Tag Archives: sugar addiction

Sugar is the Problem

Today’s New York Times has yet another article on the problems of sugar in the modern diet.

Since 1985 the incidence of Type 2 Diabetes has quintupled, which is just the most obvious effect of the similar increase in sugars in virtually every kind of food that is prepared by the industry food giants. They intended to make people addicted to their food, and succeeded wildly.

This past week I was out at meetings most of the day and on the way home passed a Kentucky Fried Chicken store, and thought about the fact that I had not eaten any KFC in years, and decided to take home some of the chicken and coleslaw, thinking we could take off the breading and it would be within my carb margin of error. The first bite was a shock, for the chicken didn’t at all taste like I remembered it, and was in fact quite cloyingly sweet; even though I peeled away almost all the outside breading, but you could still taste the sweet–and excess salt. The coleslaw was also very sweet, and I threw out the bulk of the meal.  It was not just that the food was sweeter, but it was a different sort of sweet which I take to by corn syrup. I know my palate is now used to very little sweet of any kind, but that alone does not account for the bad taste, not just sweetness.

I also paid the price later in the day with gut issues, so I doubt I will ever be entering a KFC again.

I always think about how rare it was to see anyone grossly obese in the 1950-70s, and how very common it is now. Things have most certainly changed, and the main change is sugar-starch-artifical sweets in all packaged and prepared foods.

Yours in discovery,

Nan aka Sugarbaby

Sugar Addicts: Know Yourself to Help Yourself

Learning to help ourselves is the real work of being free from the addictive high carbohydrate foods that cause us to get overweight and/or make staying at optimum weight a challenge.

The addictive nature of sugar-starch-artificial sweeteners is real, and means we have to avoid the high carbohydrate foods like the plague;  but what is also important to understand is what triggers the urges beyond the well-known effects of the foods themselves.

As Dr. Lance Dodes has pointed out in his books on addictions, most people are not constantly abusing food, drugs, alcohol, pornography, or whatever the focus of the addiction is, and often may be abstinent for days, weeks, months, or even years, then there will be something that sets off the cycle of abuse or a binge. Learning to stop and consider what sorts of issues have triggered the desire in the first place is key to stopping the behavior.

More often than not it relates at the root level to frustration, a sense of helplessness, which promotes inner anger or rage leading to the desire for some control–all this is usually subconscious. While abusing food is not what we want to do, when we are under too much inner stress or turmoil, it feels like doing something, having some little bit of control, to eat a bunch of sugary-starchy food even though we will regret it in minutes.

The point then is to stop and think about what’s bothering you, and then consider an alternative action like writing in a journal or a blog, taking a walk, doing some artwork, cleaning a closet, etc. Or, if you go through to the binge, to try and look back at what was going on that may have set you off.

The main thing is to refocus that inner frustration away from the thing you don’t really want to do like eating a dozen cookies, and instead do something you will be glad you did afterwards. This is very helpful to me, and it can be very freeing to know you don’t really have to eat a pint of ice cream or worse. I have dozens of alternatives now all lined up. I will be so happy to get all my closets reorganized, and my cabinets cleaned!

The biggest plus, the bonus, is getting to know ourselves better and know what sorts of things are likely to set us off. Whether it is a bad work situation, or unhappy relationship, or fear about something you are afraid you might fail at, the root can come from anything, but at least you will soon learn to recognize the source and divert the urge to something less damaging, or even helpful.

Socrates said that the greatest lesson in life is to “know thyself”; this is surely true about controlling our unhealthy habits or addictions.

Yours in the learning,

Nan aka Sugarbaby

Sugar Addiction is Lifelong

Back again, and only more dedicated to making sure people know that sugar is truly addictive for many, if not most, people. Further, it is a lifelong struggle.

I took a long break since we  had a lot going on for several weeks with grandchildren visiting for a month, vacation, and lots of business to deal with. I found that having kids around does make a challenge for those working to stay away from sugar. I definitely had a few caves, and ultimately gained about eight pounds. The real struggle was to get the sugar-starch-artificial sweeteners cravings under control. A week off may mean a month of struggle.

More coming up about sugar addiction, and how a high fat diet may be the ultimate solution.

Check out my new blog: highfatlowcarbrecipes.com

Deprived? Really?

Does giving up sugars, sweeteners, and most carbs make you feel deprived? I know I felt that often, but what does it mean to be deprived? Are you truly deprived if the things you want are making you fat, unhealthy, and unhappy? We know the answer to that. Yes we want sweet tastes as long as we keep feeding them, but that passes fairly quickly. So you can’t have something you wanted, does that mean you still can’t have lots of wonderful things in your life that will be more rewarding–of course not. I would rather be able to walk up a couple flights of stairs without huffing and puffing. I would rather eat better food at better restaurants. I would rather wear attractive clothes instead of hiding in loose garments.

Make a list of all the things you want to do that you can’t do now, and as long as your brain is obsessing about the next sugar-sweet fix.Want to ski, dance, meet a special person, play with kids, go hiking, enjoy the beach. Life was not meant to be lived for food; food is supposed to support life–a great life.

There’s an old saying about people who either live to eat, or eat to live. I’ve made my decision. I now eat to live. Even if that means I’m the oddball, eccentric, health-nut, or any other thing people might throw my way. Words can’t hurt me nearly as much as sweet can. Besides, I don’t mind being special; being the person who goes against the old Conventional Wisdom (which is in fact the new foolishness).

I have no desire to convert anyone who doesn’t want to be on this path with me. But for those who have struggled desperately with sugar-sweet-carb craviings,who know they are sugaraholics, there is a healthy and safe path to freedom: Give up the sweet.

Until next time,
Sugarbaby