Danielle Daem is known as the go to expert in helping women heal their addictive relationship with sugar and discover a deep sense of peace and freedom with food that lasts. She is the founder of the Break Free From Sugar Program among other programs and the hostess of the top rated Beyond Sugar Freedom Podcast.
You’re not actually addicted to sugar. Wait what?!? Hear me out. Have you tried everything that you can think of to make peace with food and to get off the sugar addiction rollercoaster, but nothing seems to work?
Diet programs, magical shakes, meal planning, intermittent fasting, detoxes… all leaving you feeling deflated and worse off than when you started.
Maybe it feels like you’ll never break free from the grip of sugar laden processed foods in your life.
If you’re like most people, the truth is that you’ve been looking in all the wrong places for the answer to your food struggles.
Most have been taught to focus on things like increasing exercise, fasting, detoxing from sugar, creating a strict meal plan, and other “health hacks” that ultimately only scratch the surface of what’s really going on with our relationship with food.
If you want to create real, lasting change in your relationship with sugar and your addictive patterns, you must first understand why the addiction exists.
Have you ever really asked yourself why you can’t go a day without sugar and what you’re really searching for?
This is the piece so many people ignore. We want the quick fix or the band aid that will make us feel better right away. But until you actually get to the root of why you can’t seem to say no to treats and late night snacking, you’ll never be able to find a way out of these habits.
Why are you actually addicted to sugar and processed food?
Is it the physical aspects and addictive spikes sugar gives us in our brain? Is it simply because it tastes good?
Is it the food industry hijacking our taste buds to crave these sweet foods?
While all of these may be true, these are not the real reasons you’re hooked on the white stuff year after year.
Our addictive patterns started very young and are very deeply stored in our subconscious and nervous system.
When we look at the research and amazing work done by leaders such as Gabor Mate and Bessel Van Der Kolk, we clearly begin to see the link between our early childhood traumas, nervous system dysregulation, inability to feel our emotions and the development of a deep rooted pattern of escaping and numbing out with substances that make us “feel better.”
This is the root of your food addiction.
The deep need from within to avoid pain and attempt to feel better or to feel safe.
How does the addiction cascade work?
Whether you grew up in a household with emotional or physical abuse or you didn’t receive the love and connection you needed as a child, your nervous system begins to create ways to start to feel safe, loved and perhaps even learns to shut down your emotions if they are not welcome in your environment.
Maladaptive patterns develop and you find ways to “cope” with life and avoid this deep pain you feel.
For most of us, this is modeled by reaching for a stiff drink or a sugary treat to give us that dopamine hit and sense of false safety that we’re seeking so badly.
Your addiction to sugar, wine, Instagram, and shopping… is all a deep drive to cope with or escape pain or discomfort in the body.
Obviously, this is an oversimplification, and the roots of our addictive patterns are complicated and nuanced. For the purposes of today, just remember that your relationship with sugar has nothing to do with actual sugar or food and everything to do with your relationship with yourself and the old patterns that are stored in your nervous system.
How do we heal the root causes of our food addiction?
This is the million dollar question!
And the answer is not black and white. There are many incredible modalities and healing processes we can go through to get into these old wires in our brains and body.
Ultimately the process involves being willing and open to diving deep into the old wounds that we all carry deep under the surface. Doing this in a safe and supported space with the right guide is vital as to not cause more harm as you navigate into your inner landscape.
A few areas you may want to begin exploring could be things like:
somatic therapy
conscious connected breathwork
EMDR
psychedelic assisted therapy
hypnosis
working with a somatic food addiction coach like myself who can help guide you safely into re-wiring these old patterns in a lasting way.
This deep healing isn’t easy. It isn’t quick. It isn’t flashy.
It’s the opposite of the quick fixes that we’ve been sold by big AG and big Pharma (that are clearly not working by the way)
If you want lasting change you must be willing to take the time and make the commitment to yourself to go through this process for many years to come. It’s not something that can be done quickly as we re-train our nervous system to feel safe and to be able to express and honor emotions as they arise.
But, it will be the most rewarding and life changing work you’ll ever do.
If you’re now feeling inspired and ready to begin your journey inward to lasting healing, please make sure you’re not doing it alone. Find a therapist, coach or community that can hold you in this safe and vulnerable space as you navigate your journey. This is not something we can do on our own. We need community and guidance on our healing journey.
Few quick action steps you can take today
Begin checking in with your body and your emotions on a daily basis
Take time to slow down and be present with yourself every day
Reflect on your childhood and take note of the energy in your household around showing emotions and being your authentic self
Find new ways to connect to your body and the messages it’s sending you
Reach out to practitioners or a community that can support you in your inner healing journey
I deeply believe everyone on the planet can heal from their addictive tendencies and patterns with the right support and tools. Addiction is not genetic and it’s not a life sentence. It’s a coping mechanism that we developed really young and may have been modeled for us by our parents or grandparents.
You can move through these patterns and finally live the life of happiness and peace you’ve been searching for. Are you ready?
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Danielle Daem, Sugar Addiction Expert & Somatic Embodiment Coach
Danielle Daem is known as the go to expert in helping women heal their addictive relationship with sugar and discover a deep sense of peace and freedom with food that lasts. As a Sugar Addiction Expert and Somatic Embodment and Breathwork Facilitator, Coach Dani is passionate about helping women rid themselves of the shame, guilt and unhealthy patterns that keep them in unhealthy cycles with food. She has dedicated her life to helping women step into their power, find their authentic voice and heal the childhood wounds that keep us stuck in addictive cycles. She is the founder of the Break Free From Sugar Program among other programs and the hostess of the top rated Beyond Sugar Freedom Podcast.
