Anyone Else Feel Addicted To Sugar And Flour?

[Cris]

When I first started the gluten-free diet I kept my meals really simple: meat, whole grain and veggie. Somewhere I read to not have flour right away. But when I started feeling a little better and wanted to try to gain back some weight I decided to get the Namaste blond brownie mix that I had loved in the past. After I made those brownies suddenly that was the only thing I wanted to eat. I would put up with the rest of the meal just to get to the brownies and it was hard to stop eating them once I started! I also noticed that I was feeling more depressed than I had been, and that was something that had noticeably lifted when I gave up the gluten. The final straw was that I came down with some sort of flu and I've heard that sugar can supress immune function. As I was lying around recovering from this I got out a book I had called Food Addiction, the Body Knows and it described exactly my relationship with those brownies. It says both sugar and flour are so refined that they become like mood altering drugs.

I must say I'm not happy if I can't even enjoy rice pasta. I wonder if maybe it's just the sugar that starts that strong craving. Has anybody else ever dealt with this?

[EBsMom]

I wonder if maybe it's just the sugar that starts that strong craving. Has anybody else ever dealt with this?

Oh, yeah, I believe this! I did a South Beach kind of thing - gave up all sugar/flour for a couple of weeks several months ago (pre-gluten-free.) I had SUCH a bad withdrawal - headache for a week (that Advil would not touch), nausea, extreme tiredness, insomnia. I guess I was detoxing. At the time, I blamed it solely on the sugar withdrawal (though in retrospect, it was probably the flour/gluten too.) It shocked me that I could feel so bad just from giving up sugar. I think it should be classified as an addictive drug, 'cause that's what it is! BTW, after my detox and my 2 weeks off sugar, the cravings were GONE! I've slowly let sugar creep back into my diet....guess I'll have to detox again at some point....sigh.

Rho

[NoGluGirl]

When I first started the gluten-free diet I kept my meals really simple: meat, whole grain and veggie. Somewhere I read to not have flour right away. But when I started feeling a little better and wanted to try to gain back some weight I decided to get the Namaste blond brownie mix that I had loved in the past. After I made those brownies suddenly that was the only thing I wanted to eat. I would put up with the rest of the meal just to get to the brownies and it was hard to stop eating them once I started! I also noticed that I was feeling more depressed than I had been, and that was something that had noticeably lifted when I gave up the gluten. The final straw was that I came down with some sort of flu and I've heard that sugar can supress immune function. As I was lying around recovering from this I got out a book I had called Food Addiction, the Body Knows and it described exactly my relationship with those brownies. It says both sugar and flour are so refined that they become like mood altering drugs.

I must say I'm not happy if I can't even enjoy rice pasta. I wonder if maybe it's just the sugar that starts that strong craving. Has anybody else ever dealt with this?

Dear Cris,

Sugar is very addictive! I am addicted to it for another reason. I have a systemic overgrowth of yeast on top of Celiac. It can cause mood swings, headaches, weight gain or loss, sinus problems, ringing in the ears, anxiety, depression, and so much more. The yeast causes me to want sugar, and makes my blood sugar low. You see, the sugar feeds the yeast. Yeast makes you crave the sugar because it needs fed.

Dear Rho,

I am not surprised you felt so terrible trying to get rid of sugar. You may have an overgrowth of yeast. If you have been on a lot of antibiotics, steroids, and/or birth control or other hormones, it is very likely. Yeast Candida can cause over 100 physical symptoms alone. After you get sugar out of your system, the craving do go away. My trouble is, the yeast also makes my blood sugar low. I tried going low-carb, but could not handle it. I have cut down on my sugar a lot, but still crave it. I wrote an essay about it because I found it so fascinating.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[darkangel]

Sugar's very addictive. Artificial sweeteners can be, too. In addition, your body craves the very foods that cause reactions and problems. Ever heard of anyone bingeing on broccoli?

[ArtGirl]

Sugar certainly is addictive. I'm struggling with it now, and need to cut it out completely, but lack the willpower. It's a really strong craving. I do well all day long, but in the evening, I gotta have high carbs - crackers, muffins, chips, dried fruit, candy - whatever.

Then, the next day I'm tired and feel all out of sorts. Oh yes, it's addictive.

