Better Relationship With Sugar Consumption
When I couldn’t have the spoonful of ice cream after dinner or the cookie “because it’s Tuesday,” I quickly realized that I was haphazardly consuming sugar. I could manage to make these splurges fit within my calorie goal, but that meant I was giving up better sources of calories, like calcium-rich dairy or fiber-rich whole grains.
I also wasn’t recognizing the hidden sources of sugar that were sneaking into my diet and adding unnecessary calories either. A lot of soups, salad dressings and prepared meals list sugar, in some form or another, on the ingredient list.
I realized early on you could easily say, “But I don’t eat a lot of sugar” and be entirely oblivious to how much you eat every day.
Get Ready For Younger
The sugar in your diet affects the amount of sugar in your bloodstreamand studies suggest that high blood sugar levels set up a molecular domino effect called glycation. Say what? That’s just a fancy term for a process that can hinder the repair of your skin’s collagen, the protein that keeps it looking plump. A diet full of treats can also lead to reduced elasticity and premature wrinkles. Thankfully, research suggests that slashing your sugar intake can help lessen sagging and other visible signs of ageing.
Breaking The Sugar Cycle
My challenge started on a Friday. By Wednesday, I was hitting proverbial brick walls left and right, with so little energy and no resources to give myself a quick “jolt” to get through the afternoon. I was also irritable, which made work difficult and daunting. Naps were my friend in this period. They provided energy, and they let me escape a bit of the sugar-free meltdown.
That period lasted about 24 hours-I liken it to the keto flu during the first few days of the keto diet-and then it was over. After that, it was smooth sailing, as long as I avoided the sugar pitfalls of office birthday parties and free cookies at the farmers’ market.
But that’s just the challenge-sugar is everywhere. Avoiding it is a bit like avoiding sunlight. No matter what you do, it will get in, so you have to be smarter than the sugar.
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Here’s The Truth About Kicking Sugar
We all have things we can change in our diets, our lives, our mindsets. Sugar can be just the start of retooling your life. Don’t drastically cut out sugar from your diet and cause uncomfortable detox. Take it slow and let your body adjust. Start with a habit of awarenessbeing aware of labels, of what you put in your mouth, of your triggers, and of your personal wellness. Utilize high-quality essential oils to refocus your mind and body to rely less on sugar and more on the power of aromatherapy. Only you can make this change in your life and break up with sugar by replacing it with a positive lifestyle that fuels your mind, body, and soul.
Can You Quit Sugar Cold Turkey
Knowing how to quit sugar is one thing but should you go cold turkey or take it slowly? Cutting down can be tough and going cold turkey rarely gets long-lasting results, warns Rob. Psychology plays a huge role as mood, boredom and habit can drive your desire for the sweet stuff. A lack of sleep, skipping meals, hormones and visual temptation can also contribute to sugar cravings, he says.
But there are ways to manage this challenging period. Some people suffer blood sugar imbalances making them feel rather jittery. But this can be avoided by eating sufficient protein, advises Suzie.
If you find the thought of going cold turkey too extreme weaning yourself off slowly may suit you better. A useful approach is to make small changes to your diet. Reduce the sugar you add to coffee or tea, choose lower-sugar food products and switch sweet treats for healthy alternatives such as fresh fruit, suggests Rob.
Apples can help reduce sugar cravings.
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I Created A Plan To Quit Sugar
Day one started out fine. I had my usual breakfast, snack, lunch, and didnt even notice the fact that I had given up sugar until mid afternoon.
The afternoon is the time when I usually bounce down the stairs, find our candy dish, and take out a few pieces to tide me over. Then Id have an apple to compensate and tell myself that I was eating a healthy snack.
On this day though, all I could have was the apple. I was a bit bummed to miss out on my mid-day sugar kick, but was able to avoid any major pitfalls and frustrations. After dinner, I had popcorn instead of ice cream and rolled my eyes at the fact that it wasnt nearly as satisfying.
Try Making Your Own Sauces
Giving up sugar isnât as easy as simply saying no to cake. You might be surprised at the high levels of sugar in many jars of savoury sauce. Stir-in tomato pasta sauce is a major culprit â with around 10g added per serving itâs seriously sugary and should be ditched in favour of a low-sugar or homemade version.
Making your own sauces isnât as tricky or time-consuming as it sounds. A basic pasta sauce can be as simple as softening some chopped onions in a pan with olive oil, adding minced garlic, chopped tomatoes and a handful of dried herbs before simmering around 20 minutes.
You can use this as a base for countless variations, depending on what you have in the cupboard. They work out far cheaper than shop-bought sauces and once you realise how much better homemade sauces taste, you might never go back to the jarred version.
