relate to any of the above statements or scenarios, then you may need to make some dramatic changes to alter your dependence on sugar.

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3 Steps to Beat a Sugar Addiction

When it comes to quitting sugar, it can feel like an impossible battle. But there are ways to set yourself up for success and to minimize feelings of withdrawal.

1. Eat your nutrients first.

Before you quit sugar cold turkey, you need to boost the nutrients in your diet that will help to support a balanced gut, which will help to minimize sugar cravings and feelings of withdrawal.

While some cravings are produced from the brain’s reliance on sugar for dopamine, other cravings are derived from gut microbes that rely on sugar to survive. In the gut, there is a complex balance of good-to-bad bacteria, and the bad guys rely heavily on sugar, junk foods, and processed carbs.

When you cut these out, the gut bacteria send out strong cravings because it’s literally do-or-die for them. When you understand that cravings are produced as a physiological response within your body – and not only from an emotional need or dependence on it – it becomes easier to mentally fight them.

To pre-support your body’s liberation from sugar, boost fermented foods and add in gut-healing and nourishing items like collagen, bone broth, and plenty of vegetables.

Omega-3 fatty acids, like those found in salmon and sardines, are also essential for combating inflammation. Do this for at least a week before you plan to quit sugar.

2. Incorporate dopamine-boosting activities into your routine.

While your brain might be accustomed to getting regular boosts of dopamine from your sweet tooth, there are many other ways to get a healthier fix.

Try one or more of these natural ways increase dopamine levels:

• Increase your protein intake and eat more of it throughout the day, including for breakfast

• Take a daily probiotic supplement

• Walk (or do another aerobic exercise) for 10-20 minutes daily

• Create and stick to a healthy sleep routine, with seven to eight hours of sleep each night

• Listen to music, play an instrument, or otherwise engage the right-brained creative center of your brain

• Practice meditation

• Get natural sunlight and outdoor exposure regularly

3. Quit cold turkey.

After you’ve boosted the nutrients and habits that you need to replace your sugar-dopamine connection, it’s time to quit for good. For someone who’s truly addicted to sugar, weaning off too slowly will rarely work.

When you’re quitting sugar, you need to quit all forms, and that even includes natural forms of sweeteners like honey and coconut sugar, and in most cases, regular use of stevia.

Even though stevia doesn’t impact blood sugar, for true sugar addicts, stevia can perpetuate the dependence because it still tells the brain it’s getting a sugar hit.

While you don’t have to quit forever, three to six weeks is needed to break the daily reliance on sugar. As they say, it takes 21 days to create a habit, so you need to be completely free from it for at least that long.

 But if you have serious sugar dependence issues or health problems you want to address, longer or even permanent sugar removal is a better approach. Once you’ve removed the initial supply from your life, cravings will go away.

If you find that you’re having trouble sticking to a no-sugar plan, find someone to be your accountability partner, or seek professional nutritional support.

Watch this video – How to Break Sugar Addiction: 7 Steps to Help You Stop Eating Sugar

Written by Aimee McNew

Author Bio:

Aimee McNew is a Certified Nutritionist who specializes in women’s health, thyroid problems, infertility, and digestive wellness. She ate her way back to health using a Paleo diet, lost 80 pounds, and had a healthy baby after numerous miscarriages. She focuses on simple nutrition practices that promote long-lasting results.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook

How Excess Sugar May Increase Your Risk of Alzheimer’s

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

Are Alzheimer’s and sugar linked somehow? Read on to find out how excess sugar may increase your risk of dementia.

Even if you’re actively trying to decrease your sugar consumption, beware — conventional food companies quietly add sugar to nearly every food, making it hard to buy even a jar of tomato sauce without added sweetness.

At the same time, Alzheimer’s rates have been skyrocketing along with obesity and the underlying metabolic syndrome. This may seem like a coincidence, but data suggests there could be a link between excess sugar and Alzheimer’s disease . Since Alzheimer’s is the third leading cause of death in the United States, this is a very alarming issue.

Dr Perlmutter, author of the best-selling book Grain Brain, suggests there are a wide variety of neurological issues attributing to the standard Western diet. Additionally, Harvard University’s Dr. Emily Deans suggests new evidence pointing to correlations between the standard Western diet and smaller brain size.

While there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, a small UCLA study recently revealed how partial memory loss could be reversed. How did researchers do this? By following a Paleo-like template. This landmark study and its supporting data continues to notion that a high-carb/ high-sugar diet may not be good for a a person’s mental health.

And without mental health, what kind of health can we really have?

How Does Alzheimer’s Happen?

One in ten people over age the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s—and those numbers are increasing. As the baby boomers age (the first generation with a high sugar diet for most of their life) the more Alzheimer’s disease grows. From a science perspective, Alzheimer’s is typically seen via problems with memory, judgment, and thinking.

