Sugar can be difficult to reduce from our diet. That is because it is literally everywhere. It is said that sugar is very addictive. Not just simply addictive but 5 to 8 times more addictive than a few of the banned drugs.
Every time we eat sugar in any form, our brain releases a feel good chemical called Dopamine and that is the main reason for us to crave for sugar based foods. So in simple terms yes – It is very addictive and hence is very hard to manage our sugar cravings.
Just by quitting sugar for a month the number of changes it brings and the quality of life gets drastically improved. To know the quality changes it adds check out the previous blog linked here –
What happens when you cut down sugar for a month!?
Most of us like these changes, we want to sleep better, have better glowing skin, better mood and happy thought process but do you find it very difficult to even take the first step?
First things first – no you don’t have to quit sugar forever. Without even knowing the changes it could add to our living you should not quit it once and for all. But, just try to cut down on refined sugar for a month to 40 days and see the changes yourself! Observe them and then take an informed decision.
So, if you are ready – you set your mind and want to try it out but not sure how to be able to manage your cravings then this article is for you my friend! I will give you a few practical tips to get started with your – No sugar journey!
Tips to control your sugar cravings!
Tip 1 – Eat whole foods
Whole foods are foods that are either not processed at all, or processed minimally. In simple words whole foods are foods that are in their natural form. These include whole grains, legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds etc.,
When we eat whole foods as it is not processed food there is no sugar in it – no one has added sugar or hundred different unpronounceable ingredients. So if you focus your diet towards whole foods you are automatically not having sugar based foods and hence the whole concept of cutting down sugar becomes easy.
Always go for whole foods!
Tip 2 – Do not skip your breakfast
Due to our sleep patterns where we watch some series late till 2 or 3 AM and wake up just half an hour before our office or college, ofcourse we will then not have the time to sit back peacefully and have breakfast. This is a very unhealthy way of starting our day.
Imagine for a moment when you skip your breakfast and get ready in a hurry to go to the office, you reach your office then grab a cup of coffee (add in some sugar), maybe a quick thing to munch on (will usually be processed foods) or you try to have some tetra packed juice or chocolate to calm yourself till you hit the lunch time. You basically are starting your day not just on an unhealthy note but also with sugar based foods.
Instead, wake up on time and always have your breakfast. Out of all the meals, having a good nutritious breakfast is most important. Have breakfast which is high in protein and always include healthy fats in your food preparation. This will help to reduce your unnecessary food cravings automatically!
Tip 3 – Stop drinking sugar
One of the easiest ways by which our sugar intake goes above the roof is when we drink our calories. We might probably think yes are switching to whole based foods but just to satisfy your cravings you end up having one or two cans of beverage!? oh no that would just ruin our entire plan.
We drink a glass of sugary drinks and don’t even realise the amount of sugar we just slurped in within no time. Now you don’t have to stop drinking your favorite drink once and forever but just start being mindful of the number of times you drink your sugar (yes every time you have a can of cold drink – you literally are just drinking sugar).
Tip 4 – Replace it with spices
Not everyone can just wake up and take the decision of quitting sugar. If you find it too difficult to not have sugar then you can replace it with other spices. If you are having a bowl of cereal in the morning or my favourite chia pudding – instead of adding spoons of regular refined sugar, you can add healthier alternatives like coconut sugar or cinnamon to bring some flavor to your pudding.
Pro thought – Cinnamon adds an amazing flavor to your pudding, it has added health benefits plus has properties to help you control your cravings by regulating blood sugar.
Tip 5 – Read food labels
Now it is not always possible to have whole foods. There will be times where you would want a quick fix and end up having processed foods. In such cases start being mindful of the ingredients listed on the processed food packet.
Most of the packaged and processed foods might not clearly list out the term sugar for you and me to understand that easily. Fun fact! During my research I figured that ‘sugar’ has 40 to 50 different names.
Start looking at the labels and recognise sugar aliases like syrups – corn syrup, cane syrup and look out for words that end with – ‘ose’ like glucose, fructose, sucrose, dextrose as these are all sugars.
Tip 6 – Eat regularly and balanced
Most important point is to not skip a meal. Think about it every time we skip a meal, say your lunch or breakfast, maybe temporarily at that point there is no intake of calories but you tend to get more hungry and crave more and hence would end up eating more than usual.
Set your mind in such a way that you always have time to have your meal!
Another important point to remember is to eat more protein. If you had a sugary breakfast, right after an hour or more you would feel hungry again. That is because you did not have enough protein in your meal. But, instead you had a sugar based meal so your blood sugar went up and then there is a dip sooner. The moment that dip happens you would crave for sugary food again.
Hence, in simple words, have more protein in your meal alongside healthy fats.
Summary
As mentioned in my previous blog, cutting down on sugar has amazing health benefits which improves the quality of life. So, if you are at a point where you would want to take that decision of cutting down on sugar then I hope this blog and the tips mentioned above would help you to make a start today.
Taking a decision of not having sugar is a lifestyle change and any lifestyle changes are time taking. I have not mentioned at any point where we need to run away from sugary foods but instead a disciplined and conscious effort to our overall food and diet habits will make this journey a lot more easy!
As I always say –
Start small, start today.
Being mindful of what you consume and putting efforts to understand what you consume and to study your own food habits could be a starting step in itself.
Have a healthy and happy life.