Dealing With Sugar Withdrawal Symptoms
Like any kind of withdrawal from an addiction, sugar withdrawal can be a challenge.
A person will go through cravings, irritability, fatigue, and mood swings, to name just a few things. But what is the best way to deal with sugar withdrawal and its symptoms?
One suggestion is a dietary supplement known as glutamine. Glutamine helps to combat sugar withdrawal symptoms by providing the body with a replacement for it, getting energy from an alternative base. Another suggestion commonly made is to drink lots of water. This will help to stay hydrated and combat some of the cravings. Since cravings are mostly driven by the brains need for some form of reward which is harmful to the body, the best options are usually to tackle the problem with physical and mental techniques. Some ways of dealing with sugar withdrawal are:
If You Are Hungry Eat A Healthy And Filling Meal
Its important to realize that a craving is not the same as hunger.
Its not your body calling for energy, its your brain calling for something that releases a lot of dopamine in the reward system.
When you get a craving when youre hungry, the feeling is difficult to resist.
In fact, a craving combined with hunger is a powerful drive that most people have a hard time overcoming.
If you get a craving while hungry, one of the best tricks is to eat a healthy meal immediately. Stock your kitchen with healthy snack foods or pre-made meals.
Protein-rich foods, such as meat, fish and eggs are especially good for curbing hunger .
Eating real food may not feel very appetizing when you have a craving for sugary junk food. But if you truly need to lose weight, resilience is worth it in the long run.
Summary
When you experience a craving and hunger at the same time, force yourself to have a healthy meal rather than junk food.
Create A Supportive Environment
For the first month after I gave up sugar, I asked my husband to hide the few sweet foods we had in the house so that I wouldnt seek them out and eat them. I avoided certain aisles in the grocery store, movie theaters, and abstained from any baking. Later on, when I was in the habit of not eating sugar, and no longer physically craving it, I felt stronger I didnt have to do these things. I was able to be around sugar without dying for it.
Think of your supportive environment as training wheels. In the beginning, your training wheels give you the safety to try something that feels new and scary. This structure is supportive and helpful. As you get stronger, you take the training wheels off. The same structure may not be necessary anymore. Ive found this to be true with sugar.
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How To Break The Sugar Habit
Our sugar-laden diet is literally killing us. That’s the conclusion of a study reported at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in March 2013. The study authors attributed 180,000 annual deaths worldwide25,000 in the United States aloneto sugary beverages. Sodas and fruit drinks aren’t our only sources of sugar. The average American eats between 22 and 30 teaspoons of added sugar each day, according to the AHA.
“The harmful effects of sugar are primarily due to the weight gain from added sugar in the foods we eat and sugar-sweetened beverages,” says Dr. Michelle Hauser, certified chef and nutrition educator and clinical fellow in medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Most of the deaths are related to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.”
How much sugar do we actually need? According to AHA guidelines, women shouldn’t get more than 100 of our daily calories from added sugar. In reality, “you don’t need any added sugar,” Dr. Hauser says.
Follow The 85/15 Rule
“Make sure 85% of your meals include innately healthy foods like fresh produce, lean protein, and healthy fats. The other 15% can include some treats,” Scarlata says. “If you make certain foods forbidden, then you just crave them even more. And truthfully, I don’t think there is a need to give up sugar entirely.” A little treat here and there never hurts.
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Eat A Naturally Sweet Snack
When a craving hits, instead of running for the candy drawer try something that will give you fuel, too. “If you need a shot of sugar along with energy that will last longer, try making a trail mix with almonds, dried fruit, and a few dark chocolate chips,” says Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, creator of BetterThanDieting.com and author of Read It Before You Eat It Taking You from Label to Table. “This snack is portable and will not only provide that sweetness you crave, but you’ll also get protein and healthy fat from the nuts, and iron and fiber from the fruit.”
Replace Treats With Better Alternatives
Replacing sugary snacks with healthier alternatives can help to curb your cravings.
When youre feeling the desire for sugar, eat a piece of fruit instead, such as a banana, apple or orange to satisfy the sweet tooth but also provide soluble fibre and nutrients.
Soluble fibre is also found in grains such as oats and legumes, and vegetables. They make you feel fuller by absorbing water in your stomach, as well as maintaining your blood sugar levels.
Eating foods high in protein can also make you feel fuller and may help with the cravings. Add some protein into every meal, and include snacks such as plain greek yoghurt or nuts as an easy option.
