Our Addiction To Sugar And What To Do About It

Most are now aware of the destructive effects of having too much sugar in their diet, the means in which the body turns these sugars into fat, and how weight gain is directly attributable to consuming these excess sugars.

So why do so many people continue to consume such vast amounts of sugars and refined carbohydrates? Two reasons quickly come to mind:

1. These products simply taste good because of the sugars and carbs.

2. Over time we have developed addictive behaviors and the consumption of these sugars and refined carbs satisfy our physical addition - for a brief period of time.

What people often consume unknowingly in the form of pre-packaged and processed foods are the sugars and refined carbohydrates so common in the many boxes and packages we pickup at the supermarket today. Many are not aware they're simply feeding their sugar addiction when they consume these pre-packaged products.

Even in our attempts to "eat right" during our traditional three meals a day, we're consuming a significant amount of excess calories by eating these pre-packaged foods. Add to this the negative impact of our snacking in between meals that has become so prevalent in today's society, and we have a recipe for significant weight gain and fat accumulation going forward.

Diets containing significant amounts of potatoes, sweetened beverages, corn, white rice, pasta, or white bread all create sugars once digested. Producing insulin, these sugars are often not burned off because of our sedentary lifestyles. The result is that the body stores up this excess energy in the form of fat. Never being needed, the fat simply continues to accumulate until obesity becomes an issue to be addressed.

Dangerous health effects such as heart disease, type II diabetes, auto-immune problems, and osteoporosis are often the end result of the accumulation of too much fat and having a diet full of excess sugars.

Recent studies also link sugar addictions with chronic depression.

The Sugar Busters series that covers sugar addiction in children, the book Sugar Blues by William Duffy, and evidence presented by other prominent nutritional experts and researchers like Kathleen DeMaisons, Ph. D. confront head on our rising levels of addiction to sugars. So what should we do about it?

In short, nothing less than elimination of sugar and refined carbohydrates from our diet will work. We instinctively know we should eat more fruits, vegetables, fresh salads, fruits, and nuts, and this needs to be instead of, and not in addition to sugars. If one is not a vegetarian, one can find needed proteins by eating liberal amounts of eggs, meat, and fish.

Pay close attention to the ingredients in the pre-packaged foods that you purchase. Ingredients ending in "ose" such as fructose, glucose, sucrose, and dextrose all point to empty calories that should be avoided.

It will take commitment and persistence to change your diet, especially if you're currently suffering from a sugar addiction, but the effort is well worth it. The sugar cravings will pass before you know as you begin to eat healthier, but one should expect a little irritability in the early stages of this dietary transition.

Sugar addiction isn't fun. It isn't a term to be bandied about flippantly when discussing your friend's love of chocolate or pastries, or your own desires to consume vast amounts of sugars.

Now you know refined carbohydrates are simply sugars in disguise, you can begin a new battle for improved health, and this is a battle with the odds in your favor… if you really want to change.


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Erika Slater is a Certified Hypnotherapist in the metro-west Boston region, and specializes in weight loss and smoking cessation. You can discover more resources for weight loss along with more information about her Sugar Addiction Service by visiting her web site at http://www.freeatlasthypnosis.com