People are starting to realize that sugar is not very good for you. Well, people have known for a long time that it is not very good for us, but now they are starting to realize how insidious and incredibly terrible it is for us.
Refined sugar is a highly addictive substance, as much as, maybe even more so than cocaine(1). It wreaks havoc on our pancreatic system—leading to diabetes—and triggers visceral fat storage. OK, now that we know it’s no good for us, what do we do about it?
We must stop eating it. This may be harder than it sounds for some, because many of us may not even realize the level of addiction we have for it. Let’s explore some steps we can take in order to eliminate our sugar intake.
#1 Cut The Dependence
The first thing we need to do is go cold turkey. I know this may sound unreasonable to some, but it’s a necessary action to cut the dependence.
This will include eliminating the practice of adding any sugar or any form of sweetener to anything you eat. Next, make sure to take a close look at the ingredients of any of the products you eat—you’d be surprised at some of things that contain added sugar.
This last part will only be temporary; don’t eat any fruit for a couple of weeks in the beginning of your withdrawal. Also, try to stay away from refined carbs during the process to better remove dependence—they cause a similar reaction in the body, and removing them will help break the pattern.
#2 Eat Something Wholesome
Let’s talk about some tactics we can employ to reduce the severity of the cravings and take the edge off while you’re removing the sugar dependence.
The things you eat, and when you eat them, can help you along the way during this time. Increase your protein intake, it will make you feel more sated, reducing cravings. Maintain proper hydration, as dehydration can increase cravings.
Even though you’ve altered your diet in these ways, you may still experience cravings. When one pops up, eat something, something wholesome. You may not be giving your body exactly what it wants, but it is something, and it will help.
#3 Stay Physically Active
Lastly, you need to take care of your body and get it functioning in a way that will facilitate the cleansing of it. And you may have heard before proper exercise will release endorphins, those same endorphins released by sugar consumption(2).
With this, your brain is still getting what it wants, just from a healthy, beneficial source. To trigger this response do some running or high intensity weight training involving compound movements. You will also sweat it out to an extent.
Get into a sauna and relax for a bit or spend a few minutes in hot shower. You also need to allow your body to work correctly during this time too.
That would mean limiting the release of bad hormones brought on by stress and encouraging the release of beneficial ones by getting sufficient sleep. And of course, maintain or instate a healthy diet to give your body the nutrients it needs.
Over time, your dependence will lessen. Eventually the cravings will stop, and you’ll no longer care about sugar. Good luck.
sources:
- [1]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/
- [2]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6091217