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Top 10 Most Inflammatory Foods to Avoid
Inflammatory foods are major players in the development of much of the suffering in our society. This is because the process of inflammation is at the root cause of most chronic health issues. No wonder you want to learn what foods you need to eliminate and what diet to follow to reduce inflammation, pain, and disease. With so many dietary advice out there, it may feel confusing to find the right one.
The truth is that eating healthy is actually rather simple. Once you understand what foods may damage and what foods may protect your health, you can finally eat a nutrient-dense diet with a worry healing your body with every bite.
In this article, you will learn about the role of diet an inflammation and the main causes of inflammation. We’ll discuss the top 10 inflammatory foods you need to eliminate, what to choose instead, and how to eat a healing diet that benefits your health.
What Is Inflammation
Inflammation is your body’s defense mechanism to fight against potential harm, such as infections, injuries, and toxins. It’s part of your body’s inherent immune response that promotes healing an recovery.
Inflammation itself is not bad. Acute inflammation helps you to repair tissue damage when you have an injury and help you recover from colds, illness, or exposure to allergens.
When it comes to inflammation, the problem is chronic inflammation, which is the result of an excessive stress load on your body, including physical, emotional, and chemical stress. Being exposed to constant stressors, your immune system becomes overwhelmed and increases the inflammation response.
This may lead to more white blood cells, cell changes, and eventually tissue and organ damage. Chronic inflammation plays a role in a variety of chronic pain symptoms and health issues, including metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and autoimmune conditions (1, 2, 3).
The Role of Diet and Inflammation
Diet plays a major role when it comes to inflammation. An inflammatory diet that is low in nutrients is one of the main causes of modern-day inflammation. Cytokines are proteins secreted by your immune system to regulate your immune response. Certain foods can trigger your immune system and lead to the overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines and the underproduction of anti-inflammatory cytokines (4, 5).
The good news is that your diet also plays a role in preventing and reducing inflammation. While, inflammatory foods, such as sugar, refined oils, and gluten may increase the risk of inflammation, eating an anti-inflammatory diet may help you to overcome chronic inflammation and improve your health.
To learn more about chronic inflammation, read this article.
Major Nutritional Factors for Inflammatory Foods
When it comes to your diet there are several major factors that play a role in chronic inflammation. When we consume food it will have an impact on our physiology and these 3 factors are key considerations when it comes to the foods we choose. Let’s take a look at each.
Blood Sugar Impact
An inflammatory diet with too much sugar may lead to blood sugar imbalances in your body. This may cause inflammation and the overproduction of inflammatory cytokines increasing your risk of insulin resistance and elevated blood sugar levels leading to further inflammation, pain, and disease (6, 7).
To learn about how to balance your blood sugar, read this article.
Damaged Fats in Inflammatory Foods
Your body needs fats for fuel, however, not all fats are created equal. Polyunsaturated fats, such as corn, soybean, safflower, and other vegetable oils are highly unstable and prone to oxidation when exposed to heat, light, or air.
During the cooking processed they also become damaged or oxidized making them even more inflammatory and destructive to your health (8). These oils are particularly bad for the endothelial lining of your blood vessels and for your skin and greatly contribute to the formation of acne, aged spots and wrinkles.
Chemical Toxins in Inflammatory Foods
Environmental toxins are everywhere, in our air, food, water, and products. Long-term exposure to environmental toxins may overwhelm your immune system and increase chronic inflammation. An inflammatory diet with lots of processed, refined, and non-organic foods are high in toxins.
Choosing and anti-inflammatory, organic, and healing diet, however, may lower inflammation. Furthermore, it’s also important that you use organic, natural, or homemade products, and spend time in nature breathing in fresh air.
Top 10 Most Inflammatory Foods
To eliminate chronic inflammation, it is important that you eliminate inflammatory foods from your life. Let’s look at the top 10 culprits.
1. Gluten
Gluten is a protein found in a variety of grains, including wheat, rye, and barley. It’s found in bread, pizza, pasta, cereal, and other food.
Gluten is particularly dangerous for and must be completely eliminated by individuals with Celiac disease or gluten allergy. What is more common, however, is gluten sensitivity that may cause a low-level chronic inflammation, a variety of symptoms, and leaky gut. Eliminating gluten may lower inflammation levels and improve your health (9).
Alternatives: Gluten-free Alternatives
Choose gluten-free flours, including almond, coconut, quinoa, and amaranth flour. Use lettuce for burgers and sandwiches, collard green for wraps, cauliflower for pizza crust, toasted sweet potato for avocado toasts, portabella mushrooms instead of buns, zucchini or cucumber noodles instead of pasta, and veggie sticks instead of crackers.
