Oh, sugar. It’s comforting in the moment and fulfills a temporary void, but the aftermath ain’t’ so pretty. To put things in perspective, here’s an infographic depicting the amount of sugar consumed as of 2013 versus the 1950s:
The side effects of too much sugar (both natural and processed) can be detrimental to our health, and yet it is consumed in massive quantities. For years it was thought that food can’t be medicine and doesn’t contribute to illness both acute and chronic … until more people than ever started getting so sick, so tired and so ready for a change … that we are now finally starting to realize the impact food has on our bodies and our health.
Little by little, science and modern medicine and starting to understand and acknowledge the correlation. BUT, we have a long way to go. And until we get there it’s up to us to navigate for ourselves and never forget the most important aspect of our personal health: how do we feel? What is our body telling us? If we stop and listen, we’d likely be shocked at the answer. As the old saying goes, “You don’t know how sick you are until you’re better”. And this especially includes over-consumption of sugar.
When we have sugar in excess a whole host of seemingly minor health setbacks occur, but their cumulative effect can be deadly. For example, cancer thrives in an acidic environment, as does disease in general. In working with our clients throughout the years, we’ve learned that people who eat a lot of sugar and processed foods have an imbalanced pH that leans toward the acidic end of the spectrum.
This acidity can cause a variety of problems which we’ll list below. If you’ll notice, a lot of these are just common, everyday issues for the average person, right? What we need to be asking ourselves is why have these things have become an accepted part of our reality. Why do we just accept that living with these everyday ailments is simply the way things are? Because it certainly doesn’t have to be. Common symptoms of an acidic internal environment:
- Sleep issues
- Blood sugar imbalance
- Acid reflux
- Weight gain
- Allergies
- Headaches
- Anxiety/Depression
- Immune issues
- Low energy
- Candida
- Dandruff
- Hot flashes
- High/low blood pressure
Crazy right? We certainly think so, and in our quest to help you achieve optimal health (not just standard, everyday health) we crafted this post with helpful tips to break the sugar addiction and maintain your newfound food freedom starting TODAY.
Don’t be so hard on yourself.
Ever heard of analysis paralysis? It’s when you get so caught up in every little detail, wondering about this and pondering that, that you fail to actually take action. Don’t over analyze how you got to your current state of sugar addiction. That is important but not as important as actually making a change. Grasp a few key elements of your reliance on sugar and then channel this into positive change. Applaud yourself for working hard instead of berating yourself for past decisions. Change happens when we make the decision to stop the cycle.
Do a cupboard clean out.
We know, we know. So cruel, right? The good news is, there is not one single person on planet earth in a processed food deficit. That is, it’s not essential nor helpful for good health. So before you take pity on that lovely bag of chips nestled on the shelf, recognize that you’re stalling your soon-to-be transformation by saying you “need to finish them” before you can truly begin to rewire habits.
Stay under 30-50 grams per day of sugar.
In our years of work with a variety of clientele, we’ve found this to be the magic number for feeling optimal. Starting with no added sugar is a good bet; that is, getting sugar only from fruit. Those who even cut back on fruit and increase protein often times feel even better (due to more balanced blood sugar, among other things). When you become aware of sugar intake, it’s astonishing. It’s in pretty much everything these days, folks!
Don’t make it a big deal in social settings.
There’s nothing worse than going out to eat with friends and feeling like you’d rather retreat into a dark cave. This is common because eating healthy is the minority, still … which is sad, but the majority is slowly but surely starting to shift toward healthy. Until it does, it’s up to you to NOT make social situations awkward, and also to not retreat into that cave! Don’t forget that these moments with your loved ones should be about the time spent with them; not the burger and fries. If the food is the only glue holding your relationship together, it may be time to re-asses. The number one way to feel awkward in social settings is to talk about all the reasons why you CAN’T having something.
This will intrigue others and also instill a little guilt within them (because they know they should probably be on a similar path as you). They will ask questions and say things like “You only live once”. Yeah, well, shouldn’t we aim to thrive while we ARE living, versus just “get by” in a haze of processed food and sugar? But anyway that’s beside the point. The best thing you can do in these situations is to simply say you DON’T eat [insert item here]. Make it nonnegotiable and not up for discussion. Basically, just don’t make it a big deal. Using language like this averts the need for outside commentary and convincing, and makes the discussion about it much less appealing (which means people will usually move on to another topic).
Understand the journey won’t be easy … but it will be worth it.
Allow us to keep it real: change is hard. There is no easy way around this reality. Switching up years of habitual thought processes and patterns means resistance will come out in full force. You’ll question everything including yourself and the journey you’ve embarked on. We recommend writing your “manifesto” from the jump; write out:
- Why are you embarking on this journey?
- What caused you to get to this point?
- What will be your plan of attack when the going gets rough?
- How will you feel once you’ve reached your goals?
- How do you feel now?
- How do you plan on rewarding yourself with non-food incentives?
Being proactive instead of reactive always leads to better rates of success. There is simply no other way to live.
Stop using natural sugar substitutes in excess.
Okay so you’ve cut back on sugar and you’re feeling phenomenal, but there’s still something lingering and you can’t put your finger on it. What is it? You’re still craving sweet stuff! You’ve replaced sugar with a natural sweetener such as stevia, and you’re still craving that sweet taste. Stevia is fine in small amounts, but if you are still needing it with most everything you eat, you haven’t yet fully broken the sugar addiction cycle. So, next up: start becoming aware of how often you reach for even the natural sugar alternatives and start to decrease their consumption. This is where the magic happens. Your taste buds will transform and you will not crave that sweetness in everything you consume. In other words, you will no longer feel powerless to your cravings!
Become aware of emotional eating.
