The keys to beating a sugar addiction with a healthy eating system are to plan ahead and to make sure that healthy foods are available and convenient. After you remove the sugar-infused garbage from your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer, it’s time to refill them with upgraded food choices.
Stock up on protein to beat your sugar addiction
Protein and vegetables are your two best friends when it comes to staying sugar-free. Protein slows down the absorption of carbohydrates into the bloodstream and helps you feel satisfied for longer periods of time. Protein is important for a myriad of other functions in your body.
A sugar-smart kitchen should have two main sources of protein handy:
Wild-caught fish and pasture-raised meat and eggs in the freezer and refrigerator for planned meals.
Powdered whey protein for last-minute snacks or for whenever you need a handy source of additional protein.
When you make your food plan for the next day or two (or for the week), be sure to make notes about when to move frozen meats into the refrigerator so they’re thawed when it’s time to cook them.
Consider buying meats from local farmers so you can talk to them firsthand about how they raise their livestock. It’s also important to support local agriculture and community farms.
Find the right carbs to beat your sugar addiction
Most of the carbohydrates you eat should come from vegetables. Vegetables are low in calories and sugar and high in nutrients and fiber. You can pretty much eat all the veggies you want without having to worry about calories or insulin response.
To make vegetables easily available in your kitchen, keep your refrigerator stocked with fresh, crunchy produce ready to steam or eat raw. When fresh vegetables aren’t in season from local farms, you can buy frozen vegetables for quick and easy cooking or pick up a bag of prewashed organic salad mix.
Consider using something other than canned vegetables because they’re often high in sodium and can contain contaminants like bisphenol-a (BPA). In April 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) opted not to ban BPA from food and beverage containers.
To make vegetables easily available, keep a see-through container of raw, cut vegetables in the refrigerator. For a snack or an appetizer, dip raw, crunchy vegetables in olive oil or organic sour cream.
Here are some more tips for working more vegetables into your meal planning:
Add steamed chopped vegetables to pasta or rice.
Include a salad of mixed greens with your meal at least once per day.
Plan some meals around a vegetable main dish, such as vegetable soup or a vegetable stir-fry.
Shred carrots or zucchini into meatloaf, casseroles, and muffins.
Discover satisfying sugar-free beverages
One of the difficulties reported by many sugar addicts is staying away from soda. To transition away from sweetened drinks, you can start incorporating mineral water flavored with fresh citrus or investigate the endless varieties of teas you can brew.
Avoid drinking energy drinks, bottled teas, or sports drinks because they’re usually loaded with sugar (or artificial sweeteners), caffeine, and chemical additives.
An easy way to reduce the frequency of sugar cravings is to make sure that you stay hydrated throughout the day. Make it your goal to drink at least 64 ounces of distilled water or mineral water each day. Use a stainless steel water bottle so you can easily measure and monitor how much water you drink.