Sugar once in a while is OK, but eating sugar in large quantities, every day turns the innocuous substance into an addictive drug. We used to eat 2 lbs of sugar each year, now we consume 153! (from dhhs.nh.gov) Many of my clients have sugar addiction and cravings. I seems that the more you eat, the more you want to eat. To help them kick the habit, I recommend they start cutting back little bit by little bit by substituting nutrient-dense foods for the sugary snacks. It is also important to remember that the hardest time to say NO to a craving is the first time. With each subsequent time you say NO, the cravings get less intense and, eventually, go away. At least that is how it worked for me.
I used to be addicted to sugar. At my undergraduate school, we could eat our fill in the all-you-can-eat cafeteria, but I would sneak cookies out the door with me to eat later. Study break sweets? I gobbled them up. Any time candy, cookies, or cakes were offered, I could not resist them.
Today, those same sugary treats no longer hold any power over me. I can easily say "no thanks" when offered a doughnut or slice of cheesecake. As I changed my diet, my taste preferences changed, too. I no longer crave the foods I once did. Part of the reason is because I know they are "bad" for me and part of the reason is because they don't taste the same as they used to.
I used to make chocolate chip cookies and down six of them right out of the oven. Now, when I make chocolate chip cookies, they taste like sugary flour (i.e. have no complex/savory flavors) and eating one makes me feel slightly ill.
I wish I knew exactly what changed (my body, my mind, my stress level?) to make it easier for me to say no; I wish I could share in more detail. All I know for sure is that it gets easier, you just have to start saying NO to sugar, start saying YES to fresh vegetables, fruits and other nutrient-dense foods, and never give up.
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| Fruit, like pomegranate, makes a great dessert! |
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