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The N.D.s Corner:>
The Sugar Addiction Test
November 9, 2008
When I ask a room full of people to raise their hands if the think they are addicted to sugar or not, usually 90 percent of the hands in the room go up. But just what does that mean? While most people agree that they are addicted to sugar, they don’t take sugar addiction too seriously. Sugar addiction, it turns out is every bit as serious as addictions to drugs, alcohol and cigarettes.
The following is a test I developed for sugar addiction, give it a try:
• Do you use sugar as a reward? If you give yourself a sugary treat after you have completed a task, or if you give your child a sweet reward, then you have to answer yes to this question.
• Do you use sugar to change your mood? If you feel sad, or tired, or just need a lift, do you reach for sugar?
• Do you eat sugar even when you aren’t hungry? Many people will finish a large meal and feel full and yet still reach for something sweet. Think about the times you have been at a restaurant and ate until you were stuffed and yet still had a dessert.
• Have you ever tried to stop sugar but couldn’t? Maybe you tried a diet like Atkins or South beach, but just couldn’t stick to it. If you felt endlessly drawn by sugar, and foods that act like sugar, then you have to say yes to this question.
• Have you ever taken a small bite of something sweet and had to finish the rest? It goes like this: you pick up the container of ice cream, or chips, or bag of cookies or whatever sweet thing you like. You think you are just going to have a few, but then you end up eating the whole thing.
• After you have stopped sugar, do you binge when you start eating it again? Once again, think back to that time you were on a diet that has no sugars or carbohydrates. The first time you put something sweet back in your diet, did that start you on a binge, eating everything in site?
Scoring this test is not so hard: If you answered yes to one or two of these questions, then you probably have a sugar problem. If you answered yes to two or more of these questions, then you are guaranteed to have a sugar addiction problem. Don’t worry, though, you are not alone.
Addictions are all eerily similar. Replace the word “sugar” above with the word “cigarettes” or “alcohol” or “drugs” and you will find most addicts would agree that these symptoms are identical for their addiction.
The signs of addiction are typically:
• Using the addiction for a reward.
• Using a substance to change a mood.
• Feeling compelled to consume the addiction even though you don’t need it.
• Binging, especially when the addicted substance is removed for a while.
Sugar has all characteristics of an addiction and the scientific community is just beginning to realize that this is true, but they are far from agreeing that sugar addiction is real. But don’t you dismiss sugar addiction as just something we all do. Sugar addiction ultimately means harm to your body: Sugar consumption is associated with increased weight and obesity, diabetes, heart disease and potentially many other diseases.
Getting off your sugar addiction can be hard, but you need to find a way to break free from sugar in all its sneaky forms and move toward a more healthy life.
Dr. Scott Olson is a Naturopathic doctor, expert in alternative medicine, author and medical researcher. Spurred on by his patients’ struggles with sugar addiction, he was determined to discover just how addictive and harmful sugar can be and ways to overcome that addiction. The result of that study is his book Sugarettes, which describes the addictive qualities of sugar and the harm that sugar does to our bodies.
Dr. Scott also maintains a blog (www.olsonnd.com) which highlights the latest in health and healthy living.
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