Creating a habit takes a little over 21 days, but we should start by challenging ourselves. I’m a self-proclaimed sugar junkie; anything sweet goes to my mouth. In recent weeks, though, I’ve learned to keep off this addiction; here is how you can quit sugar in 5 days.
Before we even go deep into the topic, I want you to remember that even if you stop eating sugar for five days, you will be ahead of anyone who hasn’t tried it.
Honestly, it’s the toughest thing to quit sugar, but it doesn’t mean it’s impossible because you can successfully do it. Note that our food consumption has changed, and almost all the foods you see in the market have sugar. We mostly consume processed foods, unfortunately.
If you like to balance everything as I do, then realizing that consuming sugar isn’t helping you is the beginning of a sugar-free journey. Most people wait so long, but you may never know how bad it is to take lots of sugar until you have risked these chronic illnesses.
Why change?
Recently, I have been super interested in the kind of food I consume, thanks to my sugar-free challenge. Check out the ingredients to the foodstuffs in your pantry, and you will notice that they contain a %age of sugar.
This indicates that we consume much more sugar than our bodies need. Ultimately too much of something is just outrightly poisonous. So I was looking for balance after realizing its effects on my body.
Some people want to try something new; if this is the case, you enjoy the process.
Healthy living
Why would I sabotage my life using the unnecessary things I choose to consume? The fact that sugar ages us but also causes many other diseases means it’s not the best choice.
If you are now choosing a healthy life, then consider dropping sugar or, at the very least, limiting it.
Some people are sick.
Chronic illnesses are at a record high these days, but the worst part is that for most diseases, you find you can switch your feeding habit a little, and you will be okay. If you suffer from diabetes HB or any other chronic illness, consider reducing sugar.
Since I can change and I want to change. I get the sweetness of my tongue, but I want to do it all differently.
Here’s how to quit sugar in 5 days
You must do a few things to quit sugar in 5 days. Below are the steps you can take to help you in this process.
1. Have a goal
When making a habit change, the first thing to do is have a clear goal. Understand first why you would like to stop eating sugar. Write it all down if possible, as that makes everything clear for you. Whenever you crave sugar, then it will remind you of your course.
Some people want to develop an overall health change; others want to lose weight or increase energy, whatever the reason is to be very clear with it. If possible, have it written and where you can see it often?
Create the proper mental muscle to help you in this process.
2. Learn a little more about sugar (Natural sugars vs refined sugars)
You are safe When you learn the different ways that producers call sugar. Some names that refer to sugar include glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, and more.
We don’t want to eat sugar even in its hidden form on this challenge. So the only one we are interested in is natural sugars. Such you will find in fruits and veggies. You can also find sugar in dairy products, especially if they don’t have the additional refined sugar.
We are here staying away from the refined added sugar that comes from molasses, brown sugar, white sugar, syrups, and many other additives in our meals.
3. You will need to clear your sugary stuff from your pantry
You are changing and creating a new habit, and it’s not a walk in the park. You don’t want to have temptations, so you need to check your pantry and ensure it’s free of sugar. This isn’t the time to have sodas, candies, processed snacks, and other sugary desserts.
The best thing to do then is to keep off the sugar temptation.
4. Do you know your sugar weakness?
Identify the one sugar weakness that gets you all the time. Some people like coffee, others tea, and others juices. You can still have your teas and coffee but remember not to use sugar.
If you are like me, who has a weakness in bread and cakes, then this will be the time when you ignore all those. The best way is to limit buying the sugary stuff.
It’s during breakfast that we consume sugars the most, so deliberately choose a more healthy breakfast. You can even eat the leftover foods as you don’t have to make the hotel-like breakfast that has lots of sugar.
5. Ensure you balance your diet daily
The only other thing that will keep you free of the sugar-craving temptation is if you know what you consume. Keeping off the sugar doesn’t mean you won’t consume sugar from fruits and veggies.
To keep healthy, you should also take lean protein and whole grains to keep you feeling fuller. You will not have a problem curbing the carbs when you take balanced food.
6. Keep hydrating yourself
One of the things you will have is the need to keep hydrated. Water in the body keeps you feeling fuller and washes the toxins. Throughout the day, you will feel hydrated and not in need of too much sugar.
7. Always read the food label
If you are in a city where you must buy everything, ensure you read the food labels. This will help you keep off the hidden sugars. Ensure only to take food with no sugar or very little added sugar.
Also, don’t ignore this point because, much to your surprise, you will notice that even foods you consider healthy, like sauces, granules, and cereals, may have added sugars.
8. You will still crave sugar; choose a substitute
For now, when you are just starting, you can choose to use a substitute. I prefer fructose as my substitute, so I eat carrots, apples, mangos, and bananas. I know that such options tend to be healthier than refined sugars.
If you can find raw honey, don’t shy away from using it. Make sure the type you use has no added sugars or molasses.
Regardless you can always still break the dependence on sugar over time. Try staying without it completely to see how things go.
9. Sleep
Believe it or not, you will need to sleep if you can keep off the sugar cravings. If you can get just enough sleep, you can be sure to have an overall healthy well-being.
10. Focus on taking whole foods
When you take whole foods, you only consume healthy and rich foods, ensuring you don’t crave carbs and sugars.
What do I expect to happen?
Of course, you are withdrawing from your regular habit, which means your body will react. Just like any other drug, you may experience withdrawal symptoms. Understand that you are still okay and don’t have to return to the sugar.
Some symptoms
- Fatigue and loss of energy.
You are used to giving your body the quick sugar to tackle the day. Denying yourself sugar will cause fatigue.
- Headaches: sometimes people experience a lot of headaches.
- Loss focus
- Thirst
- The cravings are worse than normal.
- Insomnia
- Being sleepy for some people.
What should I eat when the craving is dire?
You will find it hard to break your sugar addiction at the beginning of this journey. However, a few foods will solve this issue without spiking your blood sugar levels. While the best method is to keep off sugar, indulge in just a little bit if you can.
- Take fruits and particularly berries.
- Nuts are great too
- Proteins
- I love oats
- Root vegetables like sweet potatoes will help.
- Take more water
- Fiber is great too.
Is it possible to quit sugar in five days?
Your mind has to be fully made up for this to work. At five days, you are still experiencing withdrawal symptoms, making you want to take even more sugar. You can choose to detox in the five days, which will jumpstart your journey to a sugar-free lifestyle.
However, if your mind is made up, you can quit easily. I’m not saying it’s not possible. It is; as such, we want to show you how to quit in 5 days. So let’s do it together to make it a little easier.