How to keep your sugar addiction under control?

Having a sweet tooth from time to time is nothing wrong. However, most peoples’ daily sugar intake is far higher than the recommended percentage. It is high time to face the fact that we are addicted to sugar as a society. Sugar is something that we can consume and enjoy as long as we have our limits, and even when you know them, it is a difficult task not to overeat it. Some people even go for a healthy meal delivery service, recommended by mealdeliveryexperts.com, for example, to make sure they are not eating foods that contain too much added sugar. Sugar is in most products that you can buy at the supermarket, has a lot of names, and is added to products that you wouldn’t even consider to be sweet. Here are things you can do to get your daily sugar intake under control.

How to keep your sugar addiction under control?

Start with tea and coffee

Adding sugar and sweetener to beverages like coffee or tea is one of the biggest threats when it comes to overconsuming sugar. It is also the perfect idea to start your sugar reduction with your beloved drinks. Ask yourself, How many teaspoons of sugar do I use? Reduce by one. Your hot drink won’t taste quite as sweet as you are used to, but once you continue to drink it this way for a few weeks, you will get used to the new taste. After that, you can cut back some more, and just keep repeating the process until you are down to zero tablespoons of sugar per drink. When fighting sugar addiction, the small steps strategy is the best one you can choose.

Cut back on sodas

Another source of sugar that does a lot of damage to your sugar control is soda. If you are drinking beverages that taste sweet daily, then you probably find water and other unsweetened drinks less enjoyable. If you drink five sodas per day, no matter whether diet or regular, try replacing one with water or unsweetened drink without artificial sweeteners. In two weeks, replace another soda with water. Just like with coffee and tea, keep doing this until you fall in love with drinking water. Adding more water to your diet will not only reduce the amount of sugar that you are consuming but also make you adequately hydrated. A lot of people that are sugar addicts are also not drinking in a day, which is damaging to your health in the long run.

Change your snacks

Now that we have covered the sugar that you consume in your liquids, it is time to move on to the food. Snacks can have a lot of sugar inside them as well, and many people don’t even realize how much they snack during a day. The same concept of getting your sugar in control applies to sweet snacks. Figure out how much sugar is in your favorite, typical snacks. Then, instead of eliminating them all at once, which is not likely to happen without you suffering, find similar options that have less sugar listed on the ingredients list. For example, a chocolate granola bar has less sugar than a normal chocolate bar. Also, look for artificial sweeteners in lower sugar versions and try to avoid them. Some of the snacks that have less sugar may actually taste even sweeter than real sugar versions; you just have to find ones that you enjoy most. You should also begin to include some snacks that are not sweet at all for variety and so that you get used unsweetened snacks, a pack of nuts, for example, or a fruit.

Have dessert every other day

Another thing that people are used to is to eat a dessert every day after dinner. Reduce the number of days that you have something sweet after dinner so that you stop craving a sweet snack directly after eating. For example, if you are used to a treat after dinner each day, reduce it to every other day, and overtime do it only on special occasions. You will enjoy the sweets you have far more than now, as they will go back to being a reward rather than a habit. Opt for low sugar desserts as well. Also, it is important to get rid of the habit of ordering desserts in a restaurant every time you eat out. Do this only on occasion; you will do something good for your body and your wallet. Remember, that there is nothing wrong with enjoying deserts on your birthday or during holidays, but on a regular basis, keep your sugar low.

Keeping your sugar addiction under control is a process, and you should expect it to last a little bit. You can’t wake up one day without your usual sugar cravings. However, if you follow the strategy of small steps, then you will be on your way to success. Sugar is perfectly fine if you know how much and how often it is recommended to consume it. Keep your life sweet and healthy!