All of us have probably experienced sugar addiction at some point in our lives. And most of us are sugar addicts without even knowing it. Last week I ate sweets everyday because it was my birthday week and now I’m struggling to keep my hands off from the left-over cakes. In addition, I’m super tired and can’t stop dreaming of salty caramel latte with whipped cream on it. However, I know that my body has just got used to eating sugar and it isn’t good for me. I want to get rid of the slight addiction. But how do I do it? We all know how hard it is to stay away from sugar, especially because it’s everywhere.
Make a conscious decision to stay away from sugar
Recognize your habits and your sugar addiction. Why do you eat sugar that much? Do you eat sweets on certain time of the day or just whenever you are feeling down? Do you always say yes if someone offers you chocolate or do you usually have a piece of cake with a coffee? Or do you always drink your coffee with flavored syrups and whipped cream? Or maybe it’s just your habit to get some sweets from the store when you’re making a food shop when you’re hungry. Once you’ve figured out your habits and you feel like you want to cut down on sugar, you need to start the process by deciding to change your habits and consciously staying away from sugar.
Don’t be too hard on yourself
I think it’s more than okay to treat yourself every now and then to something sweet and yummy. I try to eat healthy and clean for about 90 percent of the time and then let myself eat almost whatever I want for the rest 10 percent of the meals. If you eat 5 meals a day, 10 percent means you could enjoy something more special on 4 meals a week. Or maybe it works for you if you choose two days every week when you could enjoy some cake, a nice latte or some chocolate. However, remember not to be too hard on yourself. Try to truly enjoy everything you eat and don’t beat yourself up if you have eaten too much sugar. If you are nice on yourself and don’t say no to all sweets and pastries, you probably find yourself craving them less.
Pay attention to your eating, sleeping and drinking habits
Do you eat regularly, at least 4 times a day? Eating regularly will help with a sugar addiction because your blood sugar will stay stable which makes it easier to say no to sugar. Also, eating enough protein and good carbs will help you to stay away from sugar. Protein and carbs such as quinoa or sweet potato make you feel full longer and they don’t make your blood sugar jump up high.
Whenever I’ve had a bad night’s sleep or I’m too tired I find myself craving anything sweet. And it is super hard to say no to sugar when I’m tired. That’s one of the reasons I really can’t control my cravings when I’m hungover. In addition, most alcoholic drinks contain lots of sugar and drinking too much or too often can also trigger a sugar addiction. However, drinking enough water is a good way to control your craving. Very often when I’m home I feel like eating something even though I’m actually just thirsty. So just remember to drink at least two liters of water every day – carrying a water bottle around everywhere is a good reminder. And remember that your body needs water already before you actually feel thirsty.
Satisfy your sweet tooth more naturally
I really loooove chocolate. I eat chocolate every week, usually on several days of the week. I’ve noticed that a trick that works for me is to sub raw chocolate/dark chocolate for sugary milk chocolate. Why? Because eating dark chocolate makes me really like the taste of real chocolate and after it normal milk chocolate tastes only like sugar. I usually start with 60% and go up to 85% dark chocolate. And my rule is to have only 2 pieces a day. Also berries and fruits are very good for satisfying the sweet tooth. One of my favorite snacks is sliced apple with some hummus – sugar and protein in the same packet. However, remember to be moderate with fruits and berries as well because they are just sugar after all.
Do you have any own tricks which work for you when trying to get rid of sugar? 🙂
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