Does this resonate with you?
-You crave certain foods when you’re not hungry
-You worry about cutting down on certain foods.
-You feel sluggish or fatigued (especially from compulsive eating).
-You need more and more of the foods you crave to experience any pleasure or reduce negative emotions.
Reducing your sugar intake can help you to feel more energised, satiated and balanced. But I know from experience that it can be a challenge and particularly for many women that I work with who struggle with emotional eating, bingeing, and yo-yo dieting.
The white stuff is ubiquitous. It goes without saying that you’ll find it in obvious and some less obvious foods, on every shop corner, wherever you go.
Cutting down on sugar can feel hard – especially if you have spent years using sugary treats to give you an energy boost, as a coping mechanism for stress or as a reward for getting through the day.
HERE ARE MY TOP TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED:
1. Observe how you start the day
Start your day with a bowl of cereal and in many cases, you’re starting with a good portion of sugar! Switch to something containing protein accompanied with fruit or even veggies to help to regulate your blood sugar from the get-go
2. Be conscious (but not obsessive) about food labels
It’s helpful to be aware that “sugar free” or “no added sugar” often doesn’t mean it has no sugar- sometimes the sugar is disguised as something else. Here are just a few alternative sugar names: sucrose, fructose, glucose, dextrose, galactose, lactose, maltose, invert sugar, raw sugar, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, isoglucose, brown rice syrup, barley malt and malodextrin.
It’s important to not get too hung up on these but maybe helpful to decipher why for example a certain food you consume regularly isn’t making you feel that great or leads to cravings later in the day.
3. Be mindful of juices and smoothies!
Fruit juices contain a fair amount of natural sugar but without the fibre (that the whole fruit contains) to slow its progress into your bloodstream. Fruit laden smoothies do just the same. If you enjoy smoothies, go for combinations of leafy greens, avocado, mixed seeds and a limited amount of fruit (mixed berries are helpful for blood sugar balancing)
4. Say no to artificial sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners are man-made products that are no more helpful to us than real sugar. They can upset your digestive system and some – notably aspartame and acesulfame-K – have been linked to other health conditions.
What you may not know is that artificial sweeteners – and many other ‘natural sweeteners’ that find their way into ‘health foods’ –behave in the body the same way as actual sugar by raising your blood glucose levels. I would personally go for the real stuff given the choice!
5. Don’t make sugar a forbidden food
This one may confuse you and yes you read that right! When we demonise and deprive ourselves completely of certain foods – the power of said foods is increased. You are less likely to have bingeing episodes, when giving yourself unconditional permission to eat foods containing sugar and far more likely to eat in a balanced way.
Are you ready for a new approach to eating and leave dieting behind for good?
Un-diet your Mind is my new 21-day coaching course where you will unlearn your old food patterns & make new confident choices. I will be with you every step of the way, so you feel supported and motivated to begin the process of long lasting change. Its starting on Monday 1st November
Join my VIP wait list to be the first to be notified when the course goes live and have the chance to enrol at the discounted price!
The course is just £89 and only £69 to the first 15 people who enrol
The first 15 people who join the course will receive the special discount