How to stop eating sugar easily –

Have you ever tried to stop eating sugar and failed?

The feeling that everything gets better after eating a sweetie is not imagination. There is a cultural and emotional role for food in our lives – that it messes with brain chemistry. Excess fat and sugar can interfere with the pleasure circuit related to food satisfaction, conditioning the person to always choose foods enriched with these two nutrients. When we put a brigadeiro in our mouth, a sweet that is rich in fat and sugar, the neurotransmitter dopamine is released, triggering this pleasure mechanism.

The pleasure is real, but the price is high. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Brazilians consume 50% more sugar than recommended. This means that, per day, each Brazilian consumes an average of 18 teaspoons of the product (which corresponds to 80g of sugar/day), and the maximum limit recommended for an adult is 12 spoons, according to published by the Ministry of Health.

Of this total, 64% corresponds to sugars added to foods and beverages. The remainder of consumption is the sugar present in processed and ultra-processed foods. The high consumption of sugar already has an impact on the increase of non-communicable chronic diseases. In the last decade, diabetes has grown by 54% in men and 28.5% in women. Another disease that has grown among Brazilians and that is related to the high consumption of sugar is obesity, which affects more than 25% of the country’s adult population.

Giving up sugar is not an easy task, but it is possible. Understand why your body craves this substance and start making sustainable life changes. It takes willpower and discipline, after all it is present in so many types of food.

Remember, it only takes five days to curb your cravings and your body’s need for refined sugar.

In the first five days, your taste buds will get used to less added sugar and sweet foods. They will “recalibrate” and soon you will be enjoying the sweet flavors found in fruits and nuts.

During your sugar-free journey, you will certainly notice some effects and a lot of sweet cravings, but there are ways around this.

NATURAL X ADDED SUGAR

Natural sugar is the sugar found naturally in foods such as fruits, vegetables and dairy products. There’s no need to stop eating fruits and vegetables or drinking a glass of milk (unless you’re lactose intolerant, of course). These items are not on the list for this detox.

Sugar added by manufacturers or in recipes is our target. Think white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, honey, molasses. In fact, there are over 50 different names for sugar, so you’ll want to check labels carefully.

SUGAR DETOX

The truth is that this process will be uncomfortable. When you reduce your sugar intake, your body takes notice. This is called abstinence. Withdrawal symptoms are not dangerous, but they can be bothersome. Are they:

Headache
Fatigue
Irritability
loss of focus
Insomnia
extreme sweet tooth
Thirst

The symptoms, which can be more intense in periods of stress, vary according to how often you consume sugar, whether through food or drink.

The good news is that the body adapts to a low sugar diet and as time passes, fewer symptoms and cravings are noticed.

Sometimes a sugar craving is a sign that your body needs more energy and carbs; it can also be triggered by stress or another strong emotion.

BEWARE OF THE SWEETENER

Studies show that the more you consume sweetener, the more the craving for sweets increases. This can happen because the sweet taste heightens the taste buds and the brain prepares to receive sugar, but it doesn’t come. It is better to educate the palate to consume less sweets.

HOW TO MAKE A SUGAR DETOX

– (Ella Olsson/Pexels)

1

Slowly reduce

Do you usually put two spoons of sugar in your coffee? Try putting one on and prove it. Train your palate to consume less. This is just one example, but it’s nice to do an analysis of the moments when you use sugar throughout the day and gradually decrease the amounts, without drastic changes. In three weeks you will feel a difference.

two

Drink water

Your secret weapon is water. When you’re dehydrated, the body often mistakes it for hunger, and so it may seek out less healthy foods. Drinking plenty of water makes you feel full and flushes excess sugar out of your body, thus keeping cravings at bay. Another tip is to drink water flavored with pineapple, lemon, kiwi, strawberry, ginger, cloves, cinnamon.

3

Increase your intake of macronutrients

They help with satiety, making you feel “full” after finishing a meal.

Consume the famous “real food”, prepared with whole grains and vegetables, plant proteins such as legumes and tofu, or animals such as lean meats and eggs. And of course, healthy fats. This way you will have less desire for an after-lunch sweetie.

4

read the label

Processed foods are high in sugar, but not just refined sugar. Dextrose, glucose, syrups, sucrose, molasses and other sweeteners are a frequent feature in spicy sauces for salads and snacks, teas, yogurts, cereal bars and even in alternative brands to animal milk, such as almond milk.

5

Decrease simple carbohydrates

Whether it’s pasta, bread or chips, simple carbohydrates serve as sugar for the body. Identify all foods containing white flour that are part of your diet and try to eliminate or replace them one by one so that it does not become a food deprivation.