Sugar addiction
From sweet cravings to self-control: tips to overcome your sugar addiction
We all know that sweets are not good for us. Both our teeth and scales suffer from too much sweet snacking. Sugar is not only delicious, it is also addictive. The sweet goodness ensures namely causes dopamine releasecomes, which gives us a sense of pleasure and bliss. This is also suddenly the reason why we can sometimes crave something sweet tremendously and eventually develop a sugar addiction. It takes some self-control, but with the tips below, you can overcome your sugar addiction.
Sugar and its impact on our bodies
Before we just start listing a series of tips, we would like to take a moment to clarify the impact of sugar on your body. After all, that one cookie or few candies are not as innocent as they seem. We verdid you count all that sweetness gives you a sense of pleasure and satisfaction and that you can become addicted to sugar as a result. In addition, eating sugar can also lead to various health problems, such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even gloomy feelings. Sweetness can also cause fluctuations in our blood sugar and energy levels, making us feel tired and lethargic.
How to recognize sugar addiction
Does eating just one cookie make you sugar addicted? No, yet there are many people who unknowingly have an addiction to sugar. This is because many food products have high levels of sugar added by food manufacturers to feed our sugar addiction. Therefore, in a single day’s time, you are getting a not-so-nice sugar intake, which contributes to the development of sugar addiction and all its unpleasant consequences.
You can recognize a sugar addiction by cravings,
cravings
or a strong craving for sweets, irritability, mood swings and headaches with sugar abstinence. Sugar addiction differs from other addictions because sugar is available everywhere. Most people are sugar addicts but don’t know it. Pretty intense, if you ask us.
Tips to overcome sugar addiction
To overcome your sugar addiction, it is important to make conscious choices and learn to deal with your sweet cravings.
Tip 1. Start the day with a healthy breakfast
Be sure to nourish your body rather than fill it. Start the day rather not with anything sweet, because this means the start of a day full of sweets. Thus, after eating fast carbohydrates, you get a rapid insulin spike as well as insulin drop. Those blood sugar fluctuations can cause symptoms of fatigue and you get cravings for sweets much faster, making you more likely to snack.
Rather, opt for a healthy and varied breakfast, packed with protein and healthy fats. Opt for an omelet with vegetables and whole wheat bread or oatmeal with avocado. Why not a bowl of yogurt with yummy fruit, which is also healthy, right? True, this is touted as a healthy start to the day, but also fruit and many yogurts contain large amounts of sugars. In this case, combine natural yogurt (or cottage cheese, even better since it contains more protein), with some unroasted, unsalted nuts or oatmeal flakes with seeds and kernels. In this way, the Glycemic Index stays lower and you will suffer less from blood sugar fluctuations. In addition, fiber- and protein-rich foods improve satiety.
Tip 2. Find alternatives to sugar
If you don’t have anything sweet in the house, you can’t eat it either. Trade cookies, candy and other sweet snacks for cherry tomatoes, carrots or cucumbers. Your sugar addiction won’t thank you as much, but your body and mind will.
Tip 3. Avoid light and zero-alternatives
Take care when exchanging sweet products for light and zero-alternatives. After all, these products contain artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame. This little substance is as much as 200 times sweeter than “regular” sugar and therefore keeps your sugar addiction going. Ban therefore
soda
but completely out of your life if you want to get rid of your sugar addiction.
Develop a healthy relationship with food
By developing a healthy relationship with food, you learn to nourish your body properly. A healthy and balanced feeding schedule provides your body with enough fuel for the entire day. Moreover, a healthy and nourished body does not need sugars to function.
Bye-bye
sugar addiction!
Exercise regularly
By getting at least 30 minutes a day of
physical activity
do, you contribute to a healthy lifestyle. A fit and healthy body does not need extra sugars to feel good because it gets satisfaction from other neurotransmitters released during exercise.
Hydrate yourself
A hydrated body is less likely to give in to sweet cravings. In fact, a thirsty body sends a signal similar to hunger, making you more likely to reach for sweet snacks. By adequately hydrating your body with
water
, you will find that your sweet cravings will be a lot less.
Get enough sleep
Allow your body at least 7 to 8 hours
sleep
per night. A rested and nourished body has sufficiente energy to the dagnate pursuits to complete. A non-rested body, on the other hand, will very much crave quick sugars for an energy boost.
Developing a healthy relationship with food
Overcoming a sugar addiction is not easy, but with the tips above, it wél possible. Give yourself plenty of time and don’t give up, because it can be quite challenging to get rid of a sugar addiction.