7 Tips to Break the Sugar Addiction
7 Tips to Break the Sugar Addiction detox your body and feel better!
Learn what chronic diseases sugar addiction causes and find out what to do about it.
TIP #1 Educate yourself. Give yourself the reason WHY to quit sugar.
Let’s start with symptoms. Ever have any of these?
First of all, some quick statistics:
Did you know the average American eats 19.5 teaspoons (or 82 grams of sugar) every day? That’s 66 pounds of sugar a year! Our kids are eating on average 34 teaspoons of sugar a day
Cancer
Diabetes
Metabolic Syndrome
Heart Disease
Asthma
Obesity
Fatty liver
Sugar is as addictive as Cocaine!
Therefore, manufacturers are also pretty sneaky about labeling sugars in processed foods and beverages, so your glance at the ingredients doesn’t always tell you the whole story. Some examples of added sugar names are: Dextrin, Maltodextrin, Lactose, Saccharose, Sorghum syrup, Xylose, Glucose, Fructose, Diastatic malt, Galactose, Rice syrup, Treacle, and the list goes on. Bread, snacks, condiments, cereals, and yogurt even has a lot of sugar in them.
What’s the maximum amount of sugar our bodies are allowed to consume without too much adverse effect? Five teaspoons (women), nine teaspoons (men) and four teaspoons (children).
And yet, there are 10 teaspoons in an average can of soda.
How many cans of soda do you drink a day?
TIP # 2 Be mindful of what, when and how you’re eating.
Are you checking labels? Is the server at McDonald’s your best friend?
What percentage of FRESH foods are you eating?
Are you eating at mealtimes or are you skipping meals and snacking on high-sugar products? Are you eating due to stress, boredom, or out of opportunity (party, all-you-can-eat, etc…)?
Do you eat fast or enjoy your food slowly?
If you look at these questions and answer them honestly, you should be able to pinpoint problems, the reasons you’re eating sugar, when and how much. Taking an active role in observing the factors that cause you to reach for the candy bar should help you divert yourself and reach for the bag of almonds instead.
TIP # 3 Substitute for your sugar cravings. This is important for your sugar addiction detox.
There are reasons we have certain cravings and the chart below will help you determine a good substitute (or simply a vitamin or mineral) to take when you crave sweets and assist with your sugar addiction detox.
Chocolate – Magnesium (Eat spinach, swiss chard, pumpkin seeds, yogurt, almonds, black beans)
Sweets – Chromium (sweet potatoes, broccoli, grapes, nuts, oats, brewer’s yeast)
Phosphorus (poultry, fish, nuts, beans)
Carbon (fresh fruits, beef, cheese)
Tryptophan (eggs, pineapple, tofu, salmon, turkey, nuts, seeds)
Sulphur (arugula, coconut milk, bok choy, cauliflower, eggs, garlic, legumes)
Fizzy drinks – Calcium (Soy/Almond Milk)
Alcohol – Vitamin B2 (Yogurt)
TIP #4 Do a Complete Sugar Addiction Detox.
If you crave sugar in any form during this time, use the above list to substitute for the craving.
TIP #5 Don’t make it seem like or tell yourself, you’re denying yourself something. You’re not. You’re making an proactive choice that, “I don’t need sugar.”
TIP #6 Substitute sugary drinks and soda with detoxifying infused waters and hot teas. They will also boost your metabolism!
Adding fresh lemons, lemon juice, mint, ginger, strawberries, or other fresh fruits to your water can be so refreshing and is very cleansing for the body. There are hundreds of easy to make water-infusion and smoothie drinks recipes online that won’t spike your sugar.
Hot herbal, ginger or green tea between or at each meal is also very good for you. And there are dozens more wonderful teas you can make that taste great and help the body detox.
TIP #7 Include a ½ cup of beans, chickpeas or lentils in a meal each day. Beans reduce sugar cravings.
BONUS TIP for your sugar addiction detox!
If you break your sugar fast and feel the effects of sugar-overload, a teaspoon of unsweetened peanut butter or two helps to bring the spike back down, and on a celery stick is even better. If you don’t like peanut butter, then drink a large glass of water with the juice of a whole lemon squeezed into it.
Any way you look at it, food is fuel. It is supposed to be used for the good of your body. It assists in keeping you energized, cell regeneration, immunities, and strengthening. But abused, it can have the opposite effects.
I’d love to hear some of your thoughts about how this blog might have helped you kick sugar addiction.