2. Sugar and Inflammatory Foods
I bet that you are not surprised to see sugar on this list. Sugar is one of the most inflammatory foods, yet, refined sugar is lurking everywhere from candy, snack bars, baked goods, pastries, sodas, sugary drinks, sweetened coffee and tea, pasta sauces, condiments, and more.
When you eat too much sugar, your body simply cannot process it quick enough. As a result, it releases pro-inflammatory messengers called cytokines. It may damage your immune system and lead to blood sugar issues (10).
Alternatives: Low-GI Whole Fruits, Vegetables, and Natural Sweeteners
If you are looking for something sweet, low-glycemic index fruits, such as berries and green apples, and sweet vegetables, such as beets and carrots provide plenty of sweetness with lots of nutrient and fiber to help to slow the breakdown of sugar.
Natural sweeteners, such as monk fruit and stevia may also sweeten your teas and baked good without disrupting your blood sugar balance and resulting in inflammation.
3. Refined Carbohydrates are Inflammatory Foods
Refined carbohydrates and refined flour are found in most baked goods and other foods in your grocery stores, including white bread, bagels, crackers, pasta, flour tortillas, and breakfast cereal. Besides possible being full of gluten, they are inflammatory and low in nutrients.
Refined wheat flours are high in sugar. They are stripped of nutrients and slow-digesting fiber. Hence, your body breaks them down way too quickly leading blood sugar spikes, pro-inflammatory response, inflammation, and health issues (11).
Alternatives: Unrefined Flours and Creative Options
Look for gluten-free and unrefined flours. Get creative by eating kale chips or sweet potato chips cooked in coconut oil instead of potato chips. Use veggies sticks instead of wheat crackers, collard greens and lettuce instead of bread and tortilla, coconut wraps instead of flour wraps, cauliflower rice instead of white rice, baked sweet potato fries instead of French fries, and zucchini noodles or palmini noodles instead of pasta.
You can also check out our recipes for various types of bread alternatives including coconut flour bread, almond butter bread and our garlic and rosemary cauliflower bread. Check out the graphic below for more ideas.
4. Conventionally Raised Meat and Dairy
I believe that eating meat is extremely important for your health. However, the kind of meat you eat matters. Any meat that is not organic and animals are not treated by the highest standards is full of hormones and not the best option. Hormones, antibiotics, and GMOs coming from grain-fed animals are highly inflammatory.
Historically, dairy has been part of a healthy human diet. Unfortunately, in recent decades, man-made refineries manipulated the dairy-creation process turning these once-superfoods into inflammatory foods. Conventional dairy is not organic and not obtained from pasture-raised animals. It’s full of growth hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, and toxic pesticides making them highly inflammatory and disruptive to your gut microbiome (12).
Alternatives: Grass-fed, Raw Dairy, and Non-Dairy Options
It is important that you make sure that the meat you eat comes from animals that were raised humanely and fed a diet that is meant for them to keep them healthy and are not treated with hormones. Make sure to eat pasture-raised poultry, grass-fed beef and lamb, and wild-caught fish.
Grass-fed raw dairy, including raw milk, grass-fed butter and ghee, and fermented yogurt or kefir are generally healthy for most. People with mild to serious inflammatory conditions and immune dysregulation may have a difficult time tolerating even raw dairy. I recommend that you take out dairy for 90 days, then add it back to see how you tolerate raw and fermented dairy in small amounts. Non-dairy alternatives include coconut milk, coconut yogurt, coconut kefir, almond milk, and cashew milk.
5. Farm-Raised Fish and Seafood
Fish and seafood healthy sources of anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids and protein. However, as always, it’s important that you know your source and chooses seafood that supports your health.
Farm-raised fish are raised under crowded conditions, often given antibiotics, and fed a less than optimal diet. Farm-raised fish and seafood generally have more inflammatory Omega 6 fatty acids, higher chemical exposure, and less protein than wild-caught counterparts (13).
Alternatives: Wild-caught Fish
If you want to eat fish, I recommend wild-caught fish. Choose fish that is low in mercury, such as salmon, cod, tilapia, chunk light tuna, mullet, herring, anchovies, and sardines (14).
6. Processed Conventional Meat
As you’ve learned earlier eating meat is extremely important for your health. However, it’s crucial that you eat healthy meat.
Processed meat, such as deli meat and cured meat are not organic, highly processed, full of hormones, additives, and other unhealthy ingredients. No wonder, they are highly inflammatory.
