How To Beat Addiction To Sugar

Create A Plan For When Sugarcravings Arise

No matter how confident you feel in your self-control and willpower, sugar cravings are bound to arise. The key to success during your sugar detox is creating a plan in advance for those moments of weakness.

What will you do to occupy your mind when sugar cravings arise?

Filling the void that is left without desserts and sweet treats might bemore challenging than you expect. However, there are plenty of options to keepyou occupied and just as satisfied.

Think of activities that you enjoy doing and list out a few options for moments when you are tempted to give in to sugar cravings. When you feel yourself wanting to reach for the candy dish, head out for a walk, listen to your favorite playlist, read a book, call your friend, or anything else that keeps you busy .

Having a plan in place before starting your journey to overcome a sugar addiction is crucial for your success during.

Easy Ways To Beat Sugar Cravings Once And For All

We all know that sugar is bad for our health. It’s a sneaky and addictive substance that can cause various health problems. For instance, excessive sugar consumption leads to autoimmune conditions, mood imbalances, diabetes, obesity, digestive imbalances, and adrenal exhaustion etc.

What are the easiest ways to end your sugar cravings for good? If you are looking for some easy and effective tips and tricks to beat sugar cravings, then you have navigated to the right page. Keep reading in order to reveal more information on this topic.

10 Easy Ways to Beat Sugar Cravings Once and For All

1. Eat high mineral magnesium foods:

Sugar cravings can be caused due to a mineral deficiency. Do you know that certain trace minerals are involved in insulin production and glucose metabolism? Therefore, an acute deficiency of these important trace minerals may cause more sugar cravings. That’s why you are advised to eat high mineral magnesium foods, such as raw cacao, avocado, quinoa, brown rice, nuts, seeds, and dark leafy greens.

2. Reduce caffiene:

3. Have a fatty snack before your meals:

Try to eat a fatty and healthy snack before your meals so that you can easily reduce your excessive craving for sugar. Healthy fats that are found in nuts and seeds, extra-virgin olive oil, avocados, coconut, pastured eggs, and wild salmon will provide satiety and help your body to maintain and stabilize your blood sugar level.

4. Eat a teaspoon of extra-virgin coconut oil three times a day:

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How Long Should You Detox From Sugar

This will depend on your personal goals. Just need a reset after too much indulgence? 5 days is fine.

However, if like mine, your relationship with sugar has become a habit or physical addiction, 30 days is a good start. Many people find that it takes about a month to break a habit, however, other research suggests it may take much longer. Furthermore, to break a habit, one must replace it with another behavior.

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Keep Your Meals Diverse

Make sure you incorporate all food groups when you prepare a meal. According to Nutrition Stripped founder, McKel Hill, MS, RDN, LDN, people don’t realize they’re what they’re missing in their meals and it could be detrimental. “I’ve found in my practice that often people crave sugar because of generally imbalanced diet as a whole,” she says. “At mealtimes, they might be missing out on enough fiber to keep them physically full or can be lacking enough protein to keep them satiated, or enough healthy fats. All the macronutrients work together to keep our blood sugars stabilized and keep us satiated so we need them all.”

Cut Out Obvious Sugar Sources

Foods that cause a sharp rise in blood sugars and dopamine makes them far more addictive. Managing your blood sugar spikes can help to reduce the impact sugar has on your body, which is key for better brain function and appetite regulation. So, avoid things like biscuits and sweets when learning how to beat a sugar addiction, as these will create massive sugar spikes.

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There Is Hope For You

Change begins with realizing that there is a problem with ones sugar addiction. Modifying ones diet and practicing self-control can help, but going cold turkey isnt ideal. Someone with a sugar addiction, especially if they have another substance abuse disorder or a co-occurring mental health condition, will likely have difficulty in ridding themselves of cravings. If you or someone you know has a sugar addiction, especially if complicating factors are present, please contact a treatment provider today to find out more about your options.

Deborah Montross Nagel

• About

All of the information on this page has been reviewed and verified by a certified addiction professional.

Deborah has a Masters Degree from Lesley University and has been certified as an Addictions Counselor in PA since 1986. She is currently a Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor CAADC. She is nationally certified as a MAC Master Addictions Counselor by NAADAC . Her 37 years of experience and education are in addiction, recovery, and codependency. Addiction affects the entire system around the addict. There is no “bad guy” in the system. Fight the addiction, and help the addict. I help loved ones restore sanity to their lives and hence encourage change. Recovery is possible!

Enjoy A Piece Of Fruit

“I don’t know if it’s possible to eradicate sugar cravings because they’re part of being human. But I do think that nature gave us fruit for a reason,” Largeman-Roth says. “It’s naturally sweet and loaded with fiber to help us feel full. It also delivers a host of benefits, including antioxidants that help our bodies and skin stay young and healthy.” Training your body to crave fruit instead of processed sugar will be greatly beneficial to your overall health.

