Are you struggling with weight gain or sugar cravings? Nourish your body from the inside out with 10 healing tips to stop sugar addiction!
Table Of Contents
What causes a sugar addiction?
Is it too much of a good thing gone awry? Candida? Maybe we can blame our hormones?
Whatever the cause, many of us are slaves to sweets — which sabotages our thoughts, our dental health, our gut ecosystem, and our overall wellness.
Today, most people eat between 90 and 180 pounds of sugar each year — or a quarter to a half-pound each day.
Compare that to 100 years ago, when people ate 5 to 7 pounds of sweeteners per year. (These were natural sweeteners, by the way.) These people were much healthier than we are. More factors are involved than sweeteners, but certainly the level of sugar consumption is a major contributor.
Yet those are just the numbers. Time to put them in perspective and share their impact…
Overcoming Sugar Addiction
Please set aside distractions and watch or listen to the video below. Or, if you prefer to read, I captured the gist of our interview in the cleaned-up notes below!
Subscribe to the Know Your Food with Wardee podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, or the Podcasts app. For past or current episodes, check out the Know Your Food with Wardee podcast archives.
Why Go Sugar-Free?
Just what is wrong with consuming high amounts of sugar? The biggie is that sugar makes us fat.
Here’s how that works:
When you eat sugar, your blood sugar levels rise. Your pancreas sends out insulin to grab up the extra sugar in the blood, converting it to glycogen for storage. Then — and here’s the problem — your liver uses up that glycogen for fuel, instead of transferring fat out of your fat cells.
What are some other things that sugar does to your body? I’m warning you, it isn’t pretty.
- Suppresses immune system (here are ways to boost your immune system!)
- Upsets mineral relationships in the body
- Produces an acidic digestive tract
- Causes tooth decay
- Causes food allergies
- Lowers enzymes’ ability to function
- Causes headaches, including migraines
- Causes depression, fatigue, moodiness, and nervousness (click here for effective and safe anxiety relief!)
- Can cause hormonal imbalances
- Is an addictive substance
- Can exacerbate the symptoms of PMS
- Causes emotional instability when sugar intake decreases (because they’re not getting the fix)
- Can increase the amount of food a person eats, resulting in weight gain (here are 10 ways to lose weight and still nourish your body!)
- Induces salt and water retention
- Causes constipation
You can read more reasons to ditch refined sugar here.
And sadly, sugar consumption is a slippery slope. Few of us are content with only a little bit. And so that first mouthful becomes two, and then three…
Sometimes a clean break is in order; a reset to eliminate the day-in, day-out sugar cravings!
Wardee’s Story
I was at the point where I was used to a constant drip of sweetening all day long.
For breakfast, I’d have a generous scoop of raw honey on my toast or porridge. Throughout the day, I would drink generously honey-sweetened tea. About mid-afternoon, I’d grab some dark chocolate. After dinner, we’d all have dark chocolate for dessert. And if I made muffins or cookies, I’d eat some of that, too.
None of these foods were big offenders. Taken by themselves, quite innocuous. But all day, hour by hour, I feel like I was hooked up to a natural sweetener IV. Can anyone relate?
Megan’s Story
My dear friend Megan Stevens from Eat Beautiful is joining me to share her own story and tips for overcoming sugar addiction. I’m sure many of us can relate, so I’m sharing her story here in her own words:
My own sugar addiction originated all the way back in the 1990s, when I thought that fat was bad and sugar was simply free calories. Over the years, I’m sure non-fat treats played a role in my illness and pathogen overgrowth.
So how do we loosen sugar’s hold on us once and for all?
In my late 30s, with dangerously bad health, I finally started a grain-free and refined sugar-free diet.
It took 3 full years for my sugar addiction to go away. I never cheated, but I still craved what I could not have. Over time, I’ve figured out certain choices and steps that aided in my process of recovery.
Now, my sugar addiction is gone, and the cravings have never returned!
I hope these insights will make your journey as successful as mine — and much faster.
How To Stop Sugar Addiction
High-fructose corn syrup is the industry’s sweetener of choice because it is very sweet and also very cheap.
