If you can’t say no to cookies, soda, or any other sugary snacks, you could be one of the millions of people who are addicted to sugar. Sugar sometimes acts like a drug in the body. Like any other drug, it can cause an initial high followed by withdrawal symptoms.
Moreover, sugar addiction has been associated with over 145 medical conditions. Thanks to the prevalence of sugar in the American diet, it takes a great effort to avoid the detrimental effects of excess sugar intake on your body.
In this article, we take a look at some of the common signs of sugar addiction and how you can deal with them.
-
You consume sugary foods even when you don’t really need to
Sometimes you see some sugary food, like a candy bar, and you know it’s unhealthy to eat it. You try to fight the urge to eat it, but you eventually give in. You promise yourself it’s the last time.
The best way to deal with such kinds of cravings is to always have fresh fruit on hand, which you can munch whenever the cravings strike. The natural sugars can satisfy your urges.
-
You crave soda and other sugary beverages
Did you know that the sodas you consume every day contain high levels of artificial sweeteners, which are approximately 600 times sweeter than normal table sugar?
Drinking a beverage with that kind of sweetness can trick your mind into thinking you are consuming sugar, but the truth is that it’s causing you to crave more of the sugary stuff. Hence, it is advisable to focus on drinking plenty of water and natural drinks like milk.
-
You crave simple carbohydrates
Once you consume simple carbohydrates, they rapidly turn into sugar and can feed your body’s addiction to sugar. If you normally crave simple carbs like pasta, white bread, croissants, and white rice, you could be addicted to sugar.
The most effective way to fight this kind of addiction is to add more sweet vegetables to your diets, such as sweet potatoes, yams, carrots, and beets. These vegetables have naturally occurring sugar that will help you fight your cravings.
-
You crave salty foods
Nutritional experts say that a healthy body normally tries to maintain a balance. If you eat lots of sweet foods, you’ll start craving salty foods to create a balance. The reverse is also true.
That means if you eat too much salt, you’ll crave sugary stuff to create a balance. If you find yourself wanting salty foods, it could be an indication that your body is trying to create a balance due to your excessive consumption of sugar.
-
You’re unable to eliminate sugar from your diet
Just like how drug users struggle to kill the habit, eliminating sugar from your diet only to turn around and increase your consumption is a sign that you have an addiction to sugar. This is one of the most difficult dietary challenges to overcome.
Conclusion
Sugar has been found to have adverse effects on the body. If you are struggling with sugar addiction, some of the remedies recommended in this article can take you a long way into combating the addiction.
