Can’t stop eating sugar?

Can’t stop eating sugar? Not ready to give up that indulging feeling after a slice of a delicious cake or a scoop of your favourite ice cream?

I say you can.

At the moment, it may feel like a mission impossible, but in this post, I am going to share with your how I did it. And if I did it, so can you!

Here’s me a few years ago: “I could never drink black coffee without sugar. It’s bitter and disgusting!”

This is me now: “I wouldn’t dream of adding sugar to my coffee because it would ruin its taste… and it’s not good for my body.”

See what I mean?

It’s all about changing your relationship with sugar.

But first, you need to look at sugar in the eye and understand what it does to your body and your health.

Information has always been the basis of all the major transformations in my life. Stopping to eat sugar was no different.

But there is a lot, I mean a lot, of information out there about the harmful effects of consuming added sugar, although some are more substantiated than others. 

Before we dive into how to get you to stop saying “I can’t stop eating sugar”, let’s look at some basic facts about sugar.

Ready?

Let’s do it!

WHAT YOU WILL FIND IN THIS POST

About sugar

• Naturally occurring sugars vs added sugars
• Empty calories
• Sugary beverages
• Processed foods
• Weight gain and obesity
• Dental Health
• Cardiometabolic diseases

World Health Organization Guidelines for sugar consumption

How to stop eating sugar

Conclusion

Sources

Disclaimer

ABOUT SUGAR

Naturally occurring Vs added sugars

Naturally occurring sugars originate in foods that contain carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy. When we look at plant-based foods, in addition to sugars they also contain other vital nutrients to our health, like vitamins and minerals (in the case of dairy, protein and calcium).

These types of naturally occurring sugars are not usually a problem since our body digests them slowly. These sugars supply energy to our cells and their consumption (fruits, vegetables and whole grains) have been proven to reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer.

Added sugars, as the word suggests, are those sugars added by food manufacturers, cooks or the final consumer. For example, most processed foods, including bread, ketchup, flavoured yoghurts, cereals and many others. Also soft drinks, many types of non-dairy milk, homemade cookies, cakes, jams. The list goes on. The use of added sugar is mainly to add flavour or extend shelf life.

Empty calories

Adding sugar to food is adding empty calories, leaving us with abundant calories yet with a limited amount of nutrients. The more we consume empty calories, the less room there is for nutritious foods, thus decreasing the quality of our diet. But not only that! When we eat empty calories, it won’t be long before we are hungry again. Why? Because we did not eat nutrients that keep us satiated and nurtured.

Sugary beverages

We often consume sugar in liquid form, in beverages such as soft drinks or fruit juices. Scientific studies have shown that the consumption of food in liquid form is not as satiating as its solid alternative. For example, drinking orange juice is not as satiating as eating a full orange.

Consequently, by consuming the juice of fruits instead of eating the whole fruit we may end up consuming more food or juice, which translates into more calories and possible weight gain.

Processed Foods

The role of sugar in the body is to give us energy, but as we just saw, added sugar triggers hunger and appetite. The food industry knows that and that is why they add sugar to everything. 

According to this article from the University of California San Francisco, “manufacturers add sugar to 74% of packaged foods sold in supermarkets”. This includes food products that claim to be natural or healthy. 

Many processed foods contain a lot more sugar than one would expect.

Did you know that a can of regular Coke contains around 40 grams of sugar? And that there are 4 grams of sugar per tablespoon of ketchup?

In countries like the US, one of the main reasons for the increase in sugar consumption and consequent health issues was the introduction of HFCS – High Fructose Corn Syrup, in the 1970s. 

 About one decade ago, however, sugar consumption per capita reached its peak and has been decreasing ever since. One of the main reasons for such a decline is the scientifically proven knowledge of the various health effects of excessive sugar consumption.

Weight gain and Obesity

Needless to say, excessive sugar consumption, be it naturally occurring sugar or sugar added to foods, may lead to weight gain and obesity.

In most cases, and unless there are other health conditions influencing body weight, the math is simple. Meaning, if the calories consumed are higher than the calories expended, there will be weight gain. The difference between these two numbers will determine the amount of increased weight.

Now, as explained above, when referring to empty calories, the consumption of foods high in sugar but with no nutritional value will tend to increase consumption of calories as our bodies will crave more often for food. 

Dental Health

Although sugar is not itself the direct cause of tooth decay, it is responsible for it. Sugar is the food for the acid-producing bacteria that live in our mouths and it is this acid that progressively corrodes the hard tooth enamel.   

Cardiometabolic Diseases

A high intake of added sugars could affect your heart in various ways:

• Increasing the probability of developing type 2 diabetes, hence increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
• Spiking blood sugar levels (and so insulin levels), therefore increasing your risk of obesity and heart disease.
• Stopping triglycerides (fat in the blood connected with cardiovascular disease) from breaking down.
• Lowers the level of HDL cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol) while raising LDL (“bad” cholesterol) levels.
• Increasing blood pressure through increasing sodium accumulation in the body.

How to stop eating sugar

HOW TO STOP EATING SUGAR 

Now that we have looked at enough information to put us off added sugar, let’s see what we can do to exclude it, or at least limit its presence in our lives.

1 – Eliminate processed foods from your fridge and pantry

Knowing what we know now about how the food industry keeps us hooked to food using added sugar, are you comfortable consuming these food products?

What about giving your kitchen and pantry a thorough sugar cleanse?

Get rid of all processed food you come across in your house. Anything in a pack most probably contains added sugar. Read the labels of the processed food you have at home.

