Hidden Addictions-Are You A Sugar Addict?

When you eat too much sugar in any form it can be addicting. That includes things like bread and other things made with flour. Eating pretzels and bagels can hook you too. We are surrounded with foods that can be addicting like pasta, bread, cookies, cake, candy, crackers and more. There’s something in them that act like morphine does. They are called “exorphins.” You don’t get lots of energy but feel tired and weak instead after eating too much of these.

Your body makes something called endorphins. They bind to other proteins that are your “opiate receptors.” When this happens, you feel sedated and happy. It reduces pain and affects your emotions. Sweet foods can have this effect. This is the way nature has designed us to be. That’s why we crave them. Opiates are produced in the brain and that causes a vicious cycle. The more we crave, the more we eat. Our blood sugar goes up and down and the cycle continues as we reach for more.

Everywhere we go we are surrounded by these types of foods. It makes it hard to avoid and tempting to eat. There are parties, weddings, graduations, cookouts, holidays and other celebrations all year round.

Stress can make us turn to these foods for relief, even though it’s temporary. We feel good for a while and then the stress is back again. Life has a way of giving us ups and downs that we have to deal with every day. We need to find ways to deal with this stress without sabotaging all our efforts to live a healthy life.

As you can see, it’s not just candy that contains sugar. Most foods in the store contain sugar in some form or can turn into sugar very fast in your body. This causes a host of health issues like; Diabetes, Inflammation & Pain, Weight Gain, Belly Fat just to name a few.

The key is prevention. You can learn how to stop those cravings and get off of the roller coaster that causes the addiction. It is a process, but one that will buy you good health and a quality of life. It seems impossible but it’s not. There are ways to get off of the addiction and feel so much better.

You now know that sugar is an addictive substance like drugs or alcohol. It’s in many different forms and is hard to get off of but not impossible. With guidance and support, you can do it!

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