Sugar: The Great “Food” Deceiver Part 2:
Just Say No to Sugar
By Stan M. Gardner, M.D., CNS

Your responses to my previous article on “Sugar: The Great Food Deceiver” have been overwhelming. Some of the comments I have received have touched me deeply. It is obvious that sugar addiction is a serious issue for many of you. The number of comments I received specifically asking for help with sugar addiction surpassed 10 pages! Obviously, there isn’t space or time to share all of them with you, but here are a representative few:  

Dear Dr. Gardner,
Thank you for your informative and encouraging article. From my earliest memory, I have turned to sugar and chocolate to soothe the pain, anxiety, depression and loneliness which, I suppose began with considerable dysfunction in my family of origin, and divorce of my parents, etc. More recently digestive problems have increased, and lack of energy became an even greater challenge.  

Dr,

We were very interested in your comment in “Sugar, the Great ‘Food’ Deceiver” that sugar is as addictive as heroin. You mentioned the far-reaching effects of sugar, but could you expound on the comparison between the 2? We are very interested in this, because we have suspected this is so.

I’m also tired of being tired! I eat pretty healthy foods but I also eat sugar knowing that I shouldn’t.

Please hurry, I need to get off the sugar roller coaster, caffeine roller coaster, and get healthy again.

I loved your article about sugar and YES I am a sugar addict. I am like a shark on a feeding frenzy when I eat sugar. I can’t seem to stop. So I am looking forward to the next article.  

I LOVE sugar and chocolate and have poisoned my body with all sorts of unhealthy stuff and I’m looking to change all that. Thank you!

I have always wanted to be free of my sugar addiction. I have always called it an addiction (even though my husband thinks that is too strong of a term) and have felt that our sugar addiction (in our nation) is so out of control and dangerous. I hate the feeling of having something, anything, control me so completely. I am reading all of this and watching that video and feeling totally overwhelmed and depressed actually. Doesn’t it seem impossible to anyone except me? It just feels so impossible. We have 6 kids. My life is hard and I know that my health makes it so. If my body functioned the way it was intended I could do this. I don’t know. I look forward to reading more.but I am afraid it will just be too hard to actually do. It just feels like I (and my family) would have to be in a bubble to avoid all that sugar. I was in the store yesterday and passed by a big display of Easter candy. I just got through Valentines. Help!    

For over two years, I have been working on a program to help people achieve dynamic health and energy. Getting sugar out of our diet is a big part of feeling better. But it isn’t always easy, as many of you have attested.  

For some people, an awareness of the problems with sugar and a decision to stop eating sugar are all you need to do. This is a decision for not only your own health, but for the health and well-being of the loved ones around you. What you eat will be available for others; what you cook will have the same ingredients for all (unless you go to a great deal of effort in meal preparation).

Some people fight cravings for sugar, and will require great will power in their diet for approximately two weeks. That’s about how long you have to “hang on” until those cravings disappear. These individuals need to exercise caution with regard to sugar in the future. They may find that certain supplements (L-glutamine, chromium, and gymnema) may reduce those cravings.

Some people are truly addicted to sugar. For these it will take a very aggressive vitamin and mineral supplementation, certainly by mouth and possibly intravenously, in order to overcome nutrient deficiencies and help with healing so that these addictions can be removed. Some sugar addicts have low brain neurotransmitter levels, specifically serotonin, and these may need to be corrected before the addiction improves.

Specific Treatments to Assist in Sugar Freedom

I cannot stress enough the importance of eating real food and always having it available around you. Real food is not processed food that comes out of a can or a box; real food is selected from around the perimeter of the store and it carries true nutrients and energy. You can make your real food more accessible by creating bite-size, snack sized, easy-to-grab quickie tastes when you get home from the store or come in from the garden, and just have them handy in the fridge.  

One of the first rules for alleviating sugar addiction is getting rid of its easy availability. Do not even have sweets and sweeteners and pop in the house. Fruits should be the primary source for the taste of sweetness in your mouth. Often we crave sugar because it’s handy, can be popped in the mouth quickly, and requires no preparation. So get rid of the sugary, bad-for-you “good”ies that plague too many households. Many people have found that carob is a good substitute for chocolate, as chocolate addiction is very common.  

It is also critical that you take a potent multi-vitamin supplement. Other important supplements are essential fatty acids, both Omega 3’s and Omega 6’s, along with extra magnesium, as there is such a common deficiency of magnesium in sugar dependant people. You may try L-glutamine, chromium, and gymnema in addition to the regular vitamins already mentioned. Fiber intake is also important. The psyllium seed is one of the best fibers for ingestion.

