Do you constantly crave things like chocolate, cookies, cakes, donuts,and candy?!
Well then you might be a sugar addict!!
SEE ALSO: Fitness Tip 103: The Grass Is Greener…Wherever You Water It!
It’s okay, I am a reformed sugar addict. You’re speaking to a girl who used to go in to a store and buy a full cake — lying that it’s my “friend’s bday” when I was asked why I was buying it just so that I could have the full cake!
Talk about a problem!
Well, I’m here to tell you there’s hope for you! If I can do it, you can too. Your taste buds are constantly regenerating, so you have a continuous opportunity to modify your diet and cravings.
The first step in getting rid of your addiction is to understand the effects of it.
These effects can include, migrane headaches, diabetes, acne, a gut and love handles, tooth decay, cancer growth, and gout.
And the list goes on.
Now, this is not to say you’ll never have a cookie, or piece or chocolate, or cupcake again. It’s just to help you eliminate those food choices as part of your daily/weekly diet.
Here are some helpful tips to help you deal with your addiction (you can do it!!):
- Reduce or eliminate caffeine. The ups and downs of caffeine include dehydration and blood sugar swings, causing sugar cravings to be more frequent. Try drinking tea instead. Especially green tea or lemon ginger tea.
- Drink water. Sometimes sweet cravings are a sign of dehydration. Before you go for the sugar, have a glass of water and then wait a few minutes to see what happens.
- Eat sweet vegetables and fruit. They are sweet, healthy, and delicious. The more you eat, the less you’ll crave sugar.
- Use gentle sweets. Avoid artificial sweeteners and foods with added sugar. Use gentle sweeteners like maple syrup, brown rice syrup, dried fruit, stevia, barley malt, and agave nectar.
- Get physically active. Start with simple activities, like walking or yoga. Begin with 10 minutes a day and gradually increase. It will help balance your blood sugar levels, boost your energy, and reduce tension without medicating yourself with sugar!
Get more sleep, rest and relaxation. When you are tired or stressed, your body will crave energy-in the form of sugar. These cravings are often a result of being sleep-deprived, going to bed late or waking up early, sometimes for months and years on end.
Eliminate fat-free or low-fat packaged snack-foods.These foods contain high quantities of sugar to compensate for lack of flavor and fat, which will send you on the roller-coaster ride of sugar highs and lows.
Experiment with spices. Coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom will naturally sweeten your foods and reduce cravings. Slow down and find sweetness in non-food ways! You body does not biologically need sugar, but it does long for hugs, time with friends, outside time, workouts, massages, etc. When life becomes sweet enough itself, no additives are needed!
You can do it!
SEE ALSO: Fitness Tip 102: Push Yourself Now & Your Body Will Thank You Later
