CRUSH SUGAR HABITS

We all love sugar in any form, but difference lies that more of us like to have so much, few of us including me prefer less sugary things. Go to kitchen and open sugar container with teaspoon in your hand, think yourself swallowed at least 30 spoonful of sugar in a month in any form. Sounds insane, right?

I am not saying to completely skip sugar as this is not healthy move and even not possible. Reduce sugar intake and remove all extra sugar will give health benefits. I am sharing some ideas to smartly cut sugar from your lifestyle.

1. Cut down slowly

 Never decrease your sugar intake all of a sudden as it can upset your appetite and brain as sugar act as addictive substance. Always give time to reset your tummy and mind so that gradually it can understand what changes need to be done over a period of time.

• Initially in kitchen replace spoon (from big to make it small one) in sugar container.

• Pick small cookie, sugar-coated candy or chocolate anything that you love to eat instead of grabbing 2 cream biscuits, a handful of candy.

• This smart hack works for chocolate lovers. Always try to dip banana in chocolate syrup or sprinkle some chopped almonds on chocolate chips instead of picking whole chocolate. By doing this, satisfy your sugar craving attack as well as get nutrients from banana or almonds.

2. Stock fresh fruits and vegetables

Fruits contain natural sugar and always recommended by doctors. Consuming added sugars messes up with everything, like skin problems, spike insulin levels, weight gain, increase cholesterol, raises blood pressure, diabetes, heart issues etc. In short it welcomes all risk in our life. Do not take added sugar that is in packaged foods.

• Turning to seasonal, local and variety of fruit to satisfy your sweet tooth is a best trick. Replace one dessert, ice-cream, pastries with fresh, whole fruit. The sugar content in fruit hit that cravings, and fibre content help you to digest more slowly suppress your hunger attack.

• Always prefer to eat whole fruit but in moderation.

• Always make your plate rainbow with fruits and vegetables which becomes so pleasant to your mind and eyes.

3. Shop on full stomach

Shopping while hungry picks more of high-calorie foods and they also eat junk food. So, eat healthy meal or snack before you go for shopping

4. Nuts treasure

Keep nuts mixture like almonds, raisin, pistachios, or seeds like pumpkin, watermelon, flax seeds, and dry fruits like dates, dried fig, apricot etc in your reach so that you can take these healthy items at any place to suppress your hunger as well as make your sweet tooth calm.

5. Spice up your palate

Avoid added sugar in processed food and sugary drinks. Our palate definitely is going to miss this extra sugar but we can add herbs and spices in foods and drinks to replace it.

Add spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, coriander, cardamom, yellow ginger root will naturally sweeten your food. These can be added on smoothies, juices or sprinkled on yogurt, oatmeal etc.

These magical spices can give a new and different taste to your palate.

6. Choose dark chocolate

Go for piece of dark chocolate instead of picking regular ones. Dark chocolate contains higher cocoa content, so they have less sugar.

If blood pressure shoots up to high level, best idea to eat small bite of it.

7. Eliminate sugary drinks

Initially make a list of all sugary beverages (coffee, fruit drinks, soft and energy drinks, sweetened wafers, soda, diet soda, ice tea etc.) that is often consumed in your house. They all contain extra sugar which has adverse effect on our health.

• Slowly reducing these harmful drinks serving per day will definitely leave positive impact in any form like weight loss, feeling better and energised, and other health benefits also.

Sugar free drinks are running in market these days.

Are they so? We purchase them by thinking that they are much healthier options but they contain added sugar

Make shopping list with their substitutes like: –

• Coconut water

• Homemade smoothies, fresh juice

• Lemon drink

• Herbal tea

• Plain water flavoured with fruit slices

• Add stevia powder (natural, plant-based sweetener)

• Limit coffee or tea with half spoon of sugar

• Water with refreshing mint and cucumber

8. Snooze or sleep more

Proper and sound sleep is very essential to relax body and mind in a hectic life. Otherwise we will search for something sweet in our kitchen or in fridge.

9. Garnish with fruit

Breakfast is one of healthy and filled meal of the day. There are many choices like cereal bowl, pancakes, sweet oatmeal, broken wheat daliya etc. Add some fresh, locally available fruits like banana, pear, pomegranate, berries and dry fruits (dates, raisin, apricots, cranberries) and drizzle maple syrup(honey). Eating breakfast that is filled with carbs,protein,good fats, is ideal to avoid this cravings.

Try to make your meal more tempting like I have suggested you, instead of filling bowl with 2 spoons of white sugar.

10. Go for nature walk

Take a walk at quiet place like society parks in early mornings,full of greenery to soothen your mind and you will observe what a magic occurs.Sugar craving has vanished out as it lasts for 10-15 minutes maximum.

11. Habit of reading label

As we go to supermarket in hurry we picked up things blindly without noticing that what has been put in your basket and we end up eating those added sugar.

• Make a habit of reading label and check out the ingredients list.

• Compare many brands and choose products with little added sugar in it.

Many other ideas like eat frequently ,drink water, home made snacks,eat whole food are ideal steps to avoid sugar.

If you are able to reach that point,pat back and congrats yourself and my job is done.Go easy on yourself.It may take a time to get over this addiction as it is difficult to bring positive change in any system.

These above trick may not feel comfortable at first,but by continue following them, we can enjoy benefits of healthier life.