If you are facing a severe craving, try this: Set a timer and delay for 15 minutes, if at all possible, giving into the carbohydrate cravings. Many of these cravings will go away by then and it is possible to exercise will power for 15 minutes. Eat fruit to fulfill the craving if something is absolutely needed.  

Focus your thoughts on all the various real food choices that are available. Think about how you truly look and feel on the inside and don’t fall prey to the illusion of how the fake, outer of shell of your body looks today. Focus on how you want to become and be grateful for what you have. Notice the many blessings that surround you. Learn to love your body as it is. It has served you well and will continue to do so if you begin to feed it what it truly needs, rather than synthetic substitutes that taste “good” but do not satisfy.

General lifestyle changes with sleeping properly are very important. Movement, walking, and exercise are also an important component of this program.

Many have found that if they get support from their family or friends or a buddy in this project that it is considerably easier to maintain their focus. Taking stress out of your life and evaluating where stresses are coming from and how you can reduce those stress levels may also be very important.

You may also need professional help for specific items. Food allergies can be treated with NAET or other techniques. Neurotransmitter deficiencies need to be identified and corrected with appropriate neurotransmitter precursors. Toxic metals and toxic chemicals may need to be removed from the body in order for the body to function and provide the correct feedback back to the brain to reduce these cravings and additions. Intravenous nutrients may be needed. Energy work with Jin Shin Jyutsu, craniosacral, and acupuncture techniques have proven to be helpful in some people. There are frequency generators that have been able to provide appropriate healing frequencies for help to take place. Massage therapy and yoga are other modalities that are able to release toxins and are able to get energy moving.

The important thing to remember is that YOU are in charge of your body. A book I am working on is called “Own Your Own Body: Limit One to a Customer.” It’s true! You have to own the body that is yours. It is your companion. It is very accommodating. It will do as you direct it. It will eat what you feed it. But it will also pay you back for food that is damaging, or thoughts and actions that harm its systemic functions. You can reshape your body and get healthier, no matter how far down you feel you have fallen. Someone somewhere has had it worse off than you and they have made it back up again.

Learn to look for others’ examples to inspire you. Don’t forget to pray, and you will feel a power greater than your own help you get past the difficult times. It is possible. It is do-able. And the time to start is NOW .

Just to give you a little boost, here are some of the letters I received from some of my readers who have “made it”:

I have known for some time that I am addicted to sugar. In September I cut out (for the most part) white refined flour and white refined sugar. I weigh every six weeks. Last time I weighed, I was down 20 pounds in 18 weeks. I look better, but more importantly, I feel better. This whole experience has made me want to learn more about sugar and its addictive nature. I appreciated your article. I read it on Meridian Magazine. I look forward to your future articles and will save your website in my “favorites” list. Thank you!

I’m also trying to get off sugar. I was happy to discover Xagave which has helped tremendously. I’ve used other agave products but this one tastes great and has more nutritional benefits than others. I do all my baking and cooking with it now. My family loves it and so do I.

For a sugar craving try a nut butter (one without sugar, check the label) on a veggie. I don’t like celery, so I put it on carrots. It works for me!

I have found that my body really does NOT like white flour and sugar. When I go off of them I don’t have any problem with gas and bloating or heartburn. I would REALLY like a good plan I can stay on and get to a good weight I can maintain and have the energy to LIVE!!

I totally agree about sugar. I recovered much faster from a severe cold and cough than did my husband who kept eating Christmas goodies through his! I love these healthy tips, Dr. Gardner

I have avoided sugar for a couple of years and can certainly vouch for the positive changes I have felt. I am always looking for information about avoiding sugar. Please include me when you send your findings.

I am 54 years old and due to some health issues a few years ago I started studying nutrition. I changed my eating habits, never having to go hungry, and lost 40 pounds without trying. I eat lots of fruit which now satisfies my sweet tooth. I can’t imagine giving up fruit when it is so full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Of course, I eat lots of other nutrient dense foods – vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts. My health issues are gone and I have more energy than I have had in years. I feel young again! And it’s not a diet – it’s a way of eating that is delicious. Like I said, I never feel hungry. When I was on any diet I always felt hungry.

Here’s hoping that these testimonials have inspired you. If you would like to join the list of those who want to be notified as soon as my program becomes available, please visit my website, www.stangardnermd.com and enter your name and email address in the “talk with the Doc” section. To your dynamic health and energy! Dr. Stan Gardner

p.s. My wife Cristie has assembled some healthy sugar-free or low sugar recipes in a blog and welcomes your additions: www.sugarfreehealthydiet.com

To read Part 1, click here.

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