fbpx
Skip to content

TH: +66 20 385 469     Toll Free USA/CAN: 1 888 806 6776     Toll Free UK: 0 808 189 0393     Toll Free AUS: 1 800 251 994     HK: +852 3008 5841     SG: +65 3158 7621

  • Home
  • What We Treat
    • Addiction
      • Alcohol Addiction Treatment
      • Drug Addiction Treatment
      • Amphetamine Addiction Treatment
      • Cocaine Addiction Treatment
      • GHB Addiction Treatment
      • Heroin Addiction Treatment
      • Ecstasy Addiction Treatment
      • Marijuana Addiction Treatment
      • Methamphetamine Addiction Treatment
    • Mental Health
      • Anxiety disorder treatment programme
      • Depression treatment programme
      • Co-treating Addiction and Trauma Disorders
      • Dual Diagnosis/Co-Occurring Disorders
    • Behavioral Addiction
      • Co-Occurring Disordered Eating Treatment
      • Internet Addiction Treatment
      • Rehab for Gambling Addiction Treatment
  • Our Programme
    • Changing Pathways Addiction Programme
      • Physical Therapy
    • The Kintsugi Programme
    • Disordered Eating Programme
    • Continuing Care
    • Recovery House at The Cabin
    • Sunday Excursions
  • About Our Rehab
    • About the Cabin
    • Accommodation and Facilities
    • Gallery
    • The Cabin Group
    • Our Team
    • Client Testimonials
    • In The Press
    • Blogs
  • Admissions
    • Admissions Process
    • How Rehab Works at The Cabin
    • Online assessment
    • FAQ
    • Family Advice
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Referring a Client

Get Help Now
02/01/2016

Former Coronation Street star Tupele Dorgu battles Sugar Addiction on TV Show Sugar Free Farm

Home › Blog › Food Addiction Treatment › Former Coronation Street star Tupele Dorgu battles Sugar Addiction on TV Show Sugar Free Farm

Are you eating more sugar than you think? Could you be developing a sugar addiction? Tupele Dorgu and 5 other celebrities find out just how hard it can be to detox from sugar.

TV Show Sugar Free Farm

Former Coronation Street star Tupele Dorgu is just one of six celebrities who agreed to battle their self-confessed sugar addiction on ITV’s three-part series Sugar Free Farm aired in the UK on January 26th. The show takes place on a farm over a two-week period where participants are required to stop consuming sugar cold-turkey and get back to the basics of food with fresh farm ingredients and home-cooked meals.

Self-Confessions of Sugar Addiction

In an article on Express.co.uk, Dorgu says that among her friends and family she was always described as “the one who always wanted a biscuit.” She would look forward to sweets as part of her daily diet, and would often skip lunch in favour of a slice of cake and a cup of coffee. Having a sugar addiction was not something she had ever really thought about. However, she noticed that she was slowly but steadily putting on weight and finding it difficult to lose.

Actress and dancer, Jennifer Ellison, admits to having the highest daily intake of sugar out of all participants, consuming an average of six to eight cans of coke per day. She says she would skip breakfast and grab a can of Coke to give her the energy she needed to get her day started. When lunch rolled around, she would have another Coke and grab a chocolate bar or jelly sweets, rarely taking the time to sit down and eat real food like fruits and vegetables.

To put that into perspective, the National Health Services (NHS) in the UK recommends that the average adult has no more than 30g of sugar per day. One 355mL can of Coke contains 39g of sugar, meaning that at 6 cans of Coke per day Ellison was consuming at least 234g of sugar each day — almost 8 times the recommended daily intake without taking into account her lunch of chocolate bars and jelly candies.

Quitting Sugar Cold-Turkey

During the two weeks, each of the six participants were required to help out on the farm — milking, feeding animals, gathering eggs, cultivating the garden — in exchange for fresh, organic food. For two weeks, they were not allowed any added sugar in anything they ate. Added sugar refers to sugar added to food as opposed to naturally occurring sugar found in fruit, vegetables and natural milk products. In other words — no sodas, no candy or chocolate and no alcohol.

