Sugar. We all love it. Are we addicted to sugar? Most of us would probably say yes. Is it a psychological addiction? My guess is that you would say yes, and that you probably feel guilty on some level and think you just don’t have willpower to stop eating so much of it.
I am here to tell you that perhaps that addiction is not so much psychological as it is biological. The simple truth is that sugar is physiologically addictive, very much like cocaine or heroin.
Yes, sugar is a drug, and we are surrounded by it everywhere we look.
Seventy percent of adults and 40% of kids in the U.S. are overweight or obese, and these numbers are growing every year. This is significantly linked to the high amounts of sugar and flour we consume.
And yet, the food industry bombards us every day with sugary foods and spends enormous amounts of money marketing those products to us - and to our children. Just look at the cereal aisle in the grocery store. It is filled with sugary cereal, and the advertising on all those cereal boxes is directed at children.
The way products like those cereals are developed and manufactured involves significant scientific work. There are many food scientists, highly educated with master’s degrees and PhDs, working extensively on such products. The goal is to get the consumer to reach what the industry calls the bliss point – the unique point where the combination of sugar, salt and fat is such that our taste buds love the product, leading us to become addicted and then become heavy users of these products. Terms like these – heavy user and bliss point - are jargon in the food industry. If it takes a mad food scientist to develop a food product, don’t eat it!
So yes, it is hard to avoid sugar. First, food products are engineered purposely to make us addicted to them, and if that wasn’t challenging enough, these products are everywhere and marketed heavily to all of us.
They are at the exit counters of grocery stores, at the exit counters of pharmacies - they fill our vending machines at work. They are advertised on TV, and sponsored by celebrities like Taylor Swift. Who wouldn’t want to look like Taylor Swift? Well, she drinks Coke, so I guess I should drink it too!
The food industry argues that it is just selling us what we want. The industry asserts there are no bad calories. But, let me ask you: should cocaine and heroin be sold everywhere as well?
There is increasing evidence that sugar is addictive. Sugar affects dopamine, the pleasure neurotransmitter; sugar acts like an opioid in our brain. It has been shown that sugar is eight times as addictive as cocaine. So yes, there is a social responsibility that the food industry, and all of us really, are not acknowledging right now.
The average American now consumes more than 100 pounds of sugar and sweeteners per year. In 1915, the average sugar consumption per person was 17.5 pounds. Compare that to the fact that Americans currently consume an average of only 8 pounds of broccoli annually.
Today, sugar is found in many of the usual suspects, such as cakes, cookies, and candy. But, it can also be found in canned vegetables, baby food, peanut butter, bread, and tomato sauce. Sugar is often disguised with fancy language - labeled as corn syrup, dextrose, maltose, glucose, or fructose. Even some so-called healthy foods contain sugar. An oatmeal raisin walnut Clif Bar has 20 grams of sugar – that is 5 teaspoons. Compare that to a jelly donut from Dunkin’ Donuts, which has 15 grams of sugar, or 4 teaspoons. You may think your favorite coffee drink only has a little sugar, but a 16-ounce Starbucks Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino actually contains 52 grams of sugar, or 12 teaspoons—that’s like eating three donuts!
Overconsumption of refined sweets and added sugars found in everyday foods has led to an explosion of hypoglycemia and type 2 diabetes. There is also increasing evidence that sugar plays a prominent role in chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, dementia, depression, and even acne, infertility and impotence.
Is there a way out? How can we reverse this trend?
It starts with awareness. It starts with acknowledging this problem and acknowledging the health epidemic we are facing.
And then with implementing small changes. Grabbing a piece of fruit for a pick-me-up, as opposed to a sugary drink. Drinking plenty of water. Sometimes we think we are hungry but we are just thirsty. Eating lots of sweet vegetables like squash, sweet potatoes and carrots. These will curb your sugar cravings. Eating enough protein at every meal, especially breakfast. That will balance your blood sugar. Eating healthy fats such as avocados, coconut butter, nuts and seeds (which contain also lots of protein), olive oil, fatty fish like salmon. Fat makes you full, balances your blood sugar and is a very good source of fuel for your cells. Fat doesn’t make you fat, sugar does!
And considering a detox, a sugar detox. Making the decision you are going to do it, going cold turkey, and dedicating ten days to this work. There are lots of resources out there; I recommend a book by Dr. Mark Hyman that guides you through this. It is called The Blood Sugar Solution – 10 Day Detox Diet.
Finally, get plenty of good-quality sleep. We want more energy if we don’t sleep, so we gravitate toward quickly absorbed sugars. Sleep is the best way to fight against the drive to overeat. And practice deep breathing and other relaxation methods. Stress is a big reason why we overeat as well - it disrupts our hormones. Simply take five slow deep breaths – breathe in to the count of five, and out to the count of five. And feel the benefits!
We are in the face of an epidemic and we need to take control of, and responsibility for, our health. Let’s make our voices heard by practicing these kinds of micro-movements I just mentioned, and choosing to consume less sugar-laden processed foods than we currently do. Perhaps then the food industry will listen and stop pushing these unhealthy sugar-laden products so hard, and will instead focus on selling us healthier versions of the same foods. Policy change, both at the federal level and at the local level, is another big part of the solution to the sugar addiction problem, and I am sure that if enough of us speak up and act in response to this epidemic, change will come.
So, for most of us that feel guilty and thinking we are powerless in the face of sugar and food addiction, I hope I was clear and provided insight into some of the reasons why we can feel that way. With this awareness, we have the power to make change happen and the power to work toward a healthier food environment!