As sweet as it tastes, sugar is one of the most sinister ingredients in our food. But in moderation, sugar shouldn’t be that big of a deal, right? Well the total opposite is true for most Western diets. What the average person consumes in a day is usually totally oversaturated with sugar. Because of this, many suffer from all sorts of physical ailments, obesity and disease, with sugar at the root of the problem. With a suggested limit of 6 tablespoons per day for women, statistics suggest that the average person consumes about 19.5 tablespoons per day. The addition to sugar for some is like a drug, and can a hard habit to kick. Whether you are just looking to lose a few pounds or have serious health problems, here are 6 ways to quit your sugar over-indulgence and never look back.
Eat Healthy Fats
The right kind of fats can taste good and not compromise your healthy eating habits, the perfect snack to satisfy a sugar craving. It can also help stabilize blood sugar, which is helpful to trick a high-calorie craving mind into satisfaction during a dip in blood sugar. Healthy fats can include nuts, fish, cheese, avocadoes and more.
Find The Primary Offender
Because so much of what we consume is dosed in sugar, it can be hard to detect what to cut out or reduce. Start off by trying to determine the main food or drink you consume on a daily basis, that contains the highest sugar content. It could be that delicious morning cappuccino, that pesky candy dish at work, or that soda you have with every dinner. Whatever it is, try to find a healthy replacement, or a way to reduce the added sugar in your favorite guilty pleasure.
Get More Sleep
Studies show that lack of sleep can actually cause you to crave high-calorie foods more. Simultaneously, sleep deprivation negatively affects your brain’s ability to evaluate food options and make the best choice. So not getting enough sleep is twice as bad for staying away for too much sugar.
Smell Essential Oils
Research has found that essential oils like jasmine and peppermint can reduce appetite, and in turn, tackle nasty sugar cravings. Place these oils in handy places like in a diffuser, infused in a lotion, or mixed in with an oil-based perfume.
Drink More Water
Hydration is necessary for your body for many reasons, and it turns out, can help you stave off sugar cravings as well. Researchers are now advising individuals who have strong sugar cravings to sip naturally flavored water, or mineral water, during a sugar craving – this can also keep energy up and hunger down in general. Additionally, even mild hydration can impair cognitive ability and critical thinking skills – which is not a good look when trying to fight off sugar.
Try Counteracting Sugar Cravings With Bitters
Mostly untapped in traditional Western diets, bitters can be the key to kicking a bad sugar addiction. While your body may seem to crave sugar, there are actually bitter receptors throughout your body – your tongue, digestive tract, and more. Bitters can help keep your cravings in tac by curbing hunger and appetite, as well as hormones.
