Are you cutting out processed foods, simple carbohydrates and sugar this year? Scientists have shown that sugar and simple carbohydrates are more addictive to your brain than cocaine. So, if you’ve tried to break free from the sweet stuff before and quickly found yourself back in the same old boat, that is, sitting in front of the TV with a big bowl of Panda Paw’s ice cream, then this article is for you.
The average American eats 150 pounds of sugar per year. How is that possible? Sugar is in everything. From spaghetti sauce to yogurt, to sausage. There are so many words used for sugar that it’s hard to keep them all straight. Here are some of them: agave, barley malt sugar, carob, coconut palm, date sugar, dextrose, fructose, glucose, golden syrup, malt syrup, maltodextrin, palm sugar, powdered sugar, sorghum syrup, and turbinado. No wonder we are all addicted!!
What’s worse, sugar is linked to so many inflammatory diseases. Sugar is the primary driver of diabetes, excess weight, candida, poor dental health, anxiety, increase rate of heart disease, kidney disease and dementia. You can’t wait to let it get the better of your health.
Here are 10 things you can do to break the cycle of sugar:
- Do a sugar fast. (21-28 days of a complete sugar fast) … even healthy forms like honey.
- Focus on healthy sources of Protein: hard boiled eggs, protein smoothie, or sirloin steak.
- Focus on healthy sources of Fat: add MCT oil to your morning coffee or smoothie and repeat again around 2:00 when the sugar cravings hit. Combine it with Collagen Protein for a total win.
- Healthy substitutes. Do not use things like aspartame and sucralose. They are unhealthy chemical forms of sugar that increase your addiction to the sweet stuff. The BEST forms of sugar substitutes are monk fruit (it doesn’t spike your insulin levels) or stevia.
- Apple Cider Vinegar. It will set you free from sugar cravings. Take it right before a meal or take 2 TBS twice a day. You can add it to water with a little stevia if you can’t take it straight.
- Konjac Root. Glucomannan comes from the Konjac Root and when it’s ground into a fine powder becomes a soluble fiber that can lower blood glucose levels. It can be found in powder form online or in a vitamin/supplement store. You can add it to smoothies or take it as a supplement.
- Take a 20-minute walk. When you sense cravings, throw on your tennis shoes and take a 20-minute walk. This is guaranteed to relieve the cravings.
- Decrease Stress and Increase Sleep. This will help keep Ghrelin (your hunger hormone) under control.
- Drink more water. Add some clean electrolyte powder like LMNT or Ultima electrolyte powder.
- Fill That Void with something other than sugar. So often, loneliness, a lack of direction, or stress, leaves you with a void. It’s way too easy to fill that emptiness with food. Fill your void with something good for your body.
Here are three recipes that might help you curb the cravings for sugar. I keep them in my toolbox, and I hope you find them beneficial to you as well!
- MCT Collagen Latte
Ingredients:
1 scoop MCT Collagen Creamer
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tsp almond extract
8 oz of coffee
Directions: blend together and enjoy!
2. Apple Cider Vinegar Warm Drink
Ingredients:
Herbal Tea (flavor of choice)
2 TBSP ACV
monk fruit sweetener or stevia to taste
optional extracts like vanilla or almond
Directions: steep the tea, add ACV and sweetener. Enjoy!
3. Glucomannan Smoothie
1 scoop protein powder
1 cup coconut milk + more water if needed
1/2 cup berries + additional ice if desired
1/2 tsp glucomannan powder
Stevia to taste
1 tsp. almond extract
Directions:
Blend together all the ingredients until smooth.
Deep Roots Wellness 