Have you ever been in a relationship that you stayed longer than the expiration date or broken up more than once with the same person to find yourself going back to them weeks later to repeat the same vicious cycle? Most of us, including myself have experienced this at one point of another. So what does breaking up with someone that you may have been in love with or cared for at one time or another have in common with America’s most loved but most notorious culprit, Sugar? It’s quite simple; from the moment of birth we are programmed as humans to have a love affair with sugar! Think about it, sugar is always there for you through good and bad, it creates an instant euphoria of “feel good feelings”, it’s hard to say no to, and for most it’s hard imagine life without it. Over the course of my life from a kid to my 30’s, my relationship with sugar has mimicked this exact scenario. Vivid memories of toaster strudel, and doughnuts for breakfast as kid, trick treating like a madwomen from the age of 6-14 stockpiling up on candy as if it was disappearing for good, weekly visits to the cupcake store in my twenties, and of course how could I forget my daily frozen yogurt stops over the past 15 years to places like Pinkberry and 16 Handles. So your probably thinking how does one break up a 32-year love affair with sugar and go to becoming a health connoisseur of clean eating and healthy living overnight. The answer is exactly like why you end a relationship that is going south and not meeting both your needs and happiness. Similarly sugar’s value in my life was no longer complimenting my overall mission of being the best version I can be! Read on to find out ways that have helped me make the breakup with sugar for good!
REMIND YOURSELF OF SUGAR’S NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES
When you break up with someone, it’s important to remind yourself of the reasons why you broke up. Similarly, every time you feel yourself craving a candy bar, cupcake, or whatever choice of sugar you like to munch on remind yourself of the long term effects that sugar has on the body. These are
- no nutrient value
- suppresses the immune system
- produces high cholesterol
- interferes with the body’s absorption of calcium and magnesium
- causes obesity
- prevents bowel movement
- causes toxemia during pregnancy,
- increases depression and irritability
- brings on dementia and brain fog,
- causes diabetes, and other chronic diseases when consumed over long periods of time
IDENTIFY TRIGGER FOODS FOR SUGAR
When you breakup with someone you may encounter little reminders the first month that may make you think of that person. It’s practically unavoidable to be upset but feel the emotions and then let it go. Just know that was the past, and you have the power to let go and move onto better and bigger things. Similarly with sugar it’s important that you let go of the idea of sugar being your comfort to soothe whatever feeling you are eating for. Although it’s practically everywhere you go with reminders from desserts on the menu, to snacks in the grocery stores, to advertisements for candy and sweets around the holidays , the first thing to do in order to make breaking up with sugar work is take inventory of what foods you eat that are loaded with sugar. This comes with doing a bit of an overhaul in your meal plan. Through my research I learned that if your experiencing severe sugar cravings it’s because your diet is not balanced on a nutrition scale. In order to minimize these sugar cravings start each meal with the right combination of protein, healthy fats, fiber, and a low glycemic carbohydrate to keep you satisfied longer. When one isn’t eating enough healthy fats or enough calories most likely the first thing to happen is that they will crave refined sugars. Another way to satisfy a craving for those trigger foods is to concentrate on healthier recipes that don’t use processed sugars, instead use natural sugars and ones that call for the stevia sweetener. Baking options like healthy low sugar recipes without refined sugars is an easy way to conquer the sugar battle, and with the plethora of online recipes that focus on healthy wholesome ingredients there are for sure options for every type of sugar craving!
AVOID FAT FREE AND SUGAR FREE FOODS
Just because something says it’s fat free or sugar free doesn’t mean it’s good for you. The skinny truth is it’s probably worst because it’s loaded with additives and hidden sugars which have other names besides glucose, corn sugar, fructose, ect which ultimately trigger and make sugar cravings worst than before putting you into the same vicious cycle of making you crave sugar.