Memory loss and dementia increases with Alzheimer’s and is a result of your brain malfunctioning. While there are some medications to help with symptoms, there is no cure. Genetics play a large factor in Alzheimer’s, but it seems that epigenetics (i.e. your diet and lifestyle) also play a major part in the disease development.

Mechanistically, plaques and tangles appear in the brain and lead to problematic buildups. Scientists are still debating what exactly causes Alzheimer’s, but there are a few different hypotheses.

One of the first guesses was the cholinergic hypothesis, which suggests that the disease was caused by a reduced synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

Unfortunately, drugs designed to target this area have not been very successful. Others suggest that mechanisms of cholinergic effects result in large buildup of amyloid, which may lead to an “inflamed brain.”

The most plausible theory describes Alzheimer’s deriving from the amyloid precursor protein binding to a death receptor 6 (DR6) — often found in the affected brain areas.

How Does Sugar Factor In?

So, how does sugar play a role in brain disease? For one, the pathways of diabetes development seem to affect how Alzheimer’s will occur. It also tells us that too much sugar leads to diabetes and is a major red flag.

Some scientific experts believe that burning too much glucose may cause disruption in your brain. This is also why approaches like the UCLA Alzheimer’s study, where a lower-sugar diet was consumed, seem to work—at least so far.

In fact, Alzheimer’s disease was named “type 3 diabetes” because your brain can produce insulin, as well. The catch? Your brain cells need this insulin to survive. And if disruption occurs, your brain cells are at risk.

What Does The Evidence Say?

A 2013 study in The New England Journal Of Medicine found that higher glucose levels may be a risk factor for dementia—even among people without diabetes. Thus, you would never know you were at risk for Alzheimer’s. Additionally, other studies confirm that insulin resistance links to significantly lower cerebral glucose metabolism.

Another red flag is the fact that diabetics lose gray matter more than those who do not suffer from diabetes. Why is this important? This loss of gray matter is a contributing cause of Alzheimer’s.

And if we refer back to Dr. Emily Dean’s article, we will see that there is now evidence that a Western diet is linked to a smaller hippocampus—one of the areas in your brain most affected by Alzheimer’s. Things aren’t looking good for a high-sugar diet here.

Another study from 2013 claims that obesity, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s sum up the overall situation by suggesting that: “the incidence of type 2 diabetes has increased dramatically over the last decades mainly due to Western lifestyle factors such as lack of exercise and high calorie diets”.

Similar studies suggest that Alzheimer’s is related to sugar and concludes that: “High-sugar diets are thought to promote weight gain and insulin resistance predisposing to type 2 diabetes.

To aggravate this scenario, it has been consistently shown that type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and both disorders share similar demographic profiles, risk factors, and clinical and biochemical features (e.g. insulin resistance).”

The risk for Alzheimer’s increases with diets rich in sugar. Remember—just because your don’t have diabetes, doesn’t mean you’re not at risk for Alzheimer’s. In fact, one of the best preventative measures for developing Alzheimer’s is switching to a low-sugar Paleo approach.

Watch this video – Understanding sugar’s effect on the brain, ADHD, Alzheimer’s, high blood pressure and diabetes

The Bottom Line

There are plenty of reasons to avoid sugar. However, the neurological risk seems to be the best reason. Since we still don’t completely understand Alzheimer’s disease, it makes sense to take every precaution to avoid the disease.

Industries and politics cause big problems when companies like Coca-Cola spend big money on ads convincing us to consume large amounts of sugar.

If it becomes well-known that sugar can cause brain damage, the economic implications are obvious. Whether you are genetically at risk for Alzheimer’s or not, you should take precautions to avoid developing it. Cutting out the sugar should be step one.

Written by Casey Thaler

Author Bio:

Casey Thaler, B.A., NASM-CPT, FNS is an NASM® certified personal trainer and NASM® certified fitness nutrition specialist. He writes for Paleo Magazine®, The Paleo Diet® and Greatist®. He is also an advisor for Kettle and Fire and runs his own nutrition and fitness consulting company, Eat Clean, Train Clean®.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook

Here are the 3 Steps to Stop Your Cravings

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

3 Steps to Stopping Cravings in Their Tracks

Chocolate, bread, pizza, candy…

What was once a favorite treat or a prized meal is now off-limits. Cravings are inevitable.

If you’re one of those rare people who crave carrot sticks, there’s no problem. But for most folks, dealing with cravings is a huge part of life, whether you eat Paleo or not.

I’m going to break down the science behind cravings so we can get some answers.

I’ll give you one spoiler up front – if someone tells you that you just need more willpower, they’re barking up the wrong tree.

We All Crave the Same Foods (More or Less)

When you get hungry, you crave food, but this is different from having a craving.

