Do you have a love-hate relationship with
your sweet tooth? Do you love taking a big, chocolaty bite of that candy bar
you crave after lunch, but you hate those extra few pounds you put on over the
course of the year?
If your sugar habit is out of control and
you're ready to kick it for good, here's how to go about it in a way that's
more likely to result in success rather than relapse.
Take your time. Going cold turkey works for
some people, but not most. Instead of quitting your sugar habit altogether,
take your time weaning yourself off of the sweet stuff. This is more likely to
help you lose your taste for sugar and reduce your cravings. Start out by
cutting your sugar in half. Instead of two handfuls of M&Ms, only take one.
Instead of two teaspoons of sugar, add one to your coffee. Do this for a week,
then reduce it by half again for another week. Your goal should be to either
switch to natural or artificial sweeteners or skip the sweetness completely.
Go easy on the extras. It's usually extras
and add-ins that take your sugar consumption over the top, like sprinkles on
your frozen yogurt, sugar on your cereal or chocolate syrup in your coffee.
Instead of relying on your old favorites, turn to new add-ins or go without.
Instead of sprinkles on your yogurt, go with granola or fruit. Try berries in
your morning cereal instead of a tablespoon of sugar. Rather than chocolate
syrup, try getting a coffee made with flavored beans.
Break up with soda. Regular, sweetened soda
is one of the worst sugary offenders. Wean yourself off of your dependence by
mixing half of your regular soda with half of its diet equivalent for a while.
This can ease your transition into the switch to diet soda, which doesn't have
the same sugary taste. But research shows that drinking diet sodas isn't
healthy and can increase your risk for metabolic syndrome, kidney damage and
obesity, as well as damaging your cells and teeth. Instead, try to skip the
soda altogether by drinking more water (with lemon or lime, if you prefer) or
making your own bubbly beverages. Seltzer water is a great, healthy alternative
that you can dress up in a variety of ways. You could try flavored varieties,
but it might be tastier to make your own. Add strawberries, melon slices, lemon
or lime wedges, raspberries or mint to your seltzer water for a more
interesting take.
Give yourself a limit. You don't
necessarily have to cut sugar out of your life forever if you're trying to
break your habit. But instead of allowing yourself to indulge in whatever you
want, give yourself a specific daily quota for the amount of sugar you can
have. The World Health Organization recommends a daily sugar intake of less
than 10 percent of your daily calories. That's the equivalent of 40 grams if
you're on a 1,600-calorie diet. Keep track of your serving sizes or decide to
splurge on one thing in particular each day, like sugar in your morning coffee
or an ounce of dark chocolate after dinner (some chocolates, in moderation, may
be good for your heart).
Buy sugar-free condiments. Condiments like
ketchup are loaded with more sugar than you think, but you don't have to let
these sneaky foods ruin your commitment. Lots of brands offer sugar-free
varieties for people with diabetes or those who are watching their waistlines,
so pick these up next time you go to the grocery store. That way, your next
burger won't sabotage your efforts. Avoid foods with labels that have
ingredients like sucrose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, cane juice
crystals, evaporated cane juice, dextrose, molasses or malted barley extract.
All of these mean that whatever you're looking at has sugar in it.
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