Are You Addicted to Sugar?

Photo by: Uwe Hermann, flickr.com

You’ve probably been told your entire life that sugar is bad for you, but really, what’s so bad about it? We all know that it can cause tooth decay and spoil your appetite so you don’t eat healthier foods. It can also cause weight gain if you overindulge.

But is that all? Sounds like something to consume in moderation, right?

Actually, more and more research is pointing to sugar as a bigger health threat than saturated fat, high cholesterol, and even trans fats (Natural Health, vol. 42, issue 2, 79). And for Americans, that’s really scary news, considering our sugar intake. The average American consumes about 180 pounds of sugar a year! That breaks down to about a half pound of sugar per day.

But that’s not you, right? I thought that it wasn’t me, too. I tried to avoid sugary foods as much as possible, but the problem is that 2/3 of our sugar intake comes from hidden sources (Cruise Ship or Nursing Home, 59). Translation? We don’t realize we’re consuming it. It’s cheap, and it makes everything taste better, so manufacturers put it in almost everything. Go ahead, take a look at the “healthy” foods in your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. You’ll probably find sugar in your whole grain bread, your ketchup, your deli meat, your cereal, your seasonings, and a whole lot of other places you might not expect it. (Don't forget to look for alternative sugars and labeling, such as high fructose corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, etc.)

You’re probably consuming massive amounts of sugar, all while you’re doing your best to avoid it, because it’s hidden in nearly everything! If you’ve been purchasing low fat alternatives, it might be even worse. Guess what they’re using to replace the fat?

So, the question still remains: Are you addicted to it?

Have you ever tried to stop eating it, cold turkey? I mean, completely. Not just candy and sugary snacks, but anything with refined sugar in it. My family did, and I can assure you, we all experienced withdrawal. It hit us all in different ways, but it was very real. After going through that experience, I will never again believe that sugar is harmless. Interestingly enough, the longer our family goes without regularly consuming sugar, the less we crave it. The reason people typically keep craving sugary foods when they diet is because they don’t ever completely break their sugar addiction. They continue to consume it, oftentimes unknowingly, and so they continue to crave it.

Do I still love chocolate chip cookies? Of course! But I don’t think about them all the time or feel like I need to have one. I honestly can resist, without much effort at all, foods that used to be my downfall.

If you eat typical American food, you are almost certainly addicted to sugar, which will make it really, really hard to succeed at eating natural foods unless you break that addiction.

This week, our Monday Challenge is for you to do some research…in your own kitchen. Look at the ingredient labels of your dressings, condiments, bread, meat, packaged foods, anything you have. Then, when you go to the store, check out the ingredients labels of the foods you typically buy. See how many items you can find without sugar. Start thinking about whether or not you’re willing to take the step of saying goodbye to it.

If you do decide to break your addiction to sugar, it will probably be the single toughest, and yet most rewarding, part of a healthier lifestyle.

Next Monday, we’ll talk about why sugar addicts burn sugar instead of fat, and why this is a really big health concern. Then, I’ll challenge you to take the leap and break your addiction!