that feeling if you’re attempting to eat wholesome and also you’re completely crushing it…after which out of nowhere, you’re hit with this irresistible CRAVING for one thing candy?
And instantly, it’s ALL you may take into consideration—that donut you noticed within the break room, or the pint of ice cream in your freezer, or the leftover halloween sweet you hid out of your children.
Welcome to sugar dependancy and—information flash—even when your cravings aren’t for candy issues, however different excessive carb meals like bread or pasta or potato chips—it nonetheless comes all the way down to sugar.
The excellent news is that there IS a approach to break away and retrain your mind, which is why as we speak, we’re going to take a dive deep into the science of sugar dependancy, and discuss what’s actually occurring in your physique and your mind if you devour sugar, and the way you need to use that information to your benefit to truly RESET your mind and get off the sugar rollercoaster for good.
Are you able to create the last word 12-month blueprint for reaching your well being & weight reduction targets this coming yr?
Our free on-demand video coaching will stroll you thru make 2024 THE yr you set well being targets…and preserve them.
As a result of possibly you’re like me and also you’ve tried to persuade your self that you simply simply have a “candy tooth,” and that it’s completely regular to have these cravings on a regular basis. And truthfully, for a very long time, I felt completely HELPLESS to vary.
Perhaps that’s how you are feeling proper now. Such as you strive so laborious to be good, however you at all times find yourself again at sq. one—craving sugar like loopy and feeling completely uncontrolled.
And whereas most of us in all probability perceive, at the least on some stage, that sugar is addictive, I don’t assume most of us have actually stopped to consider simply how devastating and harmful this dependancy actually is.
Perhaps you’ve heard the tales about lab mice who select sugar water over cocaine, otherwise you’ve learn an article about how sugar dependancy is simply as unhealthy as heroin dependancy. Or possibly you’ve simply skilled these intense cravings and puzzled why it’s so laborious to say no.
However on the identical time, it may be laborious you wrap your head round the concept that one thing SO widespread, one thing we eat actually day by day, might truly be that unhealthy for us.
And so we simply preserve consuming it. And we preserve feeding it to our youngsters.
And we preserve getting fatter and sicker and extra addicted.
The Harsh Actuality of Sugar Habit
As a result of the cruel actuality is, sugar IS addictive.
However not solely that it’s in just about EVERYTHING we eat. In truth, the meals business has labored actually laborious to ensure of it, as a result of they know that the extra sugar they put of their merchandise, the extra merchandise we’ll purchase.
And we’re shopping for it, alright.
People alone devour over 11 million metric tons of added sugar yearly. That’s 11 MILLION TONS. Or to place it in perspective, that’s the equal of over 2 TRILLION kilos of sugar. Yearly. In simply the US.
And in case you’re questioning, that breaks all the way down to about 152 kilos of sugar per particular person, per yr. That’s virtually half a pound of sugar each single day.
It’s a CRAZY quantity of sugar.
And it’s killing us. And I don’t say that mildly.
Added sugar is sort of actually the brand new tobacco. It’s the brand new silent killer. It’s the brand new factor that’s slowly, and usually virtually imperceptibly, destroying our well being from the within out.
And it’s not so new, truly.
A quick historical past of fructose
All of it goes again to a single molecule—one thing referred to as fructose.
Fructose, as chances are you’ll or could not know, is the sugar that’s present in fruit. And in small quantities, like what you’d discover in a bit of entire fruit, it’s probably not a giant deal. Your physique can deal with it simply high-quality. In truth, it truly has a number of well being advantages, as a result of it’s additionally accompanied by dietary fiber and different vitamins that assist your physique course of it correctly.
However within the late 70s and early 80s, the meals business found out begin extracting fructose from corn and different sources, after which including it to just about EVERYTHING. And that’s when all hell broke free.
As a result of the issue with this “added” fructose is that it’s not certain to anything. It’s not present in nature. It’s not accompanied by fiber or another vitamins. It’s simply pure, unadulterated sugar. And it’s extremely concentrated and extremely addictive. In truth, it’s estimated that it’s 10 occasions extra addictive than cocaine.
And we’re consuming it in RECORD quantities. Like I stated earlier than, People alone are consuming over 11 million metric tons of added sugar yearly. And that’s 11 million tons of fructose. Simply in the US.
That’s a LOT of fructose.
