Like most Americans, I eat WAY too much sugar. Breaking the sugar habit is tough, your body craves the stuff. Here are a couple things I did to curb the white siren.
1. Swap Dessert -- Even when I was eating my healthiest I always slotted calories for dessert. Every night. This time around I am only allowing myself a real sweet treat on the weekend. On weeknights my after dinner treat is fruit (fresh or dried). It is still sweet and still has sugars, but at least it also has vitamins and fiber. It also makes the weekend dessert seem like a real splurge. And those weekend splurges are portion sized (to avoid the fistfuls of Chips Ahoy).
2. No Fake Outs -- I have almost entirely removed fake sweeteners from my life. No more diet soda, no more Crystal Light, no more Starbucks skinny syrup, no more artificially sweet yogurt. Fake sugar may save you calories in the short term, but it tricks your body into wanting more and more of the white stuff. The last vestige of chemical sweetener in my life is in the occasional piece of gum. Anyone have a good low sugar all-natural gum?
3. Go Halfsies -- I like Honey Nut Cheerios. There, I said it, I am a five year old. I also like real Cheerios, so I buy a small box of each and mix them together. I enjoy a Pumpkin Spice Latte this time of year, but won't use the fake sugar syrup at Starbucks, so I have them go half on the syrup and it is still plenty sweet. Want a soda? Buy the tiny cans they sell in the grocery store (a friend gave me this idea and it is awesome).
4. Make Better Choices -- This is my mantra for all things food related. Want that soda? Get a ginger ale instead of a Coke and save 10 grams of sugar per 8 oz serving. Want chocolate? Buy a single serving of Cadbury or even Godiva, sure it is a splurge but if you are going to eat it make sure it is really good - and portion controlled!
How do you cheat the sugar game? If you have a good tip please leave a comment, thanks!
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