3 Tips to Help You Eat Less Sugar

If you’re like just about every other American, you’ve got a bowl full of Halloween candy sitting in your kitchen taunting you. You don’t want to eat it, but you know before the day is out, you’ll have your hand in it. And thus begins what I like to call “Sugar Season,” the time from Halloween until January 1 where sugars and sweets will tempt you at every turn.

Make this year different. When you understand why sugar is so appealing to you, you can start saying no to it—and yes to healthier options. First, it’s important to understand why you need to pay attention to how much sugar you eat.

The American Heart Association recommends consuming no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar a day. Yet, the average American eats 21 teaspoons a day, according to a study in JAMA—that’s nearly 400% of the daily recommendation.

Part of the reason people eat much more sugar than they should is because sugar is in everything. Even some so-called healthy foods contain sugar—most popular nutrition bars contain on average 3 teaspoons of added sugar. A chocolate chip Cliff Bar has almost 5 teaspoons of sugar in it. Compare that to a chocolate-glazed cake donut from Dunkin’ Donuts, which has 3 teaspoons of sugar. This over consumption of refined sweets and added sugars found in everyday foods is why we are experiencing an explosion of hypoglycemia and type 2 diabetes.

3 tips to reduce the amount of sugar you eat

Reducing the amount of added sugar you eat is a challenge. You have to be diligent about reading nutrition labels and choosing foods that don’t have added sugar. Understanding why you crave sugar is also a helpful step in stopping the cravings and taking control of your health. The following three tips for reducing the amount of sugar you eat should help with this.

Tip 1: Drink more water.

The number one cause for sugar cravings is dehydration. This is great news because it is such an easy fix. Next time you are craving sugar, drink a glass of water and wait 10 minutes. Most of the time, the sugar craving will go away when you’ve got water in your system.

If you have trouble drinking plain water, try making an infusion—just drop some berries in your water, chill it overnight, and you’ve got a subtly sweet, super hydrating drink for the next day.

There is no reason not to!

Tip 2: Balance your diet between yin and yang foods.

A craving for sugar may be your body’s way of telling you it needs more balance in what you’re eating. The Yin and Yang—balance—of food is a macrobiotic concept and refers to whether a food is cooling or warming. We need both. In fact, typically we need more cooling foods than warming foods—1/3 yang food to 2/3 yin foods. However, the typical American diet has significantly more yang foods in it—meat, potatoes, cheese, and wine, for example. Yin foods include cucumbers, broccoli, lemons…you see the trend. Sugar is a yin food.

Your body craves balance, so if you eat a lot of yang foods, your body starts craving foods to balance them. Often this need for a yin food feels like a craving for sugar, when in fact eating a yin food like almonds would satisfy the urge for you.

Are the foods you eating too heavy, too yang? If you can get more balance, that will help with your need for sugar.

Tip 3: Nurture your relationships.

The food we eat nourishes our bodies, but the relationships we have (including your relationship with yourself) nourishes your soul. If your relationships aren’t satisfying, you may find yourself craving sugar—it becomes a substitute for what you really need.

Think about a time you were doing something that you really wanted to do—you were so excited, you didn’t even want to eat. Or what about falling in love? The feelings are so positive and life affirming, that you probably never craved comfort from food. And the opposite is true. If you’re having problems with your best friend or spouse, you may be running to the candy jar a lot to find something to satisfy your need for meaningful connection.

This is probably the most difficult tip to implement because often it’s hard to identify what you really want. Do you need a hug or a kiss? Maybe you’re bored and really need a stimulating hobby or an exercise routine you love. Perhaps you’re really missing your best friend and need a chat. As the candy bar or ice cream is calling you, think about whether you can nourish yourself with something besides food.

If all three of these tips fail to stop your sugar craving in its tracks, then go ahead and have that sugary treat. Just be mindful of how much sugar is in it and make sure you’re eliminating other sources of added sugar. Knowing where sugar is hiding in your foods will go far toward helping your reduce the overall amount of sugar you eat.