How to Break Sugar Addiction: 7 Steps to Help You Stop Eating Sugar

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Hey nerd family! On this video weâ??re going to be talking about how to break sugar addiction and the 7 steps to help you stop eating sugar!

At the end we will also discuss honey, agave, and artificial sweeteners.

Letâ??s start with the basics, what exactly is sugar?

Sugar is a substance extracted from plants like cane and sugar beet which is refined into a white crystalline substance.

Since their effect on the blood stream, insulin, and brain are virtually the same, they are both considered sugar in the context of this video.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/disease...

So why is sugar soooo addictive?

Sugars are addictive because they cause a supernatural release of dopamine in the brain.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/...

Dopamine is the primary neurotransmitter involved in addiction.

In fact, multiple studies have now revealed that sugar and sweet rewards can not only substitute to addictive drugs, like cocaine, but can even be more rewarding and attractive

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

The brain chemistry of those addicted to drugs and those addicted to sugar are virtual identical.

Hereâ??s the 7. Step Process to Breaking Sugar Addiction.

#1. Realize whatâ??s going on with your brain your body, sugar and flour.

People often stop consuming obvious sugar culprits like sodas and candy bars and trade them for bread and pasta.

As previously discussed, those breads and pastas cause the same problems as sugar.

If you really want to break addiction, you have to understand how the brain works and seeks out the things it desires.

#2. Understand levels of addiction

Not everyone who drinks becomes an alcoholic.

The same way not everyone who eats dessert becomes a sugar addict.

We are individuals with different brain chemistry and the important thing is recognizing your own personal level of addiction.

If just thinking about giving up sugar seems like a bleak, dark, and unhappy world, understand this is uniquely similar to how addicts feel about substances they abuse. You may be VERY addicted to sugar.

#3. Detox

You need to spend a period of time completely away from sugar and those dopamine spikes to break addiction.

This will often lead to and initial period of headaches, hormonal fluctuations, and just feeling like poop for a little while.

The detox process can last from anywhere from 3 to 21 days.

However, on the other side of breaking any addiction is a much healthier place.

#4. Become a nutrition label ninja.

Sugar is often hiding in places you donâ??t expect. Yogurt, pasta sauce, are protein bars often have TONS of added sugar

You need to become a PRO a reading nutrition labels and feel free to check out my older video on the topic.

#5. Balance blood sugar levels by eating balanced meals

During the detox process, you need to focus on having balanced meals to keep your blood sugar levels steady to prevent crashes.

You do this by eating meals that combine protein, fiber, and healthy fats.

Whole Egg Omlettes with lots of veggies, Chicken salads with olive oil dressing, and a grass fed beef stew are great examples of this.

Protein, fiber, and healthy fat at every meal.

#6. Heal you gut

In an interesting study in Switzerland, men who were separated into two group based on chocolate cravings.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...

You do this by eating balanced meals as listed above, avoiding sugar and processed foods, and getting healthy probiotics into your diet.

What about honey and agave nectar?

Because of how the brain works the more you eat sugar, the more you crave.

The more you stimulate supernatural sensations in the brain and taste buds, the more itâ??s going to want and need.

While these sugars do have mild health benefits, if you are struggling with even a mild sugar addiction, you need to cut these things out.

Sooooo what about artificial sweeteners like Stevia?

While previous correlated evidence told us that artificial sweeteners caused additional sugar cravings and even cancer, better studies have shown us otherwise.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

Randomized double blind studies â?? aka the gold standard in scientific research â?? report that artificial sweeteners help us becomes less hungry, consume fewer calories, and donâ??t stimulate additional sugar consumption.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...

The conclusion on the research as of now points to these sweeteners being ok in mild doses when trying to break a sugar addiction.

Video Length: 05:44
Uploaded By: The Health Nerd
View Count: 2,182,826

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