Did you know that the average American consumes about ½ cup of sugar each day? That’s a whole lotta sugar. Our sugar intake can sure add up fast considering it’s hidden in so many food products such as ketchup, soups, sauces beverages… you name it.

I often hear clients tell me they feel like they’re addicted to sugar and can’t stop the sweet habit. From my experience coaching clients, I know that breaking the sugar addiction is possible, and it doesn’t have to rule your world forever.

So below are five simple ways to reduce your sugar intake to help you break the sweet habit:

1. Say good-bye to fat-free or low fat products. Do you know what gets added to products when fat is removed? That’s right – sugar. When a food manufacture removes the fat from a product, it tastes like cardboard. That’s why sugar is often added back in to give it some taste. So when you think you’re being healthy by cutting out the fat from your diet, you’re actually adding more sugar (which is bigger problem). Take a look at my post on balanced eating on why fat is an important part of our diet.

2. Avoid going too long without eating: When our blood sugars are imbalanced and begin to drop (such as if you skip a meal or wait too long between meals to eat) our bodies tell us we need sugar to get our blood sugars back up. So focus on keeping your blood sugars balanced throughout the day by eating a variety of protein, healthy fats, and vegetables/fruit every couple of hours. This can help prevent sugar cravings and indulging in foods that might not be the best choices.

3. Don’t start your day with all carbs: When you hear the word “breakfast” what foods come to mind? Typically, it’s foods such as bagels, cereal, oatmeal, toast or muffins. Do you know what all of those foods have in common? They are full of carbs which will cause your blood sugars to spike and leave you feeling hungry an hour later. Instead, swap out some of the carbs for high quality protein options such as organic eggs, Greek yogurt, nitrate-free bacon/sausage, or a homemade protein smoothie. The protein will help keep your sugar cravings at bay and you feeling full for much longer.

4. Add some magnesium to your day: Magnesium is needed for over 300 different processes in the body, and unfortunately, 80% of us are deficient in it. Additionally, magnesium becomes depleted when we’re under stress, and many people crave more sugar while stressed. It’s a vicious cycle! If your sugar cravings are for chocolate specifically, there could be a good chance you’re deficient in magnesium. Adding in nutrient-dense sources of magnesium into your day such as avocados, bananas, spinach (and other dark leafy greens), pumpkin seeds and almonds as well as incorporating a daily magnesium supplement may be helpful.

Side note: Magnesium is a muscle relaxant so it can help with headaches and muscle cramps. It can also help improve sleep at night, which brings me to my final tip…

5. Get enough sleep at night: I know we are told this all of the time, and it’s for good reason. While we are sleeping, our appetite hormones (ghrelin and leptin) are being recharged. Therefore, when we don’t get enough sleep, they become imbalanced and our ghrelin hormone (aka our hunger hormone) spikes. What does this mean? It means that we feel more hungry and crave more sugar the next day. This is often why you may feel like you eat a lot more after a night of not-so-good rest.

Although there are several other ways to reduce your sugar intake, this is a good starting point. If you need some help getting rid of your sugar cravings, let me help!

Contact me today and you’ll be on your way to breaking those cravings.