Sandbox Fitness personal trainers are all off sugar right now! Have you been keeping up?
Our latest blog posts, you’ve learned about the detrimental effect that excessive sugar can have on your energy, your weight, and your risk of serious chronic disease. You will also know that sugar can have an addictive effect on the body and brain and is snuck into so many of the foods that we consume today. Sugar is bad news.
For most of us, cutting down on sugar isn’t an easy task!
Here are our Top Tips to successfully Ditching the Sugar:
1 – Clean out the Cupboards.
Don’t keep the sweet stuff around. Instead, fill your kitchen with healthier substitutes. Use natural sugars and fats to combat the sweet cravings (without going overboard).
2– Don’t Fear Fats!
Low sugar doesn’t mean you need to be super low calorie. Make sure you are getting lots of healthy proteins and fats to keep yourself feeling satisfied and avoid the temptation to binge eat.
3 – Get Enough Sleep.
Sleeping and eating are two vital processes that are deeply intertwined. Not enough sleep can wreak havoc among your hunger hormones. Research demonstrates how lack of sleep increases the tendency to choose junky (high-fat, high-calories) foods over healthier ones.
4 – Lose the Stress.
There are countless books and articles written surrounding the “food-mood” connection. When you feel stressed, you are more likely to crave crappy foods and make poor food choices. This may be because stress causes an increase in a hormone called cortisol which leads to a spike in insulin and a drop in blood sugar. The drop in blood sugar increases craving for sugary foods. Learn strategies to combat stress in our Stressed Out Blog series.
5 – Read our Blog on How to Grocery Shop Better.
The article has our 4 strategies to Be a Better Grocery Shopper. It also includes a list of resources with different recipes and food swaps to get you inspired, as well as our Sandbox grocery list template. The biggest take-away is to READ the labels. Know what ingredients are in your food before you eat it!! One of the best examples is all the little condiments we buy and use without thinking about it:
6 – Do it with a Friend.
For most of us, going sugar-free or low-sugar isn’t easy. Find a friend to keep you motivated and inspired. Lifestyle changes are always easier to sustain when you have that extra moral support!
References:
Breus M J. The Connection Between Sleep and Appetite. October 29 2013. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sleep-newzzz/201310/the-connection-between-sleep-and-appetite
Konturek P C, Brozozowski S J. Stress and the Gut: Pathophysiology, Clinical Consequences, Diagnostic Approach and Treatment Options. 2011. Journal of physiology and pharmacology. http://www.jpp.krakow.pl/journal/archive/12_11/pdf/591_12_11_article.pdf
