I really am coming to the conclusion that I am addicted to artificial sweetner. I have been having very little of it lately, since I have been on a diet where it is not allowed, but to be honest I think I am craving it more than carbs or sugar.. Since today is Easter I am letting myself eat what I want so I had large glass of Crystal Light. I mean artificial sweetner can cause you to gain more weight than sugar. OF course.I don't drink like a pitcher of it at a time..but my body does seem to crave the fake sugar...I really love it.
I do not see why you could not be addicted to artificial sweetener since it is like being addicted sugar. I had a friend that was addicted to Diet Coke and I believe it was because of the sweetener as well as the caffeine. I personally cannot stand artificial sweetener and aspartame gives me bad headaches. I would rather deal with the real thing than drink anything diet. However, people do love it even though it can make you gain weight and raises your blood sugar if you consume too much.
I have never really used it excessively but depriving myself of it really makes me crave it. I would describe it as a mild addiction, but it is present. I am always walking longingly past the diet soda. I am not kidding here..It is ironic that regular soda, is probably better for you...but too much of that is probably worse than too much of the diet because I have known more than one person who developed diabetes from over consumption of soda.
Something similar happened to me, except that I was "addicted" to honey, which is not actual sugar. I remember craving it so badly that I used to eat only honey the whole day! I had to get rid of all the honey in my house, as what I was doing was very unhealthy. I am still unable to fully control myself when I see a jar.
I enjoy sweetmeats but I am not addicted to sweet things. I always take tea and coffee with very small quantity of sugar. Why don't you switch to natural sweeter such as honey. When ever you have cravings for sweet things, you can drink sugarcane juice. Sugar cane juice has many health benefits.
I don't drink any kind of soda and avoid artificial sweeteners after what happened to my sister. She can barely eat anything anymore, and has to have a special diet. Her doctor said it ruined her gut. She drank excessive amounts for many, many, many years. I hope you can overcome your addiction and save yourself the harm.
It sounds crazy, but eating fermented foods (like saurkraut) can curb sugar cravings. The bad bacteria in your gut need sugar or sweets to survive. Eating kraut feeds the good bacteria who then outnumber the sweet eating bacteria. Donna Gates has a great book on it - The Body Ecology Diet.
Perhaps try natural sweeters as they are more healthy. I think the trick is to substitute your cravings with something similar but healthier to trick your body into thinking that you are providing it with its cravings. Perhaps look at diets and guides that can list alternatives to foods that contain sugar. Find something that is tasty but does not have a high sugar content and is healthy. Just remind yourself of the negative effects of eating sugar and that you do not need it in such quantities, perhaps that will help. Good luck and regards.
I'm guilty of that too. I give myself a reason to have something sweet every once in a while but then I snap out of it because I do't want to gain so much weight or be subjected to something meaningless to get addicted to. I also have family members who are diabetic and don't want to go down that path hopefully.
There are healthy sweetener substitutes like Stevia. What type are you using? I didn’t know that artificial sweeteners can cause weight gain. I use them all the time to avoid as much sugar as I can. I have also used them when I was dieting and didn’t have a problem with weight loss. Like with coffee I use Stevia and Agave Nectar instead of white sugar. It’s just as sweet. I wish you the best on your weight loss. I plan to start eating better in April.
I heard this stuff is bad for you. I really never liked the taste of it to begin with. You should try using honey this could be a good alternative to sugar. The artificial sweeteners can be more harmful then actual sugar.
Yes I believe you can be addicted to artificial sweeteners, but you could also become addicted to sweets in general! Instead of artificial sweeteners, try honey next time and witness the difference!
Artificial sweetener is a chemical that isn't meant for the body to process. I would not even be surprised if the manufacturers know and want the substance to be somewhat addictive to keep people buying more and more Crystal Lite and diet sodas. I think you'll just have to be diligent and stick to your sweetener free diet. It may take some time for your body to fully detox it, but once it does, you should be pretty much in the clear as long as you don't let yourself fall back into your old dietary habits. It's a good thing to have identified this though, as it will help you avoid pitfals and stay healthy.
It's true that you can become addicted to absolutely anything. It's also true that anything you consume has some kind of effect on your body. An addiction to artificial sweetener doesn't sound like an unusual addiction to me. I suspect many are addicted to it without even realizing it, as it seems the case was for you. The one to really avoid is Aspartame which you may want to think about. It has a notorious reputation and according to some studies, it causes a certain level of brain damage at any dose. Needless to say, it's been linked to many mental illnesses.
It isn't true that you can be addicted to absolutely anything. The level of FUD over addiction is bad enough, but when you combine it with all the misinformation about sweeteners it's just crazy.
Actually I am not a lover of eating anything that is sweet and what more with artificial sweetener which they said is not good for health. What I am doing if I am craving for something sweet I just eat fresh fruits which had natural sugar and is good for health. You can gradually lessen your intake of artificial sweetener until you finally quit your habit and I know that you can make it.
Yes it is. Not physically addicted but it's true that you can become psychologically dependent, or addicted, to absolute anything no matter what it is. It can be a behaviour, a habit, a hobby, work, gaming, social media, the internet, etc - a person can potentially become addicted to absolutely anything that you can possibly think of.
Better to avoid being addicted to it as it will be harder to get rid of it. Maybe try eating sweet fruits that might also satisfy your craving and as we know, fruits are considered as healthy foods. Also try just drinking water when craving to make you feel full.
A person can be addicted to almost anything so why not to artificial sweeteners. I understand that you like it but mind that you can have serious problems if you take too much. Not only with related to your weight but also with vital organs and all that from blood. Sugars are very dangerous, even more than average person think.
That kind of sweeteners tend to make you crave more sugary things as well, hence we now spend extra cash on a natural stevia sweetener. It's more expensive but totally worth it, because it causes no glycemic reaction and no sugar cravings.