A craving is defined as a desire for a specific food or selection of foods, but not just food in general.

Even though we are all unique in ways, we’re also scarily the same in other ways.

When large groups of people are studied, their most common cravings are always the same.

Here’s a great infographic that breaks down the common cravings:

What do you notice?

People crave foods that taste good (are highly palatable). Chocolate, salty snacks, foods with additives like MSG, and pizza are all loved by a large majority of the population.

There’s a common myth that people crave foods with nutrients (vitamins and minerals) that they need. The human body is smart, but not that smart. Other than a rare condition called Pica, cravings have nothing to do with wanting specific nutrient . Otherwise, people would crave nutritious foods like spinach much more.

The 3 True Underlying Causes of Most Cravings

Part of the reason there is a lot of muddled results from studies about cravings is because they can be caused by so many different things.

I’ve gone through the most comprehensive studies I could find, and it turns out there are 3 factors that seem to be the most important (by far).

Cause #1: Emotion

I don’t think it’s a shock to anyone when I say that humans, despite valiant efforts by some, are not logical creatures.

We try to make good decisions, and often succeed, but those emotional choices we make often lead to bad decisions. This isn’t limited to just eating choices, either.

Getting back to the topic at hand, many studies have revealed that emotions play a key part in when we start to crave for foods.

Cravings have been linked to:

• Boredom
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Sadness
• Guilt

Important note: Emotions vary widely from person to person. Boredom causes cravings in some, but not in others. There are even some people who experience strong cravings when happy.

Why do Emotions Cause Cravings?

The most promising theory so far appears to be reward-based stress eating. The theory is based on the importance of cortisol and other appetite-regulating hormones.

When people get stressed, they release opioids, which are chemicals that relieve pain. It turns out that eating highly palatable foods can also release opioids, which is essentially a reward of eating certain foods. Studies have shown that many cravers feel better after eating what they craved.

It follows, then, that when we experience a negative emotional state, like stress or boredom, we might try to feel better by trying to produce more opioids through eating. It’s possible that the body initiates the craving on its own, or even that they are developed over time as a habit.

Do All Emotions Cause the Same Cravings – No!

Why do we give in to some cravings, but not others?

One of the most interesting findings I came across was that the higher the stress or negative mood, the more likely a person is to give into those cravings, possibly even bingeing.

Cause #2: Restriction

Do you like being told what to do?

If someone tells me not to do something, I almost always do it (I’ve also been told I have the maturity level of a child).

While you might not be as stubborn as I am (or maybe you are), the majority of people have an instinct to be free – to make their own choices.

Many studies have looked at the effects of dieting on cravings. Most dieters change what they eat by cutting out “bad foods” like chocolate and junk foods. This can lead to a “boring” and repetitive diet.

This restriction has been shown to increase craving frequency and intensit. One study found that under monotony (a very restrictive diet), cravings quadrupled.

The Pink Elephant Craving

When I tell you not to think about a pink elephant, do you think of a pink elephant? This classic example illustrates the second problem with cutting foods out of your diet. The less you can have something, the more you crave it.

One study took 129 women and split them into 3 groups: one that was dieting, one that was watching their weight, and one that was not dieting at all as a control group.

The picture below shows the cravings of the 3 groups during the study:

Among the 3 groups, dieters experienced the most cravings (about twice as much as non-dieters).

Special Case: Fasting (This Surprised Me)

So if cutting back on food a little increases cravings, fasting must skyrocket them, right?

Upon closer inspection, fasting is a different beast altogether. Instead of cutting out specific foods, you’re cutting out all foods for a set amount of time. And while you might expect some increase in cravings, fasting actually causes a decrease in cravings. You might want to learn more about intermittent fasting if you’re having trouble with cravings.

Cause #3: Habits (and Triggers)

Ever trained a pet to do a trick by offering a treat? Over time, your pet will automatically do the trick as the reward enforces the behavior. This is an example of classical conditioning.

Humans can also be conditioned:

• Did your homework? Have a cookie.
• Ate your vegetables? Have dessert.
• Want to watch T.V.? Eat your cereal first.

The specifics don’t matter, but just know that people tend to associate foods with events if they occur enough. Note that this can be related to emotions as well (e.g. going through a breakup? Drown your sorrows in ice cream).

Do You Know Your Triggers?

Charles Duhigg, one of the most famous authors on habits, coined the “habit cycle” that is pictured below:

All habits have 3 components: A cue (some call it a trigger), a routine, and a reward.

When we talk about food cravings, the routine is eating, and the reward is the pleasant taste and good feelings. So that leaves the trigger component.

There are a near-infinite amount of triggers in real life, but here are the most common that lead to cravings (and acting on them):

• Thinking about a certain food (the more vivid, the stronger the craving)
• Smelling or seeing foods
• Emotional states (as discussed earlier)
• Events (e.g. dessert after dinner)
• Habits can be unlearned, but it is tough.

