December 22, 2019: Sugar is the Enemy

My weekly Get Your Stuff Together Sunday email series gives you one actionable focus for the week that will make your life a little easier.

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Could you completely give up sugar for a week? If you’re prepared, and you’ve been following a mostly healthy, well-balanced diet, you can rid yourself of the sugar cravings. This week, we’re going to talk about how to survive a week without sugar so you can break your craving.

Sugar is eight times more addictive than cocaine. Once a sugary substance enters your body, your brain’s “reward” chemical, dopamine, releases, and with it, feelings of happiness and euphoria. Sugar is one of the hardest substances to quit because it’s hidden in so many different foods, but it’s also one of the deadliest. Sugar is associated with a plethora of diseases: diabetes, heart disease, obesity, cancer, etc.

Prepping for Your Week without Sugar

Here are a few ways to prep for a week without sugar.

Hydrate. Water is your best friend. It will flush your body and assist your kidneys and colon in eliminating waste. Drink ½ an ounce for every pound you weigh.

Increase Protein and Healthy Fats. Eliminating sugar can cause some “hanger” issues. Because processed food is full of hidden sugar, protein and healthy fats will be your new best friends. They’ll keep you fuller longer so the sugar cravings won’t be as strong.

Clean Out Your Fridge/Pantry. Take a good, hard look at the items in your fridge and pantry. After reading the labels, get rid of, donate, or store (at a friend’s house) items that can get you off track this week. Items like dressings, sauces, bread, or crackers that have hidden sugar as well as the obvious sweets and desserts need to go.

Increase Your Vegetable Intake. This week isn’t about depriving yourself, if you’re hungry you should eat, but make sure you’re eating foods that have nutritional value. With the protein and fat on your plate, add a variety of vegetables to keep you full and to get the antioxidants and phytonutrients needed to keep you body functioning.

Food Prep. After you’ve eliminated the items in your home that can get you off track, create a menu for the week and prep your food. This will help you save time, and you won’t have to worry about what you’re going to eat and then make a bad choice when you’re too busy to prepare a meal. Prep everything you can, breakfasts, snacks, lunches, dinners. The more prepared you are, the easier it will be to face down your sugar cravings.

Taking a week off of sugar to break your sugar cravings is never a bad idea. You’ll feel better and be better able to make good choices after taking a break from sugar.

Next Sunday, we’ll talk about how great smoothies are.

Want some expert help with reaching your health goals painlessly? Check out my programs! We’ll get everything taken care of in a way that fits into your current lifestyle so you never have to think about your health again.

Do you have a friend who could stand to G(her)ST? Feel free to forward this!

I hope you have a wonderful week,

Kelly

Kelly Morgan, Ph.D.

Tsirona - www.tsirona.com

My weekly GYSTS email give you one actionable thing to do for the week that will make you life a little easier. As "they" say, "Fail to plan; plan to fail." Get these emails (and more!) delivered right to your inbox by clicking HERE.