KNOW WHERE SUGAR IS HIDING
“Buyer Beware” not only applies to products exclusively like cars, electronics, or homes, but it also applies with food products. It’s super important to read labels and identify where sugar is hiding. The first step in making a clean break with sugar is becoming informed of the many names that sugar takes on, especially when reading nutrition labels. If sugar shows up in the first five ingredients in a food label it’s best to put it back on the shelf because that means it has high amounts, and also note if a packaged ingredient has more than one type of sugar it’s best to avoid too. Be patient because this may require a bit of a label reading in the beginning, but it’s worth the time, and effort because all that unnecessary added sugar takes a toll long term on your body. Remember you don’t have to eliminate everything that is sweet and this applies to natural sugars found in fruits, and other healthy products like Greek yogurt, almond milk, skim milk ect.
PLAN A “SMART” SUGAR BITE EVERY SO OFTEN
By now you may feel a bit overwhelmed of the laundry list of rules to follow in order to make a clean break from Mr. or Ms. Sugar, but I assure you it’s not anything like the movie “Mission Impossible.” Since, I want to make the breakup with Mr. or Ms. Sugar as low key, enjoyable, and stress free as possible it’s ok every so often to have an occasional meeting. This goes with planning smartly when, how much, and what type of sugar you are going to consume. One way to look at is if you’re a person who is a die-hard foodie and can not bear giving up a decadent rich desserts like cheesecake, search for a healthier version that is gluten free, paleo, or even a vegan version of cheesecake. These recipes tend to focus more on wholesome natural ingredients without the extra added sugar and additives. Second, if you do want a real version of a dessert, just make sure your going with a standard serving size and your eating it as part of your 20% cheat time. Also, planning to eat sugar on a fuller stomach after ingesting a healthy meal of protein, fat, and carbohydrate will decrease the portion of sugar you will consume since you ate a real balanced meal before. Also, for snacks or prepackaged items that contain sugar look at labels and servings to ensure your not going over 15 grams of sugar per serving in a sitting.
TRY GOING FOR FRUIT,PEANUT BUTTER, ALMOND BUTTER OR CHOCOLATE COCONUT/ALMOND MILK
I find that fruit, almond, peanut butter, and chocolate coconut or almond milk help diminish my sugar cravings. Whether you mix fruit with almond butter or peanut butter in a smoothie, or drink a chocolate flavored type of milk like coconut milk or almond milk these foods help satisfy a sweet tooth, not to mention provide great nutrition
CREATE NEW HABITS THAT TAKE AWAY SUGAR CRAVINGS
The aftermath of any breakup is a sense of emptiness, so when one breaks up with sugar there is also a sense of emptiness. Create new habits that feed your soul and replace the emptiness from the breakup. Take up a new activity, join the gym, read a book, write a blog, volunteer, or see a movie. Find activities that are going to keep you interested, excited, and build inner strength.
RECIPE #1
FUDGE BROWNIE BITES FROM SKINNYMS.COM
http://skinnyms.com/fudge-brownie-bites/
Yields: Servings 10 | Serving Size: 1 Piece | Calories: 124 | Previous Points: 3 | Points Plus: 4 | Total Fat: 7 g | Saturated Fat: 0 g | Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: mg | Sodium: mg | Carbohydrates: 16 g | Protein: 3 g
Read more at http://skinnyms.com/fudge-brownie-
RECIPE #2
3 INGREDIENT CHOCOLATE CHIP MACRAROONS FROM SKINNYMS.COM
http://skinnyms.com/three-ingredient-chocolate-chip-macaroons/
Yields: 8 servings | Serving Size: 2 macaroons | Calories: 174 | Previous Points: 4 | Points Plus: 5 | Total Fat: 11 g | Saturated Fat: 9 g | Trans Fat: 0 g | Cholesterol: 0 mg | Sodium: 6 mg | Carbohydrates: 20 g | Dietary Fiber: 3 g | Sugars: 14 g | Protein: 2 g
DISCLAIMER: The nutritional and well-being information on this site is not intended to be a substitute for professional nutritional or medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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