Awareness, with anything you seek to change, is the first step. You can’t change something you haven’t yet fully accepted. Emotional eating claws its way deep into your psyche and toys with your happiness. Most people eat when bored, stressed, anxious, sad; and the kicker? They don’t even realize it. They aren’t aware of the behavior because it becomes so automatic and ingrained in their life. Make it a point to become aware of your eating habits. When you sit down to eat, think: what is my emotional state right now? Am I really hungry, or am I filling a void? Keep a journal for at least a month that’s dedicated to your relationship with food, and start to unravel this longstanding habit. Once you start making mindful food decisions, things like sugar naturally start to become an afterthought.
If you relapse, use it to understand what that craving feels like.
Body awareness is such an important step toward healing. Understanding what is optimal for you, and the difference between thriving and sick can help if you relapse. Once you stop eating sugar the craving for it will naturally start to die off and you will feel truly free from the shackles of your addiction. We know, it sounds dramatic, but that’s how much of a ninja grip sugar has on us. After a period of little to no sugar, once you start back up those cravings will come back with a vengeance.
You will likely get headaches and/or stomaches in tandem with strong cravings and a host of uncomfortable symptoms, and you will be able to re-affirm why you stopped sugar. It’s important to understand this process because it can help you avoid it in the future. By embracing the good and the bad, you can make better decisions going forward, versus getting depressed about your relapse and sinking back into your old sugar habits long term.
Fall in love with your gut.
A compromised gut and immune system have become the new normal. Many people struggle with bad bacterial overgrowth in the gut (fed by sugar and even sends signals to your brain that proliferate sugar cravings). What they don’t realize, is that every sugar-laden meal they consume is making things worse. Recent studies are even pointing to the gut for mental health, most notably anxiety and depression. What does this all mean? Your gut is important! Also called your “second brain”, it’s important to give it the TLC it needs to thrive and help you overcome relentless cravings. Some of our favorites methods for nourishing the gut include:
- Fermented food and drink (sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, miso, kombucha)
- Once or twice daily probiotic consumed orally
- Bone broth (a lot of companies sell this now, too)
- Being mindful of stress and understanding the difference between healthy stress and toxic
It is our hope that you feel empowered with knowledge to tackle your sugar cravings once and for all. Sugar is sneaky and affects us in ways we don’t even realize. Making matters worse, processed food is literally designed to keep us hooked. The ol’ adage “you don’t know how sick you are until you’re better” is one of our favorites. If cold turkey isn’t your style, try changing 1-2 habits per week. Your body, mind and gut micro biome will thank you 😉
Talk Soon,
Sham & Christina
Inspired Wellness
About Inspired Wellness
We are a wellness movement aimed at cultivating greatness in all areas of life. We believe that everything is connected and that having the body of your dreams shouldn’t come at the price of your mental and emotional health. You CAN have it all; you just need some determination, grit and the desire to truly change your life!
Catch us locally in sunny Sacramento CA inspiring lives at our wellness center with fitness, nutrition and lifestyle programs, or online doing the same thing with our new online training site + community coming soon!
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20 Comments
Thanks Sham, I needed to read that…….
again!
I’ve never been a huge dessert/candy type sweet person but I have always had a weakness for fruit. hopefully cutting back on some of that will prove beneficial on this cleanse.
I’m ready for the break up!
reward myself with non food items! Best advice to help break up with sugar!
Day #2 without sugar: Having more mental clarity at work!
Good write up guys. On day 2 of this cleanse I am already fighting the sugar cravings. This is going to be an uphill battle but it is one I must win!
I love this! I am so thankful that I learned about the sugar process years back, but it’s still a great big elephant at times. I appreciate you guys!`
Reading this blog today was right on time. Today is day 5 of the cleanse and I must say today seems even harder than day 1 with sugar cravings. I am resisting though. Keeping in mind the root of the cravings and understanding the sugar attachment will subside. Looking forward to week 2!
Thank you for the information
As a person who always had a sweet tooth, eating fruits has helped me with my cravings.
I am a sugar hound! But over the years I’ve swapped sugar for dates and now cane sugar makes me feel awful. My cleanse starts tomorrow, I’m curious to see if my current intake of sweet will take a hit.
Thanks for the info. Sugar is definitely my vice! I don’t drink or smoke, but I definitely am into sugar! Hope to break that soon!
I’m ready to let go of sugar! Going to have kombucha when I feel like reaching for something sweet.
This is going to be my hardest challenge but really want to know what it feels like not to consume so mich sugar!
I’ve found that I have been able to curve my sugar cravings lately with my newest “craving”: sour. For some reason eating healthy “cleanse-approved” sour foods has tricked my tastebuds and kills my sweet tooth/cravings. Whatever the reason may be, I dig it!
Buh-bye sugar! Don’t miss ya! I have kept a very low intake of sugar since my first cleanse with Sham 2 years ago. I lost 25 pounds back then and have kept it off mostly through keeping sugar, caffeine, wheat and dairy to a minimum in my diet. I truly lost the taste for “sweet” junkie foods and gained a new appreciation for fresh wonderful fruits like papaya which became my new dessert!
Dear sugar – you are definitely my weekness, yet you are causing chaos in my body and life! So sorry, but I’ve gotta let you go now.
Rosalie
I saw this article and had to read it because I am a sugarholic!! Reading this really taught me all the affects sugar has on my body which will absolutely make me think twice before reaching for the cookies!
Thankfully I’m not big on sweets or added sugars. Because of this I have a good chance of not eating/craving sweets while trying to eat healthy and achieve my fitness goals.
I have a hard time not snacking on something sweet when I’m bored. I’m gonna start by working on cutting out sweet drinks or adding sweetener to my drinks. No more desserts eating out at dinner! I love reading motivational articles like this, puts things into perspective.