Natural sweeteners are better than industrial sweeteners like high-fructose corn syrup or white sugar. Natural sweeteners contain minerals and some, like raw, unfiltered honey, have anti-bacterial and other beneficial properties.
However, sweeteners are sweeteners and high consumption can be detrimental to our health. For our overall health, it is best to back way, way, way off on the sweets — and choose natural sweeteners when you do consume them.
You can be successful in overcoming sugar addiction by tackling it slowly or doing it cold turkey.
I’m a fan of going cold turkey because I think you can get it over quickly and get on with life.
However… You should expect some withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability, headaches, fatigue, and maybe even some tummy upset. These usually pass within a few days.
Listen, watch, or read these 10 tips that will help you in overcoming sugar addiction!
1. Increase healthy fats.
A belly full of good food will help fight off withdrawal symptoms and cravings.
Fat is satiating. When overcoming sugar addiction, this is your single most powerful tool for killing the craving.
Fill up with veggies, good protein/meats, broth, and traditional fats like lard, butter, coconut oil, avocado oil, and extra virgin olive oil.
Stick to this list of our top 5 most nourishing foods, which will fill your body with all the good things it needs, eliminating cravings.
Learn more in the articles below, and be sure to try out a few of the delicious recipes!
- Which Coconut Oil Should You Buy? #AskWardee 072
- Compound Butter {Butter Gets Dressed Up!}
- How To Make Healthy Mild-Tasting Mayonnaise #AskWardee 128 (Wardee calls for avocado oil in this delicious mayo recipe!)
- Avocado Oil: The New Fat in the Real Food Kitchen
- Is Pomace Olive Oil Healthy? #AskWardee 026
2. Remove all temptation to stop sugar cravings.
Here’s what Megan has to say about removing temptations…
I used to meander down the ice cream aisle at our local grocery store on a regular basis. Or I’d make homemade ice cream.
When I realized I had pathogen overgrowth (see #3), I stopped buying or providing myself with this treat. The elimination of sugar, and even honey (for a time), helped to destroy the pathogens.
Without any sweets to eat, I began to stop (it was a process!) thinking about dessert. Eventually, I stopped altogether. Now my kids think I’m boring and wish I’d get my sweet tooth back!
Tip: Watch out for hidden sugars in things like salad dressings, ketchup, sauces, and dips. The more you can make yourself avoid these types of things, the better. Check out the recipes below for ideas!
- Lacto-Fermented Homemade Ketchup (use stevia instead of honey)
- Creamy & Easy Homemade Ranch Dressing (Keto, THM:S)
- Creamy Herbed Salad Dressing (THM:S, Egg-Free, No Mayo!) (pictured above)
- 43 Fermented & Probiotic-Filled Condiments
- 28 Fermented & Probiotic Salad Dressings
- 50 Fermented Salsas, Dips, and Spreads
3. Have your stool tested to see whether or not you have pathogen overgrowth.
If you have pathogen overgrowth, often referred to as candida, these invasive organisms may be calling the shots in your body. Pathogens feed on sugar. Our bodies are largely comprised of microscopic critters, so yes, they can affect our cravings — as creepy as it sounds!
Here’s how to bring back internal balance to help stop sugar addiction.
4. If you have leaky gut, consider supplementing with N-Acetyl L-Cysteine.
Often, sugar addictions and leaky gut go hand-in-hand.
N-Acetyl L-Cysteine, a precursor to glutathione, is an important building block for the cells that line the gut. Megan took 900 milligrams daily for 3 months, then stopped. In the end, this was the amino acid supplement that helped to seal her gut.
Please note that long-term use of N-Acetyl L-Cysteine can lead to histamine intolerance. Find more information on histamine intolerance here and here.
If you’re interested in learning more about gut health, check out these articles!
- 82 Ways To Heal Your Gut
- 5 Ways To Heal Your Gut That You Probably Haven’t Tried
- 5 Reasons To Heal Your Gut {why gut health is so important!}
- 13 Prebiotic Foods To Improve Gut Health
- 5 Ways Fiber Helps With Gut Health {+ which kinds & how much to eat every day}
5. Finish your meal with a strong fermented vegetable.
There’s nothing like a salty pickle or a tart mob of sauerkraut to make you feel finished. The addition of these probiotic-rich savory foods also helps to restore inner balance to your gut’s ecosystem.
