Guide to Kick Sugar Cravings and Find Peace Around Sugar

The scientific evidence now shows it is sugar not fat that makes you sick and overweight. Sugar causes inflammation making it the root cause of almost every ache and pain, every health condition and every battle with our weight.

It is not just sugar that is the problem it is also flour. Flour raises blood sugar just like table sugar, even whole wheat flour.

One Slice of organic whole wheat bread has 28 grams of carbs, 3 grams of sugar, with a glycemic index of 73. That’s more than table sugar, which has a glycemic index of 59.

Of course we all know sugar is bad for us yet we continue to succumb to our cravings.

First I want you to know …

IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT

Sugar and flour products stimulate our brain in such a way it is addictive. Dr. Robert Lustig explained to 60 Minutes that…

“sugar is as addictive as cocaine.”

This is why it is so hard to stop eating sugar and flour products.

The food manufacturers know this. They want to get us addicted to these high sugar foods so we have to buy their products.

Sugar is added to sauces, cereals, dairy products, non dairy products, juices and especially low fat foods. It is in almost any prepared food.  The manufacturers then combine it with fat, salts and specific chemicals in such a way to make certain foods highly addictive.

Studies show the average American man, woman and child consume about one pound of sugar and flour combined every day.  It is no wonder we are overweight and struggling with our health.

I know it is hard to give up sugar…but MY GUIDE can help…

In this new guide I give you seven easy ways to get rid of sugar cravings, boost your energy when your blood sugar dips and tame the COOKIE MONSTER inside you.

First let me first give you a quick course on blood sugar.

Blood Sugar 101*

As sugars-even “natural sugars”-and simple carbohydrates are digested, they force the pancreas to produce insulin, which is needed to escort the sugars out of the bloodstream and into the cells.

Over time, when the insulin levels are driven up again and again several times a day 2 things happen

1. The pancreas becomes worn out
2. The cells can become resistant to taking in any more sugar – insulin resistance

Excess sugar in the blood, unable to be absorbed by the cells, keeps the blood sugar unnaturally high. It lingers there until the insulin stores it as fat, often (but not always) causing abdominal fat, obesity, and high cholesterol.

Excess blood sugar also attaches to proteins that may damage or thicken the arterial wall, directly increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, blood clots, inflammation, cancer, heart attack, stroke, and more.

*(adapted from John Douillard)

From this you can begin to understand a little about how sugar impacts our health.

Let's talk solution:

I am giving you a new guide which contains seven easy ways to help get rid of your sugar cravings so you will have more peace around sugar.

Choose 2 or 3 of the tips that resonate with you and start there…

These are the principles I follow regularly in my life to keep me from being addicted to sugar.  When you follow these tips you will banish your cravings.  I am not saying I never eat sweets.  I do and I enjoy them but I get to choose. It is not a compulsion. I choose sweets like dark chocolate and healthy desserts like my Bittersweet Chocolate Tart and Black Bean Brownies.

By following this new guide, you will be able to stay balanced while clearing your addiction to sugar.  The good news is it gets easier because the less you eat sugar the less you crave it.

Guide To Kick Sugar Cravings and Find Peace Around Sugar

Tip #1 – Replace Sugar with Fat:

Fat is not the enemy. Fat does not make you fat it is sugar that does that. Fat is a slow burning fuel that sustains your energy for long periods of time instead of sugar which gives you a boost of energy and then quickly crashes. It balances your blood sugar and gives your cells the fuel they need to do their job. It is good to have healthy fats at every meal and snack. This includes, nuts, seeds, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, coconut and cacao butter, avocados, organic grass fed cultured butter, ghee and Omega 3’s from sustainable fish.

Extra Tip: If you find yourself with a sugar craving have a little coconut butter or tahini with celery. You can even add a drizzle of honey to satisfy your need for a sweet taste.

Tip #2 – Eat A Healthy Breakfast

Breakfast is key for maintaining good blood sugar balance. When you wake up in the morning your blood sugar is low. Not having a good breakfast causes you to struggle with sugar craving throughout the day. Sugar cravings are easier to control if you don’t let your blood sugar get too low or spike and then get low. I like to start my day with a latte containing good fat to immediately feed my cells.

Here are a few Latte’s to try:
White Chocolate Matcha Latte
Dandy Hazelnut Latte

Then follow it up with a good breakfast full of protein, fat and fiber. Here are some ideas:
Alkaline Green Smoothie
High Protein Strawberry Green Smoothie
Hemp and Chia Porridge
Strawberry Chia Pudding
Mini Spinach and Mushroom Frittata
Grain Free Breakfast Porridge

Extra TIP: Use cinnamon to sweeten your latte, smoothie or porridge. Studies have shown cinnamon helps maintain balanced blood sugar levels. It is also ALKALINE. Cinnamon good for your colon and great for controlling cholesterol.

Tip #3 – Give Up Sweet Drinks

Sweet drinks are full of sugar that is absorbed quickly by your body. Harvard Scientists found they not only spiked blood sugar and insulin and led to sugar cravings, but caused huge changes in the brain. The sugar lit up the addiction center in the brain.

