When it comes to sweets, are you like me? Eating even just a little, I instantly want more. While it hasn't been easy, I have eliminated most sugar from my diet and so can you! It can be challenging to do, so using the tips in this blog will help. 
How does sugar impact our bodies? Excess sugar stresses our body by causing major inflammation, taxing our liver, and damaging our arteries. Sugar simply creates havoc on our immune system. It causes fatigue, bloating, and is the number one food choice of cancer. Because of the inflammation created, this can lead to diseases like fatty liver syndrome, diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s.
Why is it so hard to not eat sugar? Speaking at the Get off Your Sugar Summit, Dr. Nicole Avena, an expert in the field of nutrition, diet & addiction, spoke about why sugar is so addictive. Evidence indicates that sugar causes our brains to act like a person dependent on a drug. This is because sugar causes the brain to release dopamine, the same neurotransmitter that spikes when someone uses cocaine.
Our bodies only need 4 grams of sugar per day. It’s difficult to regulate how much sugar we are eating because it's everywhere. It’s in the obvious candy, cookies, and cakes; but almost 75% of packaged foods contain added sweeteners.
How can we minimize the sugar we eat? First, we need to really understand exactly where sugar is. Food manufacturers use many different names for sugar so you need to check the list of ingredients. Just because ‘sugar’ isn’t listed doesn’t mean it isn’t in there disguised as another name. It's important to become familiar with the tricky ways sugar is listed. So you can recognize ways sugar is listed in the ingredients, grab my guide below.
Gradually Cut Out Sugar. As part of a 30-day detoxification, I had to focus on eating real foods and cut out processed food, sugar, dairy, and gluten. It was hard at first and certainly took time to adjust. But it got easier, I began to feel better and my digestion improved too. Being mindful of how much sugar I was eating was key.
Below, I’ve included things you can do to eliminate the sugar you are eating. With little steps, you’ll get there and eventually your taste buds will reset and food will begin to taste overly sweet to you. This makes resisting cravings a lot easier. If you have been unknowingly consuming large amounts of sugar, once you minimize your sugar intake, the weight will begin to drop off too. Without even realizing it, suddenly a piece of fruit will become incredibly appealing because it has the right amount of sugar along with fiber, enzymes, and critical antioxidants your body needs.
How to Break-Up with Sugar
Start Small! While all of the following items can help kick the sugar habit, it won't happen overnight and you'll be overwhelmed if you try to do them all at once. Start with one or two items and focus on those for a week. Then the following week, add on a new item. Continue doing this each week and before you know it, your body will be thanking you!
#1 - Avoid Skipping Breakfast & Avoid Eating a Sugary Breakfast - Skipping breakfast altogether or eating a sugary breakfast will set you up for cravings later in the day. 
When eating a typical breakfast of juice, sweet cereal, or white toast/bagel with jelly, plus a coffee or tea with added sugar, we set ourselves up for a huge insulin spike to deal with all that sugar, followed by a crash leaving us craving more. It’s a vicious cycle because as soon as our brain realizes it hasn’t received the nutrients it needs, it sends signals to our body to eat again so we find ourselves with a mid-morning craving for another sugar fix.
#2 - Eat a High Protein Breakfast – After so many years of habitually eating a typical breakfast, it did feel sad to forgo my morning toast slathered in peanut butter & jelly. As part of the 30-day detoxification program, I began making morning smoothies with a focus on protein, good carbohydrates, and good fat. This curbed my cravings as I was more satisfied and didn’t have a desire to grab a sweet snack before lunch. This also proved a perfect way to eat more vegetables too. If you are still hungry after your smoothie, scramble a couple of eggs with spinach and add a couple of slices of avocado. This should get you through to lunch. Prep ahead of time to have the ingredients ready and healthy options available so breakfast isn’t a chore.
#3 - Don’t Wait too Long to Eat – When you skip a meal you’ll have more cravings. It’s easier to give in when you are super hungry. Eat 1 hour after waking and then every 4-6 hours for lunch and dinner. Stop eating by 7 p.m. so your body is ready for a night of healing as you sleep.
#4 - Eat Balanced Meals – 
Balance each meal to include a healthy protein, fat, and plenty of vegetables. When your body is nourished you won’t crave sweets and junk food. Eating healthy fat will help satiety by slowing digestion, making food taste great, and help you feel fuller. Examples of healthy fat include olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, flax seeds, eggs, ghee, 100% pasture butter, nuts, and seeds.
#5 - Drink 8 glasses of water per day – If you feel the need to snack between meals, drink a glass of water. Many times we are dehydrated and not really hungry. Throughout your day, focus on drinking 8 glasses of filtered water. I like to add essential oils to my water. It is detoxifying and gives it flavor. Two of my favorite combinations are lemon & grapefruit vitality oils and also lime & copaiba vitality oils. I also make a delicious tasting and very satisfying 'Red Drink' daily. This drink has totally helped with sweet cravings (and so much more). More on that in a future post!