Browse through our fermenting recipe archives for many more recipes, including those below!
- How To Make Lacto-Fermented Radishes
- Lacto-Fermented Carrot Sticks (gut-healing probiotic snack for kids!)
- Homemade Kimchi: An Easy Korean Sauerkraut Recipe
6. Never cheat.
Megan hasn’t swallowed a single bite of sugar in 5 years. How?
She created alternatives as needed so she never ran back to old favorites.
In her sugar-free cookbook, many of the recipes use or can be adapted to use stevia or hardwood xylitol (see #7). This means there’s zero chance of feeding pathogens.
Check out our sugar-free recipe archives here at TCS, including a few of our favorite recipes below!
- Instant Pot Mixed Berry Chia Seed Jam (sugar-free option!)
- Dairy-Free Fudge Pops (sugar-free options!)
- Sugar-Free Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Cookies {Keto, THM:S, grain-free, & low-carb!}
- No-Bake Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Tart {Keto, THM-friendly & sugar-free!}
7. From here on out, eat sweets in moderation. If at all.
You have to decide what you can handle. A weekly dessert?
Likely your tastes will change so the former sweets will taste overly sweet, but even with natural sweeteners, you can fall back into the same habits.
Perhaps look into stevia as a sugar alternative. It tastes sweet but is not sugar. Some people report it doesn’t help them, however, because it keeps them hankering after a sweet taste. I do not have this struggle personally, and my favorite brand is Sweet Leaf.
Here is what Megan has to say about her experience…
I began my healing process with both honey and stevia in my diet. However, my pathogen overgrowth was so invasive, I eventually had to give up not only honey, but many sweet vegetables as well.
I sweetened tea with stevia during this time, and occasionally made a treat with hardwood xylitol when the textural needs of a recipe demanded it.
Although stevia and xylitol are controversial sweeteners among us traditional foodies, I found them both helpful to our family in certain stages of the healing process. (You can read my views on stevia here.)
Xylitol is controversial enough that I eliminated it as soon as I could tolerate honey and maple syrup again. Xylitol is a high-FODMAP food that causes fermentation and gas in sensitive individuals. It may or may not be helpful to your body. It was a temporary helper that I don’t regret.
By the time I tackled my pathogen overgrowth and sealed my leaky gut, my sweet tooth had disappeared. I no longer thought of sweets from the moment I woke up in the morning until my last dessert of the night.
And now, I’m well enough to enjoy treats without craving them or eating too many. I use maple syrup, raw honey, and stevia — all in moderation.
- Stevia: Safe or Bad for You? My Views
- Which Stevia Is Best — Brand? Liquid v. Powder? #AskWardee 107
- Are Xylitol & Erythritol Healthy? #AskWardee 080
- DIY Whole-Herb Stevia Extract (+ 4 tips for using it!)
- How To Sweeten Desserts Using *Only* Stevia #AskWardee 106
8. Be busy, not bored.
Make sure you have things to do to occupy your hands and your mind. Boredom makes any diet change harder!
9. Reward yourself emotionally (either ups or downs) with something other than sweets.
We turn to food when we feel good or feel bad. Let’s break that cycle by turning to other (non-food) activities to soothe or celebrate. Like:
- a date night
- watching a special movie you’ve been wanting to see for awhile
- invest in a hobby (reward yourself with new tools or supplies)
- get some sunshine!
- prayer — gets us through so much!
- a good book, fiction or non-fiction; whatever you enjoy!
- music
- spending time with someone you love
- a walk
10. Keep a food journal so you can have tangible evidence of the ups and downs.
What are your goals in overcoming sugar addiction? Write them down and remind yourself of them often!
You want to especially document the good things that have happened since stopping sugar. This will motivate you to keep going! These are things that I have experienced that I remind myself of often:
- clarity of mind
- weight loss
- fewer mood swings
- skin clears up
- digestion is better
If you need to keep this list in a prominent place as a reminder, do it!
What about your journey? Are you struggling to give up sugar or sweets? How have you put a stop to sugar addiction?
P.S. Would you like some tried-and-true recipes without sugar to help you stop sugar addiction forever?