If you love ready-made sauces and arenât ready to let go, try the low-sugar versions available.
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My Plan To Quit Sugar Needed Some Updates
With over 600 calories suddenly lacking from my diet, it was really challenging trying to replace them.
All of my runs and workouts felt sluggish, waking up early felt impossible, I was tired all the time, and I never felt full. Quitting sugar started to feel like a lofty goal, one that was silly for me to believe I could accomplish in the first place.
Id read about all of the withdrawal symptoms addicts experience, but never truly expected to experience them myself. Boy, was I wrong.
My sugar addiction was bigger than I realized.
My second week of giving up sugar when all of the moodiness and crankiness hit in full force. I felt annoyed by everything, and so lethargic all day long. My face started to break out in random bumps, different from any sort of acne I had ever experienced. Week two was a struggle.
Pile Protein And Healthy Fats Onto Your Plate
Cutting out sugar is the perfect excuse to indulge in more healthy fats and lean protein . Both keep you feeling satiated and energized, preventing the blood sugar rise and fall that can lead to hard-to-resist sugar cravings.A protein-fat breakfast will help you start the day off right. “Have a breakfast with protein and fat as the stars, like eggs and avocado, instead of the traditional starch and sugar combo, like a muffin or sweetened cereal,” suggests Kohn.
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Wake Up Your Taste Buds
What I found by giving up sugar was my tastebuds were more sensitive in a good way. The result, normal everyday foods starting tasting better. The crust of my homemade bread brought out a million different flavors so I didnt need to slather butter on it. The cinnamon and raisins in my oatmeal popped, making brown sugar unnecessary.
Tune into how your food tastes and see if the same thing happens for you. Frankly, I wondered if it was the new recipes I was trying or my tastebuds. Turns out, it may have been a little of both! Either way, enjoying great tasting food makes life a whole lot better
While Some Of These Tools Can Help A Lot Of It Is Mind Over Matter
“The most important thing when doing a sugar cleanse is to take it one day at a time,” says Seti. “Simply focus on getting through the day ahead of you before focusing on the next. Each day’s success will build on the one before it. And if you struggle or don’t succeed immediately, each day represents an opportunity to try again.” In other words: If you slip, don’t sweat it. The fact that you’re even trying is an accomplishment in itself.
And if you’re ever waning on motivation, think back to your initial goalseven write them down so you have the constant reminder. “Maybe you are looking to lose weight, improve your skin, or stop mood cycling,” says Maguire. “Whatever the reason, figuring out your goals will help you through this challenge. Anytime you feel like stopping or giving up, come back to why you started this in the first place, and it will give you the motivation to keep going or continue beyond your original timeline.”
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Know How To Tough Out Cravings And Withdrawal Symptoms
For me, gentle exercise and getting lots of sleep also helped immensely. Getting my fill of adaptogenic herbs also helped balance my mood swings and appetite, since they help regulate our cortisol .
Maguire adds that in cases of extreme cravings, your best strategy is to allow your body to indulgethe healthy way. “The body is looking to satisfy the reward center in the brain,” she explains. “If you find that any craving hits, then reaching for good low-sugar snacks such as dark chocolate , nut butter, nuts and seeds, or berries with Greek yogurt can kill the cravings.”
Incorporate foods and beverages that are bitter into your diet to help reset your taste buds and fight cravings.
Simple Ways To Stop Eating Lots Of Sugar
Eating too much sugar may be devastating for your health.
Added sugar, which is the sugar found in sodas, sweets, and other processed foods, has been shown to contribute to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and tooth decay .
Research suggests that most Americans eat anywhere from 5592 grams of added sugar daily, which is equivalent to 1322 teaspoons of table sugar each day representing about 1216% of daily calorie intake .
This is significantly more than the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendation of getting less than 10% of your daily calories from added sugars .
The World Health Organization goes a step further, recommending less than 5% of calories from added sugar for optimal health .
However, it can be challenging to slash added sugars from your diet. This article lists 13 simple ways to stop eating so much sugar.
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Ease Off The Table Sugar
If you’re used to adding sweetener to your food and drinks, give yourself time to ease out of the habit, suggests Kohn. Typically start your day with two spoons of sugar or honey in your tea or coffee? Cut back to one sugar for a week, then slash it to zero a week lateror sweeten it with a slice of orange or a little milk. Same thing with the sugar you put on top of French toast or cereal, or the maple syrup doused on your pancakes. Gradually reducing the amount will make it less noticeable that you’re cutting back, and you’ll be less craving-crazed for a sugar hit.