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Sugar Reset: Your 1 Month Plan To Get Off Sugar
Is sugar just a sweetener, or an addictive substance on par with a drug? Depending on which experts you ask, the answer may surprise you. While we are primed to want the sweet taste of energy-rich simple carbohydrates, eating too much can not only give us uncontrollable cravings for more, it can set us up for a lifetime of chronic health issues.
Stop Buying Sugary Foods And Drinks
You can go to the grocery store and not buy Oreos. You might not think youre capable of such a treacherous endeavor, but its possible. In reality, are in control of everything you put in that grocery cart. Processed foods usually have unhealthy amounts of sugar. Dont pick it up. Dont even go down that grocery aisle. If you have to switch to ordering your groceries online so you cant reach out and physically grab a package of Oreos, do it. Do whatever you have to do to not let these foods even enter your home.
Another trick for successful supermarket shopping to kick your sugar addiction is to fill your cart as full as you can with healthy foods and ingredients. If theres no more room left for junk food, youll be much less tempted to add it to your cart. Right? Grab a small cart if you have to.
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Avoid Foods With High Sugar Content
The best way to control sugar cravings is by avoiding sugary foods such as sodas, fruit juice concentrates, and baked goods. Make your juices at home, replace sodas with lemon water, and always read the labels before buying any similar product. Opt for food items with less than 10 grams of sugar per serving.
Cut Heavily Processed Foods Out Of Your Diet
Our bodies are not meant to digest large amounts of processed foods. All that sugar is not good for you, and deep down, you know it. If youre wondering how to stop eating so much sugar, the solution is as simple and as complicated as this: stop eating the foods that contain the chemicals that are hurting you. Stop do it now. Dont wait until tomorrow or next week or next year. Start now.
That may seem like a drastic measure to take, but theres no room for cheat days when youre dealing with an addiction. Someone addicted to smoking cigarettes doesnt quit by rewarding themselves with a smoke break every now and then they quit. If you want to kick your addiction to sugar, you need to stop eating it. Rather, you need to find better alternatives to your go-to sugar-saturated treats. You cant cut one thing out of your diet without replacing it with something better thats not how dieting works.
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Ask Yourself If You’re Eating Your Emotions
Understanding why you are craving sugar can be a major clue to help you overcome it. “Know your reason ‘why,'” Glassman says. “Cravings can be triggered by emotions, behaviors, or nutrient deficiencies. The next time you’re absolutely craving ice cream, ask yourself, is it pure boredom? Are you feeling happy? Sad? Stressed?,” she explains. Asking these questions and trying to get to the bottom of why you’re craving what you are can help you overcome the feeling in the future as well.
Sugar Addiction And Binge Eating
Binge eating is a problem that is very common among people who are addicted to sugar. Binge eating means consuming a lot of food or snacks in a very short period of time. This is often followed by a feeling of shame, disgust, and dissatisfaction in ones self. Some individuals first develop an emotional imbalance, and due to depression, they binge eat until they become addicted to sugar. This can happen in reverse.
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Sugar Addiction: Causes Dangers And Withdrawal Symptoms
Reviewed by Michael Espelin APRN
How real is sugar addiction? There have been numerous narratives on the dynamics of its intake and how it affects the system. Sugar is everywhere in almost all of the food people eat, in one form or the other. Its in all the expected foods, but one might not realize its also in much other food where one would not expect it. Our daily intake of sugar averages 95 grams, which might not sound like a lot, but that adds up to about 77 pounds per year. The American heart association recommends reducing its intake to, at most, half of ones daily calorie consumption. For most individuals in the United States, this is about 150 calories for men and 100 calories for women, or in another unit, 9 teaspoons daily for males and 6 teaspoons for females. With the intake level currently, a lot of people are already way over the limit. As a result, obesity has become a major issue, with 1 in 3 adults and 2 in 5 kids showing various degrees.
Anxiety And Addiction To Sugar
This is no different for sugar and anxiety. However, this link is becoming more widely known for quite some time. A major cause for an increase in anxiety and panic disorders is weight gain, and part of what is driving this weight gain is excessive sugar intake. Beyond this, eating too much sugar will result in an individual becoming overstimulated, which can result in heightened anxiety.
For those individuals with a history of anxiety disorders, too much sugar can result in more panic or anxiety attacks. It also results in a vicious cycle of depression and anxiety, fluctuating with the amount of sugar that they eat.
Many physicians and psychiatrists suggest that you limit or avoid foods that are high in sugar if you want to get your depression and anxiety under control . Yet limiting your sugar intake can be difficult. It takes research and help in order to figure out just how much sugar you are currently eating and how you can best wean yourself off of this pervasive and tasty substance.