Looking for more nourishing, gut-healing foods that your family will love to eat?
Be sure to check Megan’s cookbook: Eat Beautiful: Grain-Free, Sugar-Free and Loving It (softcover version as well).
It contains all the recipes she’s perfected through her family’s years on a gut-healing diet.
Her eBook and video package is currently 50% off. One of the bonus videos you’ll get explains the grain-free baking technique she used to make amazing panini sandwiches when she owned her gut-healing cafe in Eugene, Oregon!
This post is a combination of two posts originally published and written by Megan Stevens and Wardee Harmon on 4/5/16 and 5/20/16 respectively. The posts were combined, updated, and republished on 1/28/22.
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Hi Wardeh,
What about fruit? I’m not big on veggies, so wouldn’t really consider snacking on them unless I ate them with dip.
OT – Why when I log in does it not take me back to the page I was on? Then when I go to the page I was on, I am not logged in?
Hi Jan,
If you’re trying to wean off sugar, it’s Wardee’s opinion that fruit should be avoided as well. Then perhaps eaten in moderation. Fruit is sugar, too. 🙂
We’re not sure what you mean on the OT – can you clarify or give screenshots? Please email [email protected] for help with this. Thank you!
Fruit is a whole real food & traditionally eaten to satisfy the natural desire for sweet. As long as it is not excessively eaten, it should not be avoided. I loved this podcast & didn’t hear Wardeh say fruit should be avoided. Could u please clarify? Thank you
Teresa,
I did say in there that if you’re trying to quit sugar, it is helpful to quit fruit, too. Not necessarily forever. This is because eating fruit feeds the sugar cravings that you’re trying to break.
Wardee
I know this might not be true for everyone but if I am craving sweet after a meal and I eat just a few bites of a fruit ( ex. 2 small slices cantaloupe) it satisfies my craving. I think it’s better than a sugary dessert. Any opinions on this?
Hi Teresa,
Everyone needs to decide this for themselves. It certainly can be ok! We are not the diet police here. Sugar is damaging in large quantities. For some, a few bites of fruit is ok, while for others, it prolongs the addiction. We tend toward if someone is disciplined with those few bites and is not having other negative symptoms of sugar addiction, it is ok. Again, each person’s situation is unique and we should all feel the freedom to break a sugar addiction in a way that works for us — whether cold turkey/none at all or a few bites of fruit allowed or even a dessert once per week allowed. 🙂
Millie
Traditional Cooking School
I listened to this podcast today and had to come comment. I need prayer! Sugar has a HUGE hold on me. I’m hypoglycemic. I have tried to quit sugar many times. We eat high quality foods and natural sugars, nourishing traditions style…but even with it being natural sugars, I eat far too many sweets. I have many issues from it. I’ve quit for 6 weeks before. I’ve done a whole30. I keep going back to it because it’s a quick source of energy for me when I’m having a low blood sugar episode.
I know that eating sugar is just making the hypoglycemia worse. I’m well educated on healthy eating, but I can’t seem to stop. I will try to stop cold turkey and then I become completely irrational and emotionally unstable. I’m literally like a drug addict to sugar. It’s just as bad as alcholism. I’m not functioning very well. Every afternoon before dinner I crash and struggle to figure out dinner while in a cloudy haze of trying to not eat sugar, but then giving in. I have menu plans every week, so I know what to cook, but can’t seem to process the thought on how. I’ve made food journals and many friends wonder why I have such a problem. My husband and 2 out of 3 kids have no problems with our diet. We eat healthy…but myself and my oldest seem to have something wrong where our brains can’t function without sugar.
I would really like to know if anyone has it as bad as I do. And maybe how they weaned themselves off successfully for more than 2 months. Cold turkey isn’t an option, as I become suicidal. It’s that bad. When I don’t have low blood sugar, I know without a doubt to not harm myself or anyone else. I’m a Christian and I’m happy and at peace. So, it’s rather perplexing how sugar (or the lack of) has such an emotional/mental effect on me.
