Resolution Reboot: Should You (Finally) Quit Sugar? by Joan Kent, PhD

Maybe you’ve thought about quitting sugar in the past. Or maybe you’re thinking about doing it but are waiting for a good enough reason. I would love to help by offering you several good reasons to quit sugar. Finally.

So Why Should You Quit Sugar?

Sugar promotes inflammation and disease.

Inflammation triggered by sugar underlies both diabetes and prediabetes. Prediabetes is also known as insulin resistance (IR) and is the underlying factor in not only diabetes, but also the cluster of diseases that in turn trigger heart disease. Those diseases include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, and “bad” cholesterol that is smaller, denser, and more likely to form plaques inside the arteries.

Overweight can be linked to sugar.

People often associated overweight with consumption of fats, but sugar can be a major factor in weight issues. It triggers high insulin release, which inhibits fat oxidation and promotes fat storage. It’s also addictive and can make us want to eat more sugar, more calories.

Sugar can be linked to cancer.

Insulin resistance triggered by sugar consumption is often responsible for the occurrence of various cancers, including breast cancer.

Sugar can be linked to catching colds.

Last, but not least, those who eat sugar frequently are likely to experience frequent colds. You may see colds as nothing more than an inconvenience, but I see them as a sign of an immune system that needs some help. Sugar directly compromises the immune system.

What Else Does Sugar Do?

Sugar messes with your moods.

This can involve mood swings, anxiety, depression, dysthymia, and impatient outbursts.

Sugar messes with your energy.

You may feel tired during the day, even after a full night’s sleep.

Sugar messes with your sleep.

It can cause middle-of-night awakening and not let you return to sleep.

Sugar messes with your motivation.

Whether it’s to eat right, or exercise, or get your work done during the day, sugar can kill your motivation.

Sugar changes your appetite and food preferences.

Sugar makes you eat more, often a lot more. But it’s not just about increased appetite.

Sugar makes you want junky food. Really. That can mean more sugar, or high-fat foods, or a combination of the two. Sugar changes food preferences and which foods will seem appetizing to you.

Sugar may make you want alcohol.

If you’re in alcohol recovery, this phenomenon – known as priming – can sabotage your recovery. Not good. AA meetings often feature sugary treats as back-of-room snacks, but that’s a big mistake for this reason.

Get Your Mind Set for Quitting

Stop looking for a loophole.

I mean looking for that one sugar that you can “get away” with eating and still pretend that you’ve quit. There is no loophole! I know that because I looked for one harder than anybody.

Work out no matter what.

If nothing else, this will keep you and your brain feeling good.

If you need help, find someone who understands sugar addiction.

Here are actual examples of online advice about cravings. They’re all bad.

Take a walk.

Change the scenery.

Think of something else.

Talk to a friend.

All the above indicate that the “helper” thinks cravings are not real. But they are.

Examples of even worse online advice include:

Eat fruit. (Fruit is sugar.)

Eat what you crave, then something healthful. (Really? Chocolate, then broccoli will stop a craving?)

Eat the sugary food slowly and savor it. (I have NO idea how that is supposed to stop cravings.)

So What Should You Do Instead?

Think long-term.

Quitting is short. Staying quit is a lifestyle change. Don’t treat it as temporary, like a diet. Instead: commit to your health (both physical and mental).

Prepare to quit.
Select your quitting day. You’ll need 6 days.
Stock your kitchen with protein, healthful fats, vegetables, healthful starches.
Pre-cut vegetables so they’re ready for both snacks and meals.
Toss sugary foods. Don’t say you’ll avoid them.
Get liquid B-complex – ALL the Bs, not just 1 or 2 B vitamins. [Important: Check w/ your doctor to be sure B vitamins are okay for you.]
Drink lots of water before quitting, during quitting, and beyond.

Quit step by step.
Select your quitting day. Put it in your planner.
A few days ahead, start eating meals that look like the plate diagram above.
On your quitting day, stop eating sugar.
Use 1 spoonful of B-complex if you get a sugar craving. Give it a few minutes to take effect.
Drink lots of water every day.
Work out as usual, but not super-hard.
Stick with this for 6 days. It will work.

Anthony Robbins said, “Knowledge is potential power. Implementation is power.”

Put this info to work now. Implementing it can be – will be – life-changing.

For help with quitting sugar, just visit LastResortNutrition.com and grab your Help Me Quit Sugar consult. Discover what freedom from food compulsions feels like. You will love it!

Brought to you by Dr. Joan Kent, best-selling author of Stronger Than Sugar: 7 Simple Steps to Defeat Sugar Addiction, Lift Your Mood, and Transform Your Health.