Sugar Withdrawal 
How to Stop Sugar Cravings

If you are suffering from sugar withdrawal there are a few things you can do to alleviate your suffering and reduce your sugar cravings.

Some of the symptoms that you are sugar sensitive:

• Depression
• Energy highs and lows
• Dr. Jeckyl/ Mr. Hyde personality
• Impulsive
• Short attention span
• Reactive
• Scattered
• Craving carbohydrates, pasta, bread, cereal

I remember when I was about 30, I went cold turkey and had zero sugar for a month. I was also determined to rid myself of the candida albicans (over-abundance of yeast) I had been suffering with for years.

I kept my home free of sweets, but it was so difficult every time I was out and sweet snacks were all around me. Passing by a bakery was very hard and every week I went to a meditation center that served cookies and herbal teas after the meditation. 

But I did it, not a granule of sugar passed my lips, and the following months I only had something sweet a handful of times.

After a while it became easy and second nature to eat a completely sugar free diet, and now it is only on rare occasions when at a party that I might have a small piece of something sweetened with white sugar. At home I occasionally use a little stevia or maple syrup as a sweetener.

One thing that helped me with my sugar withdrawal was raw almond butter. I didn't realize it then but that was because of the protein. I was vegetarian at the time, which made things harder for me as I was protein deficient. Through my studies as a Naturopath I learned these 3 things:

Three top things to do for sugar withdrawal

1. Reduce sugar intake

Yes, I am sorry but it is essential to reduce your consumption of anything sweet for a few weeks or a few months depending on how bad your sugar addiction is. Are you wondering "Why do I crave sugar?" It is an addiction.Sugar has the same effect as opium on the brain. At least for the first month, no sweeteners of any kind and if you have huge sugar cravings also reduce to a maximum 1 or 2 fruits per week at the beginning. 

2. Increase protein

If you are craving sugar, by increasing protein your cravings will be much easier to handle. You need to eat complete protein at every meal, especially breakfast, and healthy high protein snacks in between meals if you feel the need. 

Some, like myself (of slender build), will continue eating like this indefinitely and feel great. Others may choose to decrease their protein intake once their sugar cravings are under control.

Two eggs for breakfast is ideal, with a piece of kamut or spelt sourdough bread, for toast if you like. As long as the yolks are runny - soft boiled or poached - there is a negligible effect on cholesterol. By having a full breakfast you will feel more fully satisfied all day long. Make sure your other meals are high in protein as well.

Find help with - adhd diet children

3. Increase the amount of water you drink.

I experienced this first hand. I always considered that I drank enough water. After attending a conference all about water and it's benefits for healing, I increased my water consumption and my sweet cravings considerably decreased. Read more in drinking water to lose weight. 

For further reading, and to help you with your journey, I highly recommend Potatoes not Prozac by Kathleen DesMaisons. You will find explanations on the exact effect sugar has on our moods and how children of alcoholics are at higher risk. Also included is a seven step program to kick your sugar habit once and for all and take control of your life. 

Take it one step further

It's very hard to kick the sugar habit. 

Have you been eating a healthy diet and the number on scale still doesn’t budge?

You sense that emotional eating may be an underlying cause?

Loneliness, boredom, stress and depression has you spiralling out of control grabbing sweets, unhealthy snacks late at night and overly generous portions at most meals?

When you have a personalized healthy eating plan, it will make it so much easier for you! I outline 4 different body types with 4 separate plans in my program Natural Ways to Lose Weight.

I encourage you to click here to get further information about what kinds of foods to eat for your particular body type in order to eliminate sweet cravings and feel more balanced. The "Thyroid Type Plan" is perfect for those who need to get off of their sugar addiction.

The simple steps don't have to be difficult. I go over it in depth in Natural Ways to Lose Weight 

Once you have kicked your sugar habit you will feel happier, more balanced and calm and lose the weight you want to. You and your loved ones will certainly notice the difference! 

 Sweet Cravings and Protein

Submitted by Simi
(Philadelphia)

Hi! I just read your article about how during your time as a vegetarian (16 years) you had a real sweet tooth. I have always liked sweets but have usually been able to keep my consumption to reasonable amounts.

I went vegetarian a little over two months ago and really enjoyed it. It was surprisingly easy as the only meat I really enjoyed eating anyway was chicken (I also liked most fish). It was not that hard to give up. But a few weeks ago I started feeling extremely sluggish, tired and never quite satisfied until I consumed excessive sweets - shortly after of course, I would feel worse. About a week ago I started feeling like eating chicken and this morning, after ravenously eating hummus and other forms of non-meat protein, I finally gave in and bought a turkey sandwich.

I only had three bites but was completely satisfied and will be satisfied until lunch for sure! Is this just a mental thing? My friends were telling me I should eat meat rather than dairy as humans were meant to eat meat, fruit and vegetables mainly. Dairy is not as natural. I have also heard that craving sweets is often a sign of lack of proteins.

I am also lactose intolerant but usually ignore it. Still, getting my proteins from dairy products solely as a vegetarian was not comfortable for my digestion at all. In many ways I would like to stay vegetarian, but I think my health is being compromised. Any thoughts?
Thank you!

Sue-Anne's relpy
Good question Simi. Vegetarianism may work well for some but not for others. I believe it is good that you are trying different things, listening to your body, being aware of how you feel and finding out what works for you and what doesn't.

If you crave sweets it is important to ensure you get adequate protein until your sugar cravings are completely under control. A vegetarian diet probably wouldn't be a good idea at this time.

A few bites of a turkey sandwich is not a large amount of protein so yes, that could be a mental thing depending on how much you ate before. However, your lactose intolerance and digestive problems are definitely real, so don't ignore them. Your body is telling you that dairy is not good for you, I suggest you avoid it and see how you feel.

I understand your wanting to stay vegetarian, I would rather not eat poultry or fish, (I don't eat red meat) but it is the only way for me and my body type to get adequate amounts of protein and stay healthy, energetic and strong.

I encourage you to continue to eat as healthy as possible, plenty of vegetables and ensure you are eating good quality carbohydrates, such as brown rice, quinoa, whole grains, rather than refined carbohydrates. This will also help the sweet cravings.

There are many opinions of what humans are "meant to eat." We are all different. It is best to find a personal plan that works for you.