It doesn’t matter if these sweet drinks are fruit juices, natural beverages or soda. Simple carbohydrates in fruit juice or soda behave the same way in the bloodstream. When you squeeze the juice out of a fruit, the fiber that slows down the absorption of the sugar is removed and what is left is a juice of mostly sugar.

8 ounces of orange juice: out of 27 grams of carbohydrate, 24 of them are sugar. It’s almost all SUGAR!

Tip #4 – Stay Hydrated

Even mild dehydration causes a drop in energy causing sugar and carb cravings. Water contains the minerals you need to keep energized. If you don’t have enough water your metabolism slows down and you get tired. Your body thinks it needs sugar for energy. This often leads to eating sugary snacks or caffeine.

When you wake up, drink 16-24 ounces of water first thing. You will get a burst of energy.   Ideally you want to drink half your ideal weight in ounces of water each day. It might sound like a lot but if you start in the morning when you wake up and have a glass or 2 of water before each meal you are well on your way.

To make drinking water more enjoyable…

• Drink herbal teas which easily contribute to your hydration.
• Add lemon or lime to your water for an alkalizing refreshment
• Flavor your water with fruits. Recipe for Cherry Water

Tip #5 – Keep Healthy Treats on Hand

Don’t let your blood sugar drop because once it is too low you will eat anything in sight. A drop in blood sugar causes cortisol to be released into your system. You will then have huge sugar cravings. If you get hungry, listen to your hunger, honor it and have a healthy snack. As you are weaning off of sugar check in with yourself regularly to see if you are hungry. You never want to be in a food emergency. If you are going out, plan on bringing either some nuts and seeds or an energy bar with you.

Here are some of my favorite snacks:
Cherry Garcia Energy Bars
Kale Chips with Almond Butter
Raw Cacao Almond Treats 

Tip #6 – Reduce Inflammatory Foods

Inflammation triggers sugar cravings. When you eat something inflammatory your body goes into fight or flight mode and cortisol is released. Sugar is then released into the blood stream so you can run from or fight the imagined tiger. (invader) You get a sugar craving because your body thinks you need the glucose.   After sugar and flour, the most common sources of inflammatory foods are trans fats, gluten and dairy. We often crave the foods we are allergic to because of they way they stimulate our brain. The best thing is to quit gluten and dairy for 10 days. Since this may not be easy start with gluten first. After 2 or 3 days without it you’ll find relief from cravings and an increase in energy.

In my article on The Worst Foods For Your Joints I explain in detail how to do an Elimination Diet.

Tip #7 – Get Enough Sleep

Studies have show that even one night of less than 6 hours of sleep causes cravings for carbs and sugar. When you are tired you want more energy so you crave sugars. Lack of sleep increases your hunger hormones and decreases your appetite suppressing hormones. Enough good quality sleep will dramatically reduce your sugar cravings.   Read my article How Sleep Loss Leads to Weight Gain

BONUS TIP #8 – Reduce Your Stress

When you are stressed your hormones go crazy. Cortisol goes up which makes you crave sugar. Even though you don’t have direct control over what happens in your life you do have control over your reaction to it.   There are a few simple things you can do to change your reaction by reducing your stress. The simplest one is deep breathing. You can do this anytime anywhere.

1. Breath out completely
2. Breathe in through your nose quietly for four counts 1-2-3-4
3. Hold for seven counts 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
4. Breathe out through your mouth with a sound for eight counts 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8
5. Repeat four times

Tapping aka EFT is also a great stress reliever. Studies have show tapping reduces the cortisol in your system reducing your cravings. If there is something stressful in your life, it is good do take 5-10 minutes a day to sit down and do some tapping. If you are new to tapping go to www.thetappingsolution.com to find out more about it and to download a stress reducing audio.

I like to tap every time I go to the toilet to stay calm in my day.  I am sitting there anyhow.  You don’t even need to say any words just tap on the points. Click here for tapping points

Here also is a video to Tap Down Your Sugar Craving with EFT

 What To Do If You Slip Up and Overindulging In Sugar.

First don’t beat yourself up about it, you are human. Put your hand on your heart, breathe in compassion and forgiveness.   Beating yourself up is toxic for your body and mind and doesn’t help prevent you from doing it a gain. Love and compassion are much better healers. Get back up and start again immediately. You don’t have to give up the rest of the day, week or month.

You can also consider how you felt before you overindulged. What was going on that triggered you. Tap on the feelings and how you felt physically. You may learn something wonderful about yourself.  See it as an opportunity to go deeper into discovering your real needs.

It is also helpful to have an alkaline green smoothie or green juice to reduce the acid in your system quickly bringing you back into balance.

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If you liked my guide please share it on FB and feel free to ask me any questions either on below or FB.

It’s always my pleasure to serve. I look forward to hearing any tips or experiences you may have with Kicking Sugar Cravings.