8 Tips To Break Your Sugar Addiction
Do you find yourself seeking out sugar and not being satisfied until you get your fix? Once you start eating sugar is it really hard for you to stop?
There’s a reason sugar has such an infectious way about it. The fact is that sugar is a drug and just like any drug it has powerfully addictive properties. Weaning yourself off sugar can be a challenge — often people can suffer from withdrawal symptoms such as headaches and fatigue. However, the more you get it out of your diet, the easier it becomes to steer clear of it.
So why does sugar have such a big impact on us?
It all comes down to the way it is processed and used in the body. When we consume sugar, it is digested by enzymes in the small intestine that break it down into either glucose or fructose. Glucose is released into the bloodstream immediately and used for energy while fructose needs to be converted into glucose by the liver before it can be used. Glucose is then absorbed into the bloodstream, where beta cells in the pancreas monitor sugar levels. When blood glucose levels elevate, the pancreas releases the hormone insulin to help regulate levels appropriately. If you take in more sugar than your body needs, it gets stored for later use in the muscle and liver. Over time, though, regular overconsumption of sugar can lead to chronically elevated blood glucose levels. This can affect your body’s ability to properly produce adequate insulin. Your cells themselves can even become resistant to the effects of insulin. This leaves you with elevated blood sugar levels for longer and can potentially lead to pre-and eventually, type 2 diabetes. Fructose is especially harmful because while your liver can handle small amounts, metabolizing large quantities can be taxing and promotes the conversion of fructose into fat. That can drive your risk for obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
Eating too much sugar has consistently been linked to long-term negative effects including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, many types of cancer inflammation, and short-term effects, such as fatigue, brain fog, insomnia, and mood swings.
Here are 8 Tips To Break Your Sugar Addiction
1. Sugar Swap
Step away from the Swedish Fish and turn to nature’s candy – fruit. A serving of fruit such as a pear, an apple, or 1⁄2 cup of blueberries is a nutritious way to satisfy your sweet tooth.
2. Eat Healthy Fats
Whether subconscious or not, we often reach to sugar for the energy spike it provides. Healthy fats such as coconut oil, avocado, nuts, and olives take longer to digest and therefore provide lasting energy as opposed to a sugar spike of energy that quickly fades.
3. Boost your protein at breakfast
Protein can help stabilize your blood sugar and keep you feeling full—especially when consumed in the morning. Try getting in at least 15-20 grams of protein to start the day to curb appetite and cravings later on. This could look like pastured eggs with sautéed veggies, a smoothie with fresh fruit, vegetables, and protein powder, or wild-caught smoked salmon with avocado.
4. Add-In Sweet Spices
Use spices such as cinnamon, anise, mint, nutmeg, and cardamom that have a natural sweetness about them. You can add a dash of these to your smoothies and/or purchase herbal teas that have them listed among the ingredients.
5. Include More Sweet Vegetables
Sweet vegetables such as sweet potato, beets, carrots, and butternut squash are a great way to add natural sweetness to your meals. Satisfying your palate in this way often reduces the need for additional sweetness outside of meals.
6. Prioritize sleep
Lack of sleep has been shown to increase blood sugar levels and contribute to greater sugar cravings the following day. Prioritize 7-8 hours of sleep per night and optimize sleep quality by including a nightly relaxation routine—such as meditation or a hot bath—and a consistent bedtime.
7. Add in more leafy greens
Leafy greens such as kale, collard greens, arugula, and spinach can provide your body with essential vitamins and minerals that become depleted when you regularly consume sugar. Once you replenish these nutrients, it can often help improve energy. Greens also have studied benefits such as encouraging detoxification, reducing inflammation, and fighting disease. Try to aim for at least 2-3 cups of leafy greens at each meal.
8. Drink more water
Flushing out accumulated toxins is one of the most important components of successful detox. With the elimination of packaged foods, you’ll not only be detoxing from sugar but also from common chemicals, additives, and pesticides found in processed products. To help maximize the benefits of the sugar detox, hydration is crucial. Set a goal of at least 2-3 liters of fluid each day to fend off unwanted detox symptoms and accelerate swift elimination through the body.
7. Move your body
Engaging in light physical activity can boost energy levels and support further detoxification through sweating. Sweating helps to gently eliminate toxins through the skin such as heavy metals and chemicals. Exercise also serves as an effective way to help manage blood sugar and stress levels all on its own. Opt for at least 20-30 minutes of heart-rate raising physical activity each day while on the detox.
8. Seek Out Healthier Rewards
For most of us, sugary treats were used as a reward system throughout our childhood. If you’re ‘good’, you can have a cookie. If you clean your room, you can go to your favorite ice cream shop. This sugar-based reward system easily trickles into adulthood. Make a list of other things you find rewarding – maybe it’s getting a pedicure, a massage, taking a bath, or making it to your favorite yoga class. Try to make your reward something that is nourishing rather than depleting.
by: Robin Berzin, MD
Edited by: Cameron Gildea, INHC