[sixtytwo]

OHMYGOSH.........I was going on today to talk about this very subject and thought I would have to start a thread myself. I went totally sugar/carb free (other than a few red potatoes occasionally) a couple of weeks ago and I feel so in control and am dropping weight. I think that the carbs that are gluten-free cakes/cookies etc. are really not all that good for us. I was carbing a lot. I eat so much less food now. It seems to be all or nothing for me at this point. The Edy's frozen fruit bars are the treat of choice right now, 80 calories. They do not make me hungry. When I start out the day with a bowl of cereal, I am hopelessly hungry all day. Now I start out with some eggs/no toast or cottage cheese/fruit. Sets the tone for the whole day. I also notice that I do not go to bed wanting food or even thinking about it......it is so different than when I am on carbs. I actually would go so far as to think I might be "allergic" to them. There might be something to that "eat right for your body type" thing that has been around. Barbara

[burdee]

There are some studies that suggest that undigested gluten and casein proteins, which leak from a celiac damaged gut, can travel to the brain and stimulate the 'opiate' receptors, just like morphine. So we can feel 'addicted' to the very foods which damage our bodies through antibody reactions. Especially sensitive to the 'opiate peptide' effect are autistic children, whose condition is affected by gluten and casein antibodies. They are so addicted to those 2 foods that their parents have difficulty substituting gluten free and casein free foods in their diets in order to reduce their autistic behaviors.

Some people (I'm one) actually have a cane sugar allergy (IgG mediated delayed reaction allergy). Cane sugar is in the 'grass' family, like wheat. So the protein may be similar. My ELISA test results showed a very strong reaction to cane sugar. I can tolerate other forms of sweets, like maple syrup, honey, agave, and even aspartame, but not sorbitol like sweetners. However I react to cane sugar with tachycardia (rapid heart beat) for about 18 hours following ingestion, nausea, fatigue, spaciness, and panicky sensations. Before I knew I had cane sugar allergy, those symptoms influenced me to consume even MORE cane sugar to get some energy and relieve the fatigue and spaciness. I misinterpretted the rapid beat symptoms as anxiety, a psychological problem, rather than mere reaction to cane sugar. I don't feel 'addicted' to cane sugar like I felt addicted to dairy (casein) foods, but my cane sugar reaction symptoms certainly were confusing and disconcerting before I understood I had an allergy.

BURDEE

[confusedks]

So if one has a yeast overgrowth and is so addicted to sugar (like me), what do you do to get rid of the cravings? I also want sugar all the time. I can't not eat it. Flour/carbs aren't as much of a problem. I never crave potatoes or rice but constantly crave cookies, etc. I need help!

Kassandra

[KAG]

If I drink any alcohol, eat any dairy, or eat any gluten free cookies or cakes, I get terrible cravings. I can eat almond butter with raw honey and not have cravings so I think that it is the processed sugar that gets me. When I am really craving sugar I usually have to just suffer through a few days. Then after that the cravings go away. I may still want it, but it's not a terrible craving anymore. It helps to get through those few days by always drinking water and finding something that does not set off cravings but still gives you some kind of satisfaction. I can drink lemon juice in water with stevia to help. Also, eating high protein foods every two hours can help.

[jnclelland]

So if one has a yeast overgrowth and is so addicted to sugar (like me), what do you do to get rid of the cravings? I also want sugar all the time. I can't not eat it. Flour/carbs aren't as much of a problem. I never crave potatoes or rice but constantly crave cookies, etc. I need help!

Kassandra

It's just like any other addiction: getting through those first few days without it are the hardest - and you're right, you probably need help and support to get through the withdrawal. Do you have supportive family and/or friends who can be available to support you for awhile?

If you feel like this is a long-standing problem for you, AND if you're really ready to do something about it, you might look into Overeaters Anonymous. It's just like Alcoholics Anonymous, except that instead of alcohol, it's for precisely the sort of food addiction that you're describing. The mental addiction can be just as bad as the physical, so it can be really helpful to have a support group of people who have been there and know what you're going through. You can find info and local meeting lists online at Open Original Shared Link.

Jeanne

[JennyC]

I'm sitting here reading this thread while eating M&Ms. I have not been tested for celiac disease yet, but I suspect that I likely have it. I have many of the non "classical" symptoms, and my son had to have gotten celiac disease from somewhere. After the birth of my son I totally became addicted to sugar. I am not over weight, but since my son's birth I have never been able to reach my target weight. I think about sugar all the time. When I want to loose weight I will budget my calories to try to conserve so that I can have sweets in the evening. My weight will often fluctuate by 10 lbs because of this. I'm sick of it. Even when I try to just eat healthy, and not diet, I end up eating small amounts of sugar throughout the day that inevitably end up adding up at the end of the day. No more M&Ms. I will try to cut sugar out of my diet. Although I planned on making banana sticky buns today.

