You might ask or wonder if sugar is addictive or if processed food is addictive. The answer is yes, there is no doubt and not only that, but it is awful for your long-term health.

I have never thought that I had any addictions… I had never smoked cigarettes or needed alcohol, in my mind, I was fortunate that I didn’t suffer from any addictions, never realizing that the reason that I could not resist a bread roll on the table or say no to a dessert or was constantly reaching for another handful of chips or lollies was that I had a sugar addiction!

Sugar addiction is real! And sugar is in everything it is in approximately 80% of all of the packaged and processed foods that you will buy from the supermarket.

I had an addiction to sugar-filled processed food. However, I was in denial about the fact that I was addicted to sugar, but I could not do without the sugary, bready white processed stuff. As a child growing up in the ’80s and 90’s sugar was everywhere. And I loved it.

As I became a young adult, I started dieting I was lured into weight loss diets such as Jenny Craigs and Weight Watchers, where I was encouraged to eat their pre-made foods. I became addicted to what I thought were healthy, low-fat foods such as microwave meals, bars, low-fat ice cream or treats, sauces and other processed sugar-laden diet foods.

On my very first diet, I lost 12kg on my first diet by eating a highly processed, calorie-restricted diet of microwave meals. It was a success, I lost weight, and that was the purpose, right? That diet was the beginning of more than 15 years of calorie-controlled, highly processed constant diets, out-of-control sugar cravings, struggles with my weight and obsessive behaviour regarding my relationship with food and the bathroom scales.  

Like a lot of people, I have done them all, I was a serial dieter, counted points, gone to weigh-ins, had consultants, pre-prepared meals, calorie counting, low carb, no carb, taking drops, pills, shakes and potions. Each time I tried a new diet, I would have a new hope for a magical result. 

I grew up in a family where this was normal, I remember going to a weight watchers weigh-in with my mother when I was about three years old, she stood on the scales while a lady recorded her weight with me by her side. My mum, grandmother and aunties have all battled with their weight their entire lives. I grew up, and my life was no different.  

I didn’t want to spend my life struggling like this, craving, being hungry all the time, and thinking about food constantly. Being on and off diets and craving sugar and processed foods were not good for me, I developed mood disorders and sleep problems, and I could not control my weight. I had gut problems and would spend long periods in the bathroom, thinking that this was completely normal. I now know it is not normal! I am now as regular as clockwork because I don’t eat that way anymore.

How did I Break My Sugar Addiction?

In 2011, I spent three weeks in Thailand on a family holiday. We had made the rule that while we were in Thailand that we would only eat local food. We made it clear to the children that we were not allowed pizza, French Fries or McDonald’s, but rather only Thai food. I was so excited to eat like a local and to teach the kids that it was going to be fun to explore another culture through food.

We ate Thai food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, we snacked on fruit and meat skewers, and I felt fantastic!  The difference I felt in myself was incredible!

For three weeks we ate lots of fresh vegetables, fruit and meats. For breakfast, we would eat meat skewers and fruit. We had fresh seafood for lunch and dinner, rice as a base and freshly stir-fried vegetables.

During this trip, we didn’t eat any bread, wheat, dairy and refined sugar. I hadn’t had milky coffee or tea for more than three weeks. This was a complete change of diet compared to the processed and sugary foods we were eating at home in our Western culture.

When I returned from my holiday in Thailand, I thought I would continue that at home for four weeks as a ‘diet’ because I still needed to lose weight from the birth of my third child four months earlier.

I lost 5 kilo’s in four weeks while eating as much fruit, vegetables & meat as I wanted. Amazing!  I was thrilled with the results, and I was feeling fabulous.

The problem was I was still in a ‘diet’ mentality. I was always on a diet to lose weight, and while this one was healthy compared to my past processed versions, it was still a temporary diet. As usual, I could not wait for four weeks to pass to binge on my favourite junk foods, sugary bread and cakes, fast microwave meals and weight watches ice cream.  

I quickly fell into eating processed, and sugar-laden food’s every day. I was still addicted! 

On a standard day, I was still consuming 25 teaspoons of sugar, genetically modified foods, chemicals, toxins and preservatives. There are so many hidden ingredients in foods that you don’t even know what you are eating. I didn’t feel good, my body was sick, and I could not kick my addiction, always hunting for the next sugar fix. I continued to hunt for answers & quick fixes. 

So what tipped me over? Why did I finally break my sugar addiction? It was a conflation of reasons: 

Reason #1 

I was tired of the diet roller coaster. 

I was a serial dieter, and I had had enough! I thought that there must be a better way to live. I did not want to be on and off the diet roller coaster for the rest of my life, I hated it and sometimes I hated myself, especially on Monday mornings. I didn’t want food to be my enemy because I love food, and I just want to enjoy a healthier relationship with food. I needed it to STOP drawing a line in the sand and make a change. 

Reason #2 

I couldn’t stop. 

If someone put a chocolate bar or a sweet treat in front of me … and I was having a weak moment… I’d damn well eat the lot. Once I got a taste of sugar, I couldn’t control myself and only enjoy one or two, no, I had to eat the entire bag! I have since learnt that it was not my fault because having a sugar addiction is real, and it causes you to want more and more sugar. Processed foods are designed for you to lose control, they add sugar to foods so that you buy more! This is how these companies make more money! 

Reason #3 

Digestive Issues 

I have suffered from digestive issues my entire life. From when I was very small, I can remember spending long periods in the bathroom, sitting in pain and having tummy aches. I thought it was normal to feel gassy, bloated, constipated, and have diarrhoea and stomach aches.  Strangely I only learnt about food intolerances since being in my 30s when I met my friend who was gluten intolerant. I had never heard of food intolerances before, and I wondered if that was the source of my suffering.  

After I spent three weeks in Thailand, where I didn’t eat any processed foods, it became apparent to me that I was much better off without processed food because I had a happy tummy. I didn’t suffer from bloating, gas or a sore tummy. It was peaceful and predictable.

Reason #4 

I wanted to lose weight. 

I’d put on weight (7kg) from having a child and constantly dieting and bingeing, and I wanted to shift the weight. But this time, I was not going to worry about how long it would take or how much I lost each week. I made a decision to throw away my scales and focus on cutting out sugar and gluten, breaking my unhealthy habits with processed food.

I also wanted to keep and maintain weight loss with little effort. Over the years, I would have lost over 100 kilos because I loose 10kg, then put on 7kg and loose 5kg and put on 5kg! I didn’t want to worry about losing weight ever again! 

Reason #5 

I wanted to feel better on the inside & out 

I was sick of beating myself up and hating myself because of the poor choices that I was making in regard to what food I was putting inside my body. I was sick of always craving sugar, sweets, bread and everything bad for me and made me feel awful. I was tired of looking in the mirror and thinking, ‘YUK’ in that hateful way.  

If I honoured myself more by feeding my body with quality food rather than sugary food, then I would be able to love myself more easily. 

Reason #6 

I want to live longer 

I want to live till I am 100! Not only that, but I was to live a happy, healthy life until I am 100. People with diabetes or heart disease later in life often lose their quality of life as they age. The more I learnt, the more I realized that quitting processed food and cutting out sugar is so much more than just about losing weight. There are so many advantages, and the big ticket item is a long and healthy life. Who wants to be only 60 or 70 and beyond and suffering from diabetes, heart disease and arthritis?

If we look after ourselves early on, break our sugar habits, drink less alcohol, and reduce our processed food intake, it will pay off in the future as we age.