You know you need to cut back on the amount of sugar in your diet. But despite your best efforts, you just can’t stay away. That is because your brain reacts to sugar the same way that it does to powerful narcotics like cocaine and heroin.
So, if you are having a hard time trimming sugar out of your daily routine, give yourself a break. This does not mean that you are a weak-willed person with no self-control. It just means it is going to be difficult.
If you practice the following 10 tips to cut sugar out of your diet on a consistent basis, you will begin to crave sugar less (and those extra pounds will start to come off).
1 – Get to Know the Aliases that Sugar Goes By
Not all sugar is called sugar. Even if you are diligently reading food labels, food companies are consistently trying to derail your healthy eating efforts. They understand how addictive sugar is, so they try to sneak it past you and get it into your body. Don’t forget, sugar is even in foods that might not taste sweet, such as some breads and sauces.
When reading nutrition labels, look for words like high fructose, dried cane syrup, corn syrup, invert(ed) sugar, molasses and just about any word that ends in “ose”. Honey, maple syrup and brown rice syrup are also sneaky and healthy sounding ways that food companies tell you there is sugar in a specific product. Cut back on any foods that list these sugar aliases as ingredients.
2 – Start Reading More … Food Labels, That Is
Almost all modernized countries demand some type of nutrition label on edible products. This just makes sense. It keeps dishonest companies from selling nonfood items as food, and unscrupulous firms can not sell eventually dangerous foods without revealing every aspect of their makeup.
However, simply because labels are required that reveal what is inside, this doesn’t instantly keep you from purchasing and eating the wrong types of foods.
Even a brand new food label reader can understand that part of the description which lists how much fat, nutrition, dietary fiber, calories and carbohydrates a particular item is delivering. But, one place you really want to look is where a manufacturer lists all of the ingredients which make up the food you are about to buy.
Use the tip above to look for sugar aliases, and if you do not understand a term, do not buy that product until you can get home and research it. Get into the habit of reading every food label before you purchase a particular item.
3 – Eat More Frequently to Control Your Blood Sugar Levels
When your blood sugar level drops, you crave sweet and sugary snacks and meals. But studies have shown that when you eat 3 meals and 2 snacks, or 5 small meals, each and every day, it is easier to regulate your natural sugar level. It cuts down on your tendency to crave something sweet, and your sugar consumption drops.
4 – Go Unsweetened
Now that you are consistently reading food labels and you know the sneaky names that food companies hide sugar behind, you can start cutting back or eliminating those items. No longer can you claim ignorance in the “sugar battle”. Begin getting more unsweetened food products and beverages in your diet.
What you want to look for are the terms “unsweetened” and “no sugar added”. The types of natural sugars found in dairy and fruit are healthy for you. You just want to avoid artificial, added sugar.
Before you start a tantrum and argue that unsweetened drinks and foods don’t taste good, there are you ways you can get that sweet taste that you like without sugar. You can add natural fruits for a sweet flavor. And nondairy milk using soy or almonds comes in multiple flavors, all using natural sweeteners.
Apple sauce, canned fruits (make sure they are packaged in water or juice and not syrup) and oatmeal all offer unsweetened versions. The same with certain nut-based butters. Begin to cut back incrementally on those sugar-filled cousins of these products, and you will find it easier to do when you follow our next step.
5 – Take Small Steps, and Try Not to Go Cold Turkey
One great way to cut sugar out of your diet is to take baby steps. You have probably been eating sugar-laced items your entire life. So your body is going to go through a withdrawal period if you try to quit sugar cold turkey. Amari Thomsen is a registered dietitian that recommends cutting back on your sugar intake slowly if you are going to be successful over the long-term.
For example, Thomsen says that perhaps you should try using 1 packet of sugar in your coffee if you usually use 2. Do this for one week, then cut that quantity in half and repeat.
If you love yogurt for the many positive health benefits it delivers, you don’t have to go cold turkey from sweetened to unsweetened here either. Go 50/50 with sweetened and plain yogurt.
Begin adding fresh fruit to replace the sweet flavor that you crave. Human beings are much more successful when a particular endeavor requires them to take slow baby steps out of their comfort zone, so go slow and steady.