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Substitute Fruits For Sweets

Whenever you feel like you want to eat sweet foods or candies, substitute them with healthy fruits. To do this, always have a ready supply of fruits, and get rid of your stash of junk foods. Eating fruits will not only reduce the amount of sugar that you intake, it also provides you with healthier and more nutrients and vitamins.

However, keep in mind that not all fruits contain the same amount of sugar. Some fruits still contain high amounts of sugar such as lychees, figs, mangoes, cherries, and grapes. While fruits such as avocados, and some berries contain considerably lower amounts of sugar.

Sneaky Ways To Beat Sugar Cravings

A lot of us struggle with sugar cravingsmyself included. In the past, my cravings were so out of control, they wreaked havoc on my mind and body. I was tired, cranky, and dealing with acne breakoutsit wasnt pretty. Since then, Ive managed to gain control over my sugar addiction, but from time to time, I fall into patterns of overdoing it on sweet treats. Here are the five strategies I use to fight back.

A lot of us struggle with sugar cravingsmyself included. In the past, my cravings were so out of control, they wreaked havoc on my mind and body. I was tired, cranky, and dealing with acne breakoutsit wasnt pretty.

Since then, Ive managed to gain control over my sugar addiction, but from time to time, I fall into patterns of overdoing it on sweet treats . Instead of letting these occasional dessert binges take over my life again, I fight back with a few key strategies, which ultimately prevent my cravings from spiraling out of control.

Here are some of the ways I cut sugar from my diet, and I hope they help you, too!

Eat real meals I cant stress this one enough. Eating real mealsones that are well-rounded with a mix of lean protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbsmakes all the difference in controlling my sweet tooth. Having all of these nutritional elements together in one meal really satisfies me, so my sugar cravings are less intense and more manageable.

Read Tinas daily food and fitness blog, Carrots N Cake.

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The One Month Sugar Reset

Cutting sugar out may be simple, but that doesnt mean its easy. Here are some steps you can follow to help ensure your success:

1. First, go no-carb for a few days. Eating sugary foods regularly distorts your perception of sweetness. Avoiding sugar and starches for a few days can help reset what your taste buds consider sweet, allowing your cravings to be satisfied with less sugar.

2. Eat enough. Reducing or eliminating sugar from your diet shouldnt be a reason to restrict yourself from eating. If you normally eat dessert and decide to skip it from now on, be sure youre still getting enough calories to keep you full, energized, and away from impulsive snacking.

3. Skip the artificial stuff. Though artificial sweeteners dont contribute calories, they do contribute to sugar cravings by distorting your idea of what sweetness really is. Studies have shown that people regularly consuming artificial sweeteners can end up gaining weight as their bodies react to this shift in perception.

4. Next, add in one fruit a day. After avoiding fruits, grains, and sweet vegetables for a few days, you might find that they are enough to satisfy your desire for sweets. Try adding one piece of fruit to your diet after the initial three day carb fast.

5. Eat full fat dairy. Protein, fat, and fiber contribute to satiety, and fat helps with vitamin absorption. When you eat dairy, opt for varieties that are full fat and have no added sugar.

Break The Sugar Addiction

If you’re “hooked” on sugar, don’t try to eliminate all sugary foods at once. If you deny yourself even a single piece of candy or sliver of cake, you’ll only crave sweets more. Instead, eat a healthy diet made up of more satisfying foodswhole grains, fruits, vegetables, healthy oils, and lean protein. “Steer yourself away from sugar and eat these foods, which are digested more slowly. They’ll help to even out your blood sugar and you won’t have spikes and crashes all the time,” Dr. Hauser says.

Here are a few suggestions to help you break the sugar habit:

Keep sugary foods away. Don’t tempt yourself by stocking candy, cookies, and other high-sugar foods in your cupboards and fridge. “As a substitute for these things, keep fruit around,” suggests Dr. Hauser.

Sweeten foods yourself. Start with unsweetened iced tea, plain yogurt, and unflavored oatmeal. Then add your own sweetener. No matter how much sweetener you add, you probably won’t put in as much as the manufacturer would have, according to Dr. Hauser.

Watch for hidden sugars in foods. Be wary of foods where sugar tends to hide, including reduced-fat products. “When companies take out the fat, they add back almost all the calories in sugar,” Dr. Hauser says. Read labels. Avoid products that list sugar as the first ingredient or that contain several different types of sugar it’s one way manufacturers avoid having sugar listed as the first ingredient.

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Ensure You Balance Your Blood Sugar

Nutritionist Penny Crowther said: Cravings for sweet foods will be greatly reduced if blood sugar balance is maintained.

You can balance your blood sugar in a number of ways:

Eat slow release carbohydrates such as rye bread, spelt bread, brown rice and porridge oats.

Always eat protein with carbohydrates, avoid eating carbs alone. These can be animal or plant based protein .

Eat three regular meals a day constant grazing is not good for insulin levels.

Always eat breakfast, even if this isnt when you first wake up.

