Sugar Addiction in Women Over 40: Causes, Health Risks, and Natural Remedies with Kita Centella

Hot flashes, sleep disturbances, mood swings, intense sugar cravings – the journey through midlife can feel like navigating uncharted waters. What if I told you that the answer to some of your most challenging midlife symptoms could be steeping in your kitchen right now?! Yep! In a cup of tea.

In a world of quick fixes and pharmaceutical solutions that might sound hard to believe, BUT for centuries, some women have turned to plants for healing. Before there were pills for every problem, there were plants for every purpose. Today’s conversation with master herbalist Kita Centella reveals how ancient plant wisdom is meeting modern women’s health needs – from inflammation, to cortisol, to brain fog, to sugar cravings – Kita from Loose Leaf Tea has it ALL. 

The Sugar Addiction Connection

When Kita was young, she was addicted to sugar. She constantly struggled with yeast infections, thrush, and acne. For Kita, like many, sugar functions as a “gateway drug” – creating patterns of dependency that can lead to more serious addictions, like it did for her. In fact, sugar is as addictive as cocaine. 

Why sugar is so addictive:

1. Evolutionary hardwiring: Humans evolved to recognize sweet flavors as safe and beneficial food sources

    

2. Childhood conditioning: We associate sugar with rewards and self-worth from an early age (“If you’re good, you get dessert”)

    

3. Brain chemistry: Sugar triggers the same reward pathways in the brain as cocaine, making it genuinely addictive

    

4. Blood sugar rollercoaster: The insulin response creates cycles of highs and crashes that perpetuate cravings

Though humans are hard wired through evolution for sugar, our ancestors did not have the same access to prepackaged foods that we do – over 75% of our packaged foods have added sugar. What happens now in modern times is that we get conditioned as children to associate sugar with our self worth: “if you’re good, you get ice cream.” We learn to associate being good with eating sweets. 

The health impacts of excessive sugar consumption are devastating. The American Heart Association research revealed that sugar – not fat as previously believed – is a primary contributor to heart disease, brain disease, inflammation, gut health problems, and negative effects on every system in your body. For women, the recommended maximum is just 25 grams per day (way less than what’s found in a SINGLE can of soda). 

Nature’s Sugar-Craving Solution: Gymnema

Rather than relying solely on willpower to overcome these powerful sugar cravings – because we all know that when we are told we cant have something…all we do is want it MORE – there is a powerful herb called Gymnema Sylvestre from India that can help. This remarkable plant works through a fascinating mechanism:

• Contains Gymnemic Acid molecules that bind to sugar receptors on your tongue and in your small intestine
• Temporarily blocks the perception of sweet flavors making sugary foods taste like “a bar of wax”
• May help block some absorption of dietary sugars since there are receptors in the GI tract 
• Appears to send signals to the brain that reduce sugar cravings

Unlike artificial sweeteners, which can increase your sugar cravings by promising sugar via the taste but not actually delivering sugar to the body, Gymnema actually helps disrupt the cycle of sugar addiction. 

Sugar Proof is the tea we have recently added to our household and since beginning to drink it, my husband has yet to indulge in his nightly sugar fix! Get Sugar Proof tea HERE and use code NATALIEJILL to save. 

The Cortisol Connection and Herbal Approaches to Stress Management and Inflammation

In healthy pre-perimenopause patterns, cortisol should rise in the morning, gradually decrease throughout the day, and give way to melatonin in the evening. Modern life disrupts this rhythm with constant cortisol spikes from various stressors like:

• Emotional stress
• Temperature extremes
• Excessive exercise
• Digital overwhelm
• Blood sugar fluctuations

Even people who don’t feel “stressed” may have dysregulated cortisol from these environmental factors. In midlife especially, as estrogen and progesterone decline, cortisol issues become more pronounced, affecting sleep, mood, immunity, and weight management. 

There are several categories of herbs that can help manage cortisol and stress:

Nervines – Herbs that nourish and relax the nervous system:

• Skullcap: Calms nerves and may increase GABA (a calming neurotransmitter)
• Oat straw: Nourishes the nervous system and may fortify the myelin sheath that protects nerves

Adaptogens – Herbs that help the body resist the negative effects of stress:

• Ashwagandha: Can lower cortisol by 28-30% with regular use
• Siberian ginseng: One of the first studied adaptogens, shown to protect against various stressors

In addition, there are several herbs that can help manage heat and inflammation: 

• Chrysanthemum: Used in traditional Chinese medicine to cool the body
• Tulsi (Holy Basil): Anti-inflammatory and beneficial for mind and nervous system
• Rose petals: Used in India as a cooling herb, beneficial during menopause

Cortisol Tea: Daytime and Cortisol Tea: Evening are INCREDIBLE for stress relief. I have started drinking the evening cortisol blend every night and can definitely feel the difference and the “zen” it gives me before bed. You can shop Cortisol Tea HERE and use code NATALIEJILL to save! 

Choosing Tea Over Capsule Supplements As Medicine 

Teas are an ideal delivery system for plant medicine because unlike capsule supplements, which bypass the tongue, teas allow for:

1. Interaction with taste receptors that initiate specific bodily responses
2. The proper extraction of beneficial compounds through steeping
3. A gentle, gradual introduction of plant compounds into the system
4. Multiple herbs working synergistically together 

It’s important to remember that loose-leaf teas are the gold standard of teas in order to avoid microplastics, chemicals in paper, and to ensure the herbs haven’t been ground too finely, which can diminish their potency. 

The Role of Herbs in Modern Health

• Herbs complement rather than replace critical medications (like insulin or thyroid medication)
• They provide benefits that aren’t available from other sources
• They work best as part of a lifestyle that includes proper nutrition and movement
• They can address quality-of-life issues that might not warrant pharmaceutical intervention

Whether managing sugar cravings with Gymnema, calming stress with nervines and adaptogens, or cooling inflammation with the right herbs, nature provides remarkable tools for our most pressing midlife challenges. By understanding how these plants interact with our bodies and incorporating them thoughtfully into our routines, we can address many symptoms at their root cause rather than simply managing downstream effects. In a world of quick fixes and pharmaceutical solutions, this ancient wisdom offers a sustainable path to midlife wellness.

👉 Shop Loose Leaf Tea Market teas HERE and use code NATALIEJILL to save!