Alternatives: Pasture-Raised and Wild-Caught Options
I recommend that you choose pasture-raised poultry, grass-fed beef, pork, and lamb, and wild-caught fish. If you have trouble finding these at your local grocery store or health food store than you can order virtually any type of meat and various cuts through US Wellness Meats and they will deliver right to your door.
7. Trans Fats (Partially Hydrogenated Oils)
You might’ve heard the news already: trans fats are bad. There are two types of trans fats you may encounter in foods: naturally-occurring and artificial trans fats. Naturally occurring trans fats are made in the gut of some animals and they may make in small quantities to milk and meat products. The real problem though is with artificial trans fats that are produced in an industrial process by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to solidify them.
Partially hydrogenated oils are the primary dietary source of trans fatty acids in processed foods. Even the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t recognize them as safe. They are highly inflammatory and may raise your risk of high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, and strokes (15).
Alternatives: Grass-Fed Butter and Healthy Oils
I recommend that you choose grass-fed butter or ghee, coconut oil, or avocado oil.
8. Food Additives and Preservatives in Inflammatory Foods
If you carefully look at the ingredients of some processed foods at the grocery store or even in your own pantry, you will spot several food additives and preservatives. These ingredients are used to enhance flavor, texture, or color, or to extend shelf life. They have no nutritional value and are often inflammatory and harmful to your health.
Monosodium glutamate is used to enhance the flavor of some savory dishes at fast food restaurants. It has been associated with metabolic syndrome, weight gain, and other health complaints. Artificial coloring, such as Blue 1, Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6 have been associated with allergic reactions, inflammation, and some cancers.
Sodium nitrate found in processed meats may lead to inflammation and cancer. Other food additives and preservatives you should avoid include high fructose corn syrup, guar gum, sodium benzoate, trans fats, and any artificial flavoring (16, 17, 18).
Alternative: Organic Whole Foods
Choose organic whole foods and organic natural products without additives and preservatives.
9. Highly Processed Vegetable and Seed Oil
When it comes to fat consumption, it is important that you understand the importance of a healthy Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio to control inflammation. A diet too high in Omega 6 fatty acids is highly inflammatory and may contribute to the development of pain and disease. Omega 3, on the other hand, is anti-inflammatory (19).
While it is impossible to avoid omega 6 fatty acids, and some nutrient-dense foods, such as almonds, cashews, and other nuts have some in them, it’s important to make sure that omega 3s dominate your ratio. Vegetable oils, such as corn oil, canola oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, and peanut oil are high in omega 6 fatty acids. They are also damaged during processing and are highly inflammatory.
Alternative: Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
As a healthy source of fat and oil, I recommend organic virgin coconut oil. It’s rich in medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) that may be converted into ketones to further benefit your health.
10. Artificial Sweeteners in Inflammatory Foods
You already know that refined sugar is not good for you. However, you need to watch out for artificial sweeteners and flavor enhancers as well. Although not technically foods these ingredients can be used to create inflammatory foods.
Aspartame, acesulfame potassium, monosodium glutamate, sucralose, and other artificial sweeteners may add a sweet flavor to your food, but they are not healthy. They are highly inflammatory. They have a neurotoxic effect on your brain and may lead to mood disorders and brain-related cancer (20). You can read more about artificial sweeteners in this article.
Natural Sweeteners
You don’t have to ban sweetness from your life. Monk fruit and stevia are natural, low-calorie sweet alternatives that don’t raise your blood sugar. You may add them to your tea, coffee, and healthy baked goods without adverse health effects.
Follow a Healing Diet
Following a healing diet is the best thing you can do to reduce inflammation, lower your risk of developing a chronic disease, and improving your overall health. Fueling your body with an anti-inflammatory nutrition plan with nutrient-dense foods provides your cells and cellular DNA of your body with biological information necessary for your health.
Eating a healing diet may reduce inflammation in your body, stabilize your blood sugar, reduce toxic load, fuel your body with foundational nutrients, and support your healthy blood pH (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31).
To follow a healing diet, first, you need to reduce or eliminate sugar and grains. As you’ve learned, white pasta, bread, rice, pizza, crackers, cereals, canned goods, ketchup, fruit drinks, deli meat, conventional yogurts, and candy are full of sugar and carbs and are highly inflammatory. Instead, for high functioning, you need vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and antioxidants from greens, vegetables, herbs, sprouts, and fruits.
Second, you need to get rid of bad fats, such as hydrogenated soybeans, corn, and palm oils, and unhealthy vegetable oils, such as canola, safflower, and peanut oil. Instead, you need to focus on healthy fats, such as coconut oil, avocados, pasture-raised butter and ghee, nuts, and seeds.
