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Summary
On episode 630 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan sits down with Dr. Nicole Avena, a pioneering research neuroscientist and the first to study sugar addiction in a laboratory, to discuss her book Sugarless: A 7-Step Plan to Uncover Hidden Sugars, Curb Your Cravings, and Conquer Your Addiction.
Dr. Avena explains that added sugar, not the natural sugar found in whole fruit, is the real problem, and that food manufacturers routinely add sugar to non-sweet processed foods partly to mask off-flavors from other additives. She walks through the clinical criteria her research uses to identify sugar addiction, including bingeing, cravings, and withdrawal symptoms that most people mistake for a blood sugar crash.
The conversation closes on her seven-step, gradual approach to cutting added sugar, starting with breakfast, since going cold turkey rarely works when sugar is hidden in so many everyday foods.
Links
- https://drnicoleavena.com
Key Takeaways
- Added sugar, not natural fruit sugar, is the real problem. Whole fruit comes packaged with fiber and nutrients that slow digestion, while fruit juice strips those out and should be treated more like a soda than a healthy food.
- Sugar gets added to foods that are not even supposed to taste sweet. Products like English muffins and bacon often contain added sugar partly to mask off-putting flavors from other processing chemicals and dyes.
- Sugar meets several clinical criteria for substance use disorder. Dr. Avena’s research applies the American Psychiatric Association’s addiction criteria, including bingeing, intense cravings, and withdrawal, and found sugar can trigger all of them.
- What feels like a blood sugar crash is often withdrawal. The irritability and lethargy people feel when cutting back on sugar is frequently withdrawal from the substance itself, not an actual drop in blood glucose.
- Artificial sweeteners do not break the addiction. It is the sweet taste hitting the tongue, not the type of sweetener, that triggers the brain’s reward cascade, so swapping to diet versions can prolong dependence rather than resolve it.
- Culture still frames sugar as love and celebration. Holiday candy, office candy dishes, and gifting sweets are normalized in a way we would never accept for tobacco, which makes constant exposure to sugar feel unremarkable.
- A gradual, stepwise approach beats going cold turkey. Because sugar hides in so many everyday foods, from pasta sauce to yogurt, an abrupt full elimination is rarely sustainable, so Dr. Avena recommends tackling one meal at a time, starting with breakfast.
- Reading labels strategically reveals the real sugar load. Subtracting fiber from total carbs estimates the simple-carb impact, and checking the separate added sugars line matters because a “no sugar added” label can still contain naturally occurring sugar.
- Dr. Avena’s three strategies to get and stay well: get some form of movement every day, whether the gym or a walk with the dog; make small nutrition changes and focus on what you did right rather than dwelling on what you regret; and actively work to reduce stress by stepping away from constant stimulation.
“It’s actually not your blood sugar. It’s the withdrawal.”
Dr. Nicole Avena
Another Episode You May Enjoy
Episode 701 – Is MSG making us fat and sick with Dr. Katherine Reid
Episode Notes
Podcast: 40+ Fitness
Episode: 630
Published: 2024-02-20
Host: Allan Misner (aka Coach Allan), author of The Wellness Roadmap
Guest(s): Dr. Nicole Avena, a pioneering research neuroscientist, author, and expert in the field of nutrition, diet, and addiction, Sugarless
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