You're not alone if you feel you may be addicted to sugar. The thought of giving up your favorite sweets may seem impossible to you. Maybe you can't imagine going a day without a cookie, soda or scoop of ice cream after dinner, but you hate the mood swings and sluggishness you feel a few hours after you partake. With mindfulness and careful planning, you can eliminate sugar cravings before they start.
Step 1
Eat a small meal, consisting of 200 to 300 calories, every two to three hours. Eating frequently helps keep your blood sugar stable, as well as keeping you from getting too hungry.
Step 2
Replace white bread, rice and pasta with whole grains such as amaranth, quinoa and barley. Have oatmeal for breakfast rather than sugary cereal. The fiber in whole grains fills you up, and these complex carbohydrates do not cause the same dramatic insulin spike as sugar. The result: you feel more satisfied for longer, and your blood sugar remains more even.
Step 3
Include protein in each of your mini-meals. Try a carton of yogurt, handful of walnuts or stick of string cheese, or mix a scoop of protein powder into a smoothie or glass of milk.
Step 4
Give up artificial sweeteners. Because they are much more concentrated than sugar, they keep your palate accustomed to intense sweetness. If you need to sweeten your food, use a natural, low-glycemic index sweetener like raw honey, agave nectar or stevia. All of these can be found in health food stores.
Step 5
Eat a small amount of healthy fats every day to keep you feeling satiated. Safflower, sunflower and olive oils are all smart choices. Avocados and nut butters provide rich flavor while providing heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, or MUFAs.
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