7 Strategies to Kick Sugar Cravings and Detox from Sugar

Sugar-Detox

1. Eat fermented foods like sauerkraut, kefir, or kombucha. These foods are excellent for detoxification and can help nourish gut bacteria. A lot of times sugar cravings are a symptom of a much deeper imbalance in the gut. Along with fermented foods, you can take a dairy free probiotic capsule to come back into balance.

2. Choose bitter foods like arugula, dandelion greens and even schizandra berries. Bitter foods can help prevent or reduce sugar cravings by retraining the taste buds. Not only that, but bitter foods are great for liver detox and if you’ve been eating too much sugar, chances are your liver could use some extra love!

3. When you crave soda or a sugary drink, opt for a healthier version with natural sweeteners like maple syrup or yacon syrup or even better, avoid a sweet drink altogether and try having a green juice or green smoothie.

4. Write a note or create an alert on your phone with a nice reminder to stick to your goals and make healthier choices. Positive reinforcement when you’re doing a sugar detox is important!

5. Eat enough healthy fat so your body doesn’t crave empty carbs. When your body isn’t being properly fueled, your brain will resort to the quickest and easiest source of calories, regardless of nutrient value. The primal brain doesn’t recognize “healthy” or “not healthy”… it really only knows “high in calories” or “low in calories” which essentially translates to “live or die”. Not a very logical process in this day and age, but the process served us well when we were in hunter gatherer societies and didn’t always have access to food.

6. Exercise often. Dopamine receptors love sugar, though there are other ways to encourage natural dopamine production in the body, and working up a sweat is one of them. Get yourself into a yoga class, try some light jogging or lift some weights. You may find that after a workout your body craves healthier foods rather than sugar.

7. Create a ritual for yourself that includes utilizing adrenal supportive herbs and herbs that support liver and kidney detox. These 3 systems all support balanced hormones, natural energy and detoxification. If you’ve had an up and down relationship with sugar, your adrenals most likely need some nourishment. If you balance your energy naturally by supporting your vital organs you’ll find you have less crashes and don’t have to rely on stimulants to get you through the day.

Get our new Sugar-Free Detox App for iPhone and iPad devices! It’s the #1 App in US and Canada for Food and Drink Apps. Click here to download it.

Sugar Free Detox App

Sheleana Aiyana

Sheleana is passionate about getting back to nature through real food and empowering women to walk the feminine path of self-care and deep self-awareness. She's a birth doula in Vancouver, BC She's an avid reader, intuitive culinary goddess and cat lady in the making.