How to Quit Sugar for Weight Loss?

24-08-2017   |   Posted By: Chhavi   |   3993 View(s)

 

‘ How to quit sugar ‘ is a question asked by most people who are trying to lose weight but are not able to control their sugar cravings. It is difficult to give up sugar, especially for those who love eating sugary food. But, if you want to lose weight, you must give up sugar. Also, quitting sugar is not just beneficial for those who are trying to lose weight, but for everyone. It’s because when you stop eating sugar, you become healthy overall. So, let’s understand now the tips to quit sugar.

How to Quit Sugar to Lose Weight?

1.Give Up Sugary Junk Foods

Yes, it is really hard to avoid eating cakes, cookies and chocolates when they taste so yummy! But, alas, if you want to lose weight; then you must stop eating sugary junk foods. When you get sugar cravings, eat some healthy snacks such as almonds, walnuts or Poha. You must stay away from junk foods which contain loads of sugar if you want to get a flat tummy and stay healthy.

 2.Always Read the Label

If you want to quit sugar, then you must always read the label. No matter how safe you think, the food is that you are buying or it does not matter if that food is recommended by your best friend- always read the label. If you think that avoiding sweet foods will help you eat less sugar, then let us tell you that you are wrong! Quitting sugar is not as easy as just avoiding sweet foods. Sugar can lurk in foods you can’t even imagine such as breakfast cereals, granola bars, dried fruit and bread.

It is not very easy to identify added sugars by reading the ingredients on a food label. It is because current food labels do not differentiate between natural sugars, such as those in fruits or milk, and added sugars. Now, if you want to see that the food you are buying contains added sugar or not, then you need to check the ingredients list. Also, notice the order in which sugar appears on the list because ingredients are listed in order of the highest percentage first.

Food companies use several names for added sugar, some of which are:

1. High-fructose corn syrup

2. Cane sugar or juice

3. Maltose

4. Dextrose

5. Invert sugar

6. Rice syrup

7. Molasses

8. Caramel

Thus, read the label and then buy the food so that you do not end up buying food which contains tons of sugar.

3.Never Skip Meals

If you want to know ‘ How to Quit Sugar ’, then let us tell you that one of the best tips to give up sugary foods is not to skip meals. What does it mean? It means that you have to eat regularly. It doesn’t matter if you are getting late for office or college, you must never skip your meal. Do you know what happens when you skip meals? Well, your blood sugar drops and you crave sugary foods more than ever. The best way to keep your sugar levels stable and sugar cravings in control is by eating a small meal or snack every three to four hours. Make sure to eat protein and whole grains food to prevent overeating. For example, you can have an apple with peanut butter or an egg on whole-grain toast as a healthy snack.

4.Eliminate Sugar-Filled Drinks

The drinks that we like so much including Sodas and energy drinks contain a heap of added sugar. Even, the so-called “healthy” drinks such as smoothies and fruit juices contain lots of added sugar. For instance, 15.2 ounce (450 ml) of 100% apple juice contains more than 49 grammes, i..e 12 teaspoons of sugar. So, stay away from sugar-filled drinks if you want to lose weight. Various studies have shown that reducing your consumption of sugary drinks can help with weight loss.

Here are some better drink options with less sugar:

1. Water; it has zero calories

2.Lime water

3. Water with mint and cucumber

4.Herbal or fruit teas; you can drink them hot or cold with ice.

5. Unsweetened tea and coffee

5.Give Up Sugary Foods

The strong connection between sleep and obesity is well known. But, recent studies have also found that lack of sleep also affects the type of foods you eat. A recent study found that people prefer to eat high-calories sweet and salty foods when they are sleep deprived. Another study discovered that people who slept late at night and did not get proper sleep consumed more calories, junk food and fewer fruits and vegetables, compared to those who went to bed earlier and slept properly. So, the bottom line is that if you want to reduce your sugar intake, you must get a good night sleep.

