How to Kick Your Sugar Habit

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Sugar is no doubt one of the most addicting or habit forming substances available today. It’s in so many different foods, whether it is naturally present in the food or added to food to make it taste better. Sometimes it seems like there’s sugar in everything! Getting over a sugar addiction, just like any other kind of addiction takes a lot of time and effort on your part. You have to be willing to consciously make the choice to stop eating or consuming so much sugar and diluting your body with it. Sugar itself cannot cause diabetes, but your diet does relate to the onset and progression of diabetes. https://assets.rbl.ms/19289966/origin.jpg _{[source](https://assets.rbl.ms/19289966/origin.jpg)} Here are some things you can do to try to kick your sugar habit: **Start slow**: Any addiction, including to sugar, cannot simply be overcome after one day. It is a slow going process, but your body will be thankful you stopped consuming sugar after a while. Don’t go cold turkey and give up all sugar all at once or you will probably crash and burn once you get a craving for something sweet or sugary. Start slow by slowly removing certain foods that contain a lot of sugar out of your diet. Buy products that have lower sugar amounts in them or products that have natural sugars like honey or canse sugar and not the artificial sugars, because contrary to popular belief the artificial sugars do more harm than good. By slowly removing or replacing high sugar filled foods with foods that are lower in sugar your body can slowly adjust, which will give you a better opportunity to succeed in a lower sugar diet. **Eat healthier substitutes**: Replace high sugar snacks with lower sugar snacks. Try to eat snacks like fruits, vegetables, nuts, low sugar jello or pudding, pretzels, salad, sandwiches, soups and bread. These items may have some natural sugar in them but they are healthier than the junk food you’ve been used to. Use low sugar seasonings, oils, dressing and condiments to add more flavor to your food. You’d be surprised how much sugar is in many condiments, so remember to check the health information on the back of every product you buy. **Avoid temptation**: Try to avoid temptation at all costs. If you don’t purchase a sugary product then you won’t have it at your house to tempt you. If you don’t buy it then you won’t be able to eat it, that is unless someone gives you a sugary snack. If you work around vending machines or an office where sugary snacks are all over the place, try to avoid them. Bring your own breakfast and lunch so you won’t be tempted to buy sugary snacks at work. If you are offered something for free from someone you could politely decline. **Stay focused** : Stay focused on your goal and keep a determined spirit because any addiction can be overcome. You will need strong will power and be able to tell yourself no and deny yourself to self indulge or binge on sugary foods. Know that you’re not the first and you won’t be the last person to have this habit or problem, many people struggle every day with their diet, with fast food and with sugary junk food. You’re at a disadvantage if you were raised around a lot of junk food and sugary snacks or encouraged to eat junk food on a regular basis because it will be harder for you to stop since you have a long standing pattern of eating these types of foods, but it is not impossible. Keep trying to eat healthier and avoid sugar. You will most likely be much healthier and live much longer for doing so, which you can focus on as your motivation, to live a full and healthy life. **Find a friend**: Friends or relatives can help us through tough times, including when we’re struggling with a habit or addiction we have. Talk to a friend or family member and tell them of your struggles, tell them about what steps you’ve taken and how you’re trying to break this habit that has control over you. Many friends and family members will offer encouragement and may even be able to give you some helpful advice. **Don’t beat yourself up**: Everyone slips up now and again, so don’t beat yourself up if you allow yourself to very sparingly eat something sugary or bad for you. As long as you don’t go overboard and eat a lot of sugary stuff many things are okay for you in moderation. That’s the key, everything in moderation. Instead of eating a whole or half a batch of cookies, only allow yourself one or two. Don’t be too hard on yourself, habits that are addicting are very hard to break. If you reward yourself somehow every once in a while you will be more likely to stay motivated to quit eating sugary stuff. Reward yourself somehow occasionally, you could take a trip, purchase a new piece of clothing, a new book or something you really want, or eat a small piece of candy or chocolate. Knowing that we can get rewarded for our hard work makes us more apt to follow through on our goal. **Sources** - https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/13-ways-to-fight-sugar-cravings - https://harbinclinic.com/tips-kicking-sugar-habit - https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-to-break-the-sugar-habit-and-help-your-health-in-the-process Posted with [STEMGeeks](https://stemgeeks.net)
Originally posted here: https://hive.blog/hive-163521/@ruari/how-to-kick-your-sugar-habit