How do I put an end to my sugar addiction?

Question

I have been a slave to sugar all of my life. I don't just have a sugar tooth, my whole body craves it. This burden was placed on me as a child when anything from Mt. Dew to southern sweet tea was placed in my cup. Not to mention cavities before I even lost any of my baby teeth. I am addicted and I am ready to let it go. The problem is that I don't know how. Many of you may laugh at this, but my daily attitude is controlled by sugar or lack thereof. I have been fortunate that my metabolism has passed much of it through without any weight gain. Now, as I get older, it's starting to effect me. I am also looking into pescetarianism (vegetarian who eats fish) because meat is starting to become a problem as well. Both sugar and meat are beating me down by the end of the day. Does anyone out there have any tips for cutting sugar out of my life and/or becoming a pescetarian?

Answer 1

I too have struggled with sugar addiction since childhood. Please purchase this book:

Get the Sugar Out: 501 Simple Ways to Cut the Sugar out of Any Diet
by Ann Louise Gittleman, M.S., C.N.S

http://www.amazon.com/Get-Sugar-Out-Simple-Ways/dp/0517886537/sr=8-1/qid=1171677403/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-1496541-1267229?ie=UTF8&s=books

Thankfully it is not a "diet" book. It's made for people like us, with so many practical tips on getting the sugar out of your diet so you feel BETTER and don't even miss it. Truthfully, this book has been life changing for me. It's so simple, but the effects are profound. This book talks about how refined sugar affects the blood and your brain, and causes all those highs and lows and general irritability. Also how eating sugar causes more cravings, and all the sneaky places sugar hides (ketchup & BBQ sauce, salad dressing, crackers, etc.).

Breaking any addiction is hard at first, but if you persist it is SO worth it. It took a couple weeks for the cravings to go away but now I am totally converted just because of how good I finally feel.

Also, if you have question about eliminating all meat other than fish from your diet, please visit the forum site VeggieBoards, which has a special forum just for new and potential vegetarians. Though a person who eats flesh is never correctly called a vegetarian, you will find lots of relevant information there.

http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/

Answer 2

Well, I had the problem of sugar cravings. At least once a week I'd really need something, like pancakes dripping with syrup or whatever. It was very hard to kick. But I found that the more I balanced out my diet, whole foods, less processed foods, more vegetables, and just a generally better diet, the fewer sugar cravings I had. They didn't completely go away until we really got into gardening for food. If you do lots of exercise, this can also trigger this need for sugar. Or perhaps you have a naturally high metabolism. So, I'd try eating a lot more calories from whole foods and try to stop the sugar highs and lows caused by white flours, sugars, etc. I hardly eat sugar these days and it amazes me. I eat pancakes with nut butter on there without any craving for syrup. Start eating more unprocessed sugar, such as unprocessed cane sugar (can get it in blocks in Asian and Indian markets) because it’s still a naturally balanced food, but best thing of all to help the sweet tooth is malt. Malt is sweet, but is not a simple sugar, it's a complex carbohydrate. That means no sugar high. In heath food stores it costs a fortune (have no idea why) but in Asian markets (China town or Chinese herbal shops for certain) you can find it really cheap as it’s a common food item -- usually seen as a herbal remedy. It’s literally used as a health product in China (well, food is your medicine over there). Anyway, ask someone who knows what malt is in English and Chinese or you’ll have trouble locating it yourself. Usually it’s found in white cup sized plastic containers with a coloured lid (usually orange, but depends on brand or ingredients). You want the one that is 100% malt, nothing else added (water is ok). It’s fun to eat and calms the sweet tooth and it’s ok to eat a whole jar! Yum!! Great for kids too.

Answer 3

Breaking any addiction is a slow process. #1 Cut it out of your diet 100%, as long as you are feeding the habit it will be there. A good balanced diet will go a long ways too help also. Part of most sugar addictions(cravings) is low blood sugar so your body thinks the brain is starving & needs a quick fix. Try fruit, or a carb & protien snack. Eat 3 meals at regular times with 2 or 3 good quality snacks in between. I use Stevia as my sweetner in tea (Yes I am a southerner) & anything else I would have used sugar in. Very sweet & it satisfying without the highs & lows sugar gives. Nor the calories. Drink plenty of fresh clean water.
I have a natural low stomach acid & do not deal with heavy proteins like meat well, lots of fresh veggies are the answer. As for fish & seafood, great as long as they are not deep fried.

Answer 4

There's a book by John Robbins called
" Diet for a New America". I think reading
this will help you with both the meat and
sugar addiction.

Couple that with working toward vegan ism
or strict vegetarianism and that will help.
If you can educate yourself on "why" you
shouldn't eat meat, refined sugars, dairy
and eggs you' ll find it easier to stop.

I found that a benefit of becoming vegan
was that so much junk food suddenly became
off limits. Once you cut out eggs and dairy
you'll find that sugar isn't as much of a problem
to avoid because most junk is made out of at
least two out of the three.

Also if you implement John Robbin's teachings
you'll find that you can't go wrong.
There's also a book called Rave Diet.
Go ogle it up and see if it's for you.

Answer 5

You have to go cold turkey on the sugar thing I think. You can help yourself by beginning to use a sugar substitute, such as Stivia which is natural. Sugar is a highly addictive substance for us humans, so we have a natural affinity for it anyway. It should take a few weeks of not eating sugar to get you past the immediate craving for it. You're craving meat too? Something tells me that you probably should see your doctor and maybe have some blood tests to make sure that everything is going ok, just to be on the safe side. Food cravings can be indicative of other illnesses or issues. Look at your diet overall, are you getting enough balance in it? Choose lean meats, or cuts of fish, lots of vegetables and fruits. Take a multivitamin, and try substituting green tea for sodas. Makes you feel lots better and evens out the blood sugar.

Answer 6

I too am a slave to sugar and starches. I found the best way is to delete these items from my diet completely. Well almost. I cheat 1-2 a month when I go out I will eat bread at the table if placed there, I do remove croutons from salads. For desert, I will order squash or sweet potato with my dinner order and eat it last and call it desert. Keep sweets and chips out of your house. Last but not least quit thinking about it, eat some carrots and raisins and tell yourself how good it taste.

Answer 7

Lower sugar little by little, quitting cold turkey will cause relapses and more. Slowly reduce the intake from the top of the pyramid one serving a day at a time until you drop it till just 2 small servings a day. As for the vegetarian thing, buy beans for bean chili, beans and rice and more. If you enjoy burgers too much buy faux burgers, their are many brands and even my local pathmark has some. Try ethnic cuisine, try making vegetarian dishes from around the world.

Answer 8

The place on your tongue which sugar satisfies is the same one that reacts to things like pickles. If you substitute pickles or something else sour for sugar it will satisfy your craving. Meat is one that would be satisfied with mushrooms and some good spices to go with it. You will never ever go without craving both of these things but you can sure cut it down by these strategies.

Answer 9

Hi there,...when I found out that white processed sugar is a "poison", I switched to raw sugar then to unprocessed honey.
I'm sure ther's a book out there about sugar. Perhaps you could find one on the internet. There are other alternatives not so detrimental to your health. I don't want to overload you with info, but I do believe that if you go to www.thesecret.tv you will discover the answer to this problem and all of your hearts desires.

Answer 10

Actually pescetarian is indeed a term given to those who are vegetarians with the exception of fish.

Main Entry: pescetarian
Part of Speech: n, adj
Definition: a vegetarian who will eat fish; also called [pescevegetarian], [piscetarian]
Etymology: 1993
Usage: cooking