Anna was at the grocery store taking her time and making a point to read every nutrition label before putting products in her shopping cart.

Normally, she would rush through the store, making what she thought were good choices overall.
But recently, she read an article about the dangers of eating too much sugar and how it seemed to be hiding in everything.

She picked up product after product, many of which were regular purchases for her, only to alarmingly shove them back on the shelf.

“I thought I was eating healthily!” thought Anna. “How could it be that I’ve been consuming so much sugar? And if it is in so many items, how am I supposed to cut it out of my diet?!”

If you’re like Anna, you’re not alone! Many of us think we’re eating healthily and making good choices only to realize that added sugars have been snuck into our favorite “healthy” foods.

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH SUGAR?

Sugar is the new smoking, at least in terms of health hazards. Sugar has not only been linked to chronic disease, it is a known cause of chronic disease.

According to the American Heart Association, Americans consume about 20 teaspoons of sugar every day. That’s about 80 grams of sugar!

Eating sugar increases the risk of developing obesity, anxiety, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune disease.

This is true no matter how deliciously tempting the source of sugar is.

WHAT ABOUT ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS?

Before you break out the Sweet’N Low, consider this: artificial sweeteners are also linked to cancer and a multitude of other diseases.

If you must sweeten your tea or coffee, it is best to use stevia.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

If you suffer from autoimmune disease or any other chronic disease, or if you have a family history of chronic disease, it is best to limit the use of natural sweeteners, too.

Even fruit should be limited to no more than two servings per day. The naturally-occurring sugar in fruit can inflame your system as well.

If sugar is not eaten with healthy fat, it will spike your blood sugar. This can eventually lead to diabetes and obesity.

It can also cause widespread inflammation and cause your cells to rely on sugar more than oxygen as an energy source.

When this happens, disease is just around the corner.

So how do you wean yourself off of it?

Reducing sugar intake may be one of the most difficult things to do when it comes to dietary changes. This is because sugar cravings are actually biochemical addictions, similar to drug addictions.

This is serious!

If you want to reduce or eliminate your sugar intake and addiction, follow these four simple steps to make a change!

4 SIMPLE STEPS TO HELP BREAK YOUR SUGAR ADDICTION

1. BE COMMITTED

You must commit yourself to the goal of reducing your sugar intake. It’s easy to be committed if you remind yourself of all the scary effects sugar has on your body!

This means making yourself aware and becoming educated on how much sugar your go-to food choices contain. Begin reading every label before you purchase or consume a food — even if you think you already know what it’s going to say!

Actively paying attention, reading, and making notes of the amounts of sugar per serving in your favorite foods and snacks will help you commit to long-term change!

2. BE PATIENT

Be patient with yourself. Do not plan on waking up tomorrow and consuming zero grams of sugar the entire day. This is simply not realistic, and you will be setting yourself up for failure.

Any dietary transition should be made gradually – not overnight – as your body needs time to adjust.

Take simple steps to cut out sugar each day. Read nutrition labels, opt for whole, natural foods and avoid sugary drinks to start!

You might want to begin charting your sugar intake on a graph so you can see it going down each day to serve as a motivator.

3. KNOW THAT YOUR TASTE BUDS WILL CHANGE

It’s important to note that your taste buds WILL change. It will not always be this difficult to resist sugar.

Right now, all the other flavors in your diet are much subtler than sugar. Because your taste buds are overwhelmed by sugar, you do not get as much joy out of other foods.

BUT when you wean yourself off sugar, you will start to discover the joy of whole foods.

4. REPLACE YOUR GO-TO SNACKS

Replace your go-to snack foods with whole, natural foods. Maybe this means replacing your trail mix with chocolate with a trail mix containing only nuts and seeds.

Maybe it means opting for celery and almond butter instead of those sweet snacks.

Whatever it means to you, make sure you aren’t simply cutting out your snacks altogether. Replace them with healthy options to avoid frustration!

TO WRAP IT UP

These simple steps will help you make small, tangible changes each day and lead you to break your addiction to sugar in a manageable way.

Be patient and give it some time. Be kind to yourself and know that you’re making a large impact on your long-term health!

Which one of these steps will you start doing today? Share it in the comments!

Want more? Check out these 20 Ways To Detox Without Going Hungry!