Hey there! I don’t know about you, but my whole life I was drawn to sweets. Ice cream . . . chocolate . . . candy . . . cookies . . . I loved it all! And honestly, I would eat one and keep going back for more. It was a compulsion, and I just couldn’t stop myself. I don’t know if it’s because we ate dessert after dinner growing up and in general had more sugar in our food than I do now, or if it was just in my DNA. : ) Either way, over the years I’ve pin-pointed some tell-tale signs of addiction to sugar. So I put them into this blog post to share them with you. Let’s check them out!

1. You’re carb obsessed (Give me all the carbs)
Sugar comes from tons of different sources and depending on the source can either be beneficial or disastrous for our bodies. Don’t get me wrong, our bodies need sugar. In fact, sugar (or glucose), is the primary form of energy for your body and guess where it comes from…You got it…CARBS!! Why? I’ll break it down for you. Primarily we’re talking about refined carbohydrates because our body is really good at processing them into sugar super fast so it can get energy creating a spike in blood sugar. But, that energy doesn’t last creating a crash. You become lethargic, moody, and you’re hungry for more food because the energy wasn’t sustained. And, as a result it feeds the desire for more sugar because you need more energy and the cycle continues. I’ve found some great swaps for your typical carb-based snacks and meals to help you break this cycle while still feeling like you’re getting carbs. Try swapping out wheat-based products like pasta, crackers, granola bars, and bread for lentil pasta, almond crackers (we love the brand Simple Mills), sweet potatoes, rice, vegetables, and fruits. These products have a higher fiber content and will help to balance out blood sugar.

2. You’re hungry every 2-3 hours
If you’re an athlete and you need to get enough calories in during the day this makes perfect sense because you need to consume more food than most to nourish your body. But for us regular folks who are not training for a marathon or weight training competition, we should be able to go about 4-6 hours without eating. So . . . having the compulsion to eat every 2-3 hours is likely a sign that you are becoming dependent on sugar for energy and may even be insulin resistant. That means your body is likely struggling to burn fat for energy and becoming dependent on sugar. So take note over the next few days and see how often you are feeling hungry. If it’s every 2-3 hours the odds are pretty good that you’re addicted to sugar.

3. You’re meal’s not finished until you have dessert
By far one of the best ways to tell if you’re addicted to sugar is if you “need” a sweet treat or dessert after your meal. The thing is, we were never meant to consume sugar daily or even multiple times a day. In fact, they’re called treats because that’s exactly what they’re supposed to be, TREATS. While it may seem like everyone and their mother eat dessert to complete a meal, it’s actually not the intended “normal.” However, in today’s world it may seem “normal” because a lot of people do it. But when you consider what happens both physiologically and psychologically when eating sugary treats and desserts we may come to a different conclusion. While there are some physiological reasons for craving sugar after a meal, for many people there’s also a psychological component or it’s become a learned habit that they have created over time and may have begun in childhood. So, if you’ve got dessert or sugary snacks on the brain, it might be time to consider that you may be addicted to sugar.

4. Once you start eating sugar, you can’t stop
So there you are opening the fridge, freezer, or pantry to grab the cookies, ice cream, or the homemade chocolates and you promise yourself you’re going to eat just one. But one turns into two and before you know it, you’ve eaten the whole damn thing! And while it may sound obvious, binging on sugar is truly one of the best indicators that you’re addicted. What happens over time is that the continual consumption of sugar greatly effects the hormones insulin, leptin and ghrelin.

Insulin is directly responsible for manage out body’s energy and determining the body’s need for sugar. Ghrelin is in charge of letting the body know if it’s hungry or not. But what happens when we eat too much sugar is our gherkin becomes less sensitive which means we end up overeating or binging on sweets even when we’re not actually hungry. The same is true of your insulin. It also becomes less sensitive. That means you will need to eat more and more sugar to get the same “high” or spike in energy.