For Dorgu, the sudden absence of sugar meant constant headaches which left her feeling tired and lethargic. Ellison as well complained of severe headaches, likening her head to feeling like a bowling ball on the end of a matchstick. “Every time I bent down I felt like someone was standing on my eyeballs,” Ellison said. “I felt physically sick. I had the worst headache I’ve ever, ever felt.” It got so bad, in fact, that paramedics were called to the scene to take her vitals and ensure that she was fit to keep filming.

How Addictive is Sugar?

Many people are surprised to hear that sugar, or lack thereof, can be responsible for the above ailments. However, research done with lab rats showed that rats were just as likely to overindulge on high-sugar, high-fat foods as they were to overindulge on morphine or cocaine when given the chance. Sugary food affects the reward centres of the brain in much the same way as drugs or alcohol. And for humans, it is built into our survival instincts to stock up on foods that are high in sugar and fat to make up for times of famine when the only food available was vegetables or plants.

These days, however, famine is rare. But our brains are still wired the same way, making us crave foods that are high in sugar. Unfortunately, everywhere you look there are places to indulge these cravings — chocolate bars in line at the supermarket, fresh oatmeal cookies next to the register at your regular coffee shop, shelves of candy in the drug store — making it easy for the brain to develop an addiction, sourcing these sweets at every chance it gets.

You Eat More Sugar than You Think

If you avoid sugary sodas and chocolate bars you may think you are doing pretty good as far as your daily sugar intake goes. However, you might be surprised at just how much hidden sugar you are consuming. Manufacturers often add sugar to products you might otherwise consider savoury, such as bread, soups and most processed foods. For example, manufacturers add sugar to tomato soup to combat the acidity of the tomatoes. One tin of tomato soup can contain up to 30g of sugar which will automatically put you at your maximum recommended intake of sugar for the whole day in just one meal.

All this hidden sugar means that most people are consuming high amounts of refined sugar each day, increasing the chance of developing a sugar addiction. In essence, the more refined sugar you eat, the more your brain craves it.

Sugar Addiction Treatment

Sugar addiction, and the broader term of food addiction, is treated as a process addiction. In the case of Sugar Free Farm, the show is a great way to teach the participants and those who watch the programme about the effects of sugar and how to incorporate a diet that is free of added sugars. However, little is done on the show to treat the psychological aspect of addiction while detoxing.

Those with a sugar addiction will turn to food, typically food that is high in sugar and fat, in times of stress, sadness, happiness and celebration. Like an alcoholic turns to alcohol, a sugar addict turns to food to cheer themselves up, to celebrate an event, or anything in between.

Food and sugar addiction can lead to obesity, depression and social disorders and increases the risk of many other health-related issues. If you are having trouble controlling your eating despite a sincere effort, you may have a sugar addiction. Give us a call today for a free-assessment and see how we can help you get your life back on track.

Get A Free Consultation
Search

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • Alcohol Addiction Treatment
  • Behavioral Addiction
  • Blog
  • Co-occurring Disorders
  • Cocaine Addiction
  • Drug Addiction
  • Food Addiction Treatment
  • Gambling Addiction Treatment
  • Gaming Addiction Treatment
  • Infographic
  • Infosheet
  • Internet Addiction Treatment
  • Prescription Drugs Addiction Treatment
  • Reach
  • Recovery
  • Relapse Prevention
  • Rise
  • Sex Addiction Treatment
  • Trauma and Addiction
  • Video
  • Youth Addiction Treatment
Sober Living Meeting Other People Who are Sober
Blog | Recovery

Sober Living Guide: Meeting People and Finding Flatmates

Life after rehab can feel like a whole new world. Our sober living guide will help you create the most supportive environment possible for your new life in recovery. Sharelines Living in a sober house after treatment has been proven to increase your chances of long-term recovery. Your guide to early addiction recovery and sober...
07/15/2015
Why is Internet Addiction Growing in Asia
Blog | Internet Addiction Treatment

Why is Internet Addiction Growing in Asia?

