How To Easily Reduce Your Sugar Intake
Sugar is a nasty bugger! It's everywhere. Thankfully, word on how dangerous sugar can be for our health is starting to get out. The problem? Sugar is so addictive. It's incredibly hard to avoid, let alone give up. I have good days and bad days, and I definitely find evenings harder. It's that "I've had dinner and now I want something sweet" feeling that gets me! But I've found ways around it, so here are my tips and tricks on how to easily reduce your sugar intake.
Make Your Own: The main way I've cut down on my sugar intake has been to stop buying processed foods. We're talking almost everything I eat is homecooked. Every Sunday I will spend at least 1-2 hours baking and preparing healthy snacks for the week. These tend to include my Protein Slices, some sugar free brownies (recipe coming soon! It's still being perfected.), and Egg muffins. Simply by doing this, I'm set up for a healthy week, and I don't feel the need to go buy "healthy cereal bars" in the supermarket during my lunch break.
Drink More Water:Too many of us don't drink enough water. Me included. And I know you probably hear this all the time, but water is so incredibly important. Half the time that you get a sugar craving or hunger pang, you're probably just thirsty. Your body will squeeze every drop of water it can out of what ever you've eaten. Save it the trouble and make sure you're drinking at least 2L of water a day. My trick? Carry a sports water bottle around with you. I don't go anywhere without it, and people probably thing I'm weird for always having a sports bottle on me... but its easy to carry, doesn't spill, and it's huge! #Winning.
Swap It For Fruit (but not too much!):Fruit can get a bad name sometimes because, yes, it does contain sugar! And you should definitely not spend your day eating just raspberries and banana's. However, fruit is filled with so many wonderful nutrients and antioxidants that it simply isn't justifiable in my eyes to say don't have any at all. I try to limit myself to two portions of fruit a day. Some days its three. Do I kick myself in the back for it? Absolutely not.
If you're still struggling, try these instead:Cinnamon: it helps keep your blood sugar levels steadyDark Chocolate: the darker the better, but I tend to go for 85%Herbal Tea: Peppermint tea is my go to. Try a tea with liquorice in it, it's got a subtle sweetness to it that I love. Nuts: high in healthy fats, nuts are a great way to combat sugar cravings. I love pecans!
Let Yourself Indulge (A bit!):If you never allow yourself to have a slice of cake, or a cookie... then what's the point in life?! We should all be allowed to enjoy sweet and yummy treats, it's just better to do it in moderation. You'll find yourself craving sweet things less and less the longer you go without sugar, and you'll be able to enjoy it with the peace of mind that its ok to treat yourself once in a while.
Be Nice To Yourself:There's no easy way to say it, but you really do need to wean yourself off of sugar. It's an addictive substance, so you will crave it at first. Take your time and give yourself some credit each time you reach for something other than sugar. It's not an easy process! Bowl and Measuring spoons are from Anthropolgie
