Type “sugar” and “culprit” into your favorite search engine and you’ll find no shortage of health reasons to knock sugar out of your diet.
For example, three authors argue in the British Journal of Sports Medicine that, despite ample exercise, too much sugar consumption can still leave you fat. That’s in addition to new studies published earlier this year that indicate too much sugar triggers brain defects, liver disease and breast cancer.
“The toxicity of excessive sugar consumption is well-documented, yet it’s so prevalent in our packaged foods that we may be digesting it without knowing it,” says nutritionist and juicing pioneer Cherie Calbom, who is known as “The Juice Lady.”
But with vigilance you can ditch the sugar in your diet, says Calbom, who tackles the subject in her newest book, “The Juice Lady’s Sugar Knockout,” and she offers her Sugar Addiction Quiz at www.juiceladycherie.com/Juice/the-sugar-knockout. She says March, which is National Nutrition Month, is the perfect time to start. A few ways to begin include.
• Pick the right day to start. A birthday or celebration dinner is not the best time to commit to a new diet. You’ll eventually develop the willpower to navigate through special events, but it’s not a good idea to start with an unusual challenge.
• Go cold turkey. Studies show sugar is as addictive as cocaine and heroin, so it’s not something you can ease into or pursue in half measures. If you eat a little less to gradually eliminate it from your diet, you’ll keep getting triggered into wanting more sweets. You have to completely let it go.
• Scrutinize every label. We are naturally inclined to crave sugar, which is why manufacturers try to smuggle it into their products. The only way to root out sugar in all its forms – soups, condiments, breads, etc. – is to read grocery labels carefully. The sooner sugar is mentioned, the more that’s in there.
• Make emergency snack packs. Whether shopping, traveling or at work, you don’t want to be caught hungry without a healthy option. Plummeting blood-sugar levels will make it that much harder to resist sugar-laden treats. Nuts and seeds, veggie sticks, turkey jerky and apples are among the healthy options.
• Take time to de-stress. Stress causes spikes in cortisol, a hormone that makes you irrationally hungry, leaving you susceptible to sugar-laden snacks. When stressed, take a long, deep breath in for five seconds, hold, and then let it out to a count of five. Deep breathing is said to activate your vagus nerve, which properly regulates metabolism.
“There is much more you can do to break sugar addiction,” Calbom says. “It’s very doable, but you must commit to it!”
Are you a sugar addict??
Take the sugar addiction quiz here.
I will never give up sugar. I may cut back, but I will never completely cut it out.
Sugar, sweets are my weakness! I am trying to cut back during this pregnancy but it’s all I am craving!
This is a very insightful article.
Purging from sugar is the only real way to approach this.
I can go without for only so long and then I start craving it and it just keeps getting worse and worse until I give it.
I know it’s responsible for the weight I have gained too which makes it so much worse!
I dont think I consume that much suagr. I guess I would know if I did… Lol. Sweets aren’t really my thing. I need to worry about salty things.
It can be so hard! I don’t usually eat sugar, but once I start it can be hard to get myself back on the right path again!
I’m a sugar addict. I can’t recall a day when I do not have a piece of chocolate. 🙁 Just as one of your tips, my friend advised me to go cold-turkey. Maybe I can do it…April? We’ll see. Thanks for a helpful post!
I have sugar in my teas so this would be difficult to keep up but I think I can do it. I don’t have a lot of sugar anyway.
I needed to read this! I am horrible with sugar and feel so much better without it but always struggle to quit. I’ll be using these tips!
So true, sugar is very addictive. It is our hormones that demand it, not our taste receptors. No to sugar!
I worked with a nutritionist last year and was shocked at how much sugar is in everything. You really have to be careful and read every label.
I’ve cut really back on sugar but there’s no way I can cut it out completely. Way too hard. Plus I’m pregnant so sometimes I just HAVE to fulfill the cravings!
It’s amazing when you completely eliminate it, how much you can smell or taste in things you didn’t know had sugar…. like bread, or make-up… It’s kinda weird actually that make-up smells sugary.
Sugar is such a hard addiction to break – and it really is an addiction! I’ve cut out most soda, but I drink so much iced tea I’m not sure if it’s really doing me any good.
Its so bad how i’ve gotten in the routine of needing something sweet to complete my meal. I just don’t feel fully satisfied if I don’t get my bowl of froyo at the end of the day!
Sugar is a hard one to nix because it’s in EVERYTHING! I also have a sweet tooth which is why it’s hard to get rid of as well.
Yum, those cupcakes look amazing. I’m not fond of those large lollipops and I can honestly say I am not addicted to sugar. Every once in a while. Thanks for sharing
I recently cut my sugar intake way down. It’s so hard, but I want to be healthier, and feel healthier.
I’m not fan of sweets, but overall it’s difficult to resit sugar in our intake, because even certain fruit contains a lot of sugar. . Cut it down is the best solution,
I have definitely been guilty of eating too much sugar. I try to keep it in moderation but maybe I should just go cold turkey.
This is really helpful. I probably take in so much sugar without even thinking twice about it.
I don’t think I would ever completely give up sugar but it is definitely something I can look to cut down on. x
This is one thing that I am not sure I could stick to. I am sure I could cut back , but not 100 percent.
This is a great idea.
It is important to shake the sugar.
I actually just heard about this book today. I am a sugar addict and am going to go cold turkey and cut it from my diet.
Since I am pre-diabetic, I have cut sugar out of my diet significantly. Most people don’t realize how much weight it puts on you.
I use to be majorly addicted to sugar! I’m
Proud to say I have definitely cut back. Too much sugar is really bad for you!!!!
Bringing my own snacks is always my key. If not I will grab something loaded with sugar because it is the only option!
I am trying to substitute it with honey and fruit! I totally agree we should avoid sugars