5. Your taste buds are dulled to sweet foods
The human body is super cool. It adapts and shifts to its environment. We can get used to different climates, noises, and living situations. Well, the same is true with food. As we consume sugary foods (salty ones too for that matter), our taste buds begin to need more of it to notice the same sweetness. This is because our taste buds can become desensitized to the foods we eat. That includes foods that contain sugar (and salt). You may not realize how sweet fruits actually are anymore or maybe you’re adding more and more sugar to your coffee. Or maybe it’s something as simple as not being able to stand the taste of plain water. If any of these are true from you, it might be time to take a closer look.

6. Noticing dips and spikes in energy during the day
We need energy to be able to perform all the tasks of our day. That energy comes from how we fuel our bodies. So it makes perfect sense that when we eat healthy sources of protein, fat, and complex carbohydrates that take longer to break down, our energy stays even and we experience an even burn throughout the day. Now let’s take a look at what happens when we eat sugar. Because sugar is considered a simple carbohydrate, we are able to consume and burn sugar easily creating a spike in energy. The problem is that this energy doesn’t last. Instead the energy spike is followed by a huge dip in energy otherwise known as “the crash.” That’s when we get tired, moody, and what’s worse is we’re often still hungry because even though we may have eaten a bunch of calories, we burned off the energy quickly without getting full. So, we go back for more and the cycle continues. What’s worse is our body has a hormone known as insulin that is tasked with regulating blood sugar in the body. When we are on this constant “blood sugar rollercoaster,” spiking and crashing constantly, our insulin is on overdrive and over time this can lead to insulin resistance amongst other medical conditions. So, if you’re noticing the “blood sugar rollercoaster” happening in your body, it could be time to check out your diet and see if you’re relying on sugar for energy that could be creating insulin resistance or putting you at risk for other health conditions.

7. You feel bloated after meals
Did you know that we have tones of bacteria that live in our gut? Yep, it’s true! Our gut in responsible for breaking down the food we eat so that the gut flora (bacteria) can feed on it and hopefully flourish. BUT . . . like everything else, there is beneficial gut flora and there is harmful gut flora. Guess what happens when you eat sugar? Well, remember that good gut flora I mentioned? They get killed off and the harmful gut flora flourishes. Ugh! And to make matters worse, these bacteria feed on the sugar in the foods we eat and produce gas and bloating in the body. I don’t know about you, but that’s not my idea of a good time. So if you’re feeling bloated or gassy after meals your gut might be in need of some love.

8. You’re moody and feeling down
Think back to the last time you ate too much ice cream or maybe over-indulged in a second helping of pasta. What did it feel like? I’d be willing to bet that you felt good for a little bit, but after a while you started getting tired, cranky, mentally foggy, a little anxious or even sad. Even though you’re feeling this way, you’re still craving the foods that got you here.

You see, the frustrating things about sugar is that at first it satisfies the craving centers in the brain which makes it highly addictive. In fact, it’s more addictive than cocaine. So even though we know that sugar creates a cycle of moodiness, we keep going back for more.

Our mood is drastically impacted by what we eat. Researchers see a parallel between increased sugar intake and mood disorders. According to Mark Hyman, M.D., in Food: What the Heck Should I Eat?, altogether the average American eats about one-third of a pound of sugar or more daily. He calls this “a toxic drug dose.” A review of several studies confirmed that sugar has an adverse effect on long-term psychological health, including depression and anxiety.

Ever hear that saying, “What effects the gut, affects the brain?” This connection is known as the gut-brain axis. Now, the gut is responsible for producing 90% of the body’s serotonin. If sugar can create gut issues and your gut can’t produce the proper amount of serotonin, this can contribute to depression and other mood disorders. So if you’re feeling moody, it could be sugar that’s the culprit.

Sugar addiction is no joke. Now that you know the tell-tale signs, did any of them hit home for you or someone you know? It’s hard to change what we can’t see so it’s time to get in tune with your body and get curious. Keep a journal of what you notice and seek out help if you need it. I’m here to answer questions if you need anything.

Cheers to your wellness!