Sometimes You Eat Sugar Without Even Knowing It
How many people actually read the nutrition facts of products at stores? Sadly, not many.
But those advertisements are very often deceiving and what could be pictured as a healthy product good for weight loss can actually be an absolute diet-killing sugar bomb!
The sad thing is, if we cross out all products with unnecessary added sugar, were only left with a very small amount of products which are truly healthy and can be called good food. And these products are almost only unprocessed foods, such as grains, vegetables, etc.
So when trying to cut down on your sugar intake, dont forget to make this crucial step of checking out the nutrition facts of the products you are buying!
You may also find this article of 5 foods you should never eat useful.
How To Stop Eating Sugar
If youre like most Americans, you eat more sugar than is good for you. But its entirely possible to eat less sugar without sacrificing much if any of the pleasures of eating. Surprising as it may sound, many people who have cut back on sugar say they find their new eating habits more pleasurable than their old ones. This guide will walk you through why sugar matters, how you can make smart food choices to reduce sugar consumption, and how you can keep your life sweet, even without so many sweets.
What You Can Do
Metformin may help prevent long-term health complications from type 2 diabetes. But you may be able to stop taking it if your doctor thinks you can maintain your blood sugar without it.
You may be able to successfully lower and manage your blood sugar without medication by making lifestyle changes such as the following:
- maintaining a healthy weight
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Avoid Sauces With Added Sugar
Sauces like ketchup, barbecue sauce, spaghetti sauce, and sweet chili sauce are commonplace in most kitchens. However, most people arent aware of their sugar content.
A 1-tablespoon serving of ketchup contains about 1 teaspoon of sugar. That means ketchup is a whopping 29% sugar more sugary than ice cream .
Look for condiments and sauces labeled no added sugar to cut back on the hidden sugars in these products.
Other options for seasoning your food that are naturally low in added sugars include herbs and spices, chili, mustard, vinegar, pesto, mayonnaise, and lemon or lime juice.
How Can I Stop Itching Fast
First and foremost, moisturize! Check your blood sugar levels to make sure they arent high. If they are, get on lowering your blood sugar levels to combat the itching that is caused by your high blood sugar levels. For people with diabetes, staying on top of blood sugar levels is crucial!
Other remedies:
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Stop Eating Sugar Tips: The Emotional Aspect
Here is a simple step-by-step plan to stop sugar addiction using coaching techniques. If you want to succeed, you have to combine all the tools and use them simultaneously. But, you can take the time to learn them one after the other and enjoy the improvement along the way.
Step One: Manage Your Stress Levels: If you use sugar regularly to alleviate stress or anxiety, you may experience temporary relief each time, but youre actually increasing your overall stress levels. Sugar highs and lows strain your hormonal system, so you may end up feeling more drained than ever and be tempted to drink coffee.
Coffee and sugar is the worst combination possible. It causes acidity in the stomach, troubles your digestion, causes mood swings, and disrupts your sleep. I stopped drinking coffee when I quit smoking. I may have it once a year but thats about it. It makes my heart race it used to turn me into a nervous wreck. Instead of taking coffee, get in the habit of exercising daily, and drink a lot of water.
Brisk exercise is best. If you cant do it every day, do it three times a week, even if its just for a few minutes.
Another way to ban stress is to practice meditation daily.
The technique I recommend is very simple and lasts only eight short minutes. Practiced twice a day it can do wonders to your stress levels. Its very simple to learn and will give you immediate results on your cravings. .
What To Expect When You Quit Sugar For A Month
I get it. Youre a sugar lover. A little bit of the white stuff can make the day seem sweeter! But so many of us eat far too much. Cutting out sugar by deciding to quit sugar for a month, or at least drastically curb your intake, is a no-brainer. Its a big step towards healthy eating for weight loss and one of the top recommendations by the World Health Association.
Sugar is a high-risk factor for type 2 diabetes, especially in sugary drinks. It has zero nutritional benefits and makes you crave food. Plus most people lose weight when they decide to quit sugar.
This household decided to quit sugar for a month
- It was a big boost for losing weight.
- Quitting sugar caused headaches and cravings.
- It improved energy levels and overall fitness.
- We started cooking much healthier meals.
