Sugar is everywhere. Fruits, vegetables, grains and milk contain natural sugars. Not to mention foods that are high in refined carbohydrates such as white bread, biscuit, cake, spaghetti or rice.
Consuming too many high sugar or high carbs foods can lead to weight gain and other health problems including diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease.
However, these are the foods most people love to eat. However, if you want to lose weight or stay healthy, you have to say goodbye to them. It sounds really painful, doesn’t it?
If there is a way to not give up the foods you like, that can also help you lose weight without knowing it, would you do it?
This method can help you reduce your sugar cravings naturally, thereby gradually decreasing your sugar and carbohydrate intake.
It doesn’t make you completely cut off sugar and carbohydrates like a ketogenic diet, so it is easier to stick to it. As long as you follow along, it won’t take long to see obvious results.
The Reasons Why Sugar Is Bad For You?
In the American diet, the main sources of sugar are soft drinks, fruit drinks, bread, flavored yogurt, cereals, cakes, cookies and most processed foods. As a result, we consume way too much added sugar.
In the US, added sugars account for up to 17% of the total caloric intake of adults and up to 14% for children. [*]
Excessive intake of sugar is related to many health problems including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers and tooth decay.
In particular, high-sugar, high-carbohydrate diets promote the production of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGE is a glycation product, which accelerates the aging of blood vessels, organs and skin.
Why Is Sugar Addictive?
Since sugar is harmful to you, why is it so hard for you to get rid of it?
One of the reasons is because sugar can be addictive and lead to emotional instability.
Sugar has a drug-like effect on your brain. It stimulates a certain area of your brain’s nerve center, which also controls your body’s dependence on food and drugs.
When eating sugar, your brain releases dopamine and serotonin. These hormones can boost your mood and then stimulate the nucleus accumbens. That is the area of your brain related to rewards. This is similar to the process of drug addiction, which is why we crave sugar.
Studies have found that sugar has the same addictive characteristics as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and nicotine. Your brain processes the sugar in roughly the same way as other addictive drugs, which makes you increasingly crave the same pleasure.
In other words, when you consume a lot of refined carbohydrates or high GI foods such as rice, noodles or white bread, over a long period of time, you may become dependent on these foods.
In addition, many sugar cravings stem from a blood sugar imbalance. When you consume carbohydrates, they are converted into glucose and may cause your blood sugar levels to spike. Your body then releases insulin to lower your blood sugar to a safer level.
When your blood sugar drops, you start feeling hungry and empty. Your mood may also change. Thus, you feel like you must eat again to relieve this discomfort.
The problem is that your body usually does not consume all the sugar at once. This excessive sugar will be converted into fat and stored, making you gain weight.
Now, you may say: Well, it sounds like it takes too much effort to quit sugar. Forget it, I just want to enjoy life.
Wait, don’t give up.
In fact, losing weight does not need to be so painful. You can fully enjoy your favorite foods while dropping pounds!
I’m going to introduce an easy method that can reduce your sugar cravings naturally.
This method can help you overcome sugar addiction from five aspects and you won’t even feel that there is an obvious change in your life. Additionally, this method is not difficult to implement, so it is easy to stick to.
The Easy Ways To Reduce Sugar And Carbohydrates For Weight loss
Step 1: Reduce sugary drinks.
Whether carbonated drinks or fruit juice, these drinks contain a lot of sugar. Drinking too many of these kinds of beverages can lead to weight gain and other health problems.
It can be difficult for you to cut out these drinks completely if you enjoy them very much. However, you can try to reduce the amount.
For example, if you are used to drinking 2.5 liters of Coke every day, then try to buy only a 1-liter bottle of Coke the next time you go to the supermarket.
After adapting to this amount, reduce it again and drink only one can (330ml) of cola a day. The rest of the time, drink water instead.
You can also make your own soda and add a few slices of lemon to turn it into a cup of soda that quenches thirst and detoxifies.
When you follow this method for a period of time, you can get rid of the control the drink has on your brain.
Step 2: Only eat low GI fruit
Fruits can satisfy your sweet tooth when you are craving sugary foods.
However, not all fruits are created equal. Some of them are actually bad for you because of their high fructose content.
Instead, you should choose fruits with less sugar and low GI. For example choose fruits like berries (such as strawberries, blueberries and blackberries ), kiwis, avocados, figs, grapefruits, oranges or papaya.
These fruits are great for weight loss. They can help you control your appetite and reduce your sugar cravings.
The following articles can help you understand how to choose the healthiest fruits and foods for weight loss.
- 8 Best Fruits To Eat For Weight Loss
- 15 Best Foods For Weight Loss
- 10 Best Foods To Lose Weight Fast and Build Muscle Mass
- 20 Fat Burning Foods That Help You Lose Weight Fast
Step 3: Adjust your habit of eating sweets.
This is similar to the method of reducing sugary drinks in the first step.
When your body is craving sweets, just give your body a small amount. Divide cakes, cookies, chocolates and other sweets into smaller portions and eat only one piece at a time.
Studies have shown that the human body and the brain get the same sense of satisfaction whether they consume a large amount of sugar at one time or only a small amount of sugar.
It may be tough if you want to cut out your sugar quickly, which is the same as the feeling of wanting to quit drugs.
However, by gradually reducing the amount of sugar, your brain and body can gradually adapt to the process of your sugar intake changing from more to less. In this way, you may not even feel the change, so it is easier to stick to it.
Step 4: Reduce your carbs by 30%.
Carbohydrates are one of the three essential nutrients for your body. Most foods contain carbohydrates.
When you consume carbs, your body converts them into glucose as a source of energy. The excess carbs are converted into glycogen and stored in your liver and fat.
If you eat high-carb meals every day, especially refined carbs (such as pasta, white bread and rice, etc.), over time, the excess carbs that your body can’t use up turn into more and more fat and accumulates in your body. That’s how you gain weight.
If you can strictly limit your carbohydrate intake like a ketogenic diet, that’s great. However, most people have difficulty cutting off carbs intake immediately.
At this point, you may want to gradually reduce the amount of refined carbs by 30%, while also trying to eat complex carbohydrates instead, such as quinoa, oats, buckwheat and other grains, beans, or potatoes. Certainly, you can eat as much meat and vegetables as you want.
You might like：
- Why Do Carbs Make You Fat
- How Many Carbs Should I Eat For Weight Loss
- Healthy Carbs To Eat: A List Of Good And Bad Carbohydrates
- Reducing Carbs For Weight Loss: 10 Easy Ways To Cut Your Carb Intake
Step 5: Brush your teeth immediately after eating.
Many people like to have dessert after their main meal, otherwise, they may feel that their meal is not complete.
Let me tell you a little trick, next time you are craving sweets after dinner, go brush your teeth immediately. Then you may not want to eat anymore.
Although there is no evidence that brushing your teeth can affect your appetite, it is indeed very effective for many people. This may be because toothpaste temporarily affects your taste buds, thereby reducing your desire to continue eating.
When you develop the healthy habit of brushing your teeth soon after a meal, it can become a signal to stop eating. Over time, you can not only quit eating sweets, but also any extra snacks.
The methods described above can help you reduce sugar cravings naturally without too much stress and pressure.
Indeed, everything requires persistence to succeed and weight loss is no exception. Regardless of whether it is a low-sugar diet or a low-carb diet, the main purpose is to improve your health and delay aging, thereby improving your quality of life.