Lastly, you need to change the meat you eat. Eliminate processed and conventional meat. Choose organic, grass-fed beef, pasture-raised poultry, wild-caught fish, and pasture-raised eggs for clean protein and healthy nutrients. To learn more about the benefits of a healing diet, read this article.
Final Thoughts on Inflammatory Foods
Inflammation is your body’s natural defense mechanisms. However, when it turns chronic due to an excessive stress load on your body, it becomes a problem.
Chronic inflammation overwhelms your immune system and may lead to chronic pain and health issues. Eating an anti-inflammatory healing diet is crucial to reduce inflammation, pain, and diseases.
Following my guide, you will have a clear idea of what inflammatory foods to avoid, what anti-inflammatory and nutrient-dense food to eat, and how to protect your body to create the health you desire. Here is a helpful article on how to follow a real food based anti-inflammatory nutrition plan.
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†Best Herbs To Support Healthy Blood Sugar Levels
Eating a healthy, nutrient-dense diet low in carbs and low in AGEs is key for supporting healthy blood sugar levels. Additionally, I recommend that you use some specific herbs that have been shown to support healthy blood sugar levels. Here are the herbs I recommend for healthy blood sugar levels:
Berberine
Berberine is a powerful health compound that has been used for thousands of years by Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. It has been highly regarded for its efficacy in supporting healthy blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity. Research has shown that berberine may benefit the treatment of type 2 diabetes and have a positive impact on blood sugar levels, insulin, and triglycerides.
According to a 2019 meta-analysis, berberine is better than a placebo at lowering blood sugar levels and seems to be more effective when used in combination with blood sugar effective drugs when using medication alone.
A 2014 study has found that berberine may benefit those with diabetes who cannot take antidiabetic medication due to heart, kidney, or liver problems. According to a 2014 meta-analysis, combining berberine with lifestyle changes is more effective than lifestyle changes alone for improving blood sugar levels (10, 11, 12).
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is an aromatic spice that’s high in antioxidants and has countless health benefits including supporting your blood sugar levels. According to a 2009 study, taking 500 mg of cinnamon for 12 weeks has decreased the oxidative stress in people with prediabetes.
A 2001 study found that cinnamon may lower blood sugar levels and may imitate the effects of insulin and help transport blood glucose. According to a 2007 in vivo study, cinnamon can help to increase insulin sensitivity for up to 12 hours (13, 14, 15).
Gymnema
Gymnema Sylvestre is native to India, Africa, and Australia, and has been a major part of Indian and Ayurvedic medicine. According to a 1983 and 2007 research, gymnema can decrease your cravings for sweet foods by reducing your perception of sweetness.
As a result, it may help to support blood sugar levels by reducing your risk of overwhelming your body with sugary food. According to a 2017 study, taking gymnema in combination with blood sugar medication can effectively lower blood sugar levels.
According to a 2017 study taking 200 to 400 mg of gymnema may decrease blood sugar absorption and according to 2011 research, supplementing with gymnema can lower blood sugar levels after meals and lower the risk of diabetes complications (16, 17, 18, 19, 20).
American Ginseng
American ginseng is a type of ginseng that is primarily found in North-America. It is known for its benefits for type 2 diabetes. According to a 2018 study, American ginseng can help to lower post-meal blood sugar by 20 percent.
A 2000 and 2016 research both found that American ginseng can improve your body’s cellular response. They also found that 1 gram about two hours before a meal seems to be the most effective dose and anything over 3 grams doesn’t show a difference in benefits (21, 22, 23).
Fenugreek
Though fenugreek was first recorded in Egypt in 1500 BC, it mainly grows in Europe and Asia. It can be used as a spice, tea, and supplement for its numerous health benefits. Fenugreek contains a specialized type of soluble fiber called galactomannon that slows the absorption of glucose in the blood stream. In addition, it is rich in steroid-like saponins which help to improve bile flow and stabilize blood sugar, triglycerides and cholesterol levels.
According to a 2009 study, using 10 grams of fenugreek seeds soaked in hot water may help people with diabetes. Another 2009 study suggests that fenugreek may lower insulin resistance when used as fenugreek flour in bread and other baked goods. A 2017 scientific review has discussed that fenugreek supplements may lower fasting blood sugar levels (24, 25, 26).
Kudzu
Kudzu is a native perennial vine in Asia with so many health benefits, including supporting your blood sugar levels. This is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine and it contains phytonutrients and phytoestrogens to help improve blood sugar, cravings, inflammation and sex hormone balance.
According to a 2013 mice research, puerarin, a bioactive isoflavone found in kudzu, helps to increase insulin expression and support blood sugar levels. A recent 2020 study has also found that kudzu root showed anti-diabetic benefits on diabetic rats (27, 28).
