6 SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN WAYS TO WEAN YOURSELF OFF SUGAR
In the world of health and wellness, sugar cravings are one of the most subtle and challenging body signals to ignore or push aside. If you want to live a healthy, happy and a long life, it is essential that you get to the grips with your sugar habits. In order to stop craving sugar, you need to focus on changing the daily factors that play a major role in it. And to make that change permanent, it's important to understand what really goes into your food and what should instead. Sugar cravings have a way of getting to people at just the right time of the day, and while some people can make quick changes and overcome them, others need a bit more help. Here are some science-based ways to dump sugar and turn your sweet tooth into a savory tooth:
Get your instructions on point: It is necessary for a person to have a balanced ratio of fats, proteins, and carbs that can help them work optimally. From a biological and evolutionary standpoint, healthy fats are the most sustainable and long-lasting form of energy to keep cravings at bay. Low levels of protein can cause spikes and dips in blood sugar. If you know low blood sugar is a problem for you, start with 15 to 25 grams of clean protein like complementing wild-caught fish, grass-fed beef, and nuts & seeds with every meal.
Stress less and bring in sleep: Stress is a common chronic condition that can have serious adverse effects on an individual's health. When there is stress, the hormone Cortisol (A hormone that gives the message to your liver to release your stores of glucose/sugar) races through the body and releases glucose from liver, raising blood sugar levels. Therefore, when you are constantly stressed, your blood sugar is perpetually high. Sleep is essential for your body to function and to refresh itself which makes essential hormones. When you skimp on sleep, even just for one night, your sugar cravings increase. Be intentional and shut off all technology, your sweet tooth will thank you.
Add herbs & spices: Spices and herbs not only add taste to your food, but also boost your health, hormones, and blood sugar levels. Incorporate healing herbs to bring a greater sense of calm into your life by balancing Cortisol
levels. For example, turmeric drives down inflammation, which can perpetuate insulin resistance.
Fasting or Sugar Detox: Sometimes your body just needs a break. Intermittent fasting helps you to get back in touch with natural feelings of hunger and shed light on any potential emotional connections with food and cravings. If you want to make a radical change to your health and wellbeing, following a 5-day sugar detox, a great way to kick start your body's healing.
Listen to your gut: The health of your gut and your blood sugar are inextricably connected. Too much sugar ends up feeding the bad bacteria in your gut and creates an unbalanced microbiome. One of the most powerful gut-healing tools is probiotics. Supplements and probiotic-rich foods like yoghurt bring good bacteria back into your gut to rebalance your microbiome.
Deal with nutrient deficiencies: The type of food we eat today is quite different from what humans have been eating a century ago. We once relied on locally grown vegetables and fresh meats that were free from pesticides. Today we live on pre-packaged food that are low on nutrients like Magnesium, Zinc, Chromium, B Vitamins and especially Iron, due to which our body results in riding blood sugar levels and leptin roller coaster waiting for our next sugar fix.