6 – Don’t Use “Fake Sugar” Unless You Want to Gain a Lot of Weight
We mentioned a couple of times earlier that natural sweeteners found in fruits and vegetables are perfectly acceptable and healthy. The same cannot be said for artificial sweeteners. Just because something replaces sugar, if it is refined and made by man, that does not necessarily mean that it is good for you.
Diane Sanfilippo is a certified nutrition consultant and author of The 21 Day Sugar Detox, which teaches you how to effectively remove sugar from your diet in just 3 weeks.
She agrees with the 2010 review posted in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine that says sugar-free foods and artificial sweeteners actually promote weight gain. This is because they disturb your brain’s natural taste for sweetness.
They do not deliver nutrition and calories along with their sweet taste. And that is exactly why they are known to cause weight gain. Reaching for fake and artificial sweeteners can actually drive you right back to eating unhealthy, refined sugar.
7 – Replace Sugar with Flavor
Why not replace that sweet sugary flavor with condiments and natural flavor alternatives? The next time you have a coffee craving, order the unsweetened latte. Coffee hotspots like Starbucks provide wonderful natural powders like cocoa, cinnamon and vanilla for you to spice up your favorite java at no extra charge.
Cinnamon is an incredibly healthy spice which actually lowers your blood sugar level and improves your heart health.
Less than 1 teaspoon of cinnamon a day has been shown to be a healthy diet addition, so add it to your coffee instead of sugar. And regulated blood sugar levels have also been shown to help control your appetite, so you may eat less as well.
Stop purchasing flavored oatmeal and simply sprinkle some nutmeg or ginger on top. You can also add a handful of healthy blueberries to your oatmeal to provide a wonderful flavor and contrast. There are literally dozens of natural spices and condiments you can use to add flavor instead of reaching for unhealthy sugar.
8 – Eat and Enjoy Your Sugar-filled Desserts
What is that, you say? How can we be telling you that eating desserts heavy in sugar is a good thing, when sugar is so bad for you?
Eventually, you may remove every urge to eat sugar in any form. But the idea behind these tests is to locate sugar that is getting into your diet in ways that you do not understand. And, rewarding yourself from time to time is required if your sugar removal plans are going to be successful.
Those cereals which manufacturers tell you are healthy are often times packed full of sugar. Ketchup, bread and other seemingly innocent items are chock full of sugar. It is these non-dessert sugar-filled items that you want to eliminate throughout the day.
Reward yourself with a sweet treat on weekends after dinner, or when you dine out twice a week. Just don’t implement this strategy every day.
9 – Stop Drinking these Beverages Immediately!
Okay, so everyone knows that soda has lots of sugar. But there are plenty of so-called healthy drinks and beverages that have incredibly high levels of refined and unnaturally occurring sugar. Are you drinking any of these?
- Enhanced water products – contain up to 8 teaspoons of sugar per bottle
- Canned or bottled coffee beverages – 8 teaspoons sugar per bottle
- Manufactured iced teas – as many as 9 sugar teaspoons per container
- “Healthy” store-bought smoothies – more than 12 teaspoons of sugar for a small size
Once again, all you have to do is read nutrition labels carefully to avoid these sugar drinking disasters. The American Heart Association recommends less than 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day, but thanks to the tricky sugar-laden beverages above, the average person consumes more than 12 teaspoons of added sugar each and every day.
10 – Don’t Give Up!
Almost everything worth doing requires a sacrifice of some sort. That is what makes you feel so good when you successfully accomplish something difficult. Giving up sugar may be difficult for you. But sugar contains a lot of calories and zero essential nutrients.
It can cause tooth decay, promotes weight gain and water retention, and can become a dangerous addiction. And did you know that a diet heavy in sugar can actually damage your liver?
There are so many reasons not to take sugar into your body, and zero healthy ones. Yes, it tastes great. But that is only because you have become used to it. When you practice these tips to cut sugar out of your diet, your body and mind will resist at first.
But, after 2 to 3 weeks of a sugarless existence, you will start to feel better, and both your taste buds and your mind will begin to become acclimated to your healthier diet. This makes eliminating sugar much easier every day that you are successful in doing so.
