Addiction to sugar is a real thing that affects a lot of people. It is proven that the human body can become addicted to sugar in the same way that it can become addicted to illicit substances. Serious health problems can come out of consuming too much sugar. Fortunately, there is hope for those who find themselves addicted to sugar. People who want to kick the habit should read food ingredient labels, refuse to go near sugary things, change their attitudes about food, question why they resort to eating sugary foods, educate themselves about the physiology of sugar addiction.
Be A Smart Consumer And Read Labels
Before you buy anything, read the nutrition labels and ingredient labels on food items. A lot of companies sneak sugar into the products that they sell. You must look at the list of ingredients on each food item to verify that the food has not been laced with sugar. There are a lot of items that are marketed as being healthy, or are thought to be healthy, but have sugar added to them. For example, sugar is commonly added to cans of vegetarian beans. Vegetarian beans appear to be healthy and are marketed as such, yet many times you will find the word “sugar” on the ingredients label. The same is true for a variety of canned fruits and vegetables. Do not think that a food product is automatically healthy or non-sugary just because you think it should be. There are some items that do not taste sweet like candy, despite the fact that they have a surprisingly large amount of added sugar to them. There are bread brands that have added sugar. So, don’t think that a whole wheat loaf of bread is healthy just until you verify that sugar is not in the ingredient label.
Just Say No To Sugary Stuff
There comes a point where there is no easier way around it; you can’t just snap your fingers and get rid of your addiction to sugar. If you see sugary foods, do not buy them. Your mind may make up excuses and “what ifs” to justify buying them “just this one time.” Don’t listen to that part of your mind—just stay away from the sugary stuff. If you decide to buy greek yogurt, buy plain greek yogurt hat does not have any sugar added to it. If you decide to buy coffee, buy a regular cup of coffee with nothing added to it—not that sugary frappacino on the menu. Coffee does not need to be sweetened. If you have a choice of beverages, choose water. You can never go wrong with water. When it comes to having a healthy, basic, non-sugary diet, water is your best friend. Stay far away from soda, as well as various juices. If you cook, use as little sugar as possible. In fact, it is best to not use sugar. If you are rolling the shopping cart down the dessert aisle, do not buy anything. Hot chocolate is frequently sold in the form of sweetened powder. If you love to make hot chocolate out of powder, you should look for the unsweetened variety.
Work On How You Think of Foods
Some people have been conditioned to think that sugary stuff is good, tasty and enjoyable. Some people think of sugary foods as forbidden fruit that taste great. There is this attitude that sugary foods are “treats.” If you want to kick a sugar addiction, you are going to have to change this attitude by rethinking things and adopting a more logical attitude. Sugary foods are bad for your health and carry little to no nutritional value. Foods with added sugar should be avoided as much as possible because they are wasteful things to consume. There are few to no logical reasons to have a taste for sugary foods. The taste of sugary food is the taste of bad health, death and human desperation. The taste of non-sugary food is the taste of good health and sustainability. This is the attitude that you should take on when it comes to choosing what to eat. Adopt this attitude, and develop a taste for healthier things.
Think About Why You Consume Sugary Stuff And Work On Solutions
Another way to overcome sugar addiction is to be mindful about why, exactly, you consume sugary things. There could be some very deep-seated, personal reasons behind why you are addicted to sugar. Is there something that you associate sugary foods with? Are you addicted to eating sugary foods because you have happy memories of sharing those types of foods with your friends or family? Perhaps you have been raised on sugary foods, or you have lived most of your life consuming sugary foods and you are not used to anything better. Maybe you have fallen into the habit of consuming sugary foods just because your friends or family consistently do it. Another reason may be because sugary foods are the most available and/or affordable types of food within arm’s reach.
Once you figure out why you are addicted to sugar, think about how you can solve your sugar addiction problem. If you are eating sugary things because you cannot find or afford healthier alternatives, you may want to think about brown-bagging healthy meals and snacks. Plan what you should eat in advance, go to the store, buy healthier alternatives and prepare yourself meals and snack to bring with you on the go. Source out affordable, sugar-free ingredients—preferably whole foods that are as fresh as possible with few things added.
If you associate eating sugary foods with fond memories, then that requires a lot personal development. You have to be very mindful, and you may need to talk with people, partake in therapy, do meditation and really put effort into getting over deep-seated psychological things. If you eat sugary things just because you see other people eat them, you should ask yourself why you have the habit of doing things just because they you see other people do them.
Are you eating sugary stuff because you are depressed, anxious or lonely? If so, you may want to look into alternative ways to deal with those feelings. Such things may include volunteering, taking classes and exercising. You may need to step out of home your and get some fresh air. Perhaps you can take up some type of hobby. The hobby doesn’t have to be difficult, rigorous, or high impact. It can be something like reading a book, walking, knitting or writing. Perhaps you can do something different that you don’t usually do in your daily routine.
Educate Yourself About What Happens In Your Body
If you want to overcome sugar addiction, you should educate yourself about what happens in your body when you eat sugar, and why you become addicted. When a person first consumes sugar, the amount of insulin in the person’s body spikes, and the liver turn sugar into fat. The blood pressure rises as sugar is released into the bloodstream by the liver. Dopamine levels in the brain skyrocket in much the same way as when people do heroin. The large amount of insulin released causes levels of glucose to go down, which causes a person’s body to feel tired and crave more. The person may consume more sugar, leading this cycle to happen over and over again. Like a drug, the person may need increasing amounts of sugar to get the same effects. Sugar can be considered a drug because it acts in the same way as illicit substances.
This up and down roller coaster of sugar may cause and/or exacerbate mental conditions such as depression, anxiety and not being able to focus.
Learn New Recipes And Methods Of Cooking
You can cook food that tastes good and flavorful without using sugar. It is just a matter of exploring ingredients and experimenting. You can achieve a variety of sweet and savory flavors with various herbs, spices, oils and ingredients. These news recipes and methods of cooking may even make you feel more satiated from your meals and decrease the likelihood of you turning to less healthy options. Spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice can give a sweet taste to food. Herbs such as basil, rosemary, oregano and basic can also give a sweet, flowery, fragrant zing. Fruits such as lemons and limes can also add flavor.
Have A Healthy Distrust Of Brands
Don’t trust any brand to automatically “be healthy” or sugar free. When choosing food, keep in mind that just because an item says “all natural,” “pure,” “healthy,” “organic,” “non-GMO,” “low sugar,” “no sugar” or the like, that doesn’t mean that the item is healthy. Do research on the brand’s items and make an educated judgement. Many brands in the past have lied and/or stretched the truth.
Final Verdict
In conclusion, these are the ways that a sugar addict can kick the habit. It may not seem like an easy road, though one has to stick to it. The road to kicking addiction to sugar involves being mindful about one’s habits, changing one’s attitudes, understanding the severity of health issues created by sugar consumption, knowing what goes on in the human body to create addiction, creating alternatives to sugary foods and just saying no. It helps to have a positive mindset and to understand that if you stick to your guns, you can kick a sugar habit in one to two weeks.