A few tips and tricks and reasons why it is important, to help you eat less sugar and feel great!
Why Should I?
Why should we eat less sugar? Have you seen the video “Sugar: The Bitter Truth”? (It’s on Youtube, if you are interested in looking it up.) It is eye opening. I watched it for the first time 12 years ago. I learned a lot. There is a lot of scientific proof and data shared in the video but what it boils down to is, too much sugar is not good for our health. Mmmm, imagine that!
Too much sugar can be detrimental to the growing body and mind of a child.
There are gobs of articles, books, magazines and videos all detailing the dangers of too much sugar. The information is definitely out there, if we are interested in finding it.
The problem with limiting our sugar intake, is that sugar, in one form another, is in practically everything. And often it is hard to know which ingredients are added sugars – high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, sucrose, malted barley syrup, evaporated cane juice, corn sweetener, rice syrup, etc. When you start reading ingredient labels you will find it in dressings, condiments, jams and jellies, dried fruit, vitamins, meats, breads, pasta sauces, peanut butter, yogurts, drinks and much more.
If we were just talking about donuts, candy, or cakes, it would be simpler to avoid but unfortunately, we aren’t.
The First Step
So, how do you eat less sugar? The very first tip is this: listen to your body. Be aware of how it reacts to sugar. If your sugar intake is constant and daily then it may be hard to hear your body because you won’t always be able to tell what affects the sugar is having.
Over the years, I have started recognizing how my body reacts to sugar. This has been through years of listening and noticing. Sometimes it takes time to figure out. My symptoms may not be the same as yours, but the information might be helpful. Here are some of my symptoms when I am eating refined sugars: When I exercise, my joints ache – knees, shoulders, elbows, hips. I didn’t recognize it for years but once I noticed it, I noticed it!
When I eat sugar, my teeth hurt. They are much more sensitive to temperature changes and prone to decay.
The third symptom I have is more painful periods. I get achy legs and back pain if I am eating refined sugar. If I am not eating sugar, I have barely any discomfort with my periods.
These are three very distinct symptoms that are specific to my body that help motivate me to avoid refined sugars. Do I avoid them 100% of the time? No, nor do I think it is necessary. What is necessary is maintaining a good balance.
When you pay attention to your body, you may notice some symptoms of your own. Once you notice these symptoms, they can be motivation for avoiding the cause. It helps to gain a testimony of the problems so you can remember in the difficult times why you are avoiding the delicious things.
Here are a few other symptoms that are linked to sugar, some mild, some extreme: acne, stomach ulcers, gout, fatty liver, obesity, headaches, ADHD, asthma, heart conditions, depression, anxiety, inflammation, and the list can continue.
Are you listening?
Let’s Get Down to It
Now we get to the nitty gritty. In order to better listen to your body, you have to avoid all refined sugar for at least two weeks. By removing it completely from your body, you can begin to see the effects it is having. You can do anything for two weeks! Here is a list of a few things to keep in mind and also a few tips to help:
1 – The first three days are the hardest.
2 – Don’t eat a sweet breakfast. A high protein breakfast will help curb the sugar cravings.
3 – Get used to reading ingredient lists. If you are accidently sneaking sugar in places you don’t expect, it will be harder to move past the addictive phase. You will crave those random crackers in the pantry that you never used to want. Why? They have sugar.
4 – The afternoon hours will typically be the hardest.
5 – Get good sleep. If you are sleepy, you will crave sugar or stimulants with added sugar to keep you going.
6 – Write down why you are avoiding sugar and refer to it often.
7 – Don’t drink any soda, energy drinks or juice.
8 – Sugar is addictive, it will call to you but you are stronger than that addiction and your body, mind and health is worth it.
9 – Don’t have cheat days. It makes it that much harder to get going again. I used to not eat sugar all week and then allow myself sugar on Sundays. Mondays were always hard and I found it if I skipped it all on Sunday, Monday wasn’t hard at all.
