I love anything sweet. During busy days my cravings get even stronger. Nothing like a quick sugar fix. Maybe I would have a little piece of the left over cake or, in a hurry, buy the Snicker bar in the vending machine calling my name. After many lost battles, I decided to gradually take myself off sugar since the beginning of the year.
Just this week, I read that per the new guidelines from the World Health Organization adults should halve the amount of sugars in their diet. A study published this week by the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that 71.4% of U.S. adults get more than the recommended 10% of their daily calories from added sugars in foods and drinks. Higher levels of sugar consumption are correlated with higher risk of death due to cardiovascular disease and other chronic illness. Not only is sugar making us gain weight, it is killing us. In general, people who consumed more added sugar also had more fat and cholesterol in their diets, and they ate less meat, vegetables and grains, according to the study.
So we all know that sugar is bad for us but we continue to eat sugar. An average American eats 46 teaspoons of sugar daily. Sugar addictive quality has a lot to do with it since it has been shown to stimulate the release of the feel-good brain chemical serotonin. Here is what you need to do to succeed.
Slowly cut off the pop and high sugar drinks
I was shocked to learn that a single can of pop can have ten teaspoons of sugar. Just that one can already exceeds the daily recommended limit by the WHO. I don’t like drinking water but I realized after trial and error that adding a little lime and drinking water with a straw was my solution. Switching to ice tea/lemonade or Diet pop is also not the answer.
Grab some gum
If you want to avoid giving in to a sugar craving, try chewing some gum. Research has shown that chewing gum can reduce food craving
Get some fruit
But isn’t fruit full of sugar and fructose? That is a common misconception. Added sugar is what is bad for you and not fruit based sugars unless consumed in a very large amount. Keeping an apple or banana handy can help the craving.
Eat regular small meals
Waiting too long between meals may set you up to choose sugary, fatty foods that cut your hunger. Instead, eating every three to five hours can help keep blood sugar stable
It is by no means an easy task but I know with my sweet tooth, if I can do it, anyone can.