How To Stop Sugar Cravings. Top 10 Tips

Sugar is everywhere! 

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Cutting back on sugar may be helpful for weight loss, and it may result in other health benefits such as being more alert, having healthier looking hair and skin as well as having more energy. Check out my top 10 tips which will show you how to stop those nasty little sugar cravings that creep up on us out of nowhere.

SUGAR is everywhere. Added sugar is the killer of all evil and learning how to reduce it will boost your health in many ways. You can boost your chances of success by preparing your mind, body and fridge first. Start by writing a food journal of everything you eat and assess how much sugar you are consuming. You will be really surprised.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in one day are  Men: 150 calories per day (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons) Women: 100 calories per day (25 grams or 6 teaspoons). Guidelines do not refer to sugar found in milk and fresh fruit. Remember that one teaspoon has 4grams of sugar.

Reducing sugar in the diet is easier than you might think. Due to its impact on insulin and blood sugar levels, it’s important to keep sugar levels low, especially if weight loss is your goal. For our body to function efficiently, it needs a good supply of glucose. However, people are overeating too much sugar, and the body is not able to handle it. It makes us feel sluggish, so if you are feeling like this regularly be sure to check out how much sugar you are consuming.

Book Recommendation – A must-read if you want to know what sugar does to the body.

If you want to read about what refined sugar can do to the body, then I recommend an absolute must-read. It’s called Pure White and Deadly – How sugar is killing us and what we can do about it by John Yudkin. Once you’ve read this book, you may think twice about the sugar choices in your diet. You can get the book here on Amazon.

Top 10 Tips

1. Add foods to your diet that balance out your blood sugar levels.

Helping to balance out your blood sugar levels is important as well as choosing food types such as low-carb foods like non-starchy vegetables to keep insulin low.  Insulin is responsible for lowering blood sugar as well as storing fat, so it’s important to keep sugar spikes under control by ditching sugary sweets, processed carbs, white bread & flour and anything that is not in its natural state. If you have diabetes or any other ailments, double-check with your doctor before you change your eating regime.

2. Try not to eat processed or sugary carbs for breakfast.

Eating sugary carbs early in the day will cause your insulin to rise and your energy levels to crash, making you much more tired during the day. If you must have pancakes for breakfast, consider using coconut flour and add some fruit (fruit sugar is ok). Sugar will also increase your cravings for more sugar.

3. Eat Clean – Eat foods in their natural state.

Eating foods such as fruits and vegetables will provide your body with fibre. Fruit has natural sugar and is a perfect choice when weight loss is your goal. Add green juices in the morning, which will set you up for the day. Check out my video about celery juice as this is great first thing in the morning. Eating a plant-based diet will provide your body with fibre that will aid your digestion. Make sure to fill your fridge with these types of healthy food options. Preparation is key.

4. Increase your lean proteins.

Protein is excellent for balancing out blood sugar levels, and it also helps to keep sugar cravings at bay. Try to eat proteins at breakfast as this will make you feel full. Foods like free-range eggs, wild chicken and turkey

5. Eat more healthy fats

Fats such as avocado, almond butter, fatty fish, nuts, olive oil. These fats have many health benefits, such as reducing inflammation and reducing the risk of coronary heart disease.

6. Read the Food labels on everything.

You’ll be in shock when you start reading food labels and will realise that sugar is everywhere. You’ll also find many different forms of sugar (fructose, sucrose, glucose) listed and may be motivated to switch to more natural food choices. Check labels for the grams of total sugars.

7. Reduce sugar, starch & grains such as wheat.

E.g white bread – a slice of processed white bread can have up to 3grams of sugar per slice (that’s around 1 teaspoon). These foods also raise your insulin, causing you to have sugar spikes. In the end, you will crave the same foods all over again to get your energy levels up.

8. Avoid Soft Drinks and reduce alcohol

Instead, add stevia powder or stevia leaf to your drinks. Reduce alcohol, especially beer and wine. Dry white wine has around 3 grams per glass, so if you have a few glasses per day, then you are filling up your sugar capacity with sugar alcohols. If fat loss is your goal, bear in mind that the alcohol will be burned first before the body burns any fat.

9. Avoid Fat-Free labelled foods

Avoiding fat-free foods are important as they are mainly substituted with added sugar. In the fat-free food boom, people became fatter as everyone found out that fat-free was the way forward, but obesity stats grew tremendously. Food companies took out the fat and replaced it with sugar. Yikes, what a wrong and move. Check out your sauces, salad dressings, ketchup that all have hidden sugars. You will be amazed to find just how much sugar is lurking in these foods.

10. Assess your sugar eating habits.

Emotional eating can cause you to reach out to the sweet cupboard. I know, I’ve done this myself. Ask yourself a question before you eat sugar or sugary food: Why am I eating this? Is it because you are craving sugar, you are hungry, or do you need stress relief and emotional comfort? An out of control sweet tooth may be detrimental to your health so it’s important to figure out why you are eating sugary foods.

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DISCLAIMER

The information in this blog is for educational purposes only and does not replace any advice given by a medical practitioner or nutritional therapist.

You must consult your doctor before embarking on any diet or nutritional/exercise program detailed on this website, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition. Your doctor knows what is right for you.

The eating regime mentioned above does not serve as a cure or prevention for any illness, disease or medical problems. SEE DISCLAIMER .

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