Start the new year right - 5 tips to curb your sugar cravings

 

 

Hey there, Mary Sheila here from BioYouth Labs.  

 

Happy New Year! 

 

I wanted to wish you a happy New Year and talk a little bit about our health goals for the new year. 

 

Today I'm going to share with you five ways to eat less sugar. 

 

Before I start with my tips, I want to acknowledge that it’s nice to have something like the New Year that creates a fresh start, an opportunity to do things differently. We can do that with the seasons, or if we start a new job, or a new school year. 

 

There's nothing like the new year to make some changes. And I'm not talking about resolutions. I'm talking about, eating less sugar. 

Sugar is one of the things that affects most people. 

 

Now I know some of you might say, “Well, I don't really eat sugar,  I don't eat sweet things”.

 

Glucose is the storage form of starch. So if you find yourself having lots of refined carbohydrates like pretzels, you might not think of pretzels as sugar, but they turn into sugar. 

 

Same as pastas, breads, cookies, crackers, even salty chips, all turn to sugar. 

 

I'm going to talk about some practical tips and continue the conversation in some future videos around swaps that we can make when it comes to sugar.

 

I have been in the nutrition field for about 15 years now and the new year is still a nice fresh start for me. I still had to be around holiday cookies and treats and big meals. I had to figure out a way to navigate all those foods and situations. And I wasn't perfect. So now it's the time to make a fresh start. 

 

So the first tip is just to get sugar out of your house.

 

Simple enough. 

 

Wherever your little stash of sugar is, whether it's in the cupboard, the fridge, the freezer. Maybe it's in your purse or in your car. If it's not easily accessable, it's harder to eat sugar. 

 

But if it's there, sometimes you can't stop thinking about it and end up eating it. It might be a hard and challenging when it’s not around but that craving will settle down. Trust me, if there are chips in my house, I will be eating them. And chips are also sugar too. 

 

The next tip I have for eating less sugar is to have a good breakfast. 

 

Make sure that your breakfast has protein, fat and fiber.  

 

Don't eat sugar for breakfast. No pastries, pancakes, muffins and sweet coffee drinks. 

 

Go for no sugar at breakfast. It will set you up for success during the day. It lowers your sugar cravings later in the day because of the effect that it has on our metabolism. 

 

So have a good breakfast, that will help you have less cravings for sugar, which is really what we want. 

 

The next tip I have for you for eating less sugar is to write out your menu for the day, including writing that you're not going to eat sugar. 

 

When you have a plan, you are going to be so much more successful. Think about what's in your fridge or where you're going for the day and make a plan. Plan your breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Have some snacks  in case you get hungry and write down that today you’re not going to eat sugar. 

 

Then you have this plan to come back to every time you're hungry and you have a plan.

 

Even if you do end up eating the sugar, you're going to think twice when you do. And that's one step closer to not eating sugar, right? At least you're conscious and thinking about it. And if you do eat it, if you're not super successful, you can try again tomorrow, right? 

 

The next tip I have for eating less sugar is make sure you have protein with every meal. 

 

Protein is the building blocks of our neurotransmitters. We breakdown protein and we reassemble it and turn it back into us. And when we have more neurotransmitters, we have less cravings. We have more satiation and more satisfaction without needing that big dopamine hit from the sugar. With more serotonin, we don't need as much dopamine.  More protein and we make more serotonin, it just goes hand in hand. 

 

So have a protein with every meal. When we don’t take the time to have meals, we end up snacking on carbs, which is sugar and then that makes us want even more.

 

And my last tip for less sugar cravings is to make sure you're hydrating.

 

If you have a craving, drink water first.  Chances are you're probably thirsty. 

 

I know you've probably heard that before, but it's true. So just drink a little water or make yourself a cup of tea. Sit down and relax. 

 

Drink it outside or inside, wherever it's the most cozy for you. Relax with your hydration. Best to be drinking in between meals. Not, guzzling all your water with a meal but in between them. 

 

If you're still hungry 10 minutes later, maybe you can go for a walk, call a friend, or do something else that brings you pleasure. You can ask yourself, what am I really hungry for,  and make a different choice. I hope this is helpful as we kick off the new year. I'll be sharing more tips and swaps like this soon, so stay tuned. Have a great day and I'll see you soon.