Want to Kick Your Sugar Habit? Do This First!
Sugar! It’s everywhere, and we know it. We also know how bad it is for us. So, why do we keep eating it? Why do we crave it so much?
I’ve been there. I grew up on sugar, and then used it as comfort food as an adult. Stressed out? Grab the ice cream. Celebrating? Let’s bake cookies! Birthday? Party? Holiday? Survive the day with kids at home? Eat all the sugar!
It became so ingrained into my daily life that I didn’t even notice it anymore.
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Then I got sick, and started down the road of natural healing. Of course, all of those paths lead back to diet, nutrition, and cutting out SUGAR. I would try and fail so many times.
I would decide this was the “last time”, binge, restrict my food, stress would hit and cravings would start, and I would eventually cave and start eating the white stuff again. Sound familiar?
I thought sugar was the problem. If I could just stop eating it, everything would be better. But, the problem wasn’t sugar.
The issue was that I was cutting out my comfort, my stress release, my companion. Sugar isn’t just sugar for most people. It’s so much more. When you cut out a food you love, you’re also cutting out the FEELINGS you experience while eating it.
Think about it…so many things we do in our society are centered around food and sugar, right? Besides that, we also use it as a source of joy, comfort, relaxation, companionship, etc.
Junk food was my self-care.
Rather than reaching out to others for companionship, I ate ice cream. Rather than taking a relaxing bath at the end of the night to wind down, I ate peanut butter cups. Rather than going for a walk to recharge my body, I ate cookies.
Sugar is not a healthy replacement for self-care, joy, companionship, or comfort.
Once I realized this, I knew it wasn’t just about taking sugar out of my life. It was about ADDING some really great habits IN and creating new ways to de-stress.
What Can You Do Instead?
Sit for a minute and think about all the things you enjoy doing that don’t involve food. Write down a list. Maybe it’s drawing, writing, having a dance party, gardening, going for a walk, talking with a friend, playing with your kids, or snuggling with your spouse. What did you enjoy doing as a kid? Did you enjoy playing sports? Games? Exploring nature? Write down everything you can possibly think of that doesn’t involve sugar.
Now, go do those things. Sounds easy, right? Right.
Summarize
It’s really that simple. If you want to kick your sugar habit, don’t focus soley on taking sugar out of your life, because those feelings of deprivation are going to hit sooner than later. Focus on ADDING in JOY! Fill that space with things you love - things that are truly going to de-stress and re-charge your body.
So, what happened when I dropped the stress about sugar and just focused on cultivating gratitude and joy in my life? Pretty incredible things, actually. When I stopped believing I was broken, dropped the struggle, and finally let go, I HEALED. I was always searching for the big secret to my health. I thought there was one big mysterious puzzle piece that I had missed to kicking my cravings. And, there was. But, it wasn’t a superfood, a supplement, a modality, or anything like that. It was JOY.