Anonymous ~ Wow, I am hurting for you. I will commit to praying for you. What comes to mind, as a possibility (I am not a doctor), is that you may have an as-yet unidentified deficiency that causes you to crave sugar. Have you looked into hair mineral analysis or undergone any testing to see what your body may be lacking? Perhaps if you filled that need, the craving for sugar wouldn’t be so bad.
Here’s info on hair mineral analysis:
https://traditionalcookingschool.com/2014/12/05/kyf-094-how-hair-mineral-analysis-can-help-you-heal/
God bless you!
Anonymous–Please also check out Andrew Saul’s site: http://www.doctoryourself.com and his book, co-written with Dr. Abram Hoffer, “The Vitamin Cure for Alcoholism”. In it they describe that sugar addiction is indeed, VERY close to alcoholism–it’s just another form. My mom suffered greatly from this, but in those years we didn’t know how to help her. Her dad was a flaming alcoholic. The book gives the vitamin/mineral/diet protocol that has saved many, many people from this addiction and given them their health and life back. Even the founder of AA was cured by Dr. Hoffer. Blessings to you and I pray you’ll soon be rejoicing in your newfound freedom!
@Sandy, I just bought the kindle version of that book and look forward to reading it. I’m currently on day 2 of no sugar and I’m handling it okay, for now.
From the original anonymous poster above
Im in!
I am in. I thought I was eating healthy but just found out I am per-diabetic. ughhhhh
Hi, I am just wondering where alcohol fits. My treat would be a beer, I think that it changes to sugar pretty quickly. Am I right? Thank you, Judy Haggard
Hi Julie,
Yes, alcohol is sugar. Sorry. 🙁
Millie
Traditional Cooking School
This is such a great reminder! I’ve gone cold turkey and given up sugar for fasts and have felt great but am always lured back because I love the stuff!! It doesn’t help that my husband and kids are thoroughly addicted to sugar and processed food and think I’m crazy with my obsession with whole /traditional foods. We so use treats as a reward. I feel guilty but it is so difficult to quit and to get everyone else to quit!! Also at work of course sweets are always around and I get stressed toward the end of my day and really lack self control knowing that I should leave them alone and my body craving them.
I often feel like sugar is a great picture of temptation and sin as it lures us and the consequences for indulging are really death and decay.
Thanks again and prayer greatly appreciated!!
I’m in. I have type 2 diabetes, overweight, 70 years old, with 8 great-grandchildren. Always have had a sugar addiction. I can do well for a couple weeks, even a month, But if I’m anywhere where there is pie, cookies, chocolate, etc. I fall, and go downhill from there. It’s like I’m totally mindless in the presence of sweets. I do use Sweetleaf Stevia, and even grow and dry my own stevia, so I don’t have the excuse of nothing to turn to. I have hypothyroidism and depression, so motivation can be a problem. However, I know sugar contributes to all my problems, and I want to do something about it.
Sugar has always been a stumbling block for me. I need to try yet again to cut it out of my life. Thank you for the tips and the prayers! My addiction needs spiritual intervention.
Dear Wardeh,
Thanks so much for this podcast, I think it’s time I broke my sugar addiction which has plagued me most of my life. I do give up for short periods but always slide backwards. I also am plagued with bad digestion, although it has been better recently. I also sometimes binge on alcohol when I am feeling down or want a reward for some perceived reason. I have been trying really hard to clean up my diet but have again slid backwards. The rest of my family do not have problems with what they eat and I get the feeling that my change of diet is perceived as gratitude for, let’s face it, good food that lots of people would be glad of. So that’s where I am. I feel physically tired so can’t sustain jogging even like I used to for any great period of time. I am in my fifties now so maybe this is to be expected, but I am just cheating myself. Sorry for the essay but I had to vent. Thank you for this blessing.
This comment is for anonymous. I would recommend you try eating cottage cheese when you feel you are going down. This is an immediate fix of protein which, if this is what you are really needing, will work quickly. It won’t hurt to try this. Also, make sure you are getting protein at least for two meals in the day. Good luck with this. It must be really frustrating.
Thank you for this suggestion!
