No Sugar: 20 Tips to Curb Sugar Cravings and Kick the Addiction

[BrklynLiberal]

I am addicted to sweets..and have been on a nutritionist designed sugar-free diet for a month, and have found that every thing in this article is accurate.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-frank-lipman/sugar-addiction_b_783203.html

As a serious sugar addict still struggling with my "addiction" I know first hand how difficult it is to get off sugar, and to stay off it. Part of the reason it's so hard to kick the habit is that over time our brains actually become addicted to the natural opioids that are triggered by sugar consumption. Much like the classic drugs of abuse such as cocaine, alcohol and nicotine, a diet loaded with sugar can generate excessive reward signals in the brain which can override one's self-control and lead to addiction.

One study out of France, presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, showed that when rats (who metabolize sugar much like we do) were given the choice between water sweetened with saccharin and intravenous cocaine, 94 percent chose the saccharin water. When the water was sweetened with sucrose (sugar), the same preference was observed -- the rats overwhelmingly chose the sugar water. When the rats were offered larger doses of cocaine, it did not alter their preference for the saccharin or sugar water. Even rats addicted to cocaine, switched to sweetened water when given the choice. In other words, intense sweetness was more rewarding to the brain than cocaine.

<snip>

The bottom line is that sugar works the addiction and reward pathways in the brain in much the same way as many illegal drugs. And, like other drugs, it can destroy your health and lead to all sorts of ailments including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, weight gain, and premature aging. Sugar is basically a socially acceptable, legal, recreational drug, with deadly consequences -- and like with any drug addiction, you have to have a flexible but structured plan to beat it.

Here are some tips to help you cope with sugar cravings:
see article for list
<snip>

If you follow these guidelines, perhaps you'll be able to have an occasional 'treat'. Be realistic with yourself and remember that a slip is not a failure. Don't get down on yourself if you slip, just dust yourself off and get back in the saddle. However, if even just a little causes you to lose control, then it's best to stay away from it completely. And my ultimate tip for sugar-free bliss is to remind ourselves to find and pursue "sweet satisfaction" in nourishing experiences other than food.

[grasswire]

1. this doctor is apparently piggybacking on the work of Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons

......who coined the term "sugar sensitivity" and changed the lives of many with her seven steps to deal with sugar addiction.

"Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. has designed a program to heal your body’s sugar sensitivity and bring it into balance. She is a pioneer in the field of addictive nutrition and was the first to give sugar sensitivity a name...

When Dr. DesMaisons first developed her revolutionary program, she was running a drug and alcohol addiction treatment center. She recognized that the alcoholics she was working with were also sugar addicts. When she addressed their sugar addiction by adding a nutritional component to the traditional treatment for alcoholism, she had an unparalleled success rate of 92%, even among long-term, hardcore alcoholics.

Dr. DesMaisons introduced her nutritional program for healing sugar sensitivity to the world in 1998 in her first book Potatoes Not Prozac. In it she outlined seven steps to restore balance in the sugar-sensitive brain and body. These steps work by using nutrition to balance blood sugar, raise serotonin and keep beta endorphins at optimal levels. This changes the body’s sugar-sensitive biochemistry and has an enormous effect on self-esteem and well-being."

http://www.radiantrecovery.com

[supernova]

2. Niggles my memory about an ex DUer

This person was banned long ago, but I remember that they were struggling with alcohol addition and the subject of AA came up. He posted that you wouldn't believe how many AA'ers get off the alcohol then go straight to the sugar bowl, then have to wean themselves from the sugar.

It seems like a vicious circle.

So this woman's work doesn't surprise me.

[BrklynLiberal]

3. I hope that at some point he will give, or has given Dr. DesMaisons credit where it is due.

I found the details to be so amazing. I am not the only one I know with t his "addiction", and am amazed at the results of my "sugar free" diet. It truly is an "allergy/addiction" that feeds upon itself.

As stated in supernova's post, I also know people who have kicked the alcohol addiction who are now sugar addicts. They are NEVER without some sort of candy in their mouth and in their pockets. I did not make the connection until just now. I have also noticed that caffeine serves that purpose as well, or in addition.

I am off caffeine, off sugar, very low on complex carbs....and I LOVED my bread and my pasta :(..
but I am feeling so much better that it has all been worth it.

The changes...all for the positive...are too numerous to go into right now...but I am amazed. I did not even realize I was an addict until I got a really scary doctor's report, and went to a nutritionist, and was forced to stop consuming the sugar, etc.