Banaba Leaf
Banaba leaf is from a medium-sized tree in Southeast-Asia that has been used for its medicinal properties for centuries. A 2012 scientific review has discussed the benefits of banaba leaf on metabolic syndrome and its benefits on glucose uptake and blood sugar levels. The active ingredient in banaba leaf is corosolic acid which is thought to be responsible for its health benefits.
A 2008 study has found that banaba leaf can help improve glucose uptake by enhancing insulin receptor activity and as a result may benefit blood sugar levels. A 2009 research has supported the idea that banaba leaf may compliment diabetes treatment (29, 30, 31).
Introducing Sugar Support
To support your blood sugar levels with the help of these potent herbs, I recommend Sugar Support. This powerful supplement is supported by berberine, cinnamon extract, banaba leaf extract, American ginseng root, fenugreek, kudzu, and gymnema extract.
I recommend taking four capsules with each meal for maximum support. It supports blood sugar metabolism, insulin sensitivity, mental clarity, and good energy levels while reducing sugar cravings. If you are currently taking any medication for blood sugar control or diabetes, talk to your healthcare provider before taking this or any other supplement for your blood sugar levels.
A study performed at The University of Eastern Finland, and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition studied the diets of men aged 42 to 60, and followed them for 20 years on average to find out if they developed Diabetes. The study concluded that people who ate an average of 4 eggs per week had a 37% lower risk of developing type 2 Diabetes compared to people that only ate 1 egg per week (Hmm, I wonder how much lower the Diabetes risk would have been for people eating 10-20 eggs per week!)…
They also concluded that egg eaters had lower blood sugar levels on average. As a health researcher, this doesn’t surprise me at all… eggs are almost a perfect food (especially if they’re pasture-raised), and are loaded with appetite-controlling protein, a plethora of vitamins & minerals, powerful antioxidants, healthy cholesterol and saturated fats (yes, HEALTHY fats!), and other nutrients that all help to benefit your hormones and control blood sugar levels.
In fact, other studies have shown that people that eat eggs for breakfast (instead of carb-based breakfasts like cereals, muffins, or bagels), have reduced appetite levels for the remainder of the day, and less cravings for sugar and carbs, thereby successfully losing or maintaining weight easier.
And speaking of blood sugar & diabetes… If you think that Type 2 Diabetes is irreversible like many misinformed doctors will tell you, then you need to read some of the proof below on how to naturally reverse Type 2 Diabetes… Although eating “paleo” or even low-carb is a good first step, you’ll also see below other techniques on just how simple it can be to “fix” your diabetes, control your blood sugars, and lose all of that excess fat sitting on your stomach.
Diabetes, prediabetes, hypoglycemia, and insulin resistance are rampant in our country. They can increase your risk of heart problems, stroke, kidney failure, liver problems, and countless other serious health issues.
Supporting your blood sugar levels is critical for your health. Follow my tips and try the herbs I recommend to reduce your sugar cravings, support your blood sugar levels, and improve your overall health and well-being.
How Do People Develop a Sugar Addiction?
Sugar consumption can create a short-term high and a spark of energy in the body. Some studies have suggested sugar is as addictive as cocaine. People often enjoy the dopamine release sugar brings. However, due to the addictive nature of sugar, long-term health effects like obesity and diabetes are a risk of sugar overindulgence. Similar to other compulsions or behavioral addictions, sugar addiction is a special risk for people with low moods, anxiety and stress.
Additionally, people who suffer from constant tiredness may reach for carb-rich sugary foods for a boost. Sugar releases endorphins in the body and combines with other chemicals in the body, resulting in a surge of energy. Once someone mentally connects sugar with help providing energy, they may become dependent on it, usually inadvertently. People may begin to crave sugar to balance irritability, emotional lows, and other conditions. Eventually, there is little control over avoiding sugary foods, and a sugar addiction has developed.
Signs of a Sugar Addiction
Unlike many other substance use disorders or behavioral compulsions, sugar addiction is often easy to spot. The clearest signs of sugar addiction involve consumption of large amounts of food or drinks laden with sugar. The individual may eat constantly, eat to combat boredom, and become hyper and crash. They may even talk about craving sugar after stressful or irritating life experiences.
Sugar Addiction and Emotional Eating
People may find sugar’s ability to provide instant energy combined with the good taste of sugary foods enticing. Sugar provides some with a “quick fix” during a long and stressful day. People who are enduring breakups or other emotionally stressful situations often turn to chocolate or pints of ice cream to comfort themselves during the difficult time. However, those who turn to sugar to deal with emotional issues are more likely to become addicted. Other indications of sugar addiction for emotional relief are weight gain and difficulty focusing on daily responsibilities. In turn, this can damage self-esteem, cause feelings of helplessness, and lower self-worth, which in turn leads to more sugar consumption and a more severe addiction.
