The single best thing to do to help you Move, Look and Feel Better is to eliminate refined sugar from your diet.
It is important to note that processed sugars are different from the natural sugars found in fruit and honey. Refined sugars are highly processed, high in calories, and have no real nutritional value; while natural sugars contain vitamins and minerals.
There's a reason why refined sugar is hard to shake. For one, it's delicious, but every time we consume sugar, we are strengthening those neural pathways that hardwire our brain to crave sugar, while desensitising our taste buds to sweetness, so we end up consuming more without realising it. In other words, sugar makes you feel good emotionally and therefore you will continue to consume it, despite the negative side effects excess consumption can lead to, like headaches, energy crashes, increased risk of type 2 diabetes, brain fog and even hormonal imbalances.
Like any habit, breaking a sugar addiction takes time. The most important factor that will influence your willingness to stop consuming sugar is your ‘why’. From there, you will have a clear goal as to why you want to quit sugar. Maybe it makes you feel bloated, tired, or sick? Noticing these reasons will help you on your journey of quitting refined sugar.
Here are some simple tips that truly helped me curb my sugar addiction and take control of my own health and nutrition behaviours. If I can do it, you can too!
Remember, start small by choosing 1-2 tips to focus on. Then, once you are confident you have done them, choose 1-2 more tips to add to your life.
Top tips for curbing sugar cravings and addiction
- Aim for a minimum of 2L of water a day.
- Increase your intake of vegetables like cucumber, spinach, etc.
- Reduce caffeine and alcohol consumption as these increase cravings.
- Check the sugar label on packaged foods before buying.
- Add more protein to your meals as this keeps you fuller for longer.
- Keep fruit to 2-3 serves per day, and opt for low sugar type fruits like berries, apples, oranges, kiwi fruit, peaches, etc.
- Avoid sugar in the afternoons as this can trigger post dinner cravings. Instead have a protein rich snack around 3-4pm.
- Swap regular chocolate for dark/raw cocoa chocolate.
You will start to notice the benefits of reducing your refined sugar intake after 2-3 weeks. I promise you it’s worth it. For your current and future self.
Please feel free to email or message me any questions you might have or if you need that little extra support.
Big love,
Sara XO
