What is one way to stop addiction to sugar?
Vices come in many forms. Besides, having a quick sweet treat shouldn’t be all bad. However, becoming addicted to anything is dangerous.
To help you kick your sugar addiction, we asked dentists and health consultants this question for their best pieces of advice. From reducing portion sizes to keeping a food log, there are several ways that may help you reduce your sugar intake and kick your addiction.
READ ALSO: Here’s why people around the world say they’re too busy to lose weight
Here are nine ways to stop your sugar addiction:
- Reduce Portion Sizes
- Substitute With a Better Behavior
- Use Micro Meals
- Keep a Food Log
- Conduct a Sugar Cleanse
- Try the Keto Diet
- Adjust Your Sugar Baseline
- Practice Mindful Eating
- Balance Out Your Meals
Reduce Portion Sizes
Sugar addiction is real! In my line of work, we see the consequences of it all the time. Many people use sugar to give them a quick energy boost, and others simply like the taste. However, there are ways to curb that sweet tooth. One option is to eat a smaller portion of sugary snacks instead of trying to go cold turkey. This way, you are still able to enjoy them without eating too much. For example, buy fun-size versions of your favorite candy and only allow yourself to eat one instead of partaking in a whole candy bar.
Henry Babichenko, Stomadent
Substitute With A Better Behavior
When it comes to addiction, there is no one size fits all approach that works for everyone or even for the same person at different stages of recovery. And there’s no addiction too small either to find the right approach for you or your loved one. At MATClinics, we pair outpatient medication-assisted treatment with counseling with cognitive and behavior therapies.
However, when it comes to sugar addiction, medications may not be needed. Take a moment to notice when you reach for sugar and then try to substitute that behavior with something else like meditating or exercise. Trying to keep your stress levels down as you work on breaking the cycle of this addiction can help you have few cravings for sugar at all. Thus, it will make quitting sugar easier because you have other behaviors and habits to combat the stress that might have been causing you to reach for the sugar initially.
Dan Reck, MATClinics
Use Micro Meals
Sugar was once a constant thing in my diet. What got me off sugar and sweets was spacing my meals out over the course of a whole day, going from eating three normal-sized meals to six micro-sized meals. For me, it was all about never getting to the point where I was ravenously hungry because I would always gravitate toward sugary treats and soda. With the micro meals, I have become more disciplined with my diet because it requires a bit of planning, and I also have been able to reign in sugar cravings as I am hungry less often. I eat small meals about every three hours, and never snack, as well as limit any alcohol intake. Dessert every now and then is fine. No one is perfect!
Natalie Sullivan, Cooler Air Today
Keep a Food Log
One way to stop addiction to sugar is to keep a food log. In the log, the person can write down how many times a day they’re eating sugar and how much. They can also note in the food log what they’re feeling the moment they are choosing to eat sugar. What are they being triggered by, and are they eating sugar instead of dealing with their emotions? The journal can help make things clear.
Ben Cook, Jr., Printed Kicks
Conduct a Sugar Cleanse
A few years ago, I went on a 21-day sugar cleanse in which I greatly reduced my sugar intake. This cleanse essentially took out any foods that contained sugar. The first week, I had headaches and felt super sluggish, but after this, my bloating had essentially disappeared and I felt much more alert. A sugar cleanse is not really a long-term solution to sugar intake, but it’s a great “reset” for those to relearn clean eating and kickstart their metabolism.
Kristine Thorndyke, Test Prep Nerds
Try the Keto Diet
One way to stop addiction to sugar is by using a ketogenic diet. A ketogenic, or low-carbohydrate and high-fat, diet has helped people lose weight quickly without feeling hungry every day. It also stabilizes blood sugars throughout the day so that you can avoid cravings for foods like sweets at night time when your body needs energy more than anything else.
Altay Gursel, Metriculum
Adjust Your Sugar Baseline
The craving for sweet flavors is, in many cases, linked to the flavor baseline we set. If we frequently sweeten hot beverages or even fruits, that raises the bar for considering something sweet. At the same time, after depriving oneself of the sugar and sweet fruits for several weeks, even tomatoes and peppers may taste sweet, setting a new standard for the palate.
Michael Sena, Senacea
Practice Mindful Eating
Mindful eating is the practice of being aware of what we are eating in the moment of consumption. It also gives us the power to become aware of our surroundings when we are eating. It helps us to become aware of our thoughts, and gently allows us to come back to the present, and focus on the now. Mindful eating also allows us to understand how the food makes us feel and when we are satisfied with the portion of the food we have eaten. In thinking about sugar addiction, beginning the practice of mindful eating can help stop the mindless behavior of reaching for sugar — when we don’t even want it.
Beryl Krinsky, B.Komplete
Balance Out Your Meals
Whole foods can be beneficial substitutes for sugary substances and offer health benefits while also toning down your addiction to a minimum. They are a food’s natural form, so they present no health risk and contain no processed sugar. Oat milk and nut milk are prime examples of whole foods. Don’t forget a balanced breakfast. They are the most important for cutting down sugar intake. The right amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fats in your body will enable you to feel less hungry and not go for that bowl of ice cream in the fridge. If you start off your day with a breakfast full of carbs and fats, it will make you crave sugary foods all day.
Alessandra Kessler, Healthy Body Healthy Mind
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