Did you know that sugar has been proven to be even more addictive than cocaine? This isn’t something many people know. After all, it is perfectly acceptable to eat sugary foods and even allow your kids to eat them. Most people don’t even think about the sugar they consume unless they seek to lose weight or are diagnosed with diabetes. Sugar addiction can cause many health issues aside from unhealthy teeth. Sugar addiction is part of a larger group of what is known as food addiction. With this type of addiction, your cravings and sugar consumption are not because you are hungry but are indicative of a deeper problem. At Lovett Dental Corpus Christi, we are here to help make you aware of some of the signs that you have a sugar addiction.
You Crave Salt
Your body often sends messages about nutritional health through cravings. If you find yourself craving salty or savory foods, your body tells you that you are missing some key nutrients in your diet. Your sugar addiction may have limited the other types of food you choose, which prevents you from gaining from a variety of foods. Food addiction can cause some severe discomfort within your body over time. Your body needs balance to be healthy.
You Eat Even When Not Hungry
You aren’t hungry, but that second piece of cake looks so good. A symptom of sugar addiction is your willingness to indulge in available snacks simply because they are there. Some people describe this as a feeling that their stomach isn’t hungry, but their mouth is. Another related symptom is not stopping until you have reached a point where you don’t feel good. You have eaten way too much, and your body is screaming at you.
You Crave Comfort Foods
Craving for comfort foods can indicate a sugar addiction. It also indicates that you use food to help you feel emotionally better. Think about the proverbial ice cream after a breakup. People turn to things like food when they don’t know how to handle their emotions. This is often played out as craving sugary or savory comfort foods. If you find this is something you do often, consider you may have a sugar addiction and seek dental services for the damage to your teeth.
You Can’t Resist
You have made up your mind you want to reduce the amount of sugar you consume and keep up with regular teeth cleaning. This goes fine – for maybe a day. You find yourself passing a doughnut shop or see the pies on display at the local bakery, and you can’t avoid the temptation to buy one. Something that often goes along with this is a feeling of guilt. This feeling of guilt is a very strong indication that food addiction is a problem for you. You know you are overdoing, and you want to cut back, but you can’t without much emotional discomfort. However, indulging also creates emotional discomfort. The whole scenario indicates that sugar addiction is resentful, and you may need a therapist’s help to help you overcome it.
Lovett Dental Corpus Christi
While the staff at Lovett Dental Corpus Christi don’t treat addictions, we can help direct you towards someone who may be able to help. We can also help repair the inevitable damage to your mouth that has been done by your excessive indulgence in sugary treats. Call us at 361-986-1117 to set up an appointment for a teeth cleaning and consultation. While you are here, we will help get your teeth back into shape. Don’t be afraid to discuss your concerns with our staff and see if we can help direct you to sources that may help the addiction. You may never leave a dentist again with a greater sense of possibility.