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Drink A Glass Of Water
Many times, we feel that we are hungry but we are just not drinking enough water. Make sure to keep yourself hydrated to avoid feeling like you need to munch on something even if you arent really hungry. Drinking a glass of water should be the first thing you do when a craving strikes.
Always carry a jug or a flask with you to remind yourself to regularly drink water.
How To Stop Sugar Cravings In 5 Simple Steps
Excess of anything is typically unhealthy and thats particularly true for sugar addiction. A sweet tooth is harmless until you begin to overindulge. Intake of more than the standard amount of sugar every day causes many negative effects and diabetes is the most common one. Besides heart diseases, dental issues, and cancer, sugar addiction can also damage your brain. If you have irresistible urges to consume sugary foods, thats a sure sign you need to learn how to stop sugar cravings. The more sugar you eat, the stronger your cravings will get. So here are a few tips to counter the sugar addiction cycle.
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Eat A Substantial Amount Of Protein Every Day
Women need around 46 grams of protein every day, while men need 56 grams of protein depending on their weight and age. This means you should eat a meal with at least 20 grams of protein, 3 times a day. Proteins are essential for satisfying hunger for longer periods of time and help your body repair muscles for proper functioning.
Signs Of A Sugar Addiction
The signs of sugar addiction are in some regards more glaring than that of other addictions. However, since there is such an overwhelming social acceptance for sugar addiction the signs usually go unnoticed. When coming to terms with an addiction it is always important to point out that self-diagnosis, or acceptance of the addiction is the first step towards overcoming it. You also need to be prepared for your body to go through a sugar detox.
Below are some of the most common signs of sugar addiction. You could be addicted to sugar if you relate to any of the following. Consequently, you may want to reach out to us for help.
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How To Beat A Sugar Addiction
Breaking a sugar addiction begins with reducing the amount of added sugar that you have in your food. Sweetened beverages are one of the main culprits, including sodas, energy drinks, and sweet iced tea. Opt for the sugar-free versions of your favorite drinks, or add sweetener yourself, gradually reducing the amount youre putting in your drink. Also consider reducing the amount of alcohol you drink. Beer and wine have a lot of sugar in them, too.
You may also like water with a few flavor drops added in. When you become dehydrated, its easier to cave and say yes to sugar. However, switching to foods and drinks with artificial sweeteners may delay the amount of time it takes to kick a sugar addiction.
Opt for the sugar-free versions of your favorite drinks, or add sweetener yourself, gradually reducing the amount youre putting in your drink. Also consider reducing the amount of alcohol you drink.
You can also stop buying desserts and sweet treats. If you think youll have a hard time moderating how many cookies or pieces of candy youll eat, simply stop bringing it into the house. If others in your family are asking for treats, ask them for their cooperation in helping you beat your sugar addiction. Or, you can buy small packages of your favorites instead of a large family-sized container.
When you feel a sugar craving coming on, try to do something to distract yourself. Exercise is a natural mood booster and can help take your mind off the craving for a sweet treat.
Is Sugar Addiction Real
Imagine an alien came down to Earth to do a survey for the intergalactic community. What would he report back?
All humans, whether young or old, consume copious amounts of a substance that is slowly killing them. They put it in their food, they put it in their drink, they advertise it on the small square box in their living rooms. They know its bad for them, yet they cant seem to stopwe must never let this reach our planet!
The truth is, sugar addiction is very real. It has a similar chemical affect on our brains as recreational drugs, such as heroin, do. Every time you consume sugar, the pleasure centers in your brain reward you with a little dopamine hit.
But you dont need science to prove that to you. How often when youre feeling hungry, angry, lonely, or tired, do you reach out for some Ben & Jerrys Ice Cream? Sugar makes you feel good, which is why cravings can be even more difficult to kick.
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Learn To Crave Healthier Sugars
Believe it or not, you can train your body to crave healthier food. You technically trained it to love processed sugar, even though you didnt mean to. While the idea that you could one day reach for a piece of fruit to satisfy your sweet tooth might sound like a fairytale, its more realistic than you think. Your body does not want added sugars only your brain does. Train your brain to forget how much it wants terrible food, and youre much less likely to crave it.
The first step to getting rid of unhealthy food cravings is to stop eating unhealthy food. Seems impossible, right? You started reading this article because youre interested in eating less sugar. Youre going to have to decide whether or not youre willing to commit here.
