Sugar Addiction

[Homemaker]

All right. I have to say it. I am addicted to sugar.
I have it in my coffee in the morning. In fact I'm pretty sure that this is the only reason I drink coffee. -So, I can use it as a vehicle for the sugar. And when I have 3 big mug fulls in a day with 2 heaping spoonfuls in each cup-yeah, I'm eating a lot of sugar. A lot of you seem to know a lot about food and nutrition. So, I thought I would ask.
I want to kick the habit but the very thought actually makes me freak out a little. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

Here is a quick tidbit.
If you want to continue the coffee habit, put a spoonful of raw (unrefined) coconut oil in the cup.
It will be sweet, flavorful and give you a nutritional boost.

A small spoonful when a sugar craving is happening really helps.

Usually a craving for sugar is actually the body crying out for good saturated fats

 

[Wifezilla]

Sugar can be as addictive as heroine.
http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyl...sugar_as_addictive_as_cocaine_heroin_stu.html

The fact that you are freaking out just thinking about quitting tells me you got it bad!!!

While I put unrefined coconut oil in my coffee, it isn't going to quell your need for sweet if you are a sugar junkie. Yeah, you could go cold turkey and, healthwise, that would be best, but can you do it?

As a former sugar junkie, I know it has taken me years to reduce my need for sweet even though I have been off sugar for 3 years.

I use artificial sweeteners. They may eventually turn me in to a newt, but it is a risk I am willing to take. To eliminate the aftertaste issue, you mix your sweeteners. For coffee, use a pack of splenda and a pack of equal instead of 2 of one type. You can also use erythritol. It is a sugar alcohol. Sometimes I mix all 3. I also use heavy cream in my coffee and you can't really tell there is any aftertaste.

DO NOT use a powdered creamer. That stuff is totally toxic.

If you can go cold turkey, go for it. If not, the sweeteners will get you through. Just realize it will take an adjustment period.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

Stevia is a good choice as well, now that I think about it.
and yeah, cold turkey would be rough.
One spoonful at a time.

 

[Wifezilla]

Tried stevia

I guess it is like the cilantro thing. I love cilantro, but to my husband it tastes soapy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html

No matter what brand I try, to me, stevia tastes VERY VERY much like licorice. And I HATE licorice.

 

[ORChick]

This won't help if you aren't really committed, but here it is, for whatever it is worth.

Give it up ... cold turkey ... find something that will make you do it ... and then .. DO IT! It will take about a month.

When I was about 11 or 12 my family lived in Ireland, and I went to boarding school there. During the season of Lent my friends gave up numerous and sundry things, and (not to feel left out) I did too. It seemed to me that to do this properly I had to give up something important, and added sugar (to make Irish school food palatable) was very important . I did not add sugar to my corn flakes or porridge, or to the (really quite awful) tea, or to anything during the time of Lent. When Easter came I poured the sugar on - onto my breakfast cereal, into my tea - and very nearly lost the whole lot onto the floor ; it was disgusting, horrible! I am quite a bit older than 11 now, but I still have a very limited appetite for added sugar - much to my DH's dismay, as he would love it if I would make a few more sweets for him.

Really, it is very hard, but if you can do it, it really does work. DH doesn't (and won't) believe me, and still craves his sweets - but it does work, if you can truly put the sugar aside for a month or so.

Please note - I said *added sugar*. I was in a situation (boarding school) where I didn't really have free choice of foods, but I didn't skip desserts and such; I just didn't add sugar to things where I normally would have. If you are the cook/food provider you'll need to be even more careful.

As an example: when I make stewed rhubarb for DH and myself, I add sufficient sugar so that I can eat it. Then I make two portions, and put mine aside, adding just about the same amount of sugar again to the second portion to make it palatable for DH. DH has a tremendous sweet tooth, and I have none at all. And before that Lent, so many years ago, I would eat the sugar lumps, meant for the horses, by the handfull.

Good luck: it CAN be done, but it is very hard.

 

[abifae]

For me, keeping the sugar TASTE around keeps the sugar cravings. If I used Auntie's method and ate things as sweet as she does, I'd still be craving higher amounts of sugar.

The thing is: I consume more sugar than she does. Because I don't use artificial sweeteners much. I use honey mostly.

But I only have sugar in actual desserts (I'd die without my chocolates LOL) or when I'm doing something specifically high carb, like honey ginger chicken. I don't put anything sweet other than cream in my coffee. I don't need soda. I don't get crazy cravings for candy or anything (minus ice cream at certain times of the month )

 

[Dace]

When I cleaned up my diet and cut out the sugar I kept my coffee!

Maybe if the other methods don't 'speak to you' you could try my way.....keep your morning coffee, but drop down to 2 cups and start trimming back the amount of sugar until you find the bare minimum to make our coffee enjoyable. Cut out all other liquids other than water through out the day.

But...if you are going to really address your sugar consumption you have to address your bad carb ( bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, crackers, cereal, etc) issue, because 1) I am betting that your daily diet revolves around those and 2) without addressing that you will not be able to conquer the sugar issue.

 

[curly_kate]

I used to have a tremendous sweet tooth, too! I was a pop junkie! I have phased it out, as I'm not very good at cold turkey (Couldn't quit smoking until I quit telling myself I'd NEVER have a cigarette again.) Like other people have suggested, I would recommend cutting down. Personally, I can't do the artificial sweetener thing - I think they taste terrible, and give me horrible migraines. Start with where you add sugar, and just gradually add less & less. When I quit drinking so much pop, I gradually cut back. I never said I would never drink a Coke again. Now I can't drink more than a glass of Coke, and it makes me sick to have really sweet treats. Once your body gets used to less sweet, it will really tell you when you have too much of it.

 

[mrs.puff]

I have a pretty big sweet tooth as well, and I like my coffee sweet. I recently bought some Truvia, and found that I can't tell the difference between it and sugar. Equal and the others taste terrible to me. I cannot eat anything with Splenda (or the generic form) in it, as it makes my guts blow up like a balloon. Beware of the products out there that say "no sugar added". Check the label, b/c it usually means artificial sweetener instead. One time I bought some oatmeal that said "less sugar" without looking at the ingredient label, and it ended up having splenda in it. It was not nice on my stomach. I have found I can curb a sugar craving (especially at night) by eating frozen fruit. It has no added sugar, and for some reason, it seems more like a dessert when it's frozen.

It's funny, but once you start eating things without so much sugar, you start to get used to the flavor, and can better taste the natural sweetness. For example, I eat shredded wheat sometimes, and used to put a spoonful of sugar on it. After eating it without for a while, it now tastes sweet-ish to me.