It’s not simply in candy stuff, both. It’s added to bread, ketchup, sauces, salad dressings, and just about any processed meals you may consider. Potato chips. Cereal. Granola bars. Even issues like yogurt and sports activities drinks. And it’s doing a little critical harm.
Like I stated, it’s actually killing us.
As a result of fructose is very poisonous to the physique. It’s poisonous to the liver, to the cardiovascular system, and to the pancreas. And since it’s in just about EVERYTHING we eat, it’s slowly wreaking havoc on our our bodies and our well being.
In truth, it’s what’s behind just about each main well being downside we face as we speak—weight problems, diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart illness, stroke, most cancers, autoimmune illness, Alzheimer’s, dementia. You title it. Fructose is the underlying trigger.
How fructose impacts your mind
And if that every one sounds a bit of bit miserable, then buckle up, as a result of we’re sadly simply getting began. As a result of the issue with fructose goes even deeper than all of that. As a result of once we devour it, it truly modifications our BRAIN.
That’s proper—fructose is a strong psychoactive substance, which means it has a direct impact on the central nervous system. In different phrases, it’s a drug. And it impacts our mind in a lot the identical manner that medication like cocaine or heroin do.
It releases a surge of dopamine—that “really feel good” neurotransmitter that offers us a way of delight and reward. And that dopamine launch is what creates that instant and virtually insatiable longing for MORE.
But it surely doesn’t cease there. As a result of the extra fructose we devour, the extra our mind turns into desensitized to dopamine. And meaning we’d like an increasing number of fructose to get that very same excessive. We have to preserve feeding the beast.
And that, my buddies, is the definition of dependancy. It’s actually a cycle of craving, indulging, after which needing extra to get the identical impact.
And that is the place it’s actually essential to know what’s occurring in our mind, as a result of the mind is a difficult factor. It’s hard-wired to hunt out pleasure and reward, and to keep away from ache. And it’s additionally hard-wired to type habits and create neural pathways that change into virtually unimaginable to interrupt.
And that’s why, as soon as we begin consuming fructose frequently, it’s so laborious to STOP. As a result of our mind has shaped this highly effective connection between the pleasure and reward of dopamine, and the consumption of sugar. And people neural pathways change into so ingrained that it’s virtually like an computerized response. We don’t even give it some thought. We simply do it.
And that’s additionally why, if you resolve that you simply wish to begin consuming more healthy, and also you attempt to reduce out the sugar and the carbs, you are feeling such as you’re going CRAZY. As a result of your mind is actually sending you all of those alerts that say “FEED ME SUGAR!” And it’s virtually unimaginable to disregard.
In truth, research have proven that when individuals attempt to reduce out sugar, they expertise intense cravings and withdrawal signs which might be similar to what drug addicts expertise after they attempt to give up. They get irritable and moody. They’ve complications. They really feel drained and torpid. They will’t focus. They really feel depressed.
It’s not enjoyable. And it’s not straightforward.
Find out how to break away from the sugar dependancy cycle
However the excellent news in all of that is that it IS attainable to interrupt free from the sugar cycle. As a result of whereas sugar dependancy may be very actual, it’s additionally one thing that may be overcome. It won’t be straightforward, nevertheless it CAN be carried out.
And step one in doing that’s actually simply understanding what’s occurring in our physique and our mind, after which making a acutely aware choice to vary and take again management. In different phrases, we have to retrain our mind.
So how can we try this? How can we overcome one thing as highly effective as sugar dependancy? Properly, it begins with just a few easy modifications that may have a BIG affect in your mind and your physique.
Shift your method to meals
The very first thing it is advisable to do is begin meals as FUEL, not as a supply of delight or reward. This can be a mindset shift that may be actually laborious, particularly if you happen to’ve spent most of your life utilizing meals to consolation you or to have a good time or to deal with stress. But it surely’s a extremely essential one.
As a result of once we have a look at meals as gasoline, it turns into quite a bit simpler to make wholesome selections. We begin to acknowledge that sugar and processed carbohydrates don’t truly DO something for our physique. In truth, they do the OPPOSITE. They make us sick, and fats, and addicted. They actually steal our vitality and our vitality and our well being. They rob us of the power to dwell our life to the fullest.
And if you begin to see it that manner, then rapidly that donut simply doesn’t look so good anymore. As a result of it’s not a deal with. It’s poison. And also you wouldn’t willingly devour poison.
Scale back your sugar consumption
The second factor it is advisable to do is definitely begin lowering your sugar consumption in a manner that’s sustainable. Now, I notice that may sound a bit of bit odd, coming from somebody who has constructed a complete program round a way of life that’s basically sugar and carb-free.
