Strategies to Break Your Sugar Addiction

Some experts have compared the addictive nature of sugar to that of smoking. A completely recovered sugar addict myself, I agree. Ugh, I’ve been there too – dreaming of butter tarts or chocolate chip cookies to go along with my mid-afternoon black tea that I sprinkled with artificial sweeteners (Note: This was years ago before I knew the damaging effects of aspartame). Wait a minute, forget “dreaming”, I fully indulged myself in a daily sweet fix.

The reality was, this sweet fix did nothing to address my energy or my mood. In fact, it negatively impacted both, not to mention the aspartame from the artificial sweeteners were promoting headaches and more sugar cravings. I know there are still many of you with sugar addiction so I bring you my top strategies for helping you break your sugar addiction.

Detox and eliminate sugar! Read your labels. Avoid hidden sources of sugar which can be found in the following foods: granola bars, boxed cereals, pasta sauce, salad dressing, flavoured yogurt, nut milk, bread, all baked goods, stir-fry sauces, all condiments (ketchup, relish, bbq sauce etc).

Use stevia to sweeten drinks, yogurt, smoothies, sauces and as a replacement for refined sugar in baked goods. Stevia is a herbal, no calorie, safe sweetener. My favourite brand is Nature’s Harmony (liquid). It doesn’t have that typical stevia aftertaste.

Eat naturally sweet foods for your sweet fix: fruit (frozen berries, bananas, grapes), applesauce, raw honey, sweet potato, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger. Watch this joyous video 2 foods for blood sugar balance.

Cultivate self-awareness, as it promotes positive change. If you are a client of mine, you know what I’m talking about here! Record your diet in a food journal. You may be surprised to see how many mouthfuls of M&M’s you’ve been eating. Becoming aware of the time of day you eat sweets or perhaps certain situations that drive you to eat a sweet treat. While this is not an excuse, it can help you to understand the emotional connection to food.

Avoid the refined white stuff. I’m talking about those white baguettes at your local bakery, white pasta, white rice, quick cooking oats. Why? This is sugar in disguise. Refined grains are stripped of their fibre (which slows the release of sugar into the blood stream), nutrient-DEAD, meaning they have been robbed of their vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, which is just a terrible thing to do to food. Check my vid article on Refined Grains vs. Whole Grains.

If you feel lost and unsure how to recover from your sugar addiction and have tried these five strategies, then check out my services as I consult many clients from all around mama earth. I can create a custom-tailored plan for you.