How To Overcome Sugar Addiction

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say they wish they had more willpower to be able to quit sugar. But here’s the thing: it’s an actual physical addiction and the food industry strives to get us hooked on sugar. So, it’s not about willpower, it’s about biochemistry.

The great news is that we can reset our biochemistry and those sugar cravings and take back our health. The more you avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates (which just turn into sugar in your body) the more your body recognizes the natural sweetness in healthy foods like blueberries or even a red bell pepper.

My guests on this episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy, Keegan Allen and Tom Hopper, have both been through the sugar struggle, and they’re here to share their inspiring stories of overcoming the addiction to discover their most vibrant health.

After suffering with severe gastritis and other health problems, Tom realized that cutting out sugar and using food as medicine was the key to feeling good again. Keegan, on the other hand, was prediabetic. Despite looking good on the outside, he struggled with constantly getting sick on the road and never really feeling great. Upon meeting Tom, Keegan was inspired to start dialing-in his own diet to take control of his health and this passion has led them to collaborate and share their knowledge with others.

We dig into their experiences in realizing how prevalent sugar is in our food supply and how they became their own advocates by reading labels and choosing real, whole foods. We also talk about Keegan’s journey from being an unhealthy junk-food vegan to an omnivore who embraces quality over quantity. I can relate to this, as looking back I was flabbier, scrawnier, and all-around unhealthier at 30 as a vegetarian than I am now at 60 eating a Pegan diet!

Food impacts everything. We discuss the rising rates of infertility and how that relates to sugar, the sugar and cancer connection, how to protect our children’s health with food, and so much more.

I hope you’ll tune in to hear how these two men both turned their health around by beating sugar with the power of real food.

How To Overcome Sugar Addiction

The Doctor’s Farmacy

How To Overcome Sugar Addiction, Episode 124 of The Doctor’s Farmacy, was originally published on Dr. Hyman's website. Used with permission.

About the Author

Mark Hyman

Mark Hyman, M.D., is a practicing family physician and an internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator, and advocate in the field of Functional Medicine.

He is the founder and director of The UltraWellness Center, Senior Advisor for the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, a fourteen-time New York Times best-selling author,