10 – Exercise or get outside more often. Both things help give you a reset and can distract your mind.
11 – Don’t start when you have lots of gatherings and parties on your schedule. Use a couple low-key weeks to get going so you aren’t persuaded by Uncle Ned to eat the pudding or the cookie or to explain yourself. People will have opinions about you going off sugar and they will share them with you. “Why would you do that?” “It’s just sugar!” “I eat sugar all the time and I’m totally fine.” Their opinions are just fine but when you are trying something new, it helps to not have all the negative words bumping around in your brain.
12 – Know that it will get easier.
Natural Sweeteners
The last tip I have to give might be different for each person. I do not have the same symptoms when I use natural sugars such as raw honey, pure maple syrup or sugar, coconut sugar, or dates. Depending on what your symptoms or body issues are, you might not either but you might find that you do. Again, listen to YOUR body.
Those five natural sugars that I mentioned above have vitamins and minerals that refined sugar does not have. They all have a lower glycemic index than refined sugar. However, they still need to be used sparingly. When you are first trying to go off sugar, sometimes it can be helpful to use a small amount of natural sweeteners as a buffer.
For example, I make peanut butter balls or date balls (see notes for recipes, they are simple) to keep in the freezer for those first few days. In the afternoon, when I am really craving something sweet, eating one of those balls, allows my mind to forget the craving and move on.
Maybe I am the only one, but at times, I can get fixated on having a treat and a more natural treat satisfies that desire enough that I can move on with my day, instead of eating everything else in the house because I am trying to avoid the one silly cookie. Is that a me thing? Maybe so, if not, and you are in the same boat, maybe this tip will help you.
I find, after those first few days of going off sugar, that I don’t need even the naturally sweetened treats.
You are Awesome!
If you are avoiding sugar for the long haul, I love this bit of advice from Dr. Ana Maria Temple. (She is awesome and has SO much helpful information in her book “Healthy Kids in an Unhealthy World” or her website. Look her up.) She recommends that all people over 2 years of age keep their added sugar, not including fruit, to a minimum of 24 grams of sugar a day. That includes natural sweeteners.
Be aware of where you are adding in extra sweeteners, sweet breakfasts, salad dressings, yogurts, meats, sauces. If that number seems absolutely impossible now, know that, it is ok. All good things take time.
Making some naturally sweetened treats can be helpful to have around for gatherings or parties so you or your kids can still participate in a healthier way.
My youngest son has a really hard time with refined sugars. It makes him crazy and a crazy two year old isn’t worth it to me, so I try to plan ahead and have a treat prepared for him so he can still be included. He loves this ice cream, these cookies or these bars.
HU Chocolate is often sweetened with coconut sugar. It can be good to have when you are in a pinch and need something quick to grab. My local Sprouts carries it or you can get it on amazon. These mint gems are my favorite.
When you do have naturally sweetened treats, it is better for you to pair the sweetness with fiber. That’s how sweetener comes in nature. If you look at an apple, that apple has just the amount of fiber that your body needs to digest the fructose that sweetens it. The fiber helps slow the digestion and you don’t get the high and then the crash afterward.
Add fiber to your treats.
You are awesome! You are choosing to do something hard. It won’t be hard forever. Your body, your mind and your heart will thank you. You got this!
TWEAK IT NOTES
- Peanut butter balls – 1 cup natural peanut butter or prefered nut butter(with no added sugar, check your label), 1/2-3/4 cup honey, 2-4 tablespoons arrowroot starch (depending on the thickness of your peanut butter), 1 tablespoon flax meal(optional). Stir everything together, roll into balls or scoop with a small cookie scoop and freeze. When they are frozen solid, put them in a freezer bag or Tupperware. Store them in the freezer.
- Date Balls – 20 pitted dates, 3/4 cup soaked cashews, 2 tablespoons cacao powder, ¼ teaspoon vanilla, pinch of salt. Use a food processor to process everything smooth. Roll in small balls and keep in the freezer in a freezer bag or tupperware.
