Husband has PN, severe carbohydrate sensitive
 

Good morning. I am kind of at my wit's end here. My husband is extremely sugar (carbohydrate) sensitive. I try to strive for an extremely healthy diet but he "bombs" it all the time.
If I have anything even remotely sugary in the house he will find it. This leads to severe PN in his feet.
I know I am whining here, but can't really help it at the moment.
Why can't he monitor himself?

Thank you.

Just figured out part of his problem last night was probably my fault. I wanted a pasta dish so served whole grain elbows with chopped clams and Prego sauce. He has been drinking Pepsi because of asthma brought on by working on wood. Also we have had a stomach bug, so he eats oatmeal/sugar for comfort.

Hi Mrs. Eagle, Welcome.

"My name is Doc, and I'm a carboholic."

IMO—and I speak partly from personal experience/knowledge—because there is a strong possibility/likelihood that he is a sugar addict—in the literal sense. While there are slightly different definitions of "addiction" (depending upon the context in which they're being discussed/used) there are certain characteristics/behaviors they all share, among them:

• Inability to abstain or control behavior
• Craving
• Continued behavior despite knowingly doing harm

I think the first step in understanding is becoming informed/knowledgable.

sugar addiction facts

science of sugar addiction

Doc

Thank you, Dr. Smith,
 

We have known for a long time that he has a sugar addiction. It is just as bad as alcohol or anything else.

Unfortunately, I don't know what to do about it. I have tried - - - -

Mrs. Eagle

Welcome Mrs.Eagle. :welcome_sign:

Have you found any help/ideas in the articles on controling/breaking/recovering, etc.?

Has he been able to stop long enough (a few months) to reduce the cravings?

I go through the same thing. I avoid sugars & white starches completely (white starches also feed the addiction) for months at a time, and break down and cheat once in a while—maybe 3-4x a year. Occasionally, I get caught up again, but if/when my PN flares up, I've had the sense to stop. I can control my PN now with R-Lipoic Acid, and I don't want to mess that up and have to resort to prescriptions.

Doc

carbs and sugar -- almost the same thing
 

The only way I know to get rid of sugar cravings is to eat only protein and tons and tons of veggies (frozen or fresh). Limit fruit for a while also.

Get rid of hidden sugars -- most yogurts, most salad dressings, most pasta sauce, steak sauce, catsup, peanut butter, some cold cuts, . . .

http://www.nextavenue.org/article/20...ines-your-diet

also this:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristi...b_3861957.html

Good luck.

The too of you can work this out.

M

This also sounds--
 

--like a job for celiac testing.

There seems to be a good deal of anecdotal evidence that many of the people who react most strongly to simple sugars may also have problems processing gluten proteins. No one is quite sure why, but it may be that the inability to absorb nutrients caused by celiac leads to the "craving" of having to replenish, and the brain wants to replenish with the fastest, simplest things to process as possible. Of course, this is ultimately not good for the other parts of the body, especially the insulin signalling and fat storage systems.