Perhaps Youve Decided To Just Dip Your Toe In The Water
Sure, just cut back a little on sugar, no need to go cold turkey just yet. Good idea.
While I was reading and researching the subject of sugar and the negative impact it was having on my body and before I had fully committed to the idea, I decided to just cut back on the obvious sugars, like cakes, biscuits, chocolates and the like, so when it came to the big day, I had already started to get my mind and my body ready for the change. It did help.
If youre struggling with the idea of giving up, then read on to find out my 7 ways to give up sugar without really trying. Well, at the very least these tips will help you get started.
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Q How Do You Help People Wean Themselves Off Sugar And Stay Off It
Sarah: Ive organised a realistic eight-week plan in my book, but one of my main messages is that to cut out sugar for life, you must eat more good fats. Ive talked to many groups of young women who say that theyve tried my programme and they find it tough, and theyre still hungry. So I ask them if theyve added fat to their diet, and most of them are horrified. But that is my number one secret lose the sugar, eat more fat. Good ways to do this are by drizzling butter, nut or olive oil over steamed vegetables, and adding avocado, nuts or cheese to salads.
How To Give Up Sugar
This article was co-authored by Claudia Carberry, RD, MS. Claudia Carberry is a Registered Dietitian specializing in kidney transplants and counseling patients for weight loss at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She is a member of the Arkansas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Claudia received her MS in Nutrition from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2010.There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 110,753 times.
Eating too much sugar has been tied to a number of health problems. In addition to weight gain, excess sugar can also cause inflammation, have adverse effects on your heart, increase your risk for diabetes, and possibly cause kidney damage long-term.XResearch source These reasons plus many others are why so many people are choosing to give up sugar altogether. Giving up sugar can be a difficult task. It’s hard to understand what types of sugar are appropriate to consume and which can lead to health problems. In addition, many people may find it difficult to tell what foods have natural sugar and which ones have added sugars. Learning about sugars and how they affect your body may leave you feeling happier, healthier, and more in control of your diet.
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Give Yourself Room To Breathe
It’s easy to press yourself, expecting that you’ll be able to perform at the same level you were beforehand while you’re detoxing. But you can follow all of the right steps to mitigate the side effects and still experience them.
Stress will actually cause you to crave sugary, easy-to-eat foods. Exercising will mitigate some stress, but you are going through a form of withdrawal and will likely feel cloudy. Try to avoid situations in which you need to perform at your peak at least for the first couple of days, and instead focus on taking care of yourself physically and mentally. This includes not being too hard on yourself if you break and have a piece of dark chocolate.
Make Proper Meal Plan:
Making a plan and sticking to that is another crucial and helpful point. It will make you follow your plan if you do that yourself according to the things you like and dislike. Your meal plan should include all the healthy things you can have. Those are fruits, vegetables, and other healthy things to eat. A meal plan will be helpful to make you aware that what you need to eat and when.
These are some of the points that can help you in giving up sugar. Not eating sugary things will surely lead you to a happy life. Visit our blog to get more info, and you can also submit free guest posting, submit free blog, and submit free content of your choice.
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Giving Up Sugar Was Quite Challenging
I am so happy that I finally decided to face my addiction head on. By quitting sugar cold turkey 40 days ago, my body went through quite a dramatic sugar detox.
Whether or not everything I experienced was due to giving up sugar, Ill never know for sure. But I have seen immense changes in my body and mind these past 40 days, and today Id like to tell you what happened.
How To Stop Sugar Cravings: 5 Tips For The Long Term
One of the best ways to manage sugar cravings is to stop them before they start. To help you do that:
- Skip artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners may sound like a great idea, but “they dont lessen cravings for sugar and havent demonstrated a positive effect on our obesity epidemic,” says Grotto, author of 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life.
- Reward yourself for successfully managing sugar cravings. Your reward could be large or small. Remember why youre working on it and then reward yourself for each successful step.
- Slow down. For one week, focus on your sugar cravings and think about what youre eating, suggests Chambers. Diet mayhem often results from lack of planning. So slow down, plan, “and eat what you intend to eat, instead of eating when youre desperate,” Chambers says.
- Get support. Many people turn to sweet foods when they’re stressed, depressed, or angry. But food doesn’t solve emotional issues. Consider whether emotions are involved in your sugar cravings and whether you need help to find other solutions to those emotional problems.
- Mix it up. You may need more than one strategy to thwart sugar cravings. One week you may find success with one tactic, and another week calls for an alternative approach. Whats important is to have a bag of tricks to try, Gerbstadt tells WebMD. To tame sugar cravings, you really need to “figure out what works for you,” Neville says.
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