4 Tricks To Eliminate Sugar Cravings

Until you’ve looked for it, you probably don’t realize that nearly every prepackaged bit of food you buy contains added sugar in one form or another.  If you normally only skim the front of food boxes or jars for key words like “non-GMO” or “organic,” you might even be convinced that your sugar consumption is on the low end of the spectrum.

But if you line up the Nutrition Facts labels of the food you eat the most and start adding up the grams, you’ll see how sugar takes over. Don’t be embarrassed. Most people don’t think basic pantry items such as spaghetti sauce or plain cereal contain sugar. And most people don’t think that small amounts of sugar can hurt – until they can’t get enough.

If your sweet tooth has seemed a little out of control lately, perhaps you’ve tried blaming it on hormones or even that recent upgrade to your workout routine. But deep down, you know that needing sugar just doesn’t seem right.

So why can’t you control yourself?

Abel James, aka The Fat Burning Man, says that recent science indicates that sugar addiction is worse than being hooked on street drugs like heroin or cocaine!

Why? Because sugar tricks your body and makes it think the empty calories are actually providing needed nourishment. Like a sheep in wolves’ clothing, the truth about sugar is not nearly as tantalizing as it tastes. When you give in, you’ll get that gleeful sugar high only to fall hard and feel the need for more – continuing the cycle of addiction.

But whether it’s obvious or hidden, saying no to all forms of sugar to curb your addiction (and it’s many side effects) can be tough.

That is until you master the tricks (or bricks) to putting a halt to cravings and teaching your body and brain to want what they need to thrive. Abel James has a few tricks to get you on track to needing less sugar.

#1: A Green Smoothie A Day To Keep The Sugar At Bay

The perfect blend of fruit, protein, greens and your choice of superfoods can taste amazing, while offering your body the true nutrition it needs to get through the morning or afternoon.

Whole fruits and vegetables contain filling fiber, while leafy greens provide beneficial phytonutients down to the cellular level in the form of antioxidant, antibacterial, hormone production, and even cancer prevention properties.

And when your cells get a taste of it, your whole body will begin to choose truth over lies for what it needs for greater health.

Green Smoothie Combo Possibilities:

• Leafy Greens (1-2 handfuls of kale, dandelion greens, spinach, etc.)
• Vegetable and Fruit (1 or more of your choice of strawberries, avocado, apples, cucumber, banana, carrots, celery, etc.)
• Unsweetened almond or coconut milk, filtered water, tea and/or optional ice
• Unsweetened protein powder, chia seeds, cinnamon, extra virgin olive oil or other superfood

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

If you need to start with a sweeter version until your taste buds get used to it, add some Stevia leaf.

#2: Eat Power Salads

Salads can be more than just greens! Choose something from every color of the rainbow for powerful energy that will leave sugar cravings in the dust.

Try a large salad loaded with leafy greens, avocado, bell peppers, beets, a sprinkling of nuts or seeds, and topped with chunks of green apple and a splash of lemon juice. Make it part of your daily routine and you’ll continue to encourage your body to crave the good stuff.

Eating a salad shortly before dinner will also provide prebiotic benefits by promoting the increase of healthy bacteria for better digestion and minimized inflammation.

#3: Include Protein In Every Meal

Whenever possible, choose a healthy protein option as the start to your meals and snacks. Natural protein options such as a hard boiled egg, slices of grass-fed beef, or wild-caught fish will balance your blood sugar levels and offset sugar cravings.

Keep protein-rich snacks like raw almonds on hand, as these snacks will fill you up for longer in between meals, reducing your temptation to give into that tray of cookies in the break room.

#4: Get Some Real Sleep

Have you ever poured a bowl of cereal late in the day just to wake your mouth up with that sweet crunchy sound? After all, sweet snacks are a quick way to get a burst of energy.

And if you give in, you might get that work project done, but then you can’t fall asleep.

Trying to live on little sleep or pushing yourself to finish a deadline is a surefire way to ignite the vicious cycle of sugar addiction.

The problem is not only feeding the addiction while you’re awake, but also messing with your circadian rhythm. And trying to live off of less sleep than you need is just setting yourself up for problems such as obesity.

7-hours of quality deep sleep is enough for most people to function pretty darn well. Here are some suggestions for getting the sleep that’ll make a difference to you:

• Get some sunlight early in the day to reset your circadian rhythm.
• Complete exercising at least several hours prior to bed time.
• Eat your biggest meal of the day after sundown in order to trigger your “rest and digest mode.”
• Drink a calming herbal tea after dinner.
• Avoid alcohol, which makes deep sleep more difficult.
• Minimize or avoid blue-light from screens (TV’s, phones, tablets, computers, etc) once it gets dark out.
• Give yourself a bed time and stick to it as best you can.
• Block light with blackout blinds or an eye mask.
• Block sound with earplugs (unless you’ve got small children you need to pay attention to).

If after following this list your sleep still isn’t quite there,  try a few additional sleep strategies aimed at getting you on the fast track to restful deep sleep, as well as eliminating sugar cravings connected to sleep deprivation.

So there you have it – four tricks to get your body out of sugar addiction and into craving wholesome nutrition. Choose to master one trick at a time and before you know it, you’ll be tossing the toaster to make room for your second blender!