Sugar Addiction and Binge Eating
A particularly worrisome aspect of sugar addiction is binge eating. Binge eating is eating too much and too rapidly, followed by feelings of guilt, shame, and disgust. This can include a focus on sweets for the same effect of binge eating non-sugary foods—emotional regulation and self-medication. It is critical to remember that food, especially sugar, is a short-term fix for emotional conditions. If you or someone you love is struggling with depression and using food as a crutch, consider therapy or rehab.
Sugar Addiction and Anxiety
Anxiety and sugar craving have a direct relationship. Eating disorders like binge eating or anorexia occur for underlying reasons. Often times, the person suffering such disorders is struggling for psychological and emotional reasons. Stress eating is common example of the relationship between eating disorders and anxiety, and sugar consumption is commonly associated with stress eating.
Anxiety causes the stress hormone cortisol to be released in the body, and for some, that means not being hungry. For others, the stress may encourage people who already like sugar into more cravings. In cases of sugar addiction coupled with eating to soothe anxiety, the end result is typically weight gain. Despite sugar initially boosting serotonin levels in the brain, sugar can worsen anxiety as sugar lows create feelings of fatigue and depression.
Sugar Addiction and Alcoholism
There is a surprising genetic link between children of parents who abuse alcohol and their sugar addiction. A recent study confirmed dopamine receptors in the brain light up when we consume sugar, similarly to the receptors lighting up in the brain of someone who abuses alcohol. This can encourage people who struggle with sweets into alcoholism or moderate alcohol consumption.
Alcohol-dependent individuals have a higher preference for sweets and experience sugar cravings and sugar withdrawals. The genes in parents who abuse alcohol, as well as their preference for sugar, gets passed down to their children. As a result, the child now has a predisposition to both of these compulsions.
Sugar Withdrawal
Many who eliminate sugar from their diet find themselves experiencing withdrawal symptoms of irritability, fogginess, moodiness, and low energy. Since many struggling with sugar addiction have binged on sugary foods, withdrawal and cravings can be intense. Tragically, many choose to go back to eating sugary foods for the chemical release in the brain. A much better alternative is to do a dietary swap, whereby the sugar user exchanges unhealthy sweets for natural and healthy options to regain control.
There Is Hope for You
Change begins with realizing there is a problem with one’s sugar addiction. Secondly, modifying one’s diet, as well as self-control can help, but going cold turkey isn’t ideal. Someone with a sugar addiction, especially if they have another substance abuse disorder or a co-occurring mental health condition, will likely have difficulty in purging themselves of cravings. If you or someone you know has a sugar addiction, especially if complicating factors are present, please contact a dedicated treatment provider today to find out more about your options.
Reducing your added sugar intake is a great decision to make for a healthier lifestyle. While doing so isn’t always easy, the benefits are worth it, as added sugar has been proven to have negative effects on your body.
Research studies have linked a high added sugar intake with various medical conditions, including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, as well as poor dental health.
Sugar may also reduce your energy levels, leading to fatigue and reduced alertness during the day, and eating sugar may even be a factor in depression, according to a 2019 review.
Cutting added sugar from your diet may help protect against chronic disease development and boost your overall health.
This article looks at how reducing your sugar intake may affect your body, both physically and mentally, along with effective ways to beat the side effects.
A number of studiesTrusted Source have found that sugar affects the brain’s reward system. This reward system helps humans survive, but it’s also involved in addictive behavior.
Food is a natural reward, and sweet foods and drinks stimulate your brain’s reward system, causing you to eat more of the food.
According to a 2018 reviewTrusted Source, the most common foods associated with addictive symptoms are those high in added fats or added sugars.
Studies have found that sugar triggers the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens — the same area of the brain implicated in the response to addictive drugs.
Sugar can also cause the release of endogenous opioids in the brain, which leads to a rush that may cause future cravings.
Eating sugar regularly altersTrusted Source your brain so that it becomes tolerant to it, causing you to require more to get the same effect.
The average American consumes 22–30 teaspoons (about 88–120 grams) of sugar each day. This is considerably more than the recommended maximum, which is 6 teaspoons (about 24 grams) for females and 9 teaspoons (about 36 grams) for males.
Therefore, if your diet is high in added sugar, reducing your added sugar intake may come with some unpleasant symptoms.
