When living in a world where sugar is everywhere around us, you can hardly go outside your house and not see sugary treats almost everywhere.
Most Americans have some sugar addiction. For some, it is very severe, and for others, it may be mild, but they are still addicted to sugar. Three out of every four people in the United States are sugar addicts.
Table of Contents
- Signs You Are A Sugar Addict
- Ways To Know You Are Addicted To Sugar
- The Kick Sugar Summit
- Related Question
Signs You Are A Sugar Addict
It is estimated that over 75% of all Americans have some form of sugar addiction. If you think you may have a sugar addiction, chances are you are addicted to sugar.
Consuming sugar will give you a short-term high and a spark of energy. That is why some studies have suggested that sugar is as addictive as drugs such as Cocaine.
When you eat sugar or sugary foods, you will get a dopamine release that sugar will bring. But because sugar is addictive and overconsumption is very easy, there are many long-term health effects that sugar addiction can cause, such as obesity and diabetes.
Another side effect of sugar is that if you are constantly tired, you may reach for a sugary meal to give you that boost of energy. Once you connect sugar to providing energy, the addictive nature and dependence on sugar have started.
Also, if you start to use sugar to balance your mood, maybe you say things like, “I got so angry I ate three chocolate candy bars!” That shows you have an emotional sugar dependence and addiction.
Ways To Know You Are Addicted To Sugar
Sugar addiction can be pretty easy to spot if you are looking for it. The problem is that most people do not want to see sugar as a real addiction, like drugs or alcohol.
Large Consumption Of Sugar
If you consume large amounts of sugar, you are a sugar addict. This could be sugar in foods and even drinks laden with sugar.
Your sugar consumption and even your inability to stop. You cannot just eat one cookie but need to eat them all. You eat far more sugar than what you know is healthy for you.
Emotionally Eating Sugar
If you eat sugar to smooth any of your emotions, you are addicted to sugar. Maybe you eat sugar to celebrate something. Or you eat sugar because you feel stress or anxiety.
Any emotional eating of sugar is a sign that you are probably a sugar addict. That is because you are using sugar to shield your emotions, just like a drug addict or alcoholic may use drugs or alcohol.
Many people use sugar as a kind of quick fix. They feel low or tired and eat sugar or drink a sugary drink, even coffee laden in sugar, to give them a quick fix. That shows a dependence on sugar.
Listen To Our Podcast About Are You A Sugar Addict? by clicking here.
Binge Eating And Sugar
If you binge eat, this is also an aspect of sugar addiction, even if the foods are not just sugar. Binge eating is when you overeat quickly and have feelings of guilt, shame, and even disgust.
Binge eating is all about using food to self-medicate and regulate your mood.
With binge eating, it is essential to understand that food is not the fix for any emotions and that you will only get a quick rush, usually followed by some crash.
Anxiety, Stress, And Sugar Addiction
Anxiety and sugar cravings go hand in hand. A person who usually struggles with this disorder also struggles with sugar addiction.
If you find that you eat when you are anxious, stressed, tired, depressed, sad, angry, mad, lonely, or upset, then you are using food and sugar as a way to deal with your emotional problems. But the truth is that sugar consumption usually makes these issues worse, as sugar is not the solution to any of these problems or emotions.
Usually, sugar addiction worsens as sugar increases, not decreases, your stress, and anxiety, especially when the extra sugar consumption causes you to gain weight and gives you other health problems.
Getting Rid Of Sugar In Your Diet
We live in a world where we are surrounded by sugar. As a nation, we have become addicted to all sugary foods.
If you are one of the many people addicted to sugar, you will probably experience sugar withdrawals that could include fatigue, headaches, irritability, fogginess, and low energy.
Here are a few things you can consider doing to get off sugar:
- Go On A Keto And Low-carb Diet – A keto and low-carb diet has been shown to help you with your sugar cravings.
- Go Cold Turkey – It is easier with sugar to go cold turkey and stop sugar than to try to cut it down bit by bit. For most sugar addicts, just cutting down on sugar does not work, as the addiction is still there.
- Give It Time – Realizing the effects of cutting out sugar can take up to 4 weeks to see the benefits. Getting off sugar will not be a quick fix.
- If You Relapse, Then Get Right Back On – If you relapse, get back on the program and stay off sugar. Do not go into the cycle of binge eating, as that will not help you or help your sugar addiction.
- Cut Out Diet Sodas – Drinking too many diet sodas can increase your cravings for sugar and sugary foods. Try to drink a lot of water.
Breaking the sugar habit is not easy. It is a challenging thing for most people to do.
But if you think you may be a sugar addict, chances are you are. And realizing you have a sugar addiction is your first step to changing your life and getting sugar out of your life.
The Kick Sugar Summit
To assist you in completely eradicating sugar from your life, we highly recommend that you stay well-informed about the impacts of sugar on your body. The Kick Sugar Summit is an excellent resource that we greatly endorse.
This summit brings together experts from across the globe to discuss the implications of sugar and sugar addiction. To learn more, you can follow the link provided below.
Reluctant Low Carb Life explores all aspects of keto and low-carb lifestyle, fitness, health, wellness, and aging gracefully. At the Reluctant Low Carb Life, we strive to give honest and accurate information to people trying to live the low-carb and keto lifestyle while improving their fitness and health.
We have a free monthly newsletter that is filled with information and helps you remain updated. Subscribe to the Reluctant Low Carb Life newsletter by clicking here.
Listen to our weekly podcast, Reluctant Low Carb Life, on all the major podcast platforms by clicking here.
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Related Question
Is Cane Sugar Keto Friendly?
Cane sugar is not considered keto-friendly. It is a light brown sugar made 100% from sugar cane. Even though it can be viewed as a more natural sugar than white sugar, it is still very similar to white sugar and is used as a natural white sugar substitute. Cane sugar and many other sugars are not considered keto-friendly.
You can read more about Is Cane Sugar Keto Friendly? by clicking here.
The Miracle Of Weight Loss Explored
The miracle of weight loss is that we can all lose weight, and when we do, our bodies will often start to self-correct themselves. On average, a person will gain 2 pounds per year. Over the years, the pounds will begin to pile on. The miracle of weight loss is that we can get our act together quickly; we can lose all the weight we have gained over the years.
You can read more about The Miracle Of Weight Loss Explored by clicking here.
