Can Sugar Really Be Addictive?

Yes, you can get addicted to sugar, sweet foods, and white-flour products (which your body responds to as if they were sugars). This addiction is physiological and affects the same biochemical systems in your body that are affected by addictive drugs like morphine and heroin.

You can actually get "high" on sugar. Eating it can make you feel euphoric immediately. If you don't have your regular sugar "fix," you can experience withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability, headaches, and other flu-like symptoms. Your body can become physiologically dependent upon the effect the sugars have on you.

Your body has a special biochemistry. As a result, you have a different response to sugar than a person with a normal biochemistry. Your heart sings at the sight of a newly opened box of chocolates. Your molecules jump to attention when you get a whiff of bread fresh from the oven. This yearning, however, is not about greed. It is the biochemical response of a sugar-sensitive person.

The good news about biochemically-based behavior is that you can change what and when you eat and your behavior will change. You do not have to pursue years of psychotherapy to get results. You can start changing what you eat and feel better right away.

Seven Steps for Healing Sugar Sensitivity