Sugar is everywhere. It is in our cereal. It is in health foods. It is in bread. It is in restaurant food. Salad dressings. It is in our coffee drinks and sports drinks.
Sugar is highly addictive. In rat studies, rats liked oreo cookies as much as cocaine or morphine. Forgive my alarmist attitude but we need to do something for our next generation. According to a nature medicine article published 06 January 2025 sugary drinks may account for 350,000 deaths a year.
You are probably reading this article because you are interested in reducing your sugar intake. Maybe you are having a hard time dealing with sugar cravings. Or you feel you have a sweet tooth.
There are many health conditions that can benefit from a reduction of sugar. There are some obvious ones like Type 2 diabetes. You may not know the importance of perimenopause and blood sugar. When estrogen starts to fluctuate your body can not handle sugar as well and you can develop insulin resistance. Also the amount of sugar you eat can impact the quality of muscle in your body. Higher sugar diets are associated with lower muscle function.
These are some of my favorite tips for minimizing sugar:
Tip #1 One place to start is with our hearts, our spirits. Loving ourselves more, loving others more, finding the sweetness in life.
“The root cause of sugar addiction is that we are out of touch with the sweetness of life itself.” Charles Eisenstein
Tip #2
If you feed yourself sugar, you want more sugar. Eat a balanced breakfast with no refined starches (cereals, breads), it will cut your cravings for the rest of the day. Some recipe ideas.
Tip #3
Expand your palate. Include all 5 flavors to create balance. Excess salty can lead to sugar cravings and vice versa. Insufficient bitter taste can lead to sugar cravings.
“Sweet practice, bitter mind. Bitter practice, sweet mind.” Zen saying
Tip #4
Feed yourself some SOUL FOOD.
Often we reach for food when we are not hungry. Why do we do this? We are reaching for something to soothe our feelings, our spirit, make us feel better. What can we do instead of reach for food?
My top 5 Get a hug from human or animal (cuddly furry type) Sing a song or listen to music or both Take a bath Step outside for some fresh air, look at moon and stars Pray or journal
What is your soul food?
Tip #5
When you eat, eat. Pretty simple, I know. The other day I was writing a post for Facebook and eating my afternoon snack (some celery and almond butter), after the snack and the post I realized that I never really tasted the food. What a bummer! I was eating but not really. Eating mindlessly can leave us unsatisfied and reaching for more food.
Tip #6
When you are getting a sugar craving, eat some fermented food. It sounds weird but it works. Eat a bubbies pickle, drink some kombucha, kvass, plain unsweetened yogurt.
Tip #7
Don’t eliminate the natural sweetness of real, whole food. Sauteed carrots, baked sweet potato, fresh or frozen berries, mashed potato and celery root puree, apple sauce. Cutting out the natural sweetness found in fruits, root vegetables and grains will stimulate sugar cravings.
Make your own applesauce, no sugar required.
Tip #8
Bump up your protein. Don't get the RDA, double that amount so you are getting approximately 1 gram per pound of body weight or desired body weight. Boosting protein will balance your blood sugar and reduce dips and cravings.
Tip #9
Are you thirsty? Drink water. Sometimes we mistake thirst as a craving for sugar.
When we are missing a key nutrient, or not hydrating, our body is in need of ‘something’ but we can misinterpret the body message. Balance is key. Try to avoid extreme diets that limit essential nutrients like fats or all carbohydrates. Keep a water bottle by your desk.
Tip #10
Are you tired? Sometimes we use sugar at night to boost energy and stay awake. For many, night time marks the only “down time” or alone time all day and it feels sacred. Carve alone time out of your day’s schedule so you can sleep at night and avoid night time eating.
Tip #11
Eat real food. Real food engages all your senses. Fake food requires sugar and artificial sweeteners to appeal to our senses.
Tip #12
Go for a walk. Distract yourself. Habits take time to form and change.
Tip #13
Taste buds take time to change. When you cut back on sugar you may feel deprived for a bit but your taste buds will adapt!!
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