6.Make Healthy Replacements

Another answer to the question ‘ How to quit sugar ’ is that you need to make healthy replacements if you want to lose weight and give up sugar. If you know that the foods you eat contain a lot of sugar, then replace it with something healthy. So, the next time you buy something, remember to read the label and if you find that the food you purchase regularly is hiding lots of sugar, cross it off your grocery list and replace it with something that has less sugar in it.

For instance, if you eat cereals for breakfast, you must know that breakfast cereals contain a lot of added sugar.

You would be surprised to know that other popular breakfast foods, such as pancakes, muffins, jams and waffles are also full of added sugar. So, you must be wondering what you should eat, isn’t it? Well, don’t worry! We have some healthy options for breakfast:

1. Hot oatmeal: You can add some chopped fruit if you have sugar cravings

2. Greek Yoghurt: You can add fruit and nuts for flavour

3. Eggs: You can have them boiled, scrambled, poached or as an omelette.

4. Avocado: It is packed with nutrition and healthy fats for energy.

When it comes to breakfast, eat something that is high in protein and fibre as it will help you stay energised throughout the day.

Also, we have the habit of adding sauces such as ketchup and sweet chilli to our dishes to make it more delicious. But, do you know these sauces contain a high amount of sugar? A single tablespoon serving of ketchup contains one teaspoon (4 grammes) of sugar. You can replace sauces with other option to flavour your food such as dried herbs and spices,  Yellow mustard, vinegar and pesto.

7.Trick and Train your Taste Buds

Want to know, ‘ How to quit sugar ‘; well here is a piece of advice! If you want to give up sugar, you can train your taste buds not to like sweet foods. Slowly and gradually, you can change the way your taste buds perceive different foods. For instance, if you have the habit of putting one teaspoon of sugar in your morning tea or coffee, reduce it to ½ teaspoon. Also, go for healthy replacements. If you want to eat something sweet, opt for fruits. Fruits also contain sugar, but that sugar is not unhealthy for you. Also, make sure that you eliminate all artificial sweeteners from your diet. After a few weeks of practice, your taste buds will begin to adapt, and you will stop eating sugar. So, do you wonder ‘ how to quit sugar ’; it’s simple, just train your brain, and you will give up sugar easily.

8. Beware of the so called “Healthy” Processed Snack Foods

Giving up candy and cookies is hard. But once we plan to lose weight, we stop eating these foods which contain sugar and look for “healthy” snack alternatives. But, it may surprise you that snacks like granola bars, dried fruit and protein bars can provide almost the same amount of sugar as chocolate bars.

Yes, dried fruit is healthy as it is rich in nutrients, fibre and antioxidants; but it is also loaded with natural sugar, which is why it should be eaten in moderation.

So, make sure that you do not end up buying these “healthy” processed foods which actually can make you put on weight.

9.Eat Plenty of Whole Foods

Whole foods are the foods which have not been refined or processed and are free of additives and other artificial substances. There are also some ultra-processed foods which contain salt, sugar and fats, but also substances which are not often used in home cooking. These added substances can be artificial flavours, colours or other additives. Some of the common examples of ultra-processed foods are desserts, cereals, pizzas and soft drinks. These foods contain a lot of sugar too! Hence, you must eat loads of whole foods such as barley, brown rice, whole wheat flour, whole wheat pasta and so on.

10. Don’t Stock High-Sugar Foods in Your Pantry

If you want to know ‘ how to quit sugar ’; then let us tell you one thing that you won’t be able to stay away from sugar if you keep high-sugar foods in the house. If you are trying to lose weight and you love to eat sweets, then it is best not to stock your pantry with foods high in sugar. It is because when you will have sugar cravings, and you see sugary foods stored in the pantry, there are high chances that you will end up eating that food. Hence, the best way to stop is by not storing sugar in your pantry.

The bottom line is that you must stay dedicated and have patience if you want to quit sugar for weight loss. If practised regularly, these tips will surely help you give up sugar and shed pounds! ‘Eat healthy, stay healthy.’