As a result of YES, the easiest way to beat sugar dependancy is to truly ELIMINATE the sugar. It’s to get to a spot the place your physique is now not depending on sugar for gasoline, and also you’re in a position to change to burning fats as an alternative. That’s the entire thought behind our program—to get your physique tailored to burning fats as an alternative of sugar.
However on the identical time, I additionally acknowledge that it’s not at all times reasonable to assume you could simply utterly STOP consuming sugar and processed carbs, particularly if you happen to’ve spent most of your life hooked on them. It’s simply not going to occur. You’re going to get overwhelmed and pissed off, and also you’re going to surrender.
And that’s not what I would like for you. As a result of despite the fact that I’m a giant believer within the energy of TOTAL transformation, I additionally know that change is a course of, and that it must occur at a tempo that you simply’re snug with. I do know that it’s a must to be READY to vary, and that there must be a sure stage of inner motivation for it to truly stick.
So if you happen to’re not fairly prepared for the large modifications, then begin small. Begin by slicing out the obvious sources of added sugar out of your food plan—issues like soda, and juice, and sweet, and cookies, and cake. The stuff that you simply KNOW is simply loaded with sugar.
After which, when you’ve carried out that, begin wanting on the labels of the opposite meals you eat, and attempt to discover the hidden sources of added sugar. As a result of I assure you they’re there. They’re in your ketchup and your marinara sauce, in your salad dressing and your yogurt. They’re in your protein bars and your granola and your “wholesome” smoothies. They’re in your bread and your pasta and your hamburger buns.
And as you begin to determine these hidden sources of added sugar, begin on the lookout for more healthy options. Discover a sugar-free ketchup, or a salad dressing that doesn’t have any added sugar. Swap to a yogurt that has no added sweeteners. Purchase a bread that’s made with almond flour as an alternative of wheat flour. Make small, sustainable modifications that gained’t really feel overwhelming, however will nonetheless have a big effect in your well being.
And the extra you try this, the better it can change into to make even greater modifications, as a result of your mind will begin to type new neural pathways, and your physique will begin to heal.
Heal your physique from the harm you’ve carried out
And talking of therapeutic, the third factor it is advisable to do to beat sugar dependancy is to truly HEAL your physique from the harm that’s been carried out. As a result of a giant a part of the explanation we change into hooked on sugar within the first place is as a result of our our bodies are so out of whack.
We’re consuming a extremely processed food plan that’s stuffed with sugar and toxins, and that’s inflicting irritation and leaky intestine and all kinds of different issues. We’re not getting sufficient sleep, or sufficient vitamins. We’re wired and overworked. All of these items are contributing to our dependancy.
And so to be able to overcome it, we’ve bought to begin therapeutic from the within out. We’ve bought to begin caring for our physique and giving it the issues it must perform correctly. Meaning getting sufficient sleep and lowering stress. It means consuming a food plan that’s wealthy in entire, unprocessed meals. It means staying hydrated and getting sufficient nutritional vitamins and minerals. It means caring for your intestine well being and your liver well being.
And it additionally means being affected person, and giving your self grace. As a result of therapeutic takes time, and alter doesn’t occur in a single day. But it surely DOES occur, if you happen to’re constant and you retain working at it.
Closing Ideas
Sugar dependancy is an actual factor, and it’s truly much more widespread than you in all probability assume. But it surely CAN be overcome, if you happen to’re prepared to make the mandatory modifications and retrain your mind.
Step one in doing that’s to begin meals as gasoline, not as a supply of delight or reward. The second step is to truly begin lowering your sugar consumption in a manner that’s sustainable for you, whether or not that’s by slicing out the obvious sources of added sugar, or by making small modifications to your food plan that may have a big effect. And the third step is to deal with truly HEALING your physique from the within out, by caring for your intestine well being and your liver well being, in addition to ensuring you’re getting sufficient sleep and lowering stress.However if you would like extra info, you’ll want to take a look at our free coaching video–Wholesome, Completely happy & Free in 2024, particularly if you happen to’re critical about remodeling your well being or reaching your weight reduction targets this yr. In it, I’ll stroll you thru creating your personal personalised well being plan and in addition clarify a bit of bit extra about why so most of the stuff you’ve tried previously to get wholesome and drop a few pounds haven’t truly labored, and what you are able to do as an alternative.