Read on to find out what happened
If you need some help to stop eating sugar, this is the best 28-day plan Ive found for fixing your sugar cravings.
This post contains affiliate links. This means I receive a commission if you make a purchase through my links, but this is at no additional cost to you. Please read my disclaimer for more information.
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Sugar Can Cause Hypoglycemia
Hyperglycemia is an where someone has an incredibly high blood sugar level. Its a very big sign that someone could have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and pre-diabetes.
Diabetes is the most common cause of hyperglycemia, and high sugar intakes are the culprit for the disease. Hypoglycemia is a big deal as far as your health is concerned, so for this reason, your choice to stop eating sugar is well justified.
How To Stop Eating Sugar And Break Sugar Addiction Once And For All
Here is the plan that Ive used to break my sugar addiction and stop eating cookies and sweets and drinking caramel lattes every day. I had so much of the sweet stuff when I was a kid that Ive developed hypoglycemia. In other words, if I dont eat at regular hours I tend to turn into a gremlin and if I wait a bit longer I become as pale as a vampire and sluggish like a zombie not exactly the lively, exciting woman I want to be.
Cutting out sugar became vital for me, and below I show you how I did it. I still have a little sugar from time to time but in much more controlled and manageable amounts. It makes me much friendlier and pleasant to be around with. I sleep better my teeth are healthy. I cant count the blessings Ive received by putting an end to eating a lot of sugar. Now its your turn to enjoy these blessings. Read on.
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Eat Foods With Natural Sugars
Sugar isnt completely unavoidable however, added sugar is. Fruit contains natural sugars, which is probably the unhealthiest part about eating fruit. For example, apples are very good for you due to their fiber content and such, but they do contain natural sugars.
If youre going to be getting your sugar from anywhere, make sure its from foods like fruit that contain 100% natural sugar.
Try A Nitro Cold Brew Coffee
Move over cold brew, a new java du jour has arrivedand it may just help you lose weight. It’s called nitrogen brewor nitro brew for shortand it lives on barista countertops in a contraption that looks similar to a beer tap. The keg, filled with cold-brew coffee, is attached to a pressurized tap that infuses the brew with nitrogen gas, which makes the coffee bubble up, giving it a creamy, chocolaty taste that’s been described as being similar to chocolate milk. The foam at the top also adds a pleasing texture and seems to help cut through coffee’s naturally bitter taste. And since it’s naturally rich, you’ll probably be able to drink it sans sugar. For those of you without a nitro tap at your local coffee spot, opt for a lighter roast. The lighter the beans, the less bitter the brew.
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If You Cut Sugar Out Of Your Diet What Happens
Its a big deal. Some people coast through cutting out sugar from their diet, but real sugar lovers can find it hard. My guy found it tough and because he exercises a lot it was difficult to find healthy high-energy snacks to satisfy the cravings.
You dont want to switch your high sugar treats for equally unhealthy high-fat snacks such as salty chips! He got by with whole wheat toast, bananas, and small handfuls of nuts.
Before he started quitting sugar, we cleared all sugary treats and foodstuffs with added sugar out of the pantry. This was the best tip for avoiding temptation.
I found I had to be really patient and supportive. Quitting sugar was my idea so I got all the flack on bad days especially over the first week!
But he stuck at it and by week two it was a lot easier. When he got to the end of the month he felt terrific. His energy levels were up and quitting sugar made a complete change to his body shape.
Hed lost over half a stone in a month and was so chuffed! He also looked leaner. My guys a climber and just losing half a stone made a huge difference to how hard he could climb.
This was just from cutting out obvious sources of sugar sugar in his tea and sugary treats.
What Is The Easiest Way To Detox From Sugar
So, how do you get rid of your sugar cravings?
Moderation, rather than elimination, is key.
Eat sugar in moderation
Just take my client Tree.
Tree loves to eat out with her family and that involves desserts. She never gave up on these dinners, but was still able to lose 20 pounds and flatten her stomach.
She didnt deprive herself, so she was able to enjoy her sweet treats while eating the right foods most of the time.
Most of the time, you can simply switch out your sugary treats to healthy, but tasty alternatives.
A study shows that participants ate significantly less high-sugary foods when they were given a mint with gymnemic acids from the Gymnema Sylvestre plant compared to those who were given a placebo.