SUMMARY
Research suggests that sugar can be addictive, which is why reducing your sugar intake may lead to unpleasant symptoms in some people.
Symptoms of cutting added sugar from your diet
Cutting added sugar from your diet may lead to physical and mental symptoms.
How the body reacts to giving up sugar is different for everyone. The symptoms — and their severity — will depend on how much added sugar you were taking in through sweetened foods and beverages.
Some people find that their symptoms last from a few days to a couple of weeks.
As your body adapts to a low added sugar diet over time and your added sugar intake becomes less frequentTrusted Source, the less intense your symptoms and cravings for sugar are likely to be.
You may find that your symptoms are worse at certain times of the day, such as between meals. Stress may trigger cravingsTrusted Source for sugar, so you may find that your symptoms feel worse during times of stress.
Mental symptoms
Cutting added sugar from your diet may lead to a number of emotional and mental symptoms, including:
- Depressed mood. Some people may feel down when they cut added sugar from their diet. This is partly due to a decrease in dopamine release.
- Anxiety. Feelings of anxiousness may be accompanied by nervousness, restlessness, and irritability. You may feel like you have less patience than usual and are on edge.
- Changes in sleep patterns. Some people experience changes in their sleep when detoxing from sugar. You might find it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep through the night.
- Cognitive issues. You may find it difficult to concentrate when you quit sugar. This can cause you to forget things and make it hard to focus on tasks, such as work or school.
- Cravings. Along with craving sugar, you may find yourself craving other foods, such as carbs like bread, pasta, and potato chips.
Physical symptoms
When giving up sugar, you might notice that you’re feeling physically run down. Some people get headaches.
Other possible physical withdrawal symptoms include:
- light-headedness or dizziness
- nausea
- fatigue
SUMMARY
Giving up sugar can feel unpleasant, both mentally and physically. But rest assured, it will get better if you stick to it.
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Tips for cutting back on added sugar
If you’re used to regularly eating sugary foods like cake, ice cream, sweetened breakfast cereal, candy, and cookies and regularly drink sugar-sweetened beverages, it may take time to reduce your reliance on added sugar.
For some people, cutting all forms of added sugar from their diet is helpful. However, others may find this method too extreme.
Fortunately, even making small changes to your sugar intake can significantly affect your overall health. Follow these helpful tips to slowly reduce your added sugar intake over time.
- Swap sweetened drinks for water. Cut out sugary soda, fruit juice, and energy drinks and replace them with plain or sparkling water. If you need a boost of flavor, add some mint or slices of lemon or lime.
- Start your day the low sugar way. Instead of reaching for that colorful box of sugary cereal or a frosted doughnut, fuel your body with a protein and fiber-rich omelet made with veggies and a side of avocado and fresh berries.
- Read labels. Many foods and condiments are sneaky sources of added sugar. Read the labels of products like salad dressings, barbecue sauce, oatmeal packets, and marinara sauce to scan for added sugar.
- Choose unsweetened snacks. Your favorite granola or protein bar may be packed with added sugar. Choose whole, nutrient-dense snacks like nuts and seeds, whole fruit and nut butter, hummus and veggies, or hard-boiled eggs when you need a refuel.
- Rethink dessert. Instead of reaching for your favorite pint of ice cream or go-to candy bar after dinner, check in with yourself. Are you truly hungry or is your nightly sugar fix a hard-to-break habit? If you are truly hungry, reach for something high in protein and healthy fat like a handful of macadamia nuts or unsweetened Greek yogurt with berries and unsweetened coconut.
- Focus on your whole diet. Optimizing the nutrient-density of your overall diet can help improve health and may help you cut back on added sugar. Focus on whole, unprocessed foods like vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, poultry, eggs, and seafood.
SUMMARY
The tips above can help you slowly cut back on added sugar and improve the quality of your overall diet.
How to manage side effects
Here are some tips to help you beat the side effects and avoid — or at least limit — some of the symptoms related to cutting sugar out of your diet.
Be realistic
Although cutting all sources of added sugar might be helpful for some people, others do best by focusing on reducing or cutting out one source of added sugar at a time.
For example, if the main source of added sugar in your diet is soda, try cutting back on or cutting out sugary beverages from your diet first before moving on to other sources of added sugar.
There are many added sugar “detoxes” that involve cutting all added sugar from your diet for a specific time period.
While these might be beneficial for some people, the focus should be on reducing your added sugar intake for life — not just a set time period.
To do that, you must do what works best for you. This may mean slowly cutting out added sugar over time rather than eliminating all sources of added sugar at once.
Eat protein-rich foods
Add protein to every meal to help you avoid hunger and low energy levels during your sugar detox.