How To Fix A Sugar Addiction

• Eat regularly. Eat three meals and two snacks or five small meals a day. For many people, if they dont eat regularly, their blood sugar levels drop, they feel hungry, and are more likely to crave sweet sugary snacks.
• Choose whole foods. The closer a food is to its original form, the less processed sugar it will contain. Food in its natural form, including fruits and vegetables, usually presents no metabolic problems for a normal body, especially when consumed in variety.
• Have a breakfast of protein, fat and phytonutrients to start your day off right.Breakfast smoothies are ideal for this. The typical breakfast full of carbs and sugary or starchy foods is the worst option since youll have cravings all day. Eating a good breakfast is essential to prevent sugar cravings.
• Try to incorporate protein and/or fat with each meal. This helps control blood sugar levels. Make sure they are healthy sources of each.
• Add spices. Coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom will naturally sweeten your foods and reduce cravings.

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Lets Look At The Ways Sugar Wrongs Us

• suppresses your immune system
• Excess sugar consumption is linked to cancer and tumor growth
• promotes weight gain and obesity
• disrupts the mineral balance
• contributes to depression, anxiety and mood swings
• promotes gut dysbiosis and fungal overgrowth in the gut
• contributes to insulin resistance and diabetes
• can cause hormonal imbalances
• increases risk for Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis
• disrupt the bodys pH balance
• can cause hypoglycemia
• will reduce good HDL cholesterol and increase bad LDL cholesterol
• prohibits weight loss

Some people are more sugar sensitive than others, and part of that depends on your genetics. Regardless, you can bio-hack your diet by manipulating certain macronutrients, like protein and fat, to balance your blood glucose levels and ward off cravings.

Heres an example: Lets say you start your morning with coffee and a pastry. You probably feel pretty good because that sugar is plugging up feel-good receptors in your brain, and maybe you get a little high as your blood glucose levels spike. But a few hours later, you crash when your blood glucose plummets again, and then youre hungry, jittery, anxious, moody, irritable. You eat lunch, probably too much because youre starving and you miscalculated your hunger needs, and then you may feel tired as all your energy is diverted into digestion. You may crave sugar in the afternoon, because your body knows it gives you a quick energy boost. Does that rollercoaster sound familiar?

Consider A Sugar Detox

A sugar detox can mean anything from cutting it out completely to phasing it out slowly. Another type of sugar detox might mean avoiding added sugars, but still allowing for natural sugars from fruits.

The bottom line is that you should make a plan for what kind of sugar detox is best for your lifestyle and health needs. Learn more about how to do a sugar detox.

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Give Your Mouth Something To Do

Another great way to stave off sugar cravings is to give your mouth another distraction. Whether it’s chewing sugar-free gum, drinking a cup of warm herbal tea, or just doing something else, allow the craving to pass. “Allow enough time to pass while you drink or wait for the piping hot tea for you to think through the craving,” Moreno says. Most cravings last no longer than 30 minutes.

Eat A Naturally Sweet Snack

When a craving hits, instead of running for the candy drawer try something that will give you fuel, too. “If you need a shot of sugar along with energy that will last longer, try making a trail mix with almonds, dried fruit, and a few dark chocolate chips,” says Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, creator of BetterThanDieting.com and author of Read It Before You Eat It Taking You from Label to Table. “This snack is portable and will not only provide that sweetness you crave, but you’ll also get protein and healthy fat from the nuts, and iron and fiber from the fruit.”

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Bump Up Your Magnesium Intake

Chocolate is the most frequently craved food in North America, and some suggest a chocolate craving could be a sign of magnesium deficiency .

Since cocoa is a source of magnesium, it has been suggested chocolate cravings may indicate low magnesium levels.

More research is needed for the association between magnesium and chocolate and/or sweet cravings.

Magnesium plays a role in balancing blood sugar levels.

Magnesium deficiency is also associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease .

Therefore, getting enough magnesium can have many health benefits.

Swap Sugary Junk Food For Naturally

Instead of store-bought sugary food, make your own banana-sweetened muffins or loaf, colourful fruit salad, or homemade ice cream by blending frozen bananas with a splash of milk. Or try these seven easy, healthy desserts.

Bake with overripe mashed bananas or unsweetened apple sauce, Clark said. You could also snack on a few Medjool dates, which are not only naturally sweet but also contain fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

While fruit does contain sugar, it also comes with fibre, which is the way to make sugar safe for our bodies.

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How To Stop Sugar Cravings: 8 Tips To Use Right Now

If you’re craving sugar, here are some ways to tame those cravings.

But won’t eating more often mean overeating? Not if you follow Neville’s advice to break up your meals. For instance, have part of your breakfast — a slice of toast with peanut butter, perhaps — and save some yogurt for a mid-morning snack. “Break up lunch the same way to help avoid a mid-afternoon slump,” Neville says.

Continued

How To Beat Sugar Addiction Step : Opt For Fruits

Experts recommend that you eat at least one fruit per day. This will help you overcome your sugar cravings.

Increase your intake of almonds, avocados, olives, and seeds. These fruits are fiber-rich. and aid in sugar regulation. They also keep your body in a state where you have fewer sugar cravings.

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