#6 - Sleep well; sleep enough – Sleep is powerful medicine! Focus on getting 7-9 hours of solid, uninterrupted sleep. Getting this type of restorative sleep helps balance stress hormones, normalizes hunger levels, and helps with happy brain chemistry. With an overall feeling of wellness, you’ll feel happier and have fewer cravings making it easier to avoid sugar. The busier we are during the day the more sleep we need.
#7 - Supplement your diet with nutrients that help curb your cravings – Nutrients are truly magical for supporting all the different functions of our body. Upon waking, I drink one-ounce of NingXia Red Wolfberry Juice. NingXia is an alkaline protein and is the most perfect food that exists. This sets the stage to satisfy, energize, and fortify my body. The acid in our body creates disease and breeds viruses, bacteria, and fungus. Sugar is acidic. Sugar feeds cancer. When we can keep our pH neutral, we inhibit the growth of things we don’t want in our bodies. Everything we eat converts in the stomach, which has a pH of 2.5. Wolfberry goes into the stomach and starts to break down as acid, but the minute it hits the small intestine, it immediately converts back to alkaline. It is acid-binding and alkaline-forming. The mineral profile and the mineral balance of the NingXia wolfberry are without equal in the plant kingdom. Check out this blog to learn more about NingXia Red.
#8 - Institute a Home Ban on Particular Items – Before you go shopping, eat! Then shop the outside perimeter of the grocery store to avoid packaged and processed foods. Limit bread, buns, muffins, and the obvious cookies and cakes, etc. Beat your cravings by not bringing junk food into your home so you aren’t tempted.
#9 - Swap Your Snacks - Rather than telling yourself no, opt for healthier substitutions. According to the CDC website, fewer than 1 in 10 adults and adolescents eat enough fruits and vegetables1. 
Oftentimes, when having a sweet craving, I’ll grab a bowlful of delicious raspberries or blueberries. Other times a few little squares of dark chocolate does the trick. On occasion, I dip the chocolate in almond butter. This is a great way to get some antioxidants and protein while I am satisfying my desire for sweets. A couple more ideas I saw for when craving sugar is to eat a high-fat snack like 3 bites of avocado, 8 almonds, walnuts, or pecans with cinnamon, 4 carrots dipped in hummus or a boiled egg with cilantro.
#10 - Don’t Succumb to Pressure – While you can control the food in your home, it can be challenging as you get out and live life. Every holiday event and gathering includes food. It’s just unavoidable. And generally, the temptations are great and healthy options are few. In moments where you are feeling pressured by family and friends, explain that you really appreciate and love them, but you are being as true as possible to your self-care needs. Hopefully, they will understand and support you. When you fall off the wagon (and we all do!), just hop back on the next day and don’t look back. Don't beat yourself up and give up. The only way you’ll fail is if you give up!
#11 - Get a Cravings Buddy – As we build new habits and make changes it can be incredibly helpful just talking to someone in the same situation. You won't feel so alone and knowing you are checking in with someone, it'll help with accountability.
Find a buddy with the same goals as you. Connect daily via phone or text. And if you don't have a buddy, I'd be happy to provide support.
#12 - Journal – Write it down! Keep track of the food you eat for one month. Take note of how you are feeling and review often. I’ve noticed when I write things down, it is way more effective to track progress and mindfully consider where I’m at. Having a visual helps with making adjustments more easily.
#13 - Move – Get moving every day. When your body is active, you become more insulin sensitive, your metabolism improves, and your cravings decrease. You don’t need to go out jogging or do intensive exercises that stress your body. Start small here too, just take a 20-30 minute daily walk or do a peaceful yoga routine. These things will work wonders for how you feel and will help for hormone balance too.
Those are my top suggestions for limiting or eliminating sugar altogether. Food is truly meant to be medicine for our bodies to keep us fueled and healthy. An overabundance of sugar is harmful. Start limiting your sugar today and your body will thank you.
- Grab a notebook.
- Write down one or two items from the list above.
- Incorporate these items into your life this next week.
- Keep track of the foods you are eating and how you are feeling physically and emotionally.
- Note positives and also things you wished you had done differently so you can make changes as you continue.
- Stick with it!
Wherever you are in your journey, the next step is the right one. You matter and You can do it!
Thanks for reading my blog. I’d love to help you on your journey. Let's Connect!
As promised, here's a link to request my Hidden Names for Sugar guide so you can recognize ways sugar is listed in the ingredients in the products you buy.
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