Benefits of Living a Low Sugar Lifestyle
- Increased Energy and Vitality
- Mood Stability: No more pesky afternoon crashes
- Better Sleep
- Youthful Skin
- Improved Mental Cognitive Function
- Lowered Risk of Diabetes, Cancer, & Heart Disease
- Less Risk of Obesity. **Especially for our children!
It’s no surprise that consuming less sugar is beneficial for your health, but the struggle to refrain is real y’all!!! Yes, soda, candy, cookies, cake and fried foods are fun to eat, but do you feel great afterwards? Probably not. These foods lack fiber and healthy fat, they are easily digested and spike your blood sugar super high, really fast, sending your body and your brain in a tailspin.
How many times have you had an insane headache after indulging in a hot fudge sundae? Or ever notice how your kids’ nap time is near impossible post a sno- cone, gummy candy filled birthday party?
I’m not proposing you and your family live sugar free. This is REAL LIFE and we are here to ENJOY the heck out of it. I am hoping to shine a light on a moderate relationship with sugar. One that we can teach our children to honor while growing up in our french fried world.
My mission is to shine a light on helpful tools so hopefully my kids are better equipped at routinely nourishing & eat intuitively than I was as a child.
The trigger to eat sugar usually has nothing to do with food at all!
HELLO– boredom, stress, sadness or anxiety during quarantine!! Your sugar consumption could also stem from a plain ole habit you’ve repeated so many times that now your sugar craving + consumption is mindless. {More about The Habit Loop Here!}.
Your Tools
- Beware of Hidden Sugar:
Food marketing teams have learned to disguise sugar under over 60+ different aliases. Get in the habit of reading labels on EVERYTHING!! Without understanding the different names for sugar, you might be consuming sugar without even realizing! {No Bueno!}. Our son, Zander, is seven, and we just started reading food labels together. We are mostly looking out for sugar, and artificial dyes and he’s totally interested! - Get More Sleep:
Sleep and sugar are like peanut butter in jelly. When one is off balance, the other is likely off balance too. When you don’t get enough sleep, your hunger hormones are on fire, sending signals for more sugar as an energy source ASAP! Aim for 7-9 hours {kids 10+} per night to increase your mental clarity and your calm.
- Eat Mindfully:
Mindful eating includes making deliberate, thoughtful food choices. When you are mindful you become more aware of your cravings and learn to be less reactive and compulsive. When you eat mindfully you take the time to pause, to slow down and to enjoy.
When we have a home, I try to make sure we sit down and enjoy said treat, mindfully at the table. Nine times out of ten our kids don’t even finish their slice of cake. They take a few bites and are on their way, all while feeling completely satisfied. In opposition, if I hand them a cookie while they are playing soccer, they will gobble up the entire thing in minutes and then ask for another. See the difference? - Hydrate & Eat More Often:
Your eating habits will help break the sugar cycle. When you or your kids go hours without eating, to the point of feeling starved, you are more likely to stuff your face with candy or cookies given the opportunity. You are not alone in this!!
Your blood sugar & insulin levels dipped too low and your body is sending cues to bring it back to balance ASAP.
By eating more frequently and staying hydrated you keep your blood sugar stable and are able to make more intelligent food choices.
Hydration is key anytime, but especially when you are working on your relationship with sugar! Aim to drink half your body weight in ounces every day!! - Fill up on Fiber & Healthy Fat:
Fiber is your savior when aiming to reduce sugar. It slows the rate of sugar absorption, stabilizes blood sugar and keeps you regular. Healthy fats will help suppress your appetite and provide ENERGY to the body. **Healthy Fat and the energy source it provides is super helpful as you are weaning off sugar and feeling lethargic.
Enter Complex Carbohydrates {Good Carbs} and Healthy Fats. Two of my favorites are roasted sweet potatoes (complex carb) with half an avocado (healthy fat). The combination is a satiety winner + tastes amazing + will keep you full and energized for hours!!
Getting Started
The best way to improve your relationship with sugar consumption is to go two weeks without refined sugar. Think of it as a palate cleanse!
The first couple of days can be challenging as you have sugar withdrawal, but once you get through week one, your energy levels increase, your craving subsides, and you are on your way!~
I’ve done this several times by myself, but this is my first quest involving our kids! We are just finishing week one and so far so good!!
Step 1: Remove tempting treats and sugary snacks from your fridge and pantry. Out of sight, out of mind!!
Step 2: Stock up on nourishing, energizing snacks to replace your sugar habit. Healthy fat will be your friend!!! Think full fat coconut yogurt, berries, apples, nut butter, mixed nuts, pastured eggs, EVOO, celery, carrots, hummus and avocado
Step 3: Define your habitual cravings for sugar. When, where & why you typically consume sugar. Get a head of the game, and think of ways you can replace your sugary snack habits when your cravings arise.
I chatted about this with our kids, and Zander came up with his plan of attack. He plans to snack on carrots and apples after school instead of the usual pantry snack or cookie. After dinner he plans to go outside to jump rope instead of eating dessert!! Bravo!
Step 4: Give yourself some grace!! Progress over perfection! If you have a slip up, don’t use it as an excuse to throw in the towel and head for a binge. Simply aim to do better at the next meal (not tomorrow!).
Step 5: After the two week no refined sugar challenge is over list all of the improvements you noticed about your body, your mind, and your energy levels. Give yourself a pat on the back for the nutrient dense food you consumed. Think of how you will re-introduce sugar in a mindful, celebratory way. Think of how sugar consumption can be an exception and not the rule.
I want you to know we aren’t experts with moderate sugar over here. We still struggle just like you!!
However, we are actively practicing and trying to make better choices around daily sugar consumption and I hope you join us! If you have any questions or comments, I’m literally all ears and would love to see you succeed!
