Sugar is everywhere. Not only is it in obvious places like candy, cookies, and ice cream, but it also hides in drinks, breakfast cereal, tomato sauce, canned soup, salad dressing, and even condiments. It may taste good and light up the pleasure center in your brain, but there is nothing sweet about sugar.
Weight gain is an obvious downside of eating too much sugar, but this is far from the only problem it causes. Overindulging can also cause hormonal imbalances, depression and anxiety, fatigue, chronic digestive problems, and sinus issues. If you have any mysterious health problems with unknown causes, you could benefit from breaking off your relationship with sugar.
Not sure how to cut sugar out of your diet? Begin your breakup with these tips:
- Avoid tempting situations: Get rid of all the sugary snacks and desserts in your fridge, freezer, and pantry. Then, don’t be embarrassed to drive home from work a different way if you know you’ll be tempted by the donut shop on your normal route.
- Drink more water: Aim to drink at least half your ideal body weight in ounces each day. Start carrying an insulated water bottle everywhere you go so you always have a cold drink available when you’re tempted to buy soda or juice.
- Eat three meals a day: Instead of skipping meals to make up for eating cookies the day before, always eat a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Maintaining a steadier blood sugar level helps stave off cravings.
- Eat more healthy fat: Avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, and seeds are packed with friendly fats that boost your energy level and promote fewer cravings.
- Read food labels: Sugar hides in even the healthiest-sounding foods, so always read and compare labels. When debating between two similar products, choose the one with the least amount of added sugar.
- Sweeten your food in natural ways: Toss the table sugar and look for other sources of sweetness. For instance, try adding fresh fruit to your oatmeal, enhancing sugar-free applesauce with cinnamon, or bringing out the flavor of sweet potato with ground ginger. Don’t be tempted by artificial sweeteners, which have their own problems.
- Get more sleep: Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each night to increase your energy level and reduce sugar cravings.
- Seek natural highs: Sugar addiction is often fueled by a lack of day-to-day pleasure. Making time to do things you love gives you a natural high so you can break off your relationship with sugar more easily.
If your ultimate goal for cutting sugar out of your diet is to lose weight, visit Total Point Urgent Care for more help. We proudly offer a Total Weight Loss Program catered to you. Under the supervision of a licensed provider, you’ll be well on your way to effective and lasting weight loss. Stop by one of our 12 locations across Texas to see what our program is all about!