[confusedks]

It is really interesting. It starts to become a food thing...there is almost nothing interesting to eat when you don't eat sugar. I am also dairy free so I can't eat a piece of cheese for a snack. Vegetables become so boring after a while. Ugh...sorry I'm just so annoyed at all of this.

Kassandra

[newlyfree]

It is really interesting. It starts to become a food thing...there is almost nothing interesting to eat when you don't eat sugar. I am also dairy free so I can't eat a piece of cheese for a snack. Vegetables become so boring after a while. Ugh...sorry I'm just so annoyed at all of this.

Kassandra

Kassandra - I feel your pain! At various times over the last 10 years I've done the anti-candida diet and breaking the sugar habit at the beginning is a killer! I've just returned to dairy free as well (did it when I was first gluten-free, then let it back in while on the SCD, but I'm not sure I'm good with it so for now I'm taking it back out). I'm also doing sugar-free and starch-free, and my future husband had to sit and watch me cry buckets last night over my plain salmon and broccoli.

And I LOVE salmon and broccoli!

It is hard, it's SO hard... sugar is a harsh mistress. And the same goes for the dreaded high-fructose corn syrup.

<rant on>

I'm convinced that one of the reasons companies put sugar and HFCS in things like, oh, hamburger buns (yes, I'm looking at you McDonalds!) is because they KNOW sugar is addictive. My uncle, who was a big ol' hippie in the 60's, had to take me and my siblings to McDonalds once in the late 80's. He hadn't eaten there in 20 years. After he finished his Big Mac he got scared because he desperately wanted another - and for 2 weeks he had to force himself not to back to McDonalds to get one.

'Course, at the time, I wasn't sure why he was trying so hard not to. Now it makes more sense.

<rant off>

As for snacking - are you ok with eggs? I've been making some homemade aoili's to dip my veggies in, makes it a little less boring.

[sixtytwo]

WOW, this is so interesting...............back to see what others have written. I have actually had episodes where I have had (this was before going gluten-free) a major sub sandwich (lots of gluten) and then maybe a dessert or a big ice cream cone and I have gotten so sick. I had to lie down as I could not hold my head up and just sleep it off for the remainder of the day, and disorientation sure does explain it. One friend thought I was having a heart attack and thought she should take me to the hospital. I told her to just get me home to my bed and I would be fine after a while as this has happened before. I have never had one of thos episodes since going gluten-free. It has not been hard at all going gluten-free for me and I am going to consider sugar as bad for me as gluten (and most carbs along with it). Hopefully that will keep me on track. Thanks to all of you for your interesting contributions to this thread. Barbara

[NoGluGirl]

Dear Barbara,

It really is scary how foods can be addictive! Gluten does terrible things to us, and despite that, while we were eating it, we were addicted. This is not uncommon. You are often addicted to what you are allergic to. How is that for irony? Have you ever noticed how much irony sucks?

Dear Kassandra,

Yeast has to be eradicated through integrated therapy. A special low-carb diet in conjunction with herbals or antifungal medications, and sometimes immunotherapy is used as well. In some people, yeast causes low blood sugar. It does that to me. I cannot get my blood sugar up without some or something starchy. When I tried to go low-carb, I got very sick. I have greatly reduced my sugar intake, though.

Dear JennyC,

The symptoms you describe sound similar to an overgrowth of yeast. I also had difficulty losing weight before going gluten-free. I never had trouble losing weight like that. I had always been naturally thin, but for a few years, the weight just sat there no matter how few calories I ate, how much I walked, and how few fat grams I consumed. I have been gluten-free nearly a year now, and the pounds are not so hard to get rid of now. I crave cookies as well, those and chocolate are my two sweet addictions. I never used to be a sweet eater, but the yeast is causing me to want it.

Dear Jeanne,

Overeating is a serious problem. I am glad you posted this. I do not think a lot of people can accept the fact that food is addictive. My uncle, brother, and grandmother all have had this addiction for as long as I can remember. I always make sure I only eat until I am confortable. I have never understood why anyone would eat until they are sick. Many people do. Sugar can cause you to eat more of everything. I know some celebrities have gone through rehab and detox because of it. Wynona Judd is one of them.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl