Kicking Those Sugar Cravings

Sugar seems to be the root cause of lots of problems in our society. Food manufacturers love it’s addictive qualities.

I see many of our folks with dementia addicted to sugar. To the point where they would open little sugar packets meant for their coffee and just pour it in their mouth.

Needless to say we removed those sugar packets from our homes.

So the real question people have is how to kick those sugar cravings? My emails have talked a lot about the dangers of sugar. Yet I never really discussed how to kick the habit. Let’s start by saying it ain’t easy. Telling people to just stop eating sugar is incredibly easier said than done.

Therefore don’t beat yourself up if you can’t go cold turkey. Although I’ve heard several people say they eat slices of cold turkey when they have cravings and it helps.

I believe that beating the cravings requires a multi-pronged, step-by-step approach. The fact that you’re trying to kick it is a great start.

When I was kicking my sugar habit, I started slowly. I assessed what sugary foods I typically ate. Carb-loaded foods as well. Because carbs turn into sugar in your body.

• I used to eat lots of cereal for breakfast

• Drink soda (regular, not diet)

• Eat sandwiches for lunch

• Always have a candy bar or cookies after lunch

• Frequently have a beer after work

• Often have a dessert after dinner

Then I thought about giving up one of these a week. Or maybe longer. I started with the beer since that seemed to be the easiest for me. It seemed like I was drinking beer to relax, rather than craving it.

Turns out that was easy for me.

Then I gave up the dessert after dinner. It took me maybe two weeks before I was ready to move on to the next one.

Gradually I made my way through the list. The toughest ones were the soda, the treat after lunch and the cereal. I would think of those a lot around the time that I usually consumed them.

That made me think my body had sort of a circadian rhythm to the cravings. When I woke up I started craving cereal. After lunch I immediately started looking for a candy bar. Later in the afternoon when a ‘food coma’ hit me and I started feeling tired, I wanted a Coke or Pepsi.

Therefore I told myself if I just make it through the first couple hours of the day, I would no longer crave cereal. I could anticipate I would need a candy bar around noon to one and a Coke in the afternoon. If I just powered through an hour or two during my ‘give-up’ weeks, I could make it happen.

Turns out that works pretty well. At least it did for me.

As I learned more about the ketogenic diet and carnivore diets I found that fat helped satisfy cravings. So I ate more fat. Especially the fat on meat. It seemed to help as well.

Lastly I tried mixing an electrolyte drink with something like LMNT and water when I did have cravings. Another good technique.

Now I don’t eat any of those products on a regular basis. Do I slip up from time to time? Yes. Especially when I’m out with friends or family. But I just get back on the wagon and keep going.

I hope these tips might be able to help you and your family as well.