Ladies, You’re at a Disadvantage…

I can’t say I can relate, but it’s been conclusively shown that women have to deal with some pretty crazy hormone changes during menstruation and pregnancy. These changes cause not only intense cravings, but often some weirdly specific ones as well .

Perhaps one of PaleoHack’s awesome women writers can tackle this specific topic in more depth at some point.

Paleo and Cravings

By definition, eating a Paleo diet will involve a lot of restriction. While there are no relevant studies concerning Paleo and cravings, I think it’s logical to say that this factor alone most likely results in extra cravings. This makes the final section of this article even more important.

How to Handle Your Cravings

You understand that cravings are highly personal things, right?

Because of that, I can’t give you a blanket solution. What I can do, however, is give you a variety of solutions for different problems that cause cravings, and you can pick and choose which ones you think will help.

Option 1: Restricting Foods? Change Your Perspective

I believe this is the most important thing that anyone trying to eat better can do.

Restricting foods is a good thing, as long as it doesn’t cause you to crave excessively and end up bingeing, which is bad for your mental and physical health.

But instead of thinking of it as: “I can’t eat bread anymore,” think of it as “I can eat bread, but I’m choosing not to in order to be healthier.”

And that’s a very simplistic example, but you can start with that and tailor it to your own personal situation.

To make it even more effective, instead of saying something general like “…to be healthier,” think of it in terms of the benefits you’ll receive. For example:

…to have more energy

…to lose weight and feel more confident

…to be sick less often

etc.

If you have extreme issues with negative thinking and cravings, you may want to seek professional help from a therapist. There have been great results shown from using cognitive behavioral modification techniques to reduce cravings.

Option 2: Diet Change? Wait it Out

If you are new to Paleo and are coming from a drastically different diet, you are going to have more cravings than normal. It’s unavoidable, in many ways comparable to withdrawal that addicts face when trying to quit.

However, the bright side is that the cravings will subside in time. One particularly interesting study showed that cravings decrease over time as you adjust to a new diet, and low-carbohydrate (like Paleo can be) diets are easier to get used to.

Option 3: Break or Hijack a Bad Habit

If you know that your cravings are a result of bad habits, you have no other choice but to try and break them, one at a time.

You can either try to break them altogether, or try to replace the “routine” (food being eaten) with a different one, which is often easier.

Long story short, to hijack a habit when you crave a certain food, replace it with a healthy alternative. Each time you do this, a little bit of the craving will be transferred to that new food, until the habit is completely reformed.

Option 4: Compromise/Find a Paleo-Friendly Alternative

Chocolate is the most common craving by far, but does it need to be eliminated from your diet?

There’s definitely a grey area when it comes to cocoa, but most Paleo practitioners are fine with including some in their diet as long as it has no other questionable ingredients.

If you are craving chocolate, have a square or two of dark chocolate (the darker the better). This can eliminate the craving before it gets out of hand and causes you to eat too much.

Many people who eat Paleo think it’s a “boring” diet, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. There are a ton of awesome Paleo recipes that you can experiment with and many Paleo snacks to help fight cravings. Yes it’s more work than ordering a pizza, but think about why you started eating Paleo in the first place – the benefits are worth a little effort.

Option 5: Exercise or Distraction

What do you do when you are exposed to a trigger and can’t stop thinking of a food?

One option is exercise. A fairly recent study showed that participants had a much lower craving response after exercising. Even a quick 5-minute workout can help keep those cravings at bay.

Another option is to distract your mind. While you can’t simply tell your brain to stop thinking about a food, you can get it to think about other things. One study showed that after doing an activity that engaged one of the senses (sight, smell, hearing), the intensity of a craving decreased (see the graph below) 

You could go around smelling other things, or go watch a video. As the graph shows, audio distraction works, but not nearly as well as visual or smelling distraction.

Watch this video – 9 Strategies to Stop Overeating

Summing It Up – Cravings in a Nutshell

Experiencing some cravings is normal, as is giving in to them every once in awhile. Don’t feel bad or beat yourself up if you do give in, just keep trying.

If you think you have an issue with cravings, follow this 3-step procedure:

• Write down any cravings you have, as well as when, where, and environmental factors when they occur.

• After a few weeks, analyze your cravings and try to identify the causes of your cravings. See if they fall under one or more of the causes in this article.

• Select appropriate solutions from above and implement them. Track your progress.

If you do those 3 things, you should see marked improvement in the frequency and intensity of your cravings. This will help you achieve the Paleo diet that you’ve been trying to eat.

Written by Dale Cudmore

Author Bio:

Dale is a nutrition writer, chemical engineer & professional soccer player who sees the results of proper nutrition every day in training and games. Connect with him at DaleCudmore.com

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook