TIPS FOR QUITTING SUGAR - Well-Being Wednesday

Admit You’re An Addict

Do you get cranky when you don’t have sugar? Crave an afternoon treat (and a late night dessert)? Eat cake for breakfast (until the pan is gone)? Guzzle leftover frosting from the squeeze bag (every time you pass the fridge). Get defensive or angry when people talk about eliminating sugar from their diets? (this really happens) You might be an addict. Did you know that Sugar is as addictive as cocaine?...The more you eat, the more you want.

Define Sugar

What exactly are you quitting? Sugar is everywhere. Are you getting off candy, baked goods, anything packaged, anything white (milk, processed carbs etc.)? We call sugar lots of different things. Outline exactly what’s off limits and what you CAN have. Over the next two weeks, edit out all sugary junk. Substitute with fresh fruits, nuts, when your cravings start up. This one's the trickiest and could take a full two weeks to master. Because hidden sugars are, well, hidden, you could still be ingesting lots of sweet stuff. Keep a critical eye on ingredient labels on condiments, sauces, and salad dressings—all sneaky sugar sources list:

Barbecue sauce: 3.75 teaspoons (15 grams) in 2 tablespoons

Ketchup: 2.25 teaspoons (9 grams) in 2 tablespoons

Fruit-flavored yogurt: 7.75 teaspoons (31 grams) in 6 ounces

Pasta sauce: 3 teaspoons (12 grams) in 1/2 cup

Breakfast bar: 6.25 teaspoons (25 grams) in 1 bar

Sweet Synonyms

Watch for these sneaky ingredients when reading food labels. Some sound scientific, some almost healthy—but in the end, they all mean "sugar."Agave Nectar, Barbados Sugar, Barley Malt Syrup, Beet Sugar, Blackstrap Molasses, Cane Crystals, Cane Juice Crystals, Castor Sugar, Corn Sweetener, Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup Solids, Crystalline Fructose, Date Sugar, Demerara Sugar, Dextrose, Evaporated Cane Juice, Florida Crystals, Fructose, Fruit Juice, Fruit Juice Concentrate, Galactose, Glucose, Glucose Solids,Golden Sugar, Golden Syrup, Granulated Sugar, Grape Juice Concentrate, Grape Sugar, High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Honey, Icing Sugar, Invert Sugar, Lactose, Malt Syrup, Maltodextrin, Maltose, Mannitol, Maple Syrup, Molasses, Muscovado Syrup, Organic Raw Sugar, Powdered Sugar, Raw Sugar, Refiners' Syrup, Rice Syrup, Sorbitol, Sorghum Syrup, Sucrose, Table Sugar, Treacle, Turbinado Sugar,Yellow Sugar. Also, be careful on "sugar-free" or “low sugar” labels offerings; many are packed with simple carbs instead.

Get it Out of Your House

JUST TAKE THE TEMPTATION AWAY. It’s quick and easy to reach for something in the cupboard. . . and that’s generally something pre-packaged and full of sugar. If chocolate chips are your downfall – throw them out. Quit buying the Oreos, the “candy” granola bars, the candy cereal, and everything else that is on your known list of downfalls. But also ketchups, and other Savory crisps contain a lot of sugar even if it doesn’t look like…If you do that, you’ll give yourself your best first line of defense. You are making it less convenient. Replace the shelves with other quick and easy snacks to chew on. Such like raw almonds, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and all natural fruit leather, and dried fruits.

Give it 2 Weeks (ok, let’s be honest 3)

The first couple of weeks are hard. It may take some people 2 weeks to get the sugar out of their system and others 3 weeks. It’s like you are detoxing from a drug. You will think about it like crazy in the afternoon, you’ll have a hard day and tell yourself you deserve a treat, you’ll see other people eating a beautiful dessert and hate them for it. But you’ve got to hang on, it gets better.

Drink Lots of Water

When you are having a really bad hankering for sugar, one of your best helps is a big glass of cold water. Water is great for your body to cleanse and detox but it will also refresh your system and it helps with cravings. Add some lemon or lime wedges.

Treat Yourself

Quitting sugar doesn’t mean that you can’t have “treats” in your life. For the first few weeks avoid any sort of treat. That’s not realistic in the long run. Here are some of the “treats” that I have. Sometimes it’s once a week and sometimes it’s every few days. Dark Chocolate, Apples with Almond Butter, Homemade Apple Sauce mixed with greek yogurt…, Hand full of Traid Mix…

Eating Out

Make a plan before you go. Remind yourself, your spouse, your date, your friends and family that you are off the juice and that you won’t be ordering any dessert tonight. They’ll hold you accountable, and you will have made a mental plan in advance.

Involve Your Family

Just because you are off sugar doesn’t mean that they are, however you can also challenge them to make some healthy choices. As you eliminate the sugary stuff from your cupboards, make sure you’ve replaced it with something else easy to grab and snack on.

One Step at a Time

You can’t quit everything all at once. If you are trying to go off gluten, or dairy, etc. don’t throw sugar on top of it.

Stay Well Fed

Make eating healthy easy and accessible with a healthy stash on the counter, in the fridge, in the pantry, and in your purse.

Eliminate Sugary Beverages

If you're anything like the average gal, you slurp down nearly 40 pounds (70,000 calories!) of liquid sugar per year. Sipping sweet, fiberless beverages (think soft drinks, sweetened waters, coffee drinks) spikes your insulin levels and cues major cravings. Over a period of two weeks, cut out all such drinks. If straight H2O bores you, sip seltzer water or unsweetened teas or coffee.

Reduce Simple Carbs

Chances are, by this point you've halved your sugar dependence—and shed some serious pounds. Next, tackle simple carbs, which act just like straight sugar in your body. Make a list of the refined foods you typically eat (e.g., crackers, white breads, white pastas) and, again, reduce them one by one over the next two weeks. Try starting with pastas: Instead of making two cups of spaghetti, make one cup and top it with a protein-packed lean meat; the next time around, replace that remaining cup with a veggie such as spaghetti squash.

Honey VS Refined Sugar

I know what you are going to say, why is she advising honey versus normal sugar, if both are the same (according to the documentary below) Well here is why?... Again it is about the Glycemic Index, whih is slicely lower for Raw Honey. Again keep a better look on the labels

Pure honey has a typical ranking of 58 on the scale. But some varieties are even lower. The glycemic index of honey depends on how much fructose is in that particular batch. Honeys that contain 35 to 45 percent fructose, for example, score around 35 to 48 on the glycemic index. White table sugar, also known as sucrose, is higher, with a glycemic index between 58 and 65.

More explanation into this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yda8RtOcVFU

If you get an Hour ahead of you, Take a look of the documentary from the UK about the Real Truth of Sugar. (Sorry the video is not quite well adjusted, but it will give an idea how bad Sugar is for your body)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dqKmOLpofo

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