Research suggests that eating protein can promote feelings of fullness, which can help you manage food cravings.
This will help you avoid the temptation to reach for a candy bar or other sugar fix.
Healthful sources of protein include fatty fish, lean meats, eggs, beans, legumes, and nuts.
Increase your dietary fiber intake
Eating high fiber foods may help you stave off hunger and cravings. They take longer to digest, causing you to feel fuller for longer.
High fiber foods also contribute to healthy blood sugar regulation. Keeping your blood sugar levels stable may help prevent cravings.
Aim for high fiber vegetables, beans, and legumes.
Pairing high protein and high fiber foods is best for healthy blood sugar control. Examples include mixing high fiber veggies like broccoli into your eggs or spooning some pumpkin seeds over your oatmeal.
Stay hydrated
Staying optimally hydrated is essential for overall health and may help you manage sugar cravings.
Replacing drinks high in sugar, such as soda and energy drinks, with water can help reduce your added sugar and overall calorie intake.
Plus, reducing your sugary beverage intake may help reduce sugar cravings.
Drinking water can likewise help keep your bowel movements regular. This is especially important when you increase your fiber intake.
Fiber-rich foods and adequate water intake are needed to help keep stools soft and move them through your digestive system, preventing constipation.
Avoid artificial sweeteners
Swapping out sugar for artificial sweeteners may seem like a good idea when you’re giving up added sugar, but it can derail your efforts.
ResearchTrusted Source suggests that certain artificial sweeteners may lead to metabolic changes that may increase cravings, food intake, and weight gain.
Reducing your intake of sweet foods — even those that are sugar-free — may be the best way to cut added sugar from your diet.
Manage your stress levels
Research shows that stress affects food preferences and increases cravings for sweet foods.
Sugar also appears to have a calming effect on stress hormones, which contributes to your desire for sugar when feeling stressed.
Keeping your stress in check will make it easier to cut sugar from your diet and help keep cravings under control.
Taking a short walk, talking to a friend, and reading a book are a few simple ways to relax.
Exercise
Exercise is beneficial in several ways when cutting added sugar from your diet.
It can help increase energy and reduce stress, which can help combat symptoms like fatigue, low energy levels, and stress-induced cravings that may occur when decreasing your added sugar intake.
A 2015 studyTrusted Source also found that short bouts of exercise, such as a brisk 15-minute walk, reduced cravings for sugary foods.
Remember to start slowly and speak to your doctor before you start exercising if you have any preexisting medical issues.
Focus on overall diet quality
StudiesTrusted Source show that improving overall diet quality can help minimize cravings for sugary foods and enhance cravings for healthier foods.
For example, eating fewer foods high in added sugar like ice cream, cake, and cookies and increasing your intake of nutrient-dense foods like beans, vegetables, fish, and whole fruits may help reduce your reliance on added sugar and help you crave healthier foods.
Get enough sleep
Insufficient sleep could worsen symptoms of added sugar reduction, such as fatigue, cravings, and low mood.
Not getting enough sleep may increase cravings for sugar and other unhealthful comfort foods.
Sleep deprivationTrusted Source alters appetite-regulating hormones and may enhance cravings for highly palatable foods, such as those high in added sugars.
Getting a good night’s sleep may help you:
- make healthier food choices
- lower your stress levels
- boost your energy levels
- improve your concentration and memory
Avoid daytime napping and aim for the same bedtime every night.
Eat something bitter
Eating bitter foods may help prevent sugar cravings by acting on receptors in the brain that drive sugar intake, according to researchTrusted Source.
You can make your own bitters or choose bitter foods, such as coffee, arugula, or broccoli raab (rapini). Read more here.
Stay motivated
Giving up or reducing sugar can be difficult, especially if your diet was high in added sugar, so go easy on yourself.
Try writing down your motivators for giving up sugar. Look at these when you feel a craving for sugar.
If you start adding back foods and beverages high in added sugar, remind yourself of your motivations, you can always try again and learn from your experiences.
For instance, if you find that the cravings are worse during certain times of the day, schedule activities to keep yourself busy during that time, or be prepared with high protein snacks and water.
The most important thing is to decrease your overall intake of added sugar. It’s important to note that occasionally enjoying a sugary treat will not derail your efforts or overall health. It’s your overall diet quality that matters most.
SUMMARY
Making key dietary and lifestyle changes can help people beat their sugar cravings. This includes eating plenty of protein and dietary fiber, staying hydrated, making time for stress relief, and getting enough sleep.
The bottom line
Giving up or reducing sugar may come with unpleasant symptoms. That said, reducing added sugar consumption can have substantial health benefits.
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