I do pretty good staying away from sugar most of the time because I don’t keep sugary snacks at home and really try to avoid snacking altogether. My problem, mainly comes in when I am at a function where there is lots of deserts, such as Fellowship meals at church or functions at work where we eat. I also tend to have issues with bake sales. I like to support whatever the bake sale is trying to raise money for but I find that most bake sales around here have mostly sweets. So I buy to support then take it home and end up eating it because my husband rarely eats sweets when I bring them home. I am also pre-diabetic and struggle with keeping my blood sugar in check lately. And that’s even without eating sweets.
Oh Wardee, you have no idea how much we need your prayers! I cried so much through this as I begged God to help our family, but especially my husband who has so many hardships right now that he doesn’t feel he could quit his horrible soda addiction. It is hurting him and hurting me and the kids through his depression and anxiety and his tiredness and inability to do things with us. but years of nagging and begging have only made him hard to my ideas of traditional foods :(. He has so much stress right now that he needs the nutrition…but I know in my heart that I couldn’t change if I were him, either, when there is so much stress. Thank you so much for the wisdom you share…both in eating well but also on loving our spouses unconditionally and not letting food break down our relationship. So please pray for us all in this! And anyone reading this as well. I will keep the rest of you in my prayers, too.
Hello, all! I have been praying daily for everyone committed so far and will continue to do so! God bless you for your bravery and commitment. I am also praying for those who read and felt the tug but did not comment. 🙂 God bless you all!
I realize I am late seeing this, but I’m in. Starting tomorrow morning, I am done. No more cokes. No more milkshakes. No more sweets in the pantry. I have to get my life back. Prayers, please, as I have an intense addiction, and my sugar-addicted hubby and children are not on board. Thank you for your blog!
Way to go! I feel like you -I need my life back and need prayers because my VERY addicted family is not on board, and the food is all around tempting me. So you have encouraged me and I’m in, too. When I want a sweet I will pray specifically for you. And could you please pray for me, too? Thanks!
Could you please comment on the possibility of sugar addiction being a Candida overgrowth, which can cause severe cravings for sugar and hijack the brain. Check this website for a saliva test you can do at home. http://candida-yeast-infection-relief.com/report.shtml
I do a periodic Candida cleanse even though I don’t crave sugar directly there are a lot of foods like simple carbs, potatoes, starchy pastas, alcohol, and even bread can feed Candida. Label reading is a must when it comes to sugar content. Once the Candida is under control which can happen by going cold turkey off of sugar, I have read that 6 teaspoons or 25grams per day is the maximum daily we should have. Just a few common foods with there sugar content.
A Starbucks Hot Chocolate
Serving size: 16 fl oz
Sugar: 43g (3.06 tb)
Yoplait French Vanilla Yogurt
Serving size 6oz
Sugar: 18g
Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream
1/2 Cup of Cherry Vanilla
Sugar: 20g
Skippy Natural Peanut butter
Serving size 2Tb
Sugar: 3g
Oscar Mayer Lunchables crackers, turkey & American cheese
Sugar: 36 g
Could you pray for me? Sugar addiction is all too consuming for me and I know I can’t even have just a bite, or I end up bingeing. I’ve started my sugar-free journey (again!) and can use the prayers of someone who understands.
Thank you for your kindness and desire to help others 🙂
Hi Dalawna,
Wardee is honored to pray for you and is doing so. God bless you!
Millie
Traditional Cooking School
When you talk about going “cold turkey” does that include the trace sugars in hot sauce? I never knew a Tabasco Green Hot Sauce had corn syrup! I’m so disappointed.
Also what is your opinion on monk fruit in a protein powder less than 1 gram.
Would that be considered as not going “cold turkey?”
Hi, Kelly:
I checked with Wardee, and she says she is not familiar enough with monk fruit to know whether it would affect the idea of going “cold turkey.” —Sonya, TCS Customer Success Team
Help! I desperately need to quit sugar. It is so hard, I truly am addicted. But when I’ve gone without it for 3ish weeks, I feel so much better so I can imagine it would be great to be totally done with it. My husband has been pretty much done for several months and just like you, Wardeh, he only tastes sugar when he eats sweets anymore. Thank you for all of the tips, encouragements, and prayers!
Thank you for sharing the link to Megan’s updated opinion about the safety of Stevia – very important read! I quickly developed an intolerance to Stevia and have friends who also react negatively to it. Her post was extremely insightful.