Internet addiction is growing to be a public health concern in many Asian countries. Japan and South Korea are the most recent countries to create initiatives to treat this disease. This factsheet examines some of the latest research findings on internet addiction in Asia, including causes, effects and public health responses. In Asia, one of...
01/21/2014
Former winner blames show for meth addict contestant’s drug problem
Blog

Former winner blames show for meth addict contestant’s drug problem

The Daily Mail look into a former America’s Next Top Model winner who has slammed TV executives for exploiting one of the reality show’s most vulnerable contestants and their addiction to meth. A former America’s Next Top Model winner has slammed TV executives for exploiting one of the reality show’s most vulnerable contestants. CariDee English,...
09/21/2012
The Cabin Logo

The Cabin Rehab Centre
9 Khua Mung, Saraphi District,
Chiang Mai, Thailand 50140

Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Linkedin

OUR TREATMENT

  • Alcohol Addiction Treatment
  • Drug Addiction Treatment
  • Disordered Eating Programme
  • Gambling Addiction Treatment
  • Changing Pathways
  • Kintsugi Programme
  • Sunday Excursions
  • Relapse Prevention

ABOUT THE CABIN

  • About Us
  • The Professional Team
  • Why The Cabin
  • Our Accommodation
  • Admissions Process
  • What is Our Client Say?
  • FAQ
  • The Cabin’s Blog
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms and Conditions

CONTACT US

TH: +66 20 385 469
USA/CAN: 1 888 806 6776
UK: 0 808 189 0393
AUS: 1 800 251 994
HK: +852 3008 5841
SG: +65 3158 7621
Download Our Brochure

© 2023 The Cabin Chiang Mai. All Rights Reserved.

Get Help Today!
Getting the Help You Need Today!

If you require further information, Please do not hesitate to contact us.

  • TH : +662 038 5469
  • US : +1 888 806 6776
  • UK : +44 808 189 0393
  • AU : +61 1 800 251 994
  • HK : +852 3008 5841
  • SG : +65 3158 7621
close
Manage Cookie Consent

To provide the best experiences, we and our partners use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us and our partners to process personal data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site and show (non-) personalized ads. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.

Click below to consent to the above or make granular choices. Your choices will be applied to this site only. You can change your settings at any time, including withdrawing your consent, by using the toggles on the Cookie Policy, or by clicking on the manage consent button at the bottom of the screen.

Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Statistics

Marketing

Features
Always active

Always active
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Statistics

Marketing

Features
Always active

Always active
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Scroll to top
  • Home
  • What We Treat
    • Addiction
      • Alcohol Addiction Treatment
      • Drug Addiction Treatment
      • Amphetamine Addiction Treatment
      • Cocaine Addiction Treatment
      • GHB Addiction Treatment
      • Heroin Addiction Treatment
      • Ecstasy Addiction Treatment
      • Marijuana Addiction Treatment
      • Methamphetamine Addiction Treatment
    • Mental Health
      • Anxiety disorder treatment programme
      • Depression treatment programme
      • Co-treating Addiction and Trauma Disorders
      • Dual Diagnosis/Co-Occurring Disorders
    • Behavioral Addiction
      • Co-Occurring Disordered Eating Treatment
      • Internet Addiction Treatment
      • Rehab for Gambling Addiction Treatment
  • Our Programme
    • Changing Pathways Addiction Programme
      • Physical Therapy
    • The Kintsugi Programme
    • Disordered Eating Programme
    • Continuing Care
    • Recovery House at The Cabin
    • Sunday Excursions
  • About Our Rehab
    • About the Cabin
    • Accommodation and Facilities
    • Gallery
    • The Cabin Group
    • Our Team
    • Client Testimonials
    • In The Press
    • Blogs
  • Admissions
    • Admissions Process
    • How Rehab Works at The Cabin
    • Online assessment
    • FAQ
    • Family Advice
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Referring a Client