Do you believe that you can actually make sugar cravings go away without massive willpower or without feeling deprived? I’m going to tell you that is really is possible no matter how crazy it sounds! And share how to do it!
I was recently quoted in this great article: Is our addiction to sugar a spiritual crisis? Find out how to think your life sweeter, naturally, written by the talented Lisa Sanfilippo.
Lisa shares such a great description of how we get a hit of dopamine when we consume sugar in the same way addictive drugs give you that hit. Nicole Avena’s writings and videos illustrate:
how receptors on the tongue trip off the brain to ping its reward system. A hit of the brain chemical dopamine signals, ‘Oh, that’s good.’ A warm fuzzy feeling ensues. And we want to do the thing that stimulated that feeling again. Addictive drugs such as cocaine, nicotine, alcohol and heroin also stimulate this ‘feels-good-do-it-again’ pathway. Our brains light up when we think about a treat or a ‘hit’. The wanting or craving sets it in motion, too. We may not realise it but we are in a relationship with the thing that makes us feel good, even if it damages us.
When your brain chemistry is out of whack, you self-medicate with alcohol, painkillers, street drugs, or the most socially-acceptable and readily available of all – sugar. Here is my contribution to the article:
‘We must understand why sugar affects our brain chemistry like addictive drugs. We may use sugar to concentrate better, feel calmer or get happy when we’re low.’ But, Trudy says, ‘If we get the right nutritional balance or take specific amino acid supplements, we can boost the needed neurotransmitters, so that cravings go away without requiring massive willpower or without feeling deprived.’ Her recipe? Supplements. ‘Tyrosine boosts dopamine for concentration, GABA makes you feel calmer, and tryptophan boosts serotonin for happiness.’ So, a trip to a qualified nutritionist might help us to stop drugging with sugar.
You can read Lisa’s entire article here. I really love how she describes our unhealthy relationship with sugar, how she discovered she was self-medicating with the stuff and of course, some of the other practical advice like yoga for stress reduction.
Let’s take a deeper look into the imbalanced brain chemistry and addictions or cravings. I see this all the time when you have low levels of any of the neurotransmitters and by addressing these low levels with targeted individual amino acids you really can end the sugar cravings without massive willpower or without feeling deprived. Low levels of dopamine, low serotonin, low GABA and even low blood sugar and low endorphins can be addressed in this way.
Let’s look at low endorphins. The big problem with low endorphins is comfort eating and emotional eating. It’s like: “This is my reward. This is my treat. I deserve it.” And when you consume carbohydrates or sugar like a bowl of ice cream, a bowl of cereal and milk, a chocolate chip cookie, you feel like “this is my reward. I deserve it.” The amino acid DPA boosts endorphins and ends this comfort and emotional eating and the sad, weepy mood we see with low endorphins improves too.
When it comes to low serotonin you are going to crave sugar and carbs in the afternoon and evening. And we will also have the low serotonin mood symptoms which are depression, the worry type of anxiety, the ruminating thoughts, the worry and the fear.
And if you’re looking for resources on how to use amino acids to make sugar cravings go away without massive willpower or without feeling deprived here is some additional information:
- GABA for ending sugar cravings (and anxiety and insomnia)
- Glutamine for blood sugar stability, calming and gut healing
In this blog post – Neurotransmitters in food addiction: dopamine, endorphins, GABA and serotonin you can read Meme Grant’s feedback after using the amino acids after participating in my Amazing Aminos for Ending Emotional Eating program:
I still am amazed at how quickly the panic attacks, binge eating, and mood swings disappeared. Tyrosine enabled me to focus and gave me energy to do things again, glutamine allowed me to walk past the gluten and dairy free junk foods, d-phenylalanine [DPA] stopped my comfort eating, tryptophan enabled me to stop my negative thoughts and helped me sleep but the best was when GABA was introduced, the panic attacks disappeared.
You may notice that the amino acids eliminated her cravings AND helped her mood, anxiety and panic attacks.
How have the amino acids helped eliminate your sugar cravings and addictions? Were you surprised that you were able to quit without massive willpower or without feeling deprived?
If this is new to you what questions do you have and what have you already tried for reducing your sugar cravings?
About a year and a half ago, I had a very significant anxiety/depression event. I have not drank alcohol for 30 years, and the same goes for any other drug. I did not suffer any tragic event prior to the this episode. I turned 60 a few weeks before this happened. My brain chemistry has never been the same since. I’m better now but still struggle with morning anxiety as I wake up. My libido is very low but it was not bad before the event, I take a mg of Klonopin a day. It helps, but I don’t like it’s physically dependency issues and it never seems to get at the cause of the problem. Meds like Seroquel and Zoloft can make my symptoms worse.
I have an extremely sensitive system so I stay away from caffeine and any other stimulants. My intestinal system is sensitive to the effects of sugar and processed foods and it is reactive to mold, yeast, etc. I never get diarrhea, but gas is a problem.
I tried GABA for a few days and didn’t feel much of an improvement in symptoms. Same thing for niacin, didn’t like the flush.
Accupuncture does give some relieve as does meditation, I have done every day for a year.
Right now, I’m trying a homeopathic remedy consisting of deluded phosphorus.
In the few years prior to the significant event, I did experience minor episodes of anxiety and depression after getting a series of steroid injections in my neck. Prior to receiving those injections, I was symptom free for years, didn’t even need to take any Xanax even though there were times of stress in my personal and work life. I really feel like those steroid injections messed up my glandular systems and they don’t put out the same amount of chemicals that are calming.
Do you have any ideas that could possibly help my situation? What do you think might be causing the morning anxiety/feeling anxious, which occurs just as I’m waking up in the morning?
Thank you, Trudy
Bruce
Klonopin and Xanax can be factors in increased anxiety – over time they can actually cause or increase anxiety. Also when someone has been on steroids I would look at cortisol levels – high cortisol can cause anxiety.
Trudy,
I love your blogs and the help you provide. I have an unusual problem,-my son adopted 12 year old twins (boy and girl)) who were removed from an abusive mother who had done drugs during pregnancy and after until the kids were removed from her at age 8. They were placed and adopted by an aunt and uncle who kept them for 2 years and then could not handle the anxiety the stress the children brought into their family. They put them up for adoption and my son and daughter-in-law have taken them on. We have been asked to watch them for 2 weeks in July and I don’t know if we can handle them. The girl is particularly hard to handle(hormones I am sure). We are told if we can not handle them we are to take them to their aunt who does OK with them, but I want to do the best we can by them, but I don’t know if i should try to give them GABA or some of the other anxiety supplements you recommend. They are currently on drugs for ADHD and other conditions which I worry about. Any advice you could give me would be much appreciated. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. These two children are my grandchildren and I want to help them have a happy, successful life-not following in their Mother’s footsteps, which would be devastating for our family. Thank you in advance for any loving, understanding help you could provide.
Mary
I start with food changes with children – real food, no additives, gluten-free (and possibly grain-free too), no caffeine, quality animal protein at breakfast and organic vegetables and fruit.
GABA can be very helpful for children (https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/gaba-children-adhd-focus-issues-irritability-anxiety-tantrums/) and so can other amino acids. I like to trial one at a time.
With the history of drug abuse before birth the big picture does need to be addressed too especially adrenal health and mitochondrial health. For all children with anxiety we always also look at gut health (candida, parasites, digestion), sleep, toxic exposure, screen time, not being out in nature and exercising etc. My book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” offers a complete approach (on Amazon here http://amzn.to/2kptFWm)