One of the hardest habits to break if you’re trying to lose weight or eating more sensibly is sugar addiction. Many people are addicted to sweet treats and actually have strong cravings for it. ‘Addiction’ is really the right description for it because sugar actually gives your body a sudden burst of energy and alertness but eating too much sugar is harmful to your body because it causes a lot of health problems. Among them, weight gain, diabetes, and migraines. Diabetes alone is a disease that a growing number of people around the world are suffering from and if not managed properly can cause other life-threatening conditions and can actually lead to death.
If you are determined to break your sugar addiction, here are some ways you can succeed:
Make a commitment to beat your addiction
Any kind of addiction is hard to stop but if you are determined then you have taken the first step towards conquering your addiction. You need to tell yourself that you want to stop and believe in your ability to resist the temptation of sugary treats. One effective way to build up your determination is by thinking of the people who will be most affected if you continue with your harmful lifestyle. Getting sick is no joke and your family will suffer if you become debilitated with some illness. You should also read up on the effects of too much sugar in the system so you can have a picture of what your future will look like if you don’t stop your addiction to sugar.
Be aware of your body and how it reacts to sugar
Listen to how your body reacts whenever you take in sugar. Try to find out how your mood changes after taking a piece of cake. You may get irritable, more high strung, or some physical manifestations may actually appear on your body, like itchiness or nasal congestion. Being aware of how your body reacts to glucose is important and should be your responsibility to take notice of.
Be more mindful of what you eat
Sugar is not limited to just desserts or sugary drinks. Sugar, especially refined sugar, can be found in many foodstuffs. Make it a habit to read about the ingredients of what you eat. Read the labels and find out if it contains sugar, high fructose corn syrup and other sugar variants. If you see these in the first three ingredients listed on the label then you need to avoid it.
Think of substitutions
You can actually replace sugar with other alternatives, some of them actually healthier. For example, blue agave is a great sugar substitute and even has a low glycemic index. So goes with honey, which is a very popular sweetener. Coco sugar is also a becoming popular among people who are looking for healthier sugar alternatives. Of course, there are also chemical sugar alternatives in the market but don’t overindulge because these are still chemicals. Try to go with naturally occurring sugars as much as possible. In fact, if you are craving for sweets, fruits are a great way to sate your sweet tooth.
Detox your body
Just like any kind of addiction rehabilitation program you need to detoxify your body to get rid of the bad substances in your body, and it’s the same way with sugar addiction. Perform a body cleanse to get rid of harmful substances in your body. It will not only help you in beating your addiction, it will also make your body more sensitive to these harmful substances, allowing you to be more aware of the negative effects of sugar on your body.
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