[salvorhardin]

4. The best part about Dr. Lipman's informative article?

All the links go right to his own online store where you can buy Dr. Lipman's products! Now that's a time saver.

[HuckleB]

5. Ah, another HuffQuack.

Sales department on all lines.

:rofl:

[salvorhardin]

6. Operators are standing by!

:rofl:

I submitted a similar comment there, and it was deleted by HuffPo's moderators within seconds. I wonder if HuffPo employs human moderators (probably Taiwanese children paid a penny a deletion) or some sort of Bayesian statistical algorithm.

[laconicsax]

7. That's how you know it's legit.

Without links to an online store to buy the author's stuff, it's just meaningless words on a crackpot website.

[salvorhardin]

8. Quit stealing my routines!

ETA: I just said something remarkably similar elsewhere. ;-)

[laconicsax]

9. Wow! That is remarkably similar.

Must be true if two people arrive at the same point independently.

[snagglepuss]

10. Thanks for posting this. It makes my behaviour understandable. Friends

think I'm nuts but I can't have anything sweet at home because I have no control. I don't even have sugar because I will eat it by the spoonful. I think there must be a genetic component because whatever reward I get from sugar, I don't get from alcohol. I enjoy alcohol but I don't crave it and if I have more than several drinks, I simply get depressed.

[BrklynLiberal]

11. It sure explained things for me...

and I never even clicked on one of his links...so I did not realize what a "quack" he was...:sarcasm:

[trotsky]

12. It is just the frustration that arises...

from seeing some of the same people bashing "big pharma" because they're only in it for the money, turn right around and promote "wellness" gurus who are hawking their own products as if that were somehow a totally different desire for money.

[HuckleB]

13. Indeed. And...

Lipman is also a classic, anti-vaccine crank:
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=1906

"But HuffPo doesn’t stop with Ullman. Dr. Frank Lipman is pouring out volumes of ignorance. Lipman is a self-proclaimed expert in preventative health care. I emphasize “self-proclaimed” because he doesn’t seem to understand much about the subject. Doctors must be able to think independently. They must be able to look at the data, look at the recommendations of others, and apply these to individual patients. While one patient might “by the book” require a particular type of medication, you may know that this particular patient won’t do as well for one reason or another. But one cannot ignore evidence.

Lipman starts out with the predictable but clearly false claim that he is not “anti-vaccine” (instead being pro-vaccine safety and freedom of choice, setting up the false dichotomy implying that the rest of us are against safety, freedom, and presumably the American way). He then goes on to forcefully, in bold typeface, declare that most of his patients should not get the swine flu vaccine (I can hear Rebecca Watson’s voice in my head doing the voiceover of the capslock—good lulz). A generous person might take this information and think, “Gee, perhaps he has a geriatric practice so that most of his patients don’t fall within the current evidence-based recommendations.” That would be stretching generosity to the breaking point. He goes on to discuss why he is anti-vaccine (in this case). But let’s talk a bit about flu and about prevention from, you know, an expert.


...


His next point is either completely ignorant or sinister: vaccine manufacturers are insulated from liability, therefore they have no incentive not to hurt you. The reason vaccine manufacturers receive immunity is so they will still be able to provide this not-very-profitable service. Anti-vaccine cultists would sue the vaccine makers into oblivion, or clog the courts trying. Instead we have a rational surveillance program. Since significant vaccine-related side effects are vanishingly rare, it is only on mass release that rarer ones may become apparent, therefore we have a system for monitoring vaccine safety. Thankfully, serious side effects of flu vaccine are not distinguishable from the baseline incidence of these problems, and are rarer than serious flu-related illness.

The evidence shows that the most effective primary prevention of influenza is vaccination. Still, it’s rather more invasive than, say, dietary changes. Is there any evidence for other primary prevention strategies? The answer is essentially, “no”. Lipman gives a heap of worthless advice about “phytonutrients”, vitamin D, and exercise, some of which is plausible but not supported by evidence, and some of which is implausible enough to be laughable."

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What Peter Lipson writes in the ... is quite telling in regard to the quackery of Dr. Lipman.


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More on Lipman "pushing antivax nonsense" --
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/09/28/huffpo-still-pushing-antivax-nonsense/


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And then there's the issue of Lipman's self designation as an "Integrative Physician."

Lies, Damned Lies, and ‘Integrative Medicine’
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=399


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As you know, we could go on all day in regard to quackery like this...

:hi:

:toast:

[salvorhardin]

14. I don't throw around the q word lightly

But Lipman is the very model of a quack.