How to Get Rid of Sugar Addiction?
People who don’t want to take responsibility for their health say, “We’re going to die one day anyway.” Hedonists say, “We don’t want to limit ourselves, we want to enjoy food.” Yes, you need to live with joy and happiness, but the quality of aging will definitely worsen with years if you don’t start taking care of your health and beauty upfront. We bet you don’t want to depend on medicines, but want to keep your physical and mental abilities at a high level. In this article, The Fashiongton Post will advise you on how to get rid of sugar addiction.
The first thought that comes to our mind when we are hungry or stressed is to eat sweets, as this process brings us a feeling of relief. But despite the initial relief, there are adverse effects in the long run. There are two ways to get on the path to change — either you strive to improve the quality of your life, or you indulge your desires and worsen your health. We are sure that you will choose the first of these options!
What can you substitute for bread and pasta?
Instead of pasta, you can eat gluten-free grains (brown rice, millet, buckwheat) or legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas). Instead of bread, you can buy flour made from gluten-free grains, legumes, or nuts and bake your own bread easily.
What if you have a sweet tooth for breakfast?
Breakfast is a similar meal like any other, so you can eat the same foods that you have for lunch and dinner. Break your sugar addiction, substitute bread with butter and jam for a savory cracker with sesame seeds. To sweeten your food, you may use cashew nuts or dried fruits like figs or apricots (up to 3-4 pcs per day), which contain glucose and fructose. Quitting sugar requires persistence, discipline, and the recognition that health is a choice.
How to overcome sugar addiction
Like any other addiction, sugar addiction can be overcome. The amount of sugar we want is driven by the food industry and our food choices. In regard to the food industry, more sugar has been added to the same foods over the years. Even if your diet hasn’t changed in 20 years, you’re undoubtedly eating more sugar now, which means you probably eat sweets without even realizing it. All this will later affect your body. Therefore, carefully read the labels of new and unfamiliar foods, and gradually reduce the amount of sugar consumed every year, even if you eat exactly the same foods as 2-3 years ago.
How not to depend on sugar
Pay attention to how much sugar you add to your coffee or tea daily. Start putting one spoonful less. Coffee or tea won’t be as sweet as before, but keep drinking it this way for two to three weeks or until you get used to this dose. Once you get used to this level of sweetness, reduce the amount of sugar by one more teaspoon and keep repeating the process until you feel that you like the taste of coffee/tea without sugar. The key here is to reduce sugar gradually. And very soon the results of the process of getting rid of sugar addiction will pleasantly surprise you!
Try replacing your sweet Coke for pure water with honey and lemon or lime juice. Dilute your sugary soda or packaged juice with water. Gradually begin to dilute them with more water than usual, increasing the ratio of water to juice, thus moving yourself away from sugar addiction.
Now that you’ve started your sugar addiction journey, it’s time to find an alternative to sugary snacks. Find out how many grams of sugar and how many calories are in your snacks (yogurt, granola, etc.). Look for analogues containing less sugar and less kJ. For example, you may replace sweet yogurt with Turkish or Greek one. Beware of artificial sweeteners, they may even taste sweeter, while containing fewer grams of sugar. This will increase your desire to eat a cake, not decrease it. You can include some unsweetened snacks that do not contain sugar at all, like for example almonds, cheese, hummus. Follow these tips and they will help you maintain your health and beauty!