I hadn’t planned on sharing this days after Halloween – the king of candy holidays – but when it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.
A couple weeks back I taught a class at Whole Foods called “Quitting Sugar (for reals).”
I got 2 responses of walker-by’ers as I was setting up for the class:
- “Oh, I SO need to be in that class!”
- “Ugh….did anyone sign up?” (feeling sorry for me look splashed across the face)
My reply: “Wait-listed, actually.” Clearly this is a legit subject.
Salivating? 🙂
I get it. I know sugar is a toughie for us…and truth is every now and then I have to break up with it again. Not because I want to be “good” or disciplined but because of the havoc it wrecks on me – zits, low/no-energy, weight gain, mood swings – ugh.
It’s hard to love and live life fully if you’ve got your hand stuck in the cookie jar
(and feeling guilty at the same time).
Through my own journey and other fine ladies I’ve worked with, I’ve collected some awesome, super sweet (pun intended) tricks up my sleeve so we can have our cake and eat it too…once your hot bod is off the roller coaster, that is.
(I’m only talking physical cravings for sugar today. Boredom, habit, stress, sadness, excitement, etc. – that’s for another day.)
Top 7 ways to Quit Sugar:
- Get off the roller coaster. Remove the “crack” (yes, you will have withdrawal symptoms at first, but then you’ll reset and re-balance).
- Eat lots of good fats & protein. They help to keep your blood sugar stable by slowing the release of sugar into the blood stream and assist hormone production to make you feel full and happy. I sometimes have over 400+ calories of fat alone before noon – giddy up! Great sources include avocado, nuts/seeds, clean animal protein, fish oil, gelatin from grass-fed cattle, coconut oil/flakes, lentils.
- Heal the gut with L-glutamine. It’s an amino acid (building block of protein) that helps to repair the lining of the gut and has been found to curb sugar cravings in 10-20 minutes flat.
- Sweet Simulators. Foods that you can add into your daily diet that make you feel like you are indulging, enjoying sweets, and fulfilling your cravings – WITHOUT really adding in sugar, sugar chemicals, or crap food.
- Chromium. Mineral that helps prevent the roller coaster of spikes and dips in your blood sugar level by increasing the body’s ability to use sugar properly (i.e. play nice with insulin and increase your metabolism).
- Cinnamon. Spice that helps to regulate blood sugar and significantly reduce cravings. Add to a smoothie, oatmeal, soup, drink, popcorn, crackers, sliced apples, nuts/seeds, and more.
- Magnesium. Cravings are often linked with a nutrient we are deficient in. Sugar cravings are linked with a magnesium deficiency. Magnesium helps with hundreds of functions in the body but in particular it helps the body/muscles to relax, your digestion to regulate, and your mood to improve. Best foods for magnesium: pumpkin seeds, spinach, swiss chard, cacao (raw cocoa), sesame seeds, halibut, sunflower seeds, cashews, almond, dates.
Happy Halloween candy quitting reducing,
P.S. If you missed the big announcement for KDO Studio…
