Beating a Sugar Addiction

Tips By Tiya Gorain:

“I used to be a sugar addict. Every half an hour I would find myself reaching for chocolate, ice-cream or a muffin. If there was nothing sweet in the fridge, I would make myself a cup of tea or coffee and load it with sugar. Here are the steps that helped me gradually beat my sugar addiction.

1. Admitting that I have a problem

I have been in denial for years. I would tell myself those late afternoon sugar cravings were completely normal and there was nothing wrong in stuffing myself with unhealthy sugary snacks. Then when I was pregnant I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. The dietician I was referred to, told me I have to change my eating habits as otherwise I will be at a high risk of developing diabetes when I was older. That was the first time I acknowledged that I had a sugar addiction and needed to do something to address the problem. So the first step is to identify that you have a problem and taking steps to beat it.

2. Drinking water or a healthy liquid

I started with drinking lots of water. Whenever I was hungry in between meals, I would drink a glass of water. This reduced my hunger and sweet cravings a bit. Sometimes water wasn’t enough so I opted for some other healthy liquid like herbal tea or home-made lemonade.

3. Eating more protein

I found that eating a protein rich lunch made me feel full longer and as a result I was eating less sugary things. I am vegetarian on Mondays. So I eat lentils and kidney beans on Mondays. You can find simple tasty recipes for lentils and kidney beans on the internet. On other days I eat lean meat, fish and eggs. My favourites are chicken salad, grilled fish and egg-white omelettes.

4. Reducing stress

My sugar cravings were directly proportional to my stress levels. The more stressed I was, the more I binged on chocolate and cakes. So I started doing meditation for ten minutes every day. I also started keeping fresh flowers in my house and lighting aromatherapy candles. All these helped calm my mind and reduce my stress which in turn helped me manage my sugar addiction.

5. Eating spicy food

Being an Indian I started using more of the spices that my mom and grandmom used, in my cooking. I started using more turmeric and coriander powder as well as included cardamoms, cinnamon and cloves in my cooking. I found having spicy food significantly reduced my sugar cravings.

6. Having wine with a meal

I read somewhere that alcohol has sugar blocking properties. So sometimes I sit down to eat with half a glass of wine. I sip the wine very slowly while eating and find that it stops me from reaching for that candy jar or chocolate bar later. I didn’t drink wine or any alcohol during pregnancy though. Only started after my daughter was on formula.”