The World Health Organization wants people to drastically reduce their consumption of added sugar.
Processed food, breakfast cereals, baked goods — sugar is everywhere in our daily life.
Here’s a 12-step program to help manage your consumption of added sugar — the warning does not include “intrinsic” sugars occurring naturally in fruits or vegetables.
1. Bolster your intake of good foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains. An easier strategy than cutting bad foods, the body feels full and therefore lessens cravings for sweets.
2. Switch gradually — going overnight from a breakfast of pastries and a caramel mocha to sauteed spinach and two eggs won’t satisfy long-established sugar cravings.
3. Avoid sugar withdrawal — sugar feeds the ‘dopamine reward pathway’ — and going cold turkey and eliminating all added sugar in some people may trigger physical side-effects.
4. Out of sight, out of mind — keep sugary snacks out of the house, or at least out of plain view.
5. Monitor your progress — keep a journal documenting your diet for up to a month as you make changes.
6. If you feel like eating something sweet, substitute something healthy for a pick-me-up — go for a run, try a new sport, get a new hobby.
7. Drink plenty of water. Your body may mistake thirst, the craving for liquid, with the craving for sweets. Quench your thirst, you may quench your sweet tooth as well.
8. Practise the 80-20 rule — if you practise eating healthy 80 per cent of the time, splurging 20 per cent of the time will hurt you less.
9. Eliminate refined sugar and processed foods first — many processed foods are simply flour, sugar, fat, and salt.
10. Don’t make life a misery. If your friend bakes an amazing chocolate cake, have a piece or at least a bite.
11. Avoid the sugar boomerang — if you’ve somehow managed to limit your sugar intake, avoid binging and resuming your old sugar-clogged lifestyle.
12. Listen to your body as it adjusts to the new dietary program. If you’re cutting major amounts of sugar, healthy alternatives are needed to help fill the resulting calorie void.