A few of my own favorite sugar-replacing foods are cinnamon and mint.
Plan your meals
The next thing is to plan your meals. You see, if you have your breakfast, snacks, lunches, and dinners planned out, it gets much harder to go for quick solutions, like a chocolate bar as a snack or a ready-made meal as dinner.
And if you eat delicious food all the time, you wont even miss sugar. Your energy levels will keep much more stable if you eat frequent, small meals and a varied diet.
Other factors
Other factors also impact how well you stay off sugar.
Research shows that staying active throughout the day can help people reduce cravings for sugary foods. In the study, overweight people were shown to be less likely to eat sugary snacks after a brisk walk.
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How Long Does It Take To Detox From Sugar
Some medication is being developed to help people control sugar cravings. Right now, though, there are no medications that will reliably do so.
But there are natural ways to reduce the amount of sugar you eat.
According to a Yale report, setting short-term goals helps people stick to their weight-loss goals.
Thats why you should commit to a limited time period, like a month. Dont completely cut off sugar, but take it in steps. For example, bring a snack box to work with nuts and vegetables for when your energy dips. Plus, drink infused water with lemon or orange to satisfy your cravings.
And what happens when you stop eating sugar for a month? Do you still crave it? Or not so much?
The problem is that sugar seems to activate some withdrawal and relapse symptoms. Research on lab animals has shown that rats that are deprived of sugar worked harder to get it once they were reintroduced to it.
That said, getting off sugar can be done. After a while, about a month or so in my experience, youll feel significantly less addicted to sugar if you follow the right steps.
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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Understand The Science Behind Sugar Cravings
It isnt just your taste buds that rejoice when you eat sweet foods. Your brain responds to the stimulus sugar brings, too. Studies have shown the getting that hit of sugar activates the reward center of the brain, with addiction-like effects similar to that of drugs.
This isnt to say that sugar is just as bad as narcotics but your brain certainly reacts in a similar fashion, signaling a loss or lack of self-control that can lead to overindulgence or craving for even more.2
Furthermore, the more sugary foods you indulge in, the more your brain signals for it and its going to take a bigger hit to satiate your sugar addiction or food cravings as time goes by. Even more alarming is the fact that the more high-glycemic the foods you eat are meaning, the more it spikes your blood sugar the more your brain registers it as a reward.3
This effect essentially causes you to crave and cave in to sweets more easily, much to the detriment of your health and wellness.
Focus On The Fab Four
The Fab Four is a light structure I built to help my clients remember what nourishing foods they should eat.
It includes:
These foods can help elongate your blood-sugar curve , and support hormone production, microbiome proliferation, and healthy body composition.
Eating the Fab Four calms various hunger-related hormones and can help reduce your appetite:
- Protein, fat, and fiber induce cholecystokinin , a satiety hormone that can help you feel full. Burton-Freeman B, et al. . Ratios of soluble and insoluble dietary fibers on satiety and energy intake in overweight pre- and postmenopausal women.
- Protein and leafy green vegetables increase glucagon-like peptide-1 , which has played a role in bringing down blood sugar levels in people who have type 2 diabetes. Chudleigh RA, et al. . Comparative effectiveness of long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonists in type 2 diabetes: A short review on the emerging data.
- Eating a fiber- and protein-based meal may increase concentrations of peptide YY appetite control hormone. De Silva A, et al. . Gut hormones and appetite control: A focus on PYY and GLP-1 as therapeutic targets in obesity.
Check out this sugar-free granola recipe if youre in a crunchy mood.
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Substitute With A Better Behavior
When it comes to addiction, there is no one size fits all approach that works for everyone or even for the same person at different stages of recovery. And theres no addiction too small either to find the right approach for you or your loved one. At MATClinics, we pair outpatient medication-assisted treatment with counseling with cognitive and behavior therapies.
However, when it comes to sugar addiction, medications may not be needed. Take a moment to notice when you reach for sugar and then try to substitute that behavior with something else like meditating or exercise. Trying to keep your stress levels down as you work on breaking the cycle of this addiction can help you have few cravings for sugar at all. Thus, it will make quitting sugar easier because you have other behaviors and habits to combat the stress that might have been causing you to reach for the sugar initially.