Years ago, when James and myself watched the documentary Fed Up, the first thing we did after watching it was to get a big garbage bag.

Yes, you guessed it. We opened the fridge and kitchen cabinets looking for anything with added sugars and put it in the bag.

For a moment, we felt guilty about throwing away food, but then we thought, “if this stuff is not good for us to eat, it is not good for anybody else.”

Soon after this episode, James’s daughter, Georgia, came over for lunch and her reaction after opening our fridge was, “This fridge looks so poor!”. We laughed at her reaction but felt good about our decision. Nowadays, her fridge looks almost like ours.

2 – Have a nourishing breakfast 

I love breakfast! It’s my favourite meal of the day. With very rare exceptions my breakfast includes oats, fruit, nuts, seeds and coconut cream or milk.

The combination of these ingredients (with no “healthy” sugar added) will give you enough energy to keep you going until lunch. It will also provide you with protein, fibre (to keep you satiated and to encourage bowel movement) and healthy fat.  

Find inspiration to prepare a healthy breakfast in this post I wrote about 20 Ways to eat oatmeal. 

3 – Increase fruit intake

Eating fruit will not only give you naturally occurring sugar, but it will also increase your nutrients intake.

Preferably, fruits should be eaten on their own for better digestion. You should also avoid combining different types of fruit. Start your day with fruit while still on an empty stomach for better absorption of nutrients and a boost in energy.

If during the day you feel like having a cookie, cake or doughnut, have a piece of fruit instead.

Make sure you always have your favourite seasonal selection of fruit at arms reach. If you need to go out, take fruit with you. When I leave the house, I always carry a banana and an apple, so that I am not caught off guard when I get hungry.

Nuts, in moderation, are also an option, but make sure they are not fried or contain added salt or sugar.

According to Dr Michale Greger, author of “How not to die“, we should have three portions of fruit per day. 

4 – Drink a lot of liquids

Sometimes it is easy to mistake thirst with hunger.

Whenever you feel an urge to eat something, have a big glass of water. If you don’t enjoy plain water, try putting a slice of lemon, cucumber or any other fruit you enjoy. By doing so you will add flavour to your water making it more pleasant.

Ideally, you should be drinking about eight cups of water during the day. 

5 – Beware of “healthy” sugars

Fructose is ok when present in fruit as natural sugar, not as an added sugar.

Sugar substitutes like coconut sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, agave syrup, date syrup and many others, may contain some nutritional value but are still sugar.

6 – Read labels 

I already spoke about cleaning your house from processed foods. Now, beware of what you pick up next time you go to the supermarket. Read the labels and make a conscious decision. 

7 – Gradually reduce added sugar consumption

If going “cold-turkey” is too radical for you, start reducing your sugar consumption gradually.

Make a list of the processed foods you normally buy and next time you go to the supermarket check their sugar content. Think about how you can start substituting these products with homemade alternatives.

When it comes to coffee and tea, gradually reduce the amount of sugar until you are comfortable with no sugar at all.

8 – Eat mindfully

Whenever you are about to eat something take a moment to look at your food. 

Be grateful for what you are about to eat. Think about what nourishment you are giving your body by ingesting this food. 

Is the plate in front of you giving you the vitamins and minerals that your body needs for optimal performance?

If not, why are you eating this food?

Are you eating to nourish your body and generate energy or are you eating because you are looking for a specific emotion?

If you are after an emotion, what is it? 

Are you feeling anxious, sad, lonely, frustrated, unloved?

Is there anything else you could do to trigger the feeling you are after?

Maybe you can call a family member or a good friend, play a song that makes you happy, play with your pet, look at photos that bring you positive memories, read or watch something that makes you laugh. Do something to distract you from craving sugar.

Our mind has incredible power but we are the ones feeding it with thoughts. If you say “I can´t stop eating sugar”, your mind will believe you and act accordingly!  

9 – No exceptions

Do you truly want to give up sugar? Then 

• Exceptions can be made into rules, and rules can get us into trouble.
• Consider all the different exceptions and excuses there are: the weather, feelings, holidays etc.
• The more you’re aware of these excuses, the less power they will have over you. 

CONCLUSION

Eating sugar is about creating emotions. We often eat not because we are hungry but because we crave a certain emotion. Finding freedom from this dependency means finding alternative ways to attain the emotions we are looking for. 

In my case, calling a friend, putting on a song I like, taking a walk outside, closing my eyes for a few moments while breathing deeply or acknowledging how the food I want to eat is bad for me, most of the times, helps me make the right decision for my body. I often use this tactic to avoid eating bread, which I love but I realised that my body feels lighter and more energetic when I don’t consume wheat, even wholewheat. 

Like many other decisions in our lives, it’s all in the mind!

I hope this post helps you with actionable steps to free yourself from added sugars. 

Are you ready to give up sugar?

Are you ready to change your negative self-talk and stop saying “I can’t stop eating sugar”?

What sugar foods are you most nervous about giving up?

What foods are you happy to leave behind?

Have you tried other techniques for quitting sugar?

How did it go?

Let me know in the comments below.

SOURCES

Edx MOOC Macronutrients and Overnutrition

Mindvalley program “7 Days to breaking up with sugar“, Eric Edmeades, founder of WildFit.

Harvard Health Publishing – Harvard Medical School – https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-sweet-danger-of-sugar

World Health Organization – Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children

UCSF – University of California San Francisco – Hidden in Plain Sight

UPMC Health Beat – How sugar affects the heart