I Quit Sugar - How To Quit Sugar.....Really

I Quit Sugar - How To Quit Sugar.....Really

When your really start to think, or even measure, how much sugar we consume during a day in a standard western diet, it seriously scares you. When I decided to get a better handle on my sugar consumption, I felt a little sick and ashamed.

It wasn't that I had an excessively bad diet. In fact I always thought it was relatively healthy. The problem is, you really have no idea how much sugar you are consuming unless you delve into to numbers and start measuring.

I decided to try and remove as much added sugar from my diet on a daily basis as possible, albeit without being completely crazy about it. I wouldn't say I quit sugar completely. There are so many natural foods that contain some form of sugar.

I take the approach that I have no issue with this, as long as it's within normal consumption patterns. What I do try to do however, is reduce as much added sugar as I can, and quitting sugar, or taking on the information available such as the the "I Quit Sugar" diet, certainly helped.

 

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Is Sugar Bad For You?

Before we look at strategies and I quit sugar recipes, we need to take a look at if sugar is even bad for you in the first place. You would of certainly heard in the media, on the internet, in the news, that plenty of research has been done around the world that too much sugarcertainly can be detrimental to your health.

If you have a sugar addiction, certainly you need to take stock and look at ways you can have a more sugar free diet, or quitting sugar all together. Some of the health issues with too much sugar are:

Increased Risk Of Heart Disease

High sugar diets have widely been associated with increased risk oh heart disease either directly or indirectly. Increased weight gain and obesity, atherosclerosis, and other sugar related diseases. According to a study here, (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24493081), it was found that in the study of 30,000 individuals who consumed around 20% daily calories from added sugar, 38% were more likely to die from heart disease.

Can Increase The Risk Of Diabetes Type 2

This is another widely known and common understanding of consuming too much sugar in your diet. No doubt you have viewed countless television commercials from the Heart Foundation and other professional bodies on the dangers of too much sugar and diabetes.

Increased Risk Of Cancer And Fatty Liver Disease

In one study (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29408694), of 5900 adults, people who drank sugar sweetened drinks, were 56% more likely to develop fatty liver disease (NAFLD). While the direct link between cancer and sugar intake is not clear, it is known that obesity and weight gain certainly can increase the risk of cancer.

There are numerous other health issues associated with high sugar intake and can include reduced energy, poor skin, acne, kidney disease, and cognitive decline. It's clear that a high sugar diet can have detrimental effects on your health.

The IQuitSugar Movement

Much of the education and knowledge around high sugar diets and the problems associated with it, can be not only attributed to medial research, but also champions of the "how to quit sugar" movement by advocates such as Sarah Wilson of https://iquitsugar.com.

Sarah Wilson has since closed down the website and the business, citing she could not find a suitable buyer who would take on the business with the same values as she did. However over the last few years she has brought the issue of sugar addiction front and centre to mainstream society. The I quit sugar movement was followed by millions. The I Quit Sugar diet is still followed by many people around the world.

How To Eat A Sugar Elephant - How I Quit Sugar....Sorta

If you want to remove or reduce sugar from your diet, the first thing I would recommend (this is how I did it), was simply think first, before you put anything in my mouth.

Normally I'm a cold turkey kind of person, but in this case I realised my limitations, and thought it foolish to completely cut out all sweet stuff in my food intake from day 1. After all I had been consuming added sugar in all types of food since I was a kid.

Stop Drinking Soft Drinks

How much sugar is in soft drink? The answer is a lot. The actual number doesn't really matter. They contain a lot of sugar. You also want to make sure the sugar free soft drinks actually don't contain too much sugar. A lot of them simply substitute one form of sugar for another, and may in fact not be more healthy. This is one of the easiest ways I quit sugar.

This was one of the first decisions I made when I decided to quit sugar, and this alone helped greatly. I wouldn't say I consumed too much. In fact I may consumed 1 can per week if I was lucky, but it was the easiest to cut out. I simply replaced it with water.....simple. If you consume 1 or 2 per day, this may be more difficult, and in this case going cold turkey may be your best option.

If You Have A Sugar Craving - Eat Fruit

This one is a little controversial and many fruits contain a lot of sugar. But the argument of the sugar being natural does hold some weight in my opinion. For me, eating and apple or banana instead of a KitKat or piece of cake, should be better for me. In fact, just making this decision helps you validate that you're on the right path. It may not be perfect, but at least by choosing fruit, you're starting to make better decisions.

 

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Use Honey, Not Processed White Sugar

Again, this is controversial as honey is sugar heavy, but again it's natural, non processed (in most cases), and is step toward better decisions. I still have a small teaspoon of honey in my coffee in the morning rather then a teaspoon of sugar.

Check Labels

Most of us use packaged sauces in our cooking (unless you just eat takeaway....which is whole other story), and other ingredients that may contain sugar. In Australia the regulations are that certain analysis must be displayed on the packaging of foods, and this includes sugar.

Simply by choosing products with less sugar it a good start, but unless you go completely natural (ie growing your own food and making your own condiments and sauces) you really will not know 100%. Just by following the simple steps of the last few years, I wouldn't say I quit sugar 100%, but I've been able to reduce my sugar intake significantly.

I certainly drink more water, have a higher fibre and protein intake, and feel better for it. My nutrition intake has certainly improved. You also want to make sure you exercising adequately, which to me is a no brainer.

How Do I Detox From Sugar?

You can simply start thinking more about your sugar intake. I quit sugar by understanding what foods and drinks contained high levels of sugar, and taking simple steps to eat less of these. It's not rocket science.

Can You Eat Fruit If You Quit Sugar?

You can do what ever you like, but most fruits do contain sugar and some fruits have high levels of sugar. If you are trying break a sugar addictions, going cold turkey may be the best option and cut fruit out all together. Iquitsugar recommends you remove all sugar from your diet in the first 8 weeks.

What Happens When You Quit Sugar?

It depends how much you have had in your daily diet, but quitting sugar can induce sweet cravings. However if you work through the process and commit to the improved diet, you'll start to feel better, possibly lose weight and improve your overall health and well being.

Listen To Sarah Wilson Talk About I Quit Sugar

I Quit Sugar On Twitter

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