Sugar is not classified as a drug, but it can be as difficult to wean yourself off the sweet taste of sugar as it is to stop drinking coffee. People who eat a lot of sugar can become desensitized to the level of sweetness in their food, and abruptly removing sugar from the diet can make everything taste wrong. In order to naturally wean yourself off sugar, you should learn to read labels, use substitutes, and decrease gradually the amount of sugar you consume.
Reading Labels
In order to remove sugar from the diet, you will need to read labels carefully. Many products advertise low or no sugar, but contain dextrose, fructose, cane syrup, corn syrup, or other substances that are forms of sugar. Reading the list of ingredients will help to identify foods that should be removed from your diet.
Substituting
A simple means of weaning yourself off sugar is substituting other sweets for sugar-sweetened foods. Stevia and Agave are natural sweeteners that can be helpful, but read labels carefully. Some artificial sweeteners have dextrose, another name for sugar, as a key ingredient. If you prefer to avoid artificial sweeteners, naturally sweet foods are a great way to appease your sweet tooth. Many fruits and berries are very sweet, such as strawberries, kiwi, cherries, bananas, and many apples. Substituting these foods for a sugary treat will also add nutritional value to your diet.
Gradually Decreasing
Gradually decreasing the amount of sugar you consume will help to lower or eliminate your sugar consumption. For example, if you normally take two sugar cubes in your coffee, try it with one, or one and a half. When you become accustomed to that level of sweetness, lower the amount of sugar again. Eventually, you may find that you enjoy the flavor of coffee without sugar. Decreasing the amount of sweet foods consumed will also help to gradually wean yourself off of sugar.
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