I did some research on sugar addiction cures, since my “cure” hasn’t worked. I’m still eating a wee bit of sugar every day, even though I am trying hard to quit. I’m like a smoker down to a single cigarette a day. Yes, I’d love to stop, but for some reason, my body craves that bit of sugar. If I don’t get my “fix,” I feel miserable. Every day. Why?
I started my research on the innerwebs. I searched “sugar addiction cures.” The results were disappointing.
The Cleveland Clinic posted this “helpful” article, “How to Stop Sugar Cravings: 8 Tips to Help You Resist.” Resist???? That sounds suspiciously similar to my mother’s suggestion back in the 1970s: “Willpower.” How is that helpful? Here’s one of the CC’s “tips”: “Eat Balanced Meals.” Here’s another “tip”: “Drink Water First.”
Here’s another “helpful” article from Psychology Today: “How to Get Over Your Sugar Addiction.” Tip #5: “Don’t have your cake and eat it too, much.” Really???? The suggestion: Eat low sugar desserts. Eat more fruit. Don’t order dessert in restaurants. Great ideas, but hey, they do not cure a sugar addiction.
OK, so a quick search of the innerwebs won’t yield the answers I crave. I need actual research into sugar addiction. After clicking around, I found this article, a summary of current research on sugar addiction published in the Industrial Psychiatry Journal, which says (what I knew already) that sugar affects the brain’s reward system. The article notes that sugar triggers dopamine release in the nucleus accumbuns and activates the endogenous opioid system “enhancing hedonistic pleasure and thus reinforcing sugar consumption.”
The problem is, these data are derived from animal studies. Human studies on sugar addiction are few. Why? I’m guessing the fact that sugar is a $13.6 billion industry in annual U.S. sales may be part of the reason. Sugar consumption has increased substantially in the US in the past two decades, alongside increases in sugar-related illnesses such as obesity and diabetes. More than 40 million Americans have diabetes and more than 100 million Americans are obese, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control. The sugar industry, food and beverage industry and the health care industry make gigantic profits from sugar. Why should the government or industry invest in studies that may produce a cure for this very profitable addiction?
I’m certain, from my personal experience, that sugar is a true addiction, although, as the article from the IPJ notes, it does not have the negative effects of opioid or alcohol addiction such as intoxication and negative social impacts. I’m guessing sugar addiction is a complicated metabolic imbalance in the brain, but I’m not a scientist, so that’s pure speculation on my part. And I’m a study of one. Sugar addiction surely looks different in every sugar addict, and the “cure” for sugar addiction is likely different for each person who is addicted to sugar.
But after doing this research, I’m back where I started: What’s the cure for sugar addiction? I’m guessing there are cures or at least treatments involving nutritional supplements or medications. I’ll keep researching, and I’ll report on any promising findings.
In the meantime, here’s a recipe for blueberry basil spritzer just in time to use up the rest of your basil before starts tasting like licorice and any fresh blueberries you can scare up in the supermarket. It’s a last blast of summer.
Blueberry Basil Spritzer
Blueberries, basil, lemon, ice and seltzer blend into a cool end-of-summer refreshing drink.
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon powder (I use True Lemon)
- 1/4 teaspoon stevia powder
- 1 cup water
- 8 ice cubes
- Seltzer
Instructions
Put all ingredients except seltzer into a blender, and blend on high speed until smooth.
Half-fill a glass with the blueberry mixture, drop in ice cubes and fill the glass to the top with seltzer.
Garnish with a few small basil leaves, and enjoy!
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