WHY Quit Sugar?

Even though eating sugary treats is pretty normal in our society, that doesn’t mean it’s good for you. In fact, the harms of sugar have been known for quite some time, but suppressed by the sugar industry. In the past 50 years, as our consumption of sugar has steadily increased, so has the incidence of:

• diabetes
• obesity
• heart disease (the #1 killer in the U.S. is preventable!)
• dementia, and
• depression, among many other diseases.

We now know that inflammation in the gut — which is fueled by eating sugar and other processed foods and oils — is a key contributor to these and many other chronic conditions.

Those chronic conditions take years and years to develop (much like lung cancer from smoking), but high sugar consumption can have negative effects on you now, including:

• brain fog
• mood disorders
• poor sleep
• poor skin
• poor digestion
• inconsistent energy, and,
• joint pain, just to name a few.

WHAT’s Involved with Quitting Sugar?

Quitting sugar is as much an “inner” game as it is an “outer” one. What I mean is, sure it has to do with what you eat or don’t eat, but it equally has to do with what you think — your habits of mind and beliefs.

Have you ever thought you “deserve” a treat for having a good workout?

Do you “believe” that you could never give up chocolate?

Well my friend, those thoughts and beliefs are part of your inner game, and you’ll need to address them as much as you will need to learn how to hack your cravings if you want to regain control of your health.

One common misbelief that gets people in trouble is that sugar and white flour are just “empty calories.” We think that it may not be particularly good, but that it isn’t really that bad either. This popular misbelief is convenient for justifying treats and binges, but it couldn’t be farther from the truth. Eating sugar and refined carbohydrates (processed foods) creates fluctuations in our blood sugar and inflammation that are linked to long-term damage to our heart and brain.

The good news is, you can start improving your current and future health prospects NOW, by changing your diet (eat more fresh vegetables and fruits)  and how much you move (vary your activity and move a little every day).

HOW to Quit Sugar?

In order to be successful quitting sugar, we need to address all of the ways we become dependent on it: physically, emotionally, and habitually.

Physically:

• Through the dopamine pleasure and reward system
• Through the blood sugar energy roller coaster
• Through the feeding bad bacteria in the gut

Emotionally:

• With the avoidance of feelings and boredom

Habitually:

• Through the routines, rituals and beliefs we have about having sweets

When you acknowledge and address all of these different ways that sugar has a hold on you, you can create strategies and diversions and tactics to bolster your chances of success.

Another important part of HOW to go sugar-free is to learn where all the hidden sugars are.

As much as 74% of packaged food in the supermarket has added sugar! That pretty much amounts to a public poisoning.

Learn which foods have added sugars by reading the Nutrition Facts and ingredient labels. The first few times you go shopping trying to avoid sugar, give yourself extra time — it will take a while! It’s in everything from pasta sauce to chicken stock to bread.

Get your free Quick Start Guide to Reducing How Much Sugar You Eat: