How to Break the Sugar Habit

According to studies, people today take much more sugar than their predecessors without parallel. Reason for this can lie in added sugar that is an inseparable ingredient in many products, we use daily. Namely, processed food, especially the one that is low in calories, contains sugar in various forms; sugar gives them a tasty flavor. Thus, the first thing we have to undertake is an examination of our refrigerator and pantry. It is recommended not only to eliminate all cakes, candies, and juices, but also to reduce the food with hidden sugar. To do this, we need some time to recognize this type of food. Even though it can seem difficult in the beginning to read all the products’ labels, very soon we will become acquainted with risky food and ingredients, and it will take less time and effort. In this sense, the article “Breaking the Sugar Habit: 4 Simple Strategies” gives us interesting strategies that can help us to break sugar habits.

1. Eat enough low-sugar whole foods daily. When we don’t eat enough low sugar whole foods during the day, our body naturally craves calories. Guess which type of food our body knows has calories? Sweet foods. Remember that late afternoon cookie binge? How about snacking on junk food when you get home from a hard day’s work? Eating sufficient amounts of low-sugar whole foods is the simplest and fastest way to reduce cravings. When you’re craving sugar check-in with yourself to make sure you’ve eaten enough during the day. Did you skip breakfast? Only had a small lunch? Eat whole foods like grass-fed meats, wild fish, vegetables and greens, non-gluten grains like quinoa and millet, and good fats like avocados and coconut. Adding sufficient amounts of these whole foods into your daily regime will dramatically cut your cravings for sugar.
Simple trick: Have a green smoothie as soon as you get home from work to curb cravings for junk food.

2. Hydrate. Sugar cravings often arise because of dehydration. When you feel a craving, first drink a few glasses of water. A good health habit is to start your day by drinking water and having a smoothie for breakfast. This practice will hydrate your system, give your body easily digestible nutrients, and set you up for healthy eating for the rest of the day. Look to incorporate 2 liters of water into your daily regime.

3. Eat fruit or use stevia. When you desire something sweet, eat fruit or use stevia exclusively. Stevia is a plant with sweet leaves that is often used as a low-carbohydrate, low glycemic sugar that doesn’t feed yeast or fungus in the body or cause cravings. You can add stevia to teas, smoothies or deserts. Make a commitment to eating only fruit and using stevia for two weeks. It may be more challenging to reduce sugar when eating at restaurants so make a commitment to eating only fruit and Stevia at home.
Simple Sweet Drink recipe: add a dash of stevia and apple cider vinegar to water.

3. Eat sour and fermented foods. This is the trick of the trade. When you crave the sugar taste, hit it with its opposite. Eat sour and fermented foods like sauerkrauts and kimchee. These foods give you a blast of probiotics, nutrients and cut sugar cravings. Look for unpasteurized krauts at your health food store or easily make them at home.

4. Take a daily probiotic. When our gut bacteria is out of balance, we crave sugar. Probiotics help replenish intestinal flora and restore balance to the gut system. They help tip the scale back towards good bacteria and away from bad bacteria, fungus and yeast. Consider taking at least 15 billion active bacteria daily.

If we remind ourselves that recommended daily quantities of sugar are about 6 teaspoons for women and 9 teaspoons for men (according to the American Heart Association – AHA), we can be strongly challenged to accomplish this. Especially, if we consider that sweetened yogurt, half cup of ice-cream or one refreshing drink already have this quantity, and many other processed foods far outweigh these limits. Maybe, it is a good idea to replace the sweetened yogurt with Greek yogurt, or high-sugar cereals with the whole grain cereals dressed with fresh fruits. We can also find many good ideas and recipes for homemade refreshments as well as freshly squeezed juices. Whatever new strategy, we want to give a try, it is more natural to do it gradually. Our body does not like huge changes, and it is more likely that craving for sugar arise if we lean only on our strong will and try to break the sugar habit at once.