5 Steps to Kicking Sugar Addiction

It’s the beginning of a new year and the majority of us who made New Years’ Resolutions named “staying fit and healthy” and “lose weight” as their top priorities, according to Nielsen survey.

As one of those Americans aiming to improve their health, I’ve started a workout routine and a food diary. A food diary will really put things in perspective: woman cannot live on sugar alone. So this week’s research was dedicated to finding out why so many Americans, including myself, eat sugar like we should drink water.

Here’s what I learned, the do’s and don’ts —

1. Know it’s a real addiction.

Admitting you have a problem is the first step, and addiction to sugar is no different. Most processed foods we eat are packed full of added sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Couple that with the recent findings of a nationwide analysis of U.S. grocery purchases that reveals that highly processed foods make up more than 60 percent of the calories in food we buy, and the picture begins to come into focus. Americans are addicted to sugar or just plain don’t know how to cook — the need to teach both our young and old how to cook and take control of their nutritional intake is paramount and deserves it’s own blog post. But I digress. Point here is to recognize you are an addict, as am I.

Also recognize what you’re up against: processed foods have more sugar now than ever because companies are in a fight for your loyal patronage and they know you’ll buy the product that’s most pleasing to your taste buds. As clinical psychologist Sherry Pagoto, Ph.D., puts it in a Psychology Today editorial: “Tony the Tiger, my friends, is hardly different from a drug lord.”

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2. Don’t make sugar a reward.

If you’re on a Paleo diet and you allow yourself to have sopapillas with honey once a year, then that’s different. But what you should avoid doing is frequently and indiscriminately rewarding yourself with cakes, candies and other sweets without regard to your nutritional intake. Sugar should never substitute a meal or be used to fill an empty stomach.

And better than a jelly donut to reward yourself for completing defensive driving on time is a gel manicure. By not rewarding yourself with sugar, you’re gradually phasing sugar out of your life.

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3. Make like a tortoise and take it slow.

As New York nutritionist and American Dietetic Association spokesperson Keri Gans advises in an WebMD article, “Try to gradually incorporate new habits over time.” Some experts advise a cold turkey method but other experts insist permanent lifestyle changes begin with baby steps.

Instead of cutting all added sugar out of your diet overnight, start by not eating a cooking pot full of Reese's Puffs whilst on deadline. Start by putting one teaspoon of sugar in your cup of coffee instead of three. Put fresh fruit in a pitcher of water and refrigerate it so you’ll have a sugar-free alternative to your afternoon can of soda.

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Make small changes that will eventually add up to a big change in lifestyle. Don’t let sugar know you’re calling it quits; leave stealthily. Make it subtle and make it permanent.

4. Eat well and eat regularly.

A chocolate-coated candy bar will satisfy a ferrous hunger momentarily, but it won’t give you the nutrition your body is craving and it won’t set you up to tackle the day. After you’ve digested the empty calories and you’re down from the sugar high, you’ll be just as hungry, only now more sluggish.

Eating well and eating regularly has a lot to do with organizational skills, I’m learning. Ensuring you don’t stuff your face with plate of cookies two hours after skipping lunch is accomplished by anticipating the crucial moment when your Wolverine-like hunger would possess you to do such a thing. It’s called meal planning. Weird, I know. Just getting used to the concept myself.

Plan your meals and make them healthy, so you never again have to hold yourself over with sugary drinks or snacks from a vending machine. Put yourself first and plan to put the right foods in your body.

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Protein, fiber-rich foods like whole grains and produce will fill you up and safeguard from over consuming sugar, according to registered dietician Susan Moores of St. Paul, Minn., sourced in a WebMD article.

5. Make vows.

Vow to always grab a banana when you want a bowl of ice cream. Vow to say no when you need to and to get back on track after you falter. Vow to make nutrition a top priority, next to breathing and above career goals, and 2016’s going to be one hell of a healthy year.