How to Give up Sugar

Eating too much sugar is tied to a number of health problems, so more and more people are choosing to give it up altogether. In addition to lowering your risk of obesity, organ problems, heart issues, and more, giving up sugar can lead to an improved quality of life. Sugar is similar to other addictive substances (like caffeine and alcohol). Expect to experience withdrawal symptoms and extreme cravings before coming out on the other side feeling happier, healthier, and more in control of your diet.

Steps

Learning the Basics on Sugar

1. Understand how sugar affects the body. Sugar is a type of simple carbohydrate that your body needs as an energy source. Sweet foods taste good to humans because we evolved using sugar as fuel. But now that sugar is so easy to come by, most of us eat a lot more than we'd ever be able to convert into energy. The extra sugar in our systems can lead to weight gain, heart problems, and tooth decay.^[1]
   
   • The extent of the problems sugar causes are still being researched. Recent studies indicate that eating sugar triggers the production of a hormone that makes cells more susceptible to cancer formation. It has also been linked to liver disease and premature aging. ^[2]
2. Learn about the different types of sugar. When you think of sugar you might imagine a mound of granulated, powdered or brown sugar, but sugar comes in many forms and is found in all types of food. There are two main types of sugar: naturally-occurring sugar, like the kind that's found in fruit, and added sugars, such as the kind you mix into cake batter to sweeten it. Sugar goes by lots of different names, which you'll want to be able to recognize so you know what to avoid:^[3]
   
   • Naturally-occurring sugars include fructose (found in fruit) and lactose (found in milk).
   • Added sugars include white, brown, beet, and cane sugar, molasses, agave syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, turbinado, honey, maple syrup, and more. These sugars are derived from plants (or animals, in the case of honey), but they're usually added to other foods to sweeten them.
3. Aim to eliminate added sugars from your diet. Added sugars that are mixed with food to sweeten it contain no nutritional value on their own, and it's easy to eat a lot without feeling full. Naturally-occurring sugars in fruit and milk come with vitamins, minerals, and fiber that make you feel full, so you end up consuming a lot less sugar. Some people choose to give up fruit and milk to eliminate all sugar from their diet. But at the very least, when you're going sugar-free, strive to get rid of the added sugar in your life.
   
   • For example, when you eat something with added sugar, like a cookie, it doesn't come with the fiber and nutrients that help you feel full, so you end up eating more sugar than your body needs.
   • However, an item with naturally-occurring sugar such as an orange contains a lot of fructose, but it also has vitamin C, fiber, and water. When you eat an orange (not just the juice, but the whole fruit) you feel full after consuming just the right amount of sugar.
4. Beware artificial sweeteners, too. Since researchers have discovered that sugar wreaks havoc on the body, scientists have developed different artificial sweeteners as low-calorie replacements. The trouble is that the artificial sweeteners may be worse for the body than just plain sugar. Aspartame, saccharin, sugar alcohols, and other sweeteners have a variety of different side effects and could potentially be harmful to your health.^[4] What's more, when you're trying to give up sugar, the sweet taste of artificial sweeteners can make you crave it even more.
   
   • Avoid processed food that's been sweetened with artificial sweeteners e.g. diet drinks and any typically sweet item that's labeled sugar-free, like candy, ice cream, cake, etc.

Changing Your Shopping and Eating Habits

1. Check labels every time. Eliminating sugar requires paying very close attention to what you buy at the grocery store, since sugar is added to all types of food. You'd expect to find it in something like boxed cookies, but you might be surprised to see it's also commonly added to savory foods like salad dressing, bread, and tomato sauce. Check labels carefully and avoid foods that contain sugar.
   
   • Sometimes sugar is listed as sucrose, glucose, dextrose, fructose, or lactose. Avoid anything that has and "-ose" word, because that means it has added sugar.
   • Artificial sugar might be listed as aspartame, acesulfame potassium, saccharin, neotame, sucralose, maltitol, sorbitol, or xylitol.^[5]
2. Go for the least processed food. Sugar is commonly added to processed and packaged foods to improve the taste, texture, and shelf life. If you don't want to have to spend 10 minutes reading the label each time you choose a food item, try choosing food that's not processed. Shop in the bulk food aisle and get fresh produce, fresh meat, and dairy items.
   
   • Frozen food, packaged snacks, canned soup, yogurt, sauces, salad dressings, and marinades often have added sugar. Try making these items from scratch.
   • Even fruit can be loaded with sugar when it's processed. Fruit juice and dried fruit have been stripped of fiber and water that helps you feel full, making it easy to consume way too much sugar. If you're including fruit in your diet, make sure it's fresh.
3. Cook at home as often as possible. That way you can control exactly what goes into your food, and you won't have to stress out about added sugar. It's much easier to give up sugar when you're in charge of what you eat for every meal.
   
4. Create delicious sugar-free meals. Sugar provides a lot of interesting flavors and textures in the typical diet, so when you give it up, you need to find other ways to keep your taste buds singing. Otherwise, you might just fall back on your old habits. Teach yourself how to cook tasty meals without a bit of added sugar.
   
   • Eat plenty of protein in the form of eggs, beans, meat, fish, tofu, leafy green veggies, and other protein-rich items. Protein helps you feel full and will reduce your sugar cravings.
   • Eat lots of vegetables, both fresh and cooked.
   • Make your own dressings and sauces so your food is extra tasty. Use plenty of spices to pump up the flavor so you actually enjoy eating your veggies.
   • Make sure you're getting plenty of healthy fats, which provide necessary calories and keep you feeling full. Olive oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil, butter, and ghee should all be a big part of your sugar-free diet.
5. Cut back on alcohol. Alcohol contains a lot of sugar and doesn't come with a nutrition label, so even if you're cutting sugar out of the food you eat, you might still be consuming more than you realize. All alcoholic beverages have sugar, not just the cosmos and margaritas. Eliminate alcohol altogether or stick to dry red wine, which is lower in sugar than beer, champagne, and other alcoholic drinks.^[6]
   
6. Order wisely in restaurants. It's easy to consume hidden sugar in restaurants, since the meals don't come with nutrition labels for you to examine. You can also ask the server to tell you what's in a dish, but it's often better to have a good strategy for ordering food with the least amount of sugar. Try doing the following to keep your restaurant meals sugar-free:
   
   • Get your salads dressed with plain oil and vinegar, rather than choosing a pre-made salad dressing.
   • Ask for main dishes to be made without sauces and gravies that might have added sugar.
   • When in doubt, order steamed vegetables or plain grilled meats instead of casseroles and other mixed dishes that contain a lot of ingredients. Look for the most pared-down items on the menu.
   • For dessert, opt for a plain bowl of fruit or skip it altogether.

Making a Commitment to Quit

1. Stock up on healthy food. Filling your cabinets with food that doesn't contain sugar will help you give it up. When you get hungry, it's important to have a good variety of healthy food within reach so you don't turn fall back on your sugar habit. Sugary foods are often the most convenient to eat, so it might take some careful planning to make sure you have so much good food on hand you won't want to eat sugar.
   
   • Stock your cabinets and refrigerator with sugar-free food you can eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
   • Have sugar-free snacks on hand. Sliced carrots, nuts, hummus, whole wheat crackers (making sure they're sugar-free), and other snack foods should be available for when the hunger pangs hit.
2. Take it easy if you have symptoms of withdrawal. For the first week or two after giving up sugar, you might feel nauseous, have headache, and generally feel cranky. Your body has come to rely on its daily sugar boost, and taking that away will have an effect until you get used to it. It'll be worth the discomfort in the end, when your mood levels out and you feel healthier and more energetic than you did when you were addicted to sugar. Here are some good ways to get through withdrawal:
   
   • Drink lots of water. Staying hydrated will help your body feel well and reduce the symptoms of withdrawal.
   • Eat regular meals. Even if you're less than thrilled with your sugar-free menu, make sure you're nourishing your body so you'll start feeling better faster.
   • Give yourself a break. If you're cranky and tired, try to rest for a few days and take the time to pamper yourself until your energy level is back up again.
3. Have a plan to get through cravings. You might dream of cupcakes, ice cream and candy for the first few weeks, but rest assured that your cravings will eventually go away. In the meantime, curb them by doing the following:
   
   • If you crave soda, drink plain soda water with a squeeze of lemon or lime.
   • If you crave a sweet baked good, try eating baked pumpkin or sweet potato topped with a little butter or cream.
   • If you crave a fruity treat, eat a bowl of fresh raspberries or strawberries.
   • Eat nuts and seeds, which are packed with nutrients that reduce cravings.^[7]
4. Join a diet program or support group. Giving up sugar isn't easy, and it can help to have support from other people who are going through the same thing. Instead of trying to do it all alone, sign up for a program or support group, either in person or online, so you can share motivational stories and tips for making the process go more smoothly. It's nice to have people with whom you can share your achievements, too!
   
5. Tell your friends and family what you're up to. The fact that you're giving up sugar will have an impact on other people you regularly eat with, especially if you cook for your family or they cook for you. Explain to them why you're giving it up, what foods you can no longer eat and what foods you can. Ask them to help you on your journey to giving up sugar, and perhaps even join you.
   
6. Get back on the wagon if you fall off. Birthday parties, holidays, and other special occasions are celebrated with sugary treats, and it's next to impossible not to indulge now and then. If you do end up eating something with sugar, limit yourself to just one piece or one cookie so you don't end up throwing yourself off too much. Afterward, get right back on your sugar-free diet.
   
   • You might experience increased cravings for a few days afterward, so you'll have to be extra careful to keep sugar away.

Tips

• When you get a craving for sugar, have some fruit instead of juice or sugary treats. The fiber helps fill you up (so you aren't tempted to eat more) and the natural sugars will help keep cravings at bay.
• Don't overeat, even if you are eating good and healthy things, too much of a good thing is bad!

Warnings

• DO NOT take sugar completely from your diet, it can be very dangerous if you do! Our bodies were made to have some sugar in our blood, but we can use healthy sugars (like honey or agave nectar) to